Chapter 218: Wrackspurt and Pets

"Don't play dumb," Wade said. "How was your date with Padma? Went well this time, I assume?"

"W-What date?" Michael exclaimed in shock, and his face turned red as he stammered, "We weren't on a date… just, uh, discussing something, that's all…"

Wade looked at him as if he were a fool.

Michael finally gave up trying to argue and scratched his head nervously as he asked tentatively, "Who knows about it?"

"Relax…"

Just as Michael's expression began to ease, Wade continued, "Aside from one particularly dense person, everyone's figured it out."

Michael froze, and his eyes gradually filled with despair.

"Th-Then, this whole time…"

"Yup. Everyone thinks it's pretty amusing how hard you're trying to hide it, so no one's said anything. But after last time, we all thought you'd already gone public! Turns out, you haven't?"

Wade feigned an apologetic tone. "Oh, sorry… just forget what I said earlier."

"How could I possibly forget that?!" Michael retorted, and then immediately stood up. "No, I'm going to ask Terry… I don't believe that everyone knows!"

Terry is Michael's dormmate.

Watching Michael's awkwardly embarrassed expression as he fled, Wade couldn't help but laugh out loud.

"You don't seem very happy." 

A dreamy voice suddenly sounded from nearby.

It was Luna, who was sitting on a sofa not far away. She had been holding up a magazine, and its cover was obscuring her entire face.

Now, the girl lowered the magazine slightly, and her misty, dreamy eyes peered over the top and fixed on Wade.

The smile on Wade's face froze instantly. Her gaze had a piercing quality that made him feel uncomfortable, as though his skin was being pricked.

After a brief silence, he wiped the smile from his face and nodded. "Miss Luna Lovegood? Your magazine seems to be upside down."

"That's okay," Luna said in her slow, airy tone. "It's meant to be read that way. Do you need help?"

"…Help?" Wade struggled to follow her meaning. "What kind of help do you think I need?"

Luna produced a peculiar pair of pink glasses from somewhere, put them on, and scrutinized Wade carefully before nodding as if confirming something.

"You've been surrounded by Wrackspurt… Do you need me to help shoo them away?"

"…Wrackspurt?" Wade asked.

"Invisible bugs that float into your ears and mess with your mind," Luna said with absolute certainty.

Wade suddenly remembered that believing in certain fantastical creatures seemed to be one of Luna's unique traits.

He remained silent for a moment, and decided not to argue with a young girl over whether wrackspurts were real. Adopting a tone to humor her, he asked, "Alright then… how are you going to get rid of them?"

"Oh, that's simple."

Luna set her book aside, walked over to Wade, and extended her arms, making sweeping and shooing gestures. Since there was nothing visible around her, she looked like she was performing a strange dance.

Laughter from other students echoed nearby.

Luna, however, seemed completely unfazed. She diligently worked to "chase away" the wrackspurt, and occasionally hopped in place, causing the corks attached to her headband to bounce and tap against the back of her head.

Wade found her both peculiar and endearing, leaving him caught between feeling embarrassed and amused. 

Oddly enough, her antics lifted his mood considerably, dissolving some of the dark emotions that had lingered since hearing about the bait plan.

Luna stopped her movements and turned to face him.

"See? All the Wrackspurt are gone now. Pretty effective, right?"

"Very effective," Wade said with a smile. "Thank you, Miss Lovegood."

"You can just call me Luna. I don't mind," she replied before returning to her sofa. She made no effort to continue the conversation, instead raised her magazine to obscure her face again.

Wade sat nearby for a while, and after Luna returned to her dormitory, he got up and headed toward the boys' dormitory.

Suddenly, a brown-haired girl was pushed toward him from behind, followed by the giggling of several other girls.

The brown-haired girl turned to glare at her friends before nervously facing Wade. Summoning her courage, she began to speak: "Um… Wade Grey, I… uh… I…"

She stammered, unable to complete her sentence for several moments.

Wade looked down at her and asked, "I think… you're one of Luna's roommates, right?"

"Yes! Yes, that's right!" The girl tucked her hair behind her ear and looked up at him cautiously. "What's… what's your relationship with Loo— I mean, with Luna?"

"I suppose we're friends," Wade said with a smile. "Or maybe she's like a thoughtful little sister. I'm glad she has a kind roommate like you."

"Oh… it's nothing, really…"

The girl seemed flustered, and her fingers fidgeted with her hair. Behind her, the group of girls exchanged awkward glances, their earlier mischief was now tinged with embarrassment.

Wade seemed oblivious to their awkwardness and spoke gently:

"Luna has a personality that makes it a bit difficult for her to fit in, so it's really fortunate that you're patient with her. If she ever says something that's hard to hear, don't hold back—just let her know directly. 

She's not a bad kid; she just doesn't know how to interact with people very well."

"Oh no, no, it's fine! Actually, we've all gotten used to it… after all, we're… we're friends, haha…"

The brown-haired girl forced a "kind and friendly" smile.

Wade's gaze swept over the group, and the other girls also put on the smiles expected of "good friends of their little roommate."

"Thank you. She's really lucky to have friends like you."

Wade reached into his bag and pulled out a handful of miniature magic pets, and handed them over. "These are little things I make in my spare time. You can have them to play with."

"Wow—"

The girls gasped in delight, and covered their mouths.

In his slender palm were tiny magic pets, no bigger than a fingernail: cats, dogs, rabbits, chicks, and more. 

Some lay curled up, others frolicked together, and a few appeared to be searching for food. Their stubby paws and plump bodies made them irresistibly adorable.

Each one was so captivating that the girls couldn't take their eyes off them.

Counting them, there were just enough for each girl to pick one, with one left over.

The brown-haired girl hesitated to accept it, but her companions eagerly chose their favorites. Left with no choice, she picked a tiny cat and held the last rabbit in her hand as well.

"I'll give this one to Luna… You probably forgot to hand hers to her earlier, right?"

She spoke gently.

Wade smiled. "Yes, thank you for helping with that."

He watched the group of first-year girls leave excitedly, then chuckled to himself and stepped onto the spiraling staircase.

As he ascended, a thought echoed in his mind—something Marchionne had drilled into him repeatedly. Now, in hindsight, it seemed quite wise:

In some matters, words hold far more power than violence.

--------------------------------

🙏🙏Please consider supporting this translation project by becoming a P@treon member!!! 

Your support is greatly appreciated!

Available on my P@treon page for just $4!!

Early access to the following translations:-

⭐Harry Potter: Becoming a Study God (HP:BSG)- +200 Chapters & 2 Chapters/Day

⭐MCU: Druid's Adventures (MCUDA)(⭐COMPLETE⭐) - Total Chapter 460

⭐Famous Police Detective in Detective World (FPDDW)- +165 advance chapters

⭐Marvel: Little Genius (MLG) (⭐COMPLETE⭐) - Total Chapter 450

p@treon.com/Lightreaper457

--------------------------------