I Became the Must-Have Character of the Academy City

41 – Relationships on the Tiger’s Back -3-

Rohan wanted to leave the counter immediately and see how Clara and Noah were doing.

But it was impossible right now.

Just as he agreed to Clara’s suggestion to watch a comic together, customers started pouring into the once-quiet bookstore like waves.

“3 coins and 20 tokens. A paper bag costs 1 token, do you need one?”

“Yes, please put it in.”

“I’ve put the receipt inside. Thank you!”

Why did customers have to flood in at this timing?

It was the busiest day since Rohan started working part-time, and it could be said that the sales at the Flower Bookstore were unprecedented.

“Do you have any books for studying letters? My child wants to read them…”

“Has Pascal’s new book been sold out?”

“I’m looking for a book on how to make a girlfriend.”

Rohan responded to the customers’ requests one by one while glancing at the corner where the two were.

He couldn’t see Noah and Clara properly, but it seemed they were quietly doing well.

“.”

And at the same time, he realized deeply.

Looking back at the situation, the very thought that he knew Clara well was arrogant.

Who would have thought Clara would volunteer to spend time with Noah? It was a situation far beyond Rohan’s expectations.

As a gamer who enjoyed Abyss City, it was a picture that couldn’t be vividly drawn or even imagined.

It happened right in front of Rohan’s eyes.

‘I need to be a bit more cautious from now on.’

This also applies to Ichinose and Noah, who have a lot of information. Maybe even the princess.

Reality was free.

It was not confined to a fixed frame.

Rohan engraved that point in his heart once again.

“Hmm~”

“.”

Clara herself was curious about where the courage to accept the earlier suggestion came from.

Just sitting next to Noah, who was humming a tune, holding a book, was draining her mental strength in real-time.

She couldn’t grasp the content of the comic book she was reading.

“What’s our friend’s name?”

Noah, who was looking at the book, suddenly asked.

Clara, who was startled and flinched, answered softly.

“I, I’m Clara! By the way.”

“Heh, cute name. Just call me Noah.”

“Yes.”

The beautiful appearance associated with the name Noah, a tiger beastman with pure white fur like eternal snow, an aura of extraordinary coldness.

Clara finished her thoughts and was convinced.

‘Noah Frozenheart of Tigrova? Brother, what on earth.’

Clara was facing the greatest figure she had ever seen in her life.

But somehow, she managed to suppress her tension.

After all, Clara herself didn’t have to carry out the assassination or gather information. Unlike last time, the confidence that she could escape if she wanted to lightened her heart.

The beast girl quickly turned the pages with a rustling sound.

Noah’s gaze lingered the longest on the pages with food illustrations rather than the scenes with many dialogues.

After finishing his visual tasting, Noah opened his mouth again.

“I was surprised to see you move earlier. Want to have a race with me next time?”

“Th-that is…”

“Let’s make it a race to the top of the mountain! Nose is pretty fast too, so it should be quite fun if we do it together.”

“…”

“Oh! By the way, Nose is the one who enrolled with me.”

Clara had voluntarily stepped into this space, but she regretted it.

She wished Rohan would come and get her out right away.

How could someone suggest playing and having a conversation like this upon first meeting?

From Clara’s perspective, Noah was an incomprehensible person.

He didn’t delicately adjust the distance and only ask easy-to-answer questions like Rohan.

This was the fear that the moment she uttered a vague agreement, a promise would be made. It was like he was tearing through the line and dancing gleefully.

Just listening to him made her head spin.

“Anyway, let me know if you’re interested. I’ll make the arrangements. Got it?”

Clara nodded slightly.

The forced persuasion didn’t continue, giving a slight sense of relief.

But there was no way the snare of small talk would loosen there.

Noah, spitting out the words that came to mind, changed the subject with a force that seemed like he would break the steering wheel.

“Clara looks more like a doll the more I see her. Nose also looks like a doll, but the style is a bit different.”

“No! Someone like me, that, such.”

“Huh? I have really high standards, so I don’t say this often? Such a pretty face is rare!”

Clara shook her head in fright at the sudden direct compliment.

If you just looked at the sentence, it was similar to what men who flirt on the street would say.

But Noah said it with pure appreciation without any purpose, so the burden Clara felt was unbearably heavy.

“Dad told Nose that denying and rejecting too much doesn’t make you seem humble. Be confident! Rohan would agree with what I said.”

“Brother?”

“Should I ask him when he comes later? He seems busy now, but he’ll come at least once.”

It seemed like a golden opportunity for Noah to ask a question she couldn’t ask herself.

‘Just in case, really just in case! There’s no way the kind brother would do that!’

She was also scared that if he denied it coldly without any empty words, her mental state would be shattered.

Just imagining it made her nervous and tremble. Clara swallowed her saliva.

Noah, quietly observing the abnormal symptoms of the girl, blinked.

Suddenly curious, he wanted to ask now.

“What kind of relationship do you have with Rohan?”

“With brother?”

“Yes.”

What should I say here?

Clara, who had shrunk back, rolled her eyes around.

“Just… an older brother I met at the bookstore…”

“I see. That’s interesting.”

“And, Noah, what about you?”

“Haha! Noah? I like the sound of that! I’m a classmate of Rohan.”

Noah’s tail thumped on the floor, seemingly pleased with the title Clara had used.

“I have a question…”

“Sure! Ask anything!”

“Tigrova practices, um… polygamy, right…?”

Contrary to expectations, it wasn’t a personal question.

But Noah simply nodded in acceptance.

“That’s right! So the eldest brother has… how many wives now? Ten… or more? I forgot.”

“Gasp!”

Noah chuckled as she watched the girl gasp in shock.

“Well, if you come from a country without polygamy, it might seem strange. You might be curious.”

“I was wondering… what do you think about polygamy…?”

Noah crossed her arms and pondered for a moment at Clara’s question.

Soon, the blue light in the beast girl’s eyes flickered, and she seemed to have found a good answer.

“I like having more older sisters because they give me lots of delicious things.”

“Th-that’s not what I meant…”

“Huh? Isn’t it? It’s a huge advantage.”

What kind of perception did they have about their country’s system? Clara was curious about that.

But just by listening to what Noah was saying now, she could find the answer.

It didn’t seem like there was any sense of rejection.

“…Are there men who don’t practice polygamy?”

“Well, there are, but it feels like society doesn’t view them favorably.”

“Wh-why?!”

This was truly something she couldn’t understand.

Shouldn’t they be praised for being devoted lovers instead?

“In Tigrova, strength is ultimately the best proof. In any country, if you have strength, money and honor follow, but in Tigrova, it’s a bit more blatant.”

“…What does that have to do with polygamy?”

“Having only one wife means you don’t have the wealth or the heart to embrace many. It’s proof that you’re not a ruler! That’s what they say.”

“…”

“In the end, this kind of social structure is different in every country. Well, the people of Tigrova don’t expect other countries to understand.”

Since Tigrova was a powerful nation, its system and technology must have developed accordingly.

But the opinions supporting the system felt no different from those of a hunting society.

Should it be wrapped up as the boldness of living on frozen land?

Not caring about others’ opinions was something Clara found quite impressive.

“No, Noah, would you not mind if your lover or husband had multiple wives…?”

“Yes! It would be great to have more people to play with!”

“…”

“In Tigrova, a woman refusing polygamy is akin to hindering her husband’s success. As I mentioned earlier, if a man has only one wife, he might be deemed inadequate at crucial moments.”

Could it be that she can accept it because she has been educated that way since birth?

Clara was confused by the innocent-sounding words.

It felt as if she was the strange one for not accepting it gracefully.

“Ugh…”

As the girl hid her head between the pages of the open comic book, Noah gently tapped her slender back with her tail.

“Is Tigrova very different from Clara’s country?”

“Yes…”

“Then I don’t think you need to force yourself to understand the customs of another country. Even Nose said it was tough with so many weddings of his brothers.”

“…”

How nice it would be if things could end so neatly.

Clara, with drooping eyes, took out her phone.

She began typing a message with a series of taps on the keyboard.

Bzzzzzz!!!

Rohan’s smartphone, which was busy attending to customers, buzzed.