I Became the Must-Have Character of the Academy City

51 – Lunchtime of the Storm -1-

“Attention, everyone. Gilbert, if your body has thawed, return to your seat.”

“Ugh…”

The morning assembly continued with stories about Rohan.

Juyeon praised and encouraged everyone for the good deed, emphasizing that the most important thing was contacting the guardian instructor.

And it was a relief that it turned out well.

The unusually long morning assembly ended with a note that it was originally a very dangerous situation.

As Juyeon left, Gilbert turned his head with a crack and immediately spoke.

“Friend, you did a great job!”

“Thanks. It’s nice not to shout.”

Had the excitement subsided a bit since being trapped in the ice?

Compared to ordinary people, Gilbert’s voice was still loud, but for him, this was a whisper.

“You still don’t know. The depth of praise is not judged by decibels!”

“This b*stard knows that well…”

“But! A powerful resonance can sometimes be an irreplaceable seasoning!”

As expected, it seems that the habit of screaming won’t be fixed just by talking about it.

After finishing the chat with a few friends who joined in with a word or two, Rohan took out his book to prepare for class, washed his hands, and returned. Ichinose and Noah, who were passing by the hallway, stopped and spoke to him.

“You really deserve praise. It’s wonderful.”

“Enough. It’s not something to keep mentioning embarrassingly.”

At Rohan’s words, Ichinose shook his head with his eyes closed.

“Whether it’s intuition or not, it’s not something anyone can do.”

“Isn’t he actually a beastman too?”

Ichinose squinted and glanced at Noah, asking what he was talking about.

“That aside, I also heard that you helped Noah with his studies over the weekend.”

“Oh, that? I get lonely if I do it alone too.”

At those words, Noah wagged his tail as if he remembered something important.

He tapped Ichinose with his tail, as if to show off.

“Nos! Rohan tried to torture me with workbook reviews! Scold him quickly!”

“Rohan handled it correctly. Well done. If such an opportunity arises again, please do the same.”

“Okay. I’ll make sure of it.”

Noah tried to hug Ichinose from behind, saying it was too much.

But Ichinose, without even opening his eyes, lightly avoided Noah’s hug with a light step. The movement was like a small animal avoiding a tiger’s attack.

Having fun, huh.

To Rohan, the actions of the two were like a comedy sketch and a warm picture.

Noah Frozenheart must have known that Ichinose would react this way. Maybe he just needed an excuse to hug his friend.

Torture is prohibited under Samhwa law! How can you encourage inhumane torture!

…Stop memorizing only what’s convenient for you and learn other things too.

Noah tries to hug Ichinose with both hands, but he still can’t catch him.

Without stopping their light chatter, the three naturally led their steps back to the classroom.

Just in time, the break was over.

Is everyone here? Please take your seats.

Juyeon, holding a textbook, returned to the classroom and continued the theory lesson as if nothing had happened.

Noah’s tail swished as he tried to memorize the formulas, groaning and holding his head.

Ichinose answered Juyeon’s questions without a single hitch, giving clean answers. Rohan struggled just to keep up with taking notes.

It was the usual class time.

Then, as the theory time ended, the long-awaited lunch break arrived.

Rohan, as usual, moved to the academy cafeteria while checking his phone.

!

He stopped in his tracks when he saw the message from Clara.

As soon as he regained his senses, Rohan changed direction and started running towards the dormitory.

*

Sion Testarossa.

The girl worried that her visit might be a burden to Rohan.

Although Rohan had told her to come anytime, wouldn’t it be overwhelming for him if she took his words literally and showed up the very next day?

The girl thought so. She was certain of it.

With that resolve, she put down the payphone receiver and returned to her cold dwelling, lying down on the chilly fabric.

‘It’s cold…’

She suddenly felt the stark difference.

Despite spending a long time there, the frigid dwelling never allowed her to adapt, contrasting sharply with the warmth she felt during her chat with Rohan at the academy city’s payphone.

The gap between joy and sorrow was immense. Was this the pain of falling from a galloping horse?

She had used up all her tokens making the call.

But she didn’t regret it.

The thirty minutes she spent chatting with Rohan allowed her to momentarily avert her eyes from the bleakness before her.

That’s why the girl couldn’t resist.

Thus, Shion found herself at the academy city Elysium once again today.

She thought she should hold back as much as possible, but Rohan’s encouragement over the phone made her feel it was okay to visit.

“.”

It was 11:50 AM on a weekday.

Who would be at the academy dormitory at this time? The area was as quiet as midnight despite the bright daylight.

Even so, Shion confirmed several times that there was no one around.

Thud! She extended her foot and gracefully climbed the academy dormitory wall.

As she got closer to the window, she couldn’t help but laugh at her own actions.

Isn’t it absurd?

When I first met Rohan, he told me to call if anything came up, and I coldly retorted that it would never happen. How did it come to this?

*Rattle.*

Sion felt a sense of relief as he noticed the unlocked window and perched himself on the windowsill.

Before stepping onto the floor, Sion removed his heavy boots and glanced around the room.

“Rohan?”

He called out in a voice that wasn’t loud but would surely be heard.

Even though Sion called for Rohan, there was no response. Not even the slightest noise indicating someone’s presence.

‘I felt it outside too, but… is he not here?’

Come to think of it, wasn’t Rohan supposed to be infiltrating the academy? Maybe he diligently went to attend his classes.

Sion climbed down from the windowsill, holding his boots in one hand, and closed the window first.

Before deciding whether to return to his place or wait for Rohan, he observed the minimum etiquette.

Sion neatly placed his boots in the shoe cabinet and turned around.

“…?”

A room without its owner, Rohan.

Sion narrowed his eyes and lowered his stance as he quietly observed the empty space.

His right hand slowly moved towards his weapon.

A faint sense of unease lingered in the silent room.

An unfamiliar clue caught in the realm of intuition that couldn’t be explained with words.

Apart from the fact that Sion’s senses were as sharp as those of a beast, this was an awareness that came from the combat style the girl had developed over time.

Those who strive and exert all their strength to avoid being discovered.

Snipers or assassins always try to hide themselves, so they are also skilled at finding something hidden. That part is what led to the suspicion that someone was in this space.

The fact that Clara couldn’t completely hide herself in that fleeting moment also played a big role.

How long had Zion been frozen, holding his breath?

“Uh, um…”

“!”

There is someone. His intuition was not wrong.

One thing was certain. It was not Rohan’s voice.

Zion reflexively drew the dagger from his waist with a swish!

Clara also unfolded her folded balisong with a flashy hand movement.

‘Right side!’

Zion caught the thin metallic sound with his pointed ears.

He swung the dagger towards the position where someone was hiding.

Clang!

The short blades collided, making a grinding sound.

As Clara blocked the attack, she recalled.

‘Is this the person brother mentioned yesterday…?’

[ Rohan: When I’m not around, a guest related to work might come to the dormitory. I tried to tell you over the phone that someone might be at the dormitory ]

She remembered every single word of the long message she received yesterday.

There was a mention of an elf, but no mention of a woman. He also didn’t say she was such a beautiful woman.

Oppa, you really…

Clara pouted her lips without realizing it. Her cheeks seemed to puff up.

Even as she expressed her sulkiness towards Rohan, who wasn’t there, Clara confirmed that the dagger Zion wielded had a reverse blade.

No intent to kill, just a will to subdue.

Zion, whose dagger was blocked, didn’t continue the exchange but leapt back to create distance.

He spun the dagger with the reverse blade in his hand and observed the mysterious woman.

“Wait, wait a minute…!”

A twin-tailed girl, who seemed unsure whether she was dressed or undressed, appeared.

She hurriedly buttoned up her clothes to hide her revealing underwear.

This inexplicable sight heightened Zion’s wariness.

‘Strong. Can I win with the equipment I have now? Moreover… she’s wearing shoes.’

Does this mean she intruded? The possibility is high.

She might be someone targeting Rohan.

From Clara’s perspective, it was an instinctive action to erase traces, but even so, there was nothing she could say to defend herself.

Zion grabbed a pistol with his empty hand and asked the opponent,

“Who are you?”