I just wanted to take out the trash.

  But then I ran into a classmate who always talked my ear off with some nonsense back at university. Talking to him was honestly exhausting. He was actually a really nice guy, but also kind of tiring.

  He was a passionate collector of cards from some role-playing game and regularly dressed up as the "Dark Knight of the Holy Guard." That wasn’t really a problem in itself, but he didn’t have to keep sending me photos of it. To be fair, out of excitement—or frustration—I often sent him rants or joyful messages whenever something in my own game didn’t go as planned.

  We were friends, in a way.

  "Did you know that...?!"

  I stared at him absentmindedly while the trash bag in my right hand started to seriously stink.

  "...and then came the dragon. You wouldn't believe the buffs we had to use. I even had to give my sword a new enchantment, because the dragon wasn’t weak to dark magic like we thought—but, and you won’t believe this—fire! What a stupid piece of cra—"

  I just kept staring at him, wondering whether I should make instant noodles with chicken or beef tonight.

  He kept on talking.

  "Interesting!" I said absentmindedly.

  "Why do you suddenly start paying attention when I tell you my girlfriend has a 2B cosplay?"

  "Oh, I just meant in general. The dragon and the other stuff."

  And I really didn’t get it.

  Like, truly didn’t.

  How could he have a girlfriend—and on top of that, be so popular with everyone? Not just with the guys, but with the girls too. He always seemed to have ridiculous luck.

  Maybe he really was just a good person. He was honestly never rude or insulting to anyone, even when some people really pushed his buttons.

  Although.

  That can't be it.

  Or maybe... maybe that's exactly it.

  "By the way, did you know we’ve been assigned to the same group? We have to create a presentation on different procedures and how we’d approach a specific scenario ourselves."

  "Oh. Is that so."

  Damn.

  I had managed to stay out of everything so well these past weeks and months. The last exams went well. No one was targeting me, no one had a problem with me. Which was a big change from how things used to be.

  Back in school, I really wasn’t popular.

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  "Too bad..."

  “Because we have to work together?”

  “No, I just really don’t feel like putting anything together!”

  “Come on, there are two girls in our group too—maybe one of them will be your type.”

  I seriously doubt that.

  “You know, there are more important things in life than women. For me, there's also…”

  “…right, you help out at that one shop now and then to make some extra cash.”

  I was actually talking about the castles the French took from me.

  “Frenchmen!” I blurted out.

  “What?”

  “Uh… yeah, that’s what I meant. Why not. Do you already know who else is in our group?”

  “No idea, but I know we are in one. The guy who teaches us always handles it this way. So you can pretty much count on it.”

  “Got it.”

  Hopefully I’ll end up in a group with the cashier. After all, she’s in the same course as me. Although… that would mean seeing her boyfriend too. And honestly, I don’t have the energy or will for that.

  He slowly said his goodbyes. And I really do understand why he has so many friends. He’s genuinely a kind person, always ready to listen. If he weren’t so obsessed with trading cards, he’d probably have his own personal harem by now.

  I quickly tossed the trash bag into the container.

  It was already evening, so I decided to go get something to eat. I thought about getting sushi again—or maybe something Greek for a change. They always had these unique, flavorful dishes. Even if it hurt my wallet a bit, you’ve got to treat yourself now and then.

  Greek it was.

  I found a quiet spot by the window in the restaurant and placed my order. It was a plate piled high with soutzoukakia, and for dessert, I treated myself to some tiropita.

  Seriously.

  It was pure bliss.

  Every single bite was a dream—I was in absolute heaven.

  "Is that you...?"

  Suddenly, there was a soft, but really cute voice next to me.

  “It’s me… Sofia. We’re in the same course and now we’re in the same group for the presentation. I work here as a waitress.”

  “Okay.”

  I was so immersed in my food that even though I looked at her, my mind was still glorifying the meat.

  She looked a little disappointed, like she had expected a different reaction from me. But she had totally caught me off guard, and I really wasn’t prepared to be approached by such a beautiful woman.

  Then she sat down in the chair across from me.

  

  “I saw your name paired with mine, and—my boyfriend is in the group too!”

  “And your boyfriend is…?”

  “You might know him—he’s really into trading cards.”

  Goddammit.

  “Ah… that guy.”

  Honestly—there has to be more going on than just being “a nice person.” No one gets a girlfriend like her just by being kind. Then again, he is pretty solid overall.

  And then I found myself thinking about the time she wore that 2B cosplay.

  I looked at her.

  “…damn.”

  “What?”

  “Nothing, the food’s just really good.”

  “I’m glad to hear that. You know, the restaurant belongs to my father. He’s always so happy when people enjoy the food—it really means a lot to him.”

  “That’s always nice, when people do something to make others happy.”

  I was trying to win her over a bit—we were going to be working together for a while, after all. I didn’t want to ruin things right from the start with my usual personality.

  “And of course, there’s the money. We actually earn pretty well here, since people keep coming back.”

  “hehe”

  “hehe”

  Money really is a nice thing.

  We talked for a while about the topic we’d been assigned. She honestly had no clue where to even begin—let alone who should take on which part. Luckily, her boyfriend was pretty good at organizing groups. Even if, content-wise, he didn’t really know much more than she did.

  Leading role-playing game parties does have its perks.

  “Well then, I’ve still got some work to do. See you in class.”

  “Alright, see you.”

  She was really nice.

  A little later, another waiter brought me a free drink—“On the house,” he said with a smile.

  Truly a good day.

  Once I was done, I paid for my meal and left the restaurant.

  The sun was already starting to set.

  Back in my apartment, I went back to the usual routine. I sat down at my computer and let a few videos play in the background. Nothing special—just something calming to shut off my brain for a bit.

  Later, I logged into the game and tried to gather some more diamonds. After all, we were planning to go up against the Piglins as a group again soon, and this time, we wanted to be prepared.

  It was 2:00 a.m. again by the time I finally went to bed.