I Became the Must-Have Character of the Academy City

30 – A Precious Guest -3-

The connection between Clara and the Flower Murut Bookstore began around summer.

It was long before Rohan started working, so it’s been a few months since the girl took over the corner of the Flower Murut Bookstore.

Thanks to the manager’s consideration, who happened to learn about her situation, the corner of the bookstore became Clara’s resting place and designated seat.

The girl explores knowledge in this space.

Spending her days looking at old magazines and books that came into the bookstore under the name of donation or disposal.

Mystery, history, fashion, horror, essays, dictionaries, and so on.

Reading whatever she could get her hands on, regardless of genre, Clara was filling her mind with diverse concepts and knowledge.

Sharak Sharak.

.

Today, I’m looking at a workbook that someone solved and discarded.

There’s no particular reason. I just reached out and grabbed the one on top.

Looking at the cover, it’s a book preparing for the Orion Academy entrance exam.

Recently, a lot of these kinds of books have come in bundles.

The one I picked up today is filled with handwritten solutions and interpretations, leaving no space on the pages.

Cute handwriting.

Clara enjoyed everything written on the paper as part of her reading experience.

It was fun, like solving a puzzle, as she tackled the solutions until she understood them.

Ah! I’ve seen this monster before.

Thus, the girl spent another quiet day.

It’s now comfortable even during the time when the fortune teller leaves and Rohan takes over the counter.

Rohan doesn’t ask questions if he doesn’t want to talk.

Even when making small talk, he adjusts the mysterious distance so that it’s not hard to answer, so that the conversation doesn’t stall, and so that they can talk while looking into each other’s eyes.

Moreover, he’s genuinely interested in the game, so it’s enjoyable to talk to him.

When he asks about the deep settings of Company Wave, I get excited without realizing it and start chattering away.

Ah, so embarrassing.

I remember the time I got carried away explaining by myself and then came to my senses.

Rohan smiled and asked me to tell him more, but for Clara, that moment always makes her face heat up whenever she thinks about it.

Anyway.

Rohan’s age, being an academy cadet, must be a year or two older than herself, but at this level…

‘…A, friend?’

Even uttering such a word felt too grand, a relationship so radiant that it might somehow fit.

“Heh.”

A ticklish feeling. A meaningless laugh slipped out between the girl’s lips.

As Clara, with a raised corner of her mouth, reached out to grab the next book.

The door opened with a jingle.

And then.

Rohan and a woman’s voice.

Clara moved as quietly as possible, more excited than when dealing with other customers, at the sound of Rohan’s voice.

She moved silently, glancing towards the counter.

The manager has left, so I will close the store.

Rohan was chatting happily with the woman.

What should she say, watching them gave her an indescribable feeling.

‘So, he knows people other than someone like me…’

Clara dropped her gaze from Rohan to check the other person.

And then she held her breath for a moment.

‘Wow…’

A beautiful woman who made her gasp in admiration.

The sense of being out of reach instantly extinguished the tiny bit of desire Clara had in her heart.

The red hair and sharp eyes naturally elicited the word “cool.”

‘Huh?’

Clara’s head tilted in curiosity as she observed the guest intently.

Was it a mistake?

She felt like she had seen that person in some magazine.

If the boss were here, I would have at least greeted him… It’s good to be trusted. It’s a good thing.

How long had she been watching Rohan and the guest converse from her hidden spot?

Clara sensed something unusual.

‘Huh…?’

It wasn’t a killing intent that pricked her skin.

It felt like a reprimand, as if to say that what she was doing was wrong and impolite.

The aura emanating from the red-haired woman clearly detected Clara, who had been hiding her presence.

“!!!”

It was the first time she had been discovered so easily. Clara’s legs began to tremble.

What the girl saw in that instant was a powerful and dazzling sun.

That light swallowed all the shadows she was hiding in. She felt exposed.

She had never seen such power before. It was terrifying.

The girl averted her eyes and sat in a corner of the bookstore as if to escape.

‘She’s watching me!’

The sensation that her position was being read clearly, no matter where she went, was vivid.

I wanted to run straight to the exit and escape the bookstore, but it seemed too far to reach.

The pressure of having nowhere to hide in the bookstore made Clara tremble with fear.

“Ughhh…”

Even after the main character left, Clara, who was trembling, came into Rohan’s view.

Rohan stopped his steps to get the mop and approached the girl directly.

“What’s wrong? Are you hurt?”

“…”

The girl grabbed Rohan’s apron with trembling hands.

An instinctive action, devoid of reason. Something Clara would never normally do.

Rohan’s mind began to grasp the situation.

“Is it because of the instructor?”

“Th-that…”

Seeing the stuttering girl, Rohan had an intuition.

This was a natural opportunity to approach a sensitive topic.

“Alright.”

Rohan sat down to match the eye level of Clara, who was crouching.

How long did he wait without saying anything?

Clara’s hand, which had been gripping the apron tightly, loosened. The trembling subsided.

Sitting on the quiet bookstore floor, Rohan spoke softly.

“Feeling a bit better?”

.

A slight nod.

Would you like some water?

.

A shake of the head, indicating no.

Watching Clara, who kept her mouth shut and her gaze fixed downward, Rohan carefully selected his words in his mind.

A positive reaction was crucial above all.

That’s quite impressive.

At the unexpected compliment, Clara lifted her head slightly in response.

He brushed against the secret the girl had not spoken.

Most people would just feel intimidated by the instructor. Were you able to read the magic?

Rohan showed pure admiration, wondering how she managed to suppress it so well.

The girl’s pupils trembled uncontrollably.

Ah, um, that is!

The instructor’s presence is indeed intense. But there’s no need to worry. No need to be afraid.

Before Clara could show any more flustered, nonsensical responses,

Rohan began with his own observation that it didn’t matter.

The instructor is a very kind person.

Rohan would not pry into this girl any further.

It was enough to simply acknowledge Clara’s uniqueness.

*

[ Clara: I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry because of me. () ]

Rohan quickly sent a message saying not to worry and that they would meet tomorrow.

Oh, I need to hurry.

Closing time was later than usual because he had been reassuring Clara.

Rohan put the bookstore key under the flower bed and hurriedly moved.

As soon as he came out of the alley, he saw Joo-yeon without needing to look around.

Rohan quickly ran and stopped in front of her.

Sorry for being late!

Its okay. Its rare to get off work exactly on time.

Joo-yeon’s hands were empty.

Had she already left the book at home?

I have a place in mind. Let’s go there.

Yes!

Joo-yeon smiled faintly as she watched Rohan follow without a word.

Arent you curious about the menu?

To be honest, I am.

Joo-yeon directed her gaze to one side as if to show Rohan.

There was a huge building there.

We’re going to a family restaurant on the 4th floor of the mall. It’s a franchise that also exists in Samhwa-guk.

*

“Oh…”

With a sense of anticipation and admiration, the two entered the shopping mall, exchanging various small talk.

Groups of cadets in uniforms could be seen here and there.

Many cadets recognized Juyeon and greeted him with deep bows.

As they took the escalator to the fourth floor, a restaurant with an interior similar to a famous steakhouse in Rohan’s memory came into view.

It felt strange.

“How many people?”

“Two.”

It was later than usual for dinner, so the inside was quieter than expected.

Rohan was guided to a table and sat across from Juyeon.

“Order whatever you want.”

Juyeon casually handed the menu to Rohan.

Since everything on the menu was new to him, Rohan looked around instead of at the menu.

More than the food, there were more customers drinking beer with greasy appetizers.

“An event for office workers… It says beer is cheap today.”

“Ah, no wonder everyone is holding a glass.”

“Don’t you drink beer, Instructor?”

At Rohan’s question, Juyeon shook his head.

“I don’t drink alcohol.”

“Do you dislike it?”

“It’s not that I dislike it. In fact, I think about it from time to time.”

Juyeon brushed her bangs aside, revealing a cheerful smile.

She continued speaking to Rohan.

“You never know when an emergency might occur.”

A short but instantly understandable remark.

Rohan could empathize with her words.

“…It’s no ordinary task.”

“From the beginning, it was clearly stated that we were brought to Academy City for this purpose, so it’s fine.”

“Thanks to you, Instructor, everyone will grow into formidable forces.”

Rohan always thought while being a hunter.

Acknowledging others’ hardships is a crucial element of mental care.

Juyeon, with a raised corner of her mouth, rested her chin on her hand and gazed at Rohan.

“This instructor also has high expectations for you, Rohan.”

“I’ll become strong quickly so that you can have a drink without any worries, Instructor.”

“Reliable. I look forward to it.”

“When that time comes, I’ll pour you a drink, Instructor.”

Juyeon couldn’t hide her joy at Rohan’s words.

She even laughed softly.

“Huh… Perhaps I’ll accept the drink when I feel that public safety won’t be an issue even without me.”