I Became the Must-Have Character of the Academy City - Chapter 89



88 – Girls Left to Fend for Themselves for 5 Days -2-

Its Saturday.

The Lycoris Radiata Bookstore was closed this weekend. The manager had closed the shop, telling Rohan to study for his exams.

Though the managers real purpose seemed to be more than half to go play with his grandson, Rohan was grateful for the kindness.

I should send the manager gifts more often. And buy a lot of books.

He’d also told him that he might have to quit his part-time job soon.

He hadn’t worked there long, and even though he’d brought it up, the manager just smiled, understood, and told him to come by anytime. Rohan felt like he could have bowed deeply.

Knowing that he’d be able to finish things cleanly made his heart feel lighter.

Clara. This is the bus we need to take, right?

Yep!

Seats are 11A and 11B You take the window seat, Clara.

Hey, um, is it okay if I sit on the aisle? Wouldnt it be more comfortable for you to sit inside…?

Just go ahead and sit inside~ I actually feel more uncomfortable with my legs all tucked in.

And so, it was the last weekend of leisure before the midterms.

Rohan boarded the bus heading to the station with Clara.

Of course, they were on their way to pick up Zion, who was coming from Tigrova.

Oppa. Heres water.

Thanks. Is it too cramped?

Im fine! What about you, oppa?

Ive got plenty of room too. Its nice, the bus seats are fancy.

Rohan relaxed and chatted with Clara.

He put off the constant review and memorization of midterm theories for the time being.

His brain had been overloaded lately from trying to cram in all that studying, something he hadnt even expected to be doing.

Rohan felt he needed time to moisten his dried-up brain, so he felt this current schedule was timed perfectly.

On the way back, Zion and Clara should sit together. Ill probably take a single seat.

Clara thought that made sense and nodded. Her purple twin tails swished.

She wished she could sit with Rohan in the middle, but the seating arrangement made that impossible.

Clara. You can sleep if youre sleepy. Ill wake you up when we get there.

Isnt it you whos sleepy because of studying, Oppa? Youve been going to bed late judging by your messages.

Rohan chuckled and pulled out his smartphone.

Company Wave!

Started the game with Clara, keeping the volume as low as possible.

The girl’s eyes sparkled with interest as she tilted her head towards Rohan.

“Now all we need is the resources and the 3-party’s complete. How about it?”

“Oppa… you leveled up so fast. I feel like crying…”

Clara had been watching the whole time, but there wasn’t a single part of Rohan’s play she could touch.

It was clean. The old him, the one who used to provoke coaching, was completely gone.

It was clear he’d break through to the top if he just invested the time now. Truly a heart-warming growth.

“Oh, did you get a call from Sion yesterday?”

“Yeah! I was relieved, seems like it worked out well. Oh, oppa, you talked to unnie too…?”

“Yeah, she suddenly asked me what perfume I use.”

“…”

Clara remembers Sion’s voice from the other end of the line.

The deep bewilderment that wafted from that one line, realizing Rohan didn’t wear perfume.

It was like she had finally recognized that the scent she was obsessed with was Rohan’s own.

“Clara.”

“Yeah…?”

“I’m a bit late saying this, but my academy exam is coming up soon, right?”

“Yeah, yeah! I know.”

“After the written exam finishes next Monday, the practical exam starts right away. So, I won’t be in the dorm until after the practical exam.”

Clara’s eyes widened.

Without realizing it, my voice grows louder, starts to tremble.

H-how long are you going? A day? Surely not two

Regrettably, its not that short. The current plan is Monday through Friday.

!!!

The despair of Rohan being gone not for a day, not for two, but for the entire work week.

With that one sentence, Clara tasted a freefall into an endless abyss.

Look in the fridge, Ive made enough side dishes, so make sure you eat well with Sion, okay?

Clara couldnt manage a reply to those words.

Actually, she hadnt really heard them.

N-next week Oppas going to be gone?

Looking back on her recent life, the idea of being apart from Rohan for that long was unimaginable.

Even if someone were to point a finger and call it dependency or addiction, she wouldn’t be able to argue.

Uhhhng

To the girl who was letting her soul slip from between her lips, completely out of it,

Rohan carefully reached out his hand.

And this is a bit random, but its a gift for Clara.

?!

The click! sound brought the light back into Claras dead eyes.

I thought it would suit you, Clara. Its nothing too expensive, though.

“Huh?”

The girl’s hand fumbled, reaching for the accessory in her hair.

Her fingertips, alone, could tell her what it was. The smooth texture and the heart charm at the end.

“Oh, Oppa…!”

“I bought it on a whim, so you don’t have to wear it if you don’t want to.”

“I’ll wear it forever…!”

Clara’s declaration was nothing short of grand. Rohan chuckled, questioning her.

“Wouldn’t it be good to at least check the color and shape? If there’s a color you want, I’ll go with you to exchange it.”

“This is good!”

There was no need to take it off and look at its design or color.

Rohan chose it, so it was perfect. Nothing else was needed. She would never change it.

The happiness bestowed by the hairpin nestled in her hair.

The girl’s mood, once stuck to the floor, soared to the sky.

If she held this happiness as a burning ember, she could make it through the weekdays without Rohan, without freezing to death.

The station for the Sky Train.

It felt more unassuming than expected, but it had the feeling of waiting for a plane at the airport.

“Ah! Oppa, look at that…!”

A Sky Train could be seen descending from the sky through the glass window.

Clara pointed, saying that Sion was probably on it given the time.

They headed for the entrance where the announcement was coming from.

Rohan grabbed the large paper and pen on the table.

Lets write Sion on a placard and wait.

Uh, wont unnie feel burdened?

Thats the whole point. I think the reaction will be either great or nonexistent, one of the two.

Rohan used her crooked, messy handwriting to scribble a huge [Si] and a huge [on], one character each.

She and Clara each held one, and they stood at the entrance.

Not even five minutes passed.

Passengers surged out of the entrance.

Sion emerged from the doorway wearing Rohans coat.

Truly striking beauty. She seemed to glow, immediately catching Rohan and Clara’s eyes.

Sion tilted her head, ears perked, then immediately spotted Rohan and Clara who were waiting for her.

Seeing her name in their hands, she chuckled in disbelief.

Welcome back. You must be tired.

Unnie, welcome back!

Approaching Rohan and Clara, Sion wiped away her laughter.

Then, her lips curved into a soft smile.

Thanks for the flamboyant welcome.

The ease she emanated, having returned from Tigrova, felt deeper.

I’m suddenly itching to hear the details I couldn’t catch over the phone.

Lets go back for now.

On the bus to Academy City, we talked a lot.

Even as we neared our stop, the three of us kept chattering.

“Yuho said, he was worried you might just lunge the moment you met him.”

Acting like that the girl had seen the elders’ disgrace.

She’d learned a lot because of it.

That the Snow Tiger Emperor had moved, keeping to a reasonable line, while directly pursuing his goals.

To latch onto that and emotionally blame the agreed-upon succession as wrong, was to dishonor her parents’ name.

Sion understood the world’s flow to that extent.

‘I’ve heard the Snow Tiger Emperor doesn’t avoid challenges. He must be living with that already braced for it.’

Maybe it was because she’d pulled the trigger on the Grand Elder’s head and purged those petty emotions.

Lately, Sion felt her thinking had broadened, a little.

‘If not for that reason…’

Her gaze naturally fell to Rohan.

The superb observer who made her heart pound.

Thanks to Rohan, she now knew exactly where to aim her gun.

“Oh! We’re here.”

As the bus stopped, Rohan naturally grabbed Sion’s bag and led the way.

With both her hands free, Sion took Clara’s hand.

“So.”

“Hmm?”

“What was it like, seeing him in person?”

Rohan’s question, asked as he stepped out the front door. Sion knew that “him” meant the Snow Tiger Emperor.

Anyone with a goal to reach the top would be curious about that.

Clara was listening intently too.

“A monster that couldn’t be killed in any way like it could never die.”

Sion’s honest impression. Would that be enough?

Rohan nodded and started walking. He didn’t show any more curiosity.

“Let’s just drop our luggage in the dorm. Want to grab an early dinner? I’ll treat.”

“Rohan. Just a sec.”

Sion said, stopping in his tracks.

Clara, who was holding his hand, stopped with him, and Rohan turned back.

“I want to buy dinner.”

“?”

Rohan blinked. He looked uncharacteristically hesitant about what to say.

It was natural, since Sion hadn’t told him about inheriting the fortune.

Hed even borrowed a credit card because he didn’t have any money, so it probably seemed strange for him to offer to buy food.

“There was something I said I’d show you when I got back. Remember?”

“The thing you mentioned yesterday?”

I I had it

Sion remembered the words he’d said on the phone.

Rohan and Clara waited silently, a gut feeling that something was about to surface.

Sion fumbled in his pocket with one hand, pulling out his smartphone.

He showed them the account where hed received the deposit from Yuho.