I Became the Must-Have Character of the Academy City - Chapter 90



89 – Midterm Exams Begin

‘Huh?’

Rohan rubbed his eyes at the numbers Sion showed.

He opened his status window; it didnt seem like a hallucination. Not numbers randomly punched into a calculator either.

There was a possibility it was a hallucination beyond the status windows recognition, but for now, he tried to accept it as it appeared.

One, ten, hundred, thousand, ten thousand

The units just kept climbing. An amount that felt unreal. Rohans mouth went dry.

His mind swam, and his lips started flapping of their own accord.

From noble mtl dot com

Hey, this isn’t some kind of hypnosis app, is it?

What are you talking about It’s the money from selling some of the Testarossa assets left at Tigrova.

Ah!

Understanding dawned on Rohan and Clara. Suddenly, the flow of events made sense.

Sion pocketed his phone and hurried the two along.

I’ll explain the rest at dinner. Its too long of a story to tell standing here on the street.

They needed to discuss how the money would be used, and their living arrangements in the Academy City.

But more than that, they wanted to keep chatting, the three of them, useless nothings.

Because that time, for Sion, was the happiest.

A time to lighten their hands before a meal.

Sion unpacked the luggage they had prepared for Tigrova, back in Rohan’s dorm.

“…”

When they had to return the borrowed coat too.

Sion was lingering, touching the hanger with a hint of sadness, when Rohan approached with a paper bag.

Clara watched them quietly, perched on the edge of the bed.

“I was a little shaken seeing my remaining balance earlier though.”

“Huh?”

“Here, a present.”

“!”

Sion couldn’t hide their surprised eyes.

Rohan, handing over the paper bag as if to push it away, added another word to the frozen Sion.

“My arm’s gonna fall off. Take it.”

“Ah…”

Written on the outside, Waterdrop Friends.

Their mind went completely white with unexpected joy.

“Why a present, suddenly…?”

“It just caught my eye. A present doesn’t necessarily need a reason, right? Though if you really need one, there are plenty.

Rohan, under the guise of having returned safely, tried to hide his awkwardness, acting like everything was fine.

But Sion saw right through it.

That Rohan was embarrassed by the act of giving gifts.

‘Honestly…’

Why did this man, bigger than her, seem so cute?

She swallowed hard, her heart thumping, *thump! thump!* like it was about to explode.

Rohan’s presence was growing, filling her vision. Klara, sitting on the bed staring, felt like a blurry background.

“Is it okay to open it now?”

“Of course.”

He carefully peeled the tape off, making sure not to damage the wrapping.

Opening the paper box revealed the dolls. They were Wool-Wool and Bluebi, the characters from Sion’s notepad.

“…”

With trembling hands, Sion pulled out the dolls, her gaze locking with their stitched eyes.

She had yearned for them so badly at the merch shop, having only been able to enjoy them with her eyes.

And now Rohan was just giving them to her, without any warning, is it okay to be this happy?

She worried she might have used up all the happiness allotted to her in life.

“Do you like it?”

“Yeah… Thank you so much. It’s the best present…”

Sion beamed, hugging the dolls to her chest. This made her happier than any sudden inheritance.

The kids Rohan gifted her would be with her on her bed for life.

‘Right, then.’

Sion realized it, still clutching the doll.

Looking at Clara, beaming as she watched the whole thing, a certainty settled in.

‘That hairpin was a gift too, huh.’

Hadn’t he seen Clara touching it incessantly, grinning like that?

Sion had sensed it. That thing was definitely connected to Rohan.

A private room in a barbecue place.

Sion, having offered to buy dinner, had searched and picked this place with Clara.

“First, I want to address the most important part.”

“The most important part?”

Sion’s voice was serious. Rohan, who had been lining up cups and filling them with water, lifted his head.

Clara, still setting out the spoons, also stopped and looked at Sion.

“Even though I have more financial freedom now, I still want to work together. I lack so much experience.”

Sion, gauging their reactions, looked around to see if it was alright.

Rohan and Clara both smiled, their lips curling up.

“Of course, you’re welcome here.”

“Y-yes, that’s right!”

Rohan grabbed the tongs and placed the meat on the grill.

It was the first time I’d had real grilled meat like this in the Academy City, and my mouth was already watering.

“You can think of the money you’ve made now as mental freedom, right? You can try things you want to, and even if you fail, you won’t starve. That’s a huge perk.”

“Youre saying the same thing as Yuho.”

Rohan watched Sion murmur in wonder and asked,

Sion, is there anything you want to buy?

Hmm?

Like upgrading your phone to a new model? The one I got you isnt the newest, right?

No. I dont plan on it.

I planned to keep the same phone, just changing the registration.

It was meaningless extravagance, and besides, Rohan had bought it for me, so I wasnt going to change it.

If theres anything I want right now I guess its to buy a house first.

Big talk.

But thinking about the balance Sion had shown me, it wasn’t a problem.

“Thats sensible.

“I don’t know much about that sort of thing, so I was hoping you two could look together.”

Lets go look after the exams are over. Ill do some research too.

Okay.

Sions head turned toward Clara sitting beside her.

The girl, caught by her gaze, blinked in question. Sion reached out and gently stroked Claras adorable cheek.

“First, if we get a place in the Academy City, Im going to live there with Clara.

“Uh, sis… are you really okay with this…?”

“Of course. Clara was the one who showed goodwill first.”

Before leaving for Tigrova, she was actually against it.

Because Clara had volunteered to say that if they got a place with Rohan’s reward money, she’d live there with Sion.

“It’s not just about reciprocating the kindness shown. I want to live with Clara even more than that.”

“Haaah…”

Clara’s eyes spun, flustered by Sion’s head-on assault.

From Rohan’s perspective, it was a heartwarming scene, nothing to stop.

“Clara was kind, so she’s being rewarded.”

Rohan said that, and then roughly chopped up the meat that was starting to cook.

Around the time Clara accepted Sion’s goodwill, the meat was fully cooked.

“If we get a place… we should leave a room for Rohan too, so he can manage his bulky luggage and equipment.”

“O-Oppa too…?!”

“Even me?”

Now, a team in every sense of the word, the three of them.

The group refueled and chatted until their throats were parched, then finally got up from their seats.

It was also a good opportunity to teach Sion how to pay with his phone.

“That was good.”

“Sis… that was really good…!”

They finished paying and came out, but it felt a little too soon to scatter like this, didn’t it?

Rohan, having gotten a meal, declared he’d buy dessert, leading the girls to a cafe.

Only then did they broach the subject of the test.

“Monday through Friday. You guys think you’ll manage?”

“…”

Sion and Clara, as if theyd rehearsed it, simultaneously clamped their mouths shut.

Rohan, swirling the ice in his drink, continued.

“It’s unlikely on a desert island, but I’ll contact you as much as I can before we leave.”

The girls, who’d been pouting like little ducks, reluctantly accepted reality.

They started showing curiosity.

“Rohan. How exactly will the test on the desert island be conducted?”

“It’s hard to explain precisely. But since they kept mentioning preparation for the monolith, its likely a survival and coping test in a situation with limited resources.”

“Oh, oppa… so you’ll be with those *unnis* on the desert island…?”

The people Clara might call *unnis* were limited.

Noa Frozenheart and Ichinose Yui, maybe?

Clara held her breath, awaiting an answer.

Sion, with a serious face, crossed her arms and furrowed her brows.

“Well, theyll be there, on the island. But, we don’t know how the teams will be divided.”

“Hmm.”

“Ah, I see…”

After that, they fell into chatter again. They ended up hanging out at the cafe much later than expected.

Clara led Zion toward her place, and Rohan, back in the dorm, squeezed his rest-refreshed brain to focus on studying again.

Sunday followed Saturday.

Rohan focused on finishing the theory that day.

He only met Zion and Clara during meal times.

*

It’s Monday.

Breakfast was with the girls, who he wouldn’t see for a while.

Arriving at Orion Academy like that, Rohan sensed a different atmosphere than usual.

Everyone was in class earlier than normal, quiet without chatter.

Looking at Noah, beside Ichinose, she had her head wrapped up, glaring at a book like she wanted to burn a hole through it.

Huu…

A good atmosphere for concentration. Rohan took a deep breath, sat down, and opened his book.

‘Today is important.’

He couldn’t make mistakes on the exam and to safely wrap everything up, he’d need decisive choices.

‘Who will I be paired with on the deserted island?’

For Zion and Clara, the ordeal was beginning.

For Rohan, it was time to face the next main story.