I Became the Must-Have Character of the Academy City - Chapter 111



110 – The Academy City is Smaller Than You Think

The academy ended sooner than anticipated.

The final act was Jooyeon returning to Class 1 to explain things after the individual interviews.

And if one were to extract the most crucial conclusion from that, it would be the creation of a holiday.

The days that were originally scheduled for exams were now all declared holidays.

With the weekend directly following, it was practically a long vacation for the students.

Rohan checked his phone as he headed to the meeting place; the time was 11:40 AM.

Just before lunchtime.

‘Now that I have more time, should I increase my training?’

To even clumsily master the third sword, this holiday would have to be used wisely.

After today’s errands, wouldn’t it be fine to spend all my time with a blade in hand?

“Oppa!”

“Rohan. Over here.”

Rohan, who had been deeply contemplating the calendar, looked up.

Standing by the road, Sion and Clara were undeniably eye-catching, even amidst the throng.

Sion wore jeans and a knit sweater that exuded the scent of April spring.

Judging by the size, it certainly wasn’t my clothes, and considering the style, it definitely wasn’t borrowed from Clara either.

It was clearly an outfit I was seeing for the first time.

“What, did you already buy clothes?”

“This is the only thing I bought new. Planning to buy a bit more today, though.”

“Oh.”

Rohan nodded with a brief exclamation.

Sion fidgeted with his clothes for no reason and asked,

“…Does this look strange on me, after all?”

“Strange? It’s beautiful, no?”

“!”

Leaving aside the saying that the face completes the fashion, Sion already seemed to know a style that suited him well.

Perhaps it was just innate sense.

“O-Oppa, what about me…?”

“It goes without saying. You are beautiful.”

At Rohan’s unrestrained praise, the girls glanced at each other, drawing smiles on their flushed faces.

Clara bowed her head, trying to hide her expression.

Sion took a step towards Rohan.

“Rohan. I suppose it would be difficult if I asked who’s prettier?”

The elf girl added an elated tone to her deepened smile as she asked.

Rohan looked up at the sky as if making a hasty escape.

She knows me too well.

“…Let’s move quickly. Where do we start?”

Meeting the real estate agent, whom I was introduced to by Tigrova’s Yuho, was in the afternoon.

First, we headed for the large shopping mall in the academy city.

Since classes ended early, there were many first-year students milling about.

“Oppa, is there anything you need to buy?”

“Ah, there is, but I can’t get it here. It’s something I can buy later. I’ll need some advice from you two then.”

“Hmm?”

“From me and Unnie…?”

Two pairs of eyes simultaneously turned towards me.

Rohan’s lips curved into a smile as he gathered mana at his fingertips and *flicked*!

An action devoid of any real power.

However, the girls’ eyes widened, the intent behind the mana release clear.

“I’ve discovered a new talent. Maybe you realized it while living with me?”

“O-Oppa, so you can use guns now too!?”

“I did try using one in the last exam. I couldn’t control the mana properly, so the gun broke, though.”

“It’s not like you could use them from the start, it just suddenly became possible?”

“Yeah. I suddenly understood how this time. I was trying to use a skill, and *whoosh*! It just came to me.”

“…Never heard of anything like it.”

The talent of imbuing projectiles with mana isn’t something that can be solved with education.

Like some people have dimples when they smile and others don’t, like eye and hair color being different for everyone, it’s an element given regardless of one’s will.

Rohan also found it difficult to explain the concept of skill leveling up, so he gave up on the explanation and got straight to the point.

“I want to get recommendations from you two for a handgun to carry around.”

Sion and Clara, their interest piqued, simultaneously widened their eyes.

“Oppa, a handgun…!”

“If Rohan has a preferred style, giving recommendations isn’t a problem. What model was the handgun you used on the deserted island?”

Rohan crossed his arms and stroked his chin.

Barely managing to recall the faded name.

“Gangseol-75?”

“A standard choice.”

“A standard mass-produced model, I see.”

Rohan’s lips curved upwards, already feeling like he’d made a good decision coming here.

Agreement of opinions, wasn’t that a good sign?

“I’ll trust you.”

Looking at Rohan saying that, did they think he emanated some kind of firearm aura?

The two girls began to chatter, chirping like canaries.

“Oh, Oppa would look good with a heavy pistol with a rotating bolt system! One that uses Magnum rounds…!”

“If it’s gas-operated with a rotating bolt, wouldn’t it be too big and cumbersome when you use your sword? If it’s just a backup weapon, a stainless steel revolver would be fine too. These days, holsters are sleek, and a 2-inch model wouldn’t be uncomfortable.”

“Still… Oppa has big hands and thick fingers, so I think a masculine pistol would suit him perfectly…”

“Hmm, you’re not wrong, and I understand. But we can’t sacrifice portability.”

The deeper they delved, the more Sione and Clara’s opinions diverged.

Rohan could already see the future just from that.

‘Looking at this, it looks like I’ll have to buy two.’

At some point, the group’s pace had stopped.

Rohan started walking again.

“Let’s talk about pistols after we’re done shopping. Gun stores are open late.”

“Ah! Okay…!”

“Indeed.”

Rohan let the two of them get on the escalator first, then stood behind them and asked.

“So, what are you buying first? Clothes?”

“Undergarments are clothes, aren’t they?”

“…”

Clara clamped her mouth shut, and Sione gave a vague answer.

Rohan, sensing a strange atmosphere creeping in, asked again.

“What does that mean?”

“You’ll see if you follow us.”

Rohan meekly followed the girls off the escalator.

They arrived at a store specializing in women’s undergarments. A few academy female students were already inside.

“…”

Rohan looked at Sione.

Sione raised the corner of her mouth and said confidently.

“Aren’t undergarments clothes too?”

“At this rate, they might as well call Charizard a citrus fruit.”

“Charizard?”

“Never mind… Let’s go inside.”

Rohan didn’t resist and entered obediently. Sion and Clara, faces bright with excitement, began to examine the merchandise.

Sion grabbed a hanger and presented it to Rohan, almost as if showing off.

“Underwear is necessary, but I also wanted to buy some comfortable pajamas.”

The pure white fabric was light, yet quite see-through.

You could see Sion’s fingers through the material.

“…Isn’t this a negligee?”

“It’s classified as pajamas. Am I wrong?”

“Well, you’re not wrong exactly, but… um…”

Being held right in front of his face, he couldn’t help but imagine it.

Wouldn’t it be a bit… too revealing?

“Heh, don’t worry. I’m not careless enough to show my bare skin to just anyone.”

“That’s a relief, then.”

He tried to act nonchalant, but he definitely seemed a little stiff.

Sion found Rohan’s reaction secretly amusing.

“Rohan. Do you think it would suit me?”

“Uh…”

“Oppa! What about this one?”

Clara, it seemed, was drawn to a black negligee, the opposite of Sion’s.

She held it up and circled Rohan.

A relentless, impenetrable pressure.

Rohan’s mouth went dry.

*

Noah Frozenheart, having finished preparing for her outing in the dorm, locked onto her prey.

Swishing her tail playfully, she crouched low.

Then, just as she always did, she spread her arms wide and charged toward her friend.

“Noh-seh! C’mere!”

“….”

“Huh?”

Ichinose, who I naturally thought would dodge, doesn’t.

Lost in thought, she stands frozen, feet unmoving.

She fits perfectly in my arms.

“Nose?”

Nose Yui, baby Nose.

No, her real name is Ichinose Yui.

This is her first meal invitation from a man outside her family. Tasting failure for the first time.

‘It makes me look back with fresh eyes. Why didn’t I consider failure a possibility and assumed it would definitely work out? Based on what?’

Did all the men who extended invitations to me endure this kind of pressure?

Even though having a prior engagement is a perfectly acceptable explanation, I can’t help but wonder if she felt burdened and wanted to avoid the situation, or if she simply felt uncomfortable eating with me.

‘Maybe I’m too used to being respected as a person…’

What kind of guts did I have to run around declaring that I wanted to be treated like a non-woman, a machine?

The more I recall my empty boasts, the more I want to bang my head and berate myself.

“Nose? Are you listening? Hello?”

After poking her soft cheek several times while holding her close.

The petite girl finally moves her head.

“Ah… you’re here.”

“What’s wrong with you today? Should we just rest?”

“It’s fine. More importantly, let go. I can’t breathe.”

Ichinose steps out of his embrace and naturally begins to walk.

“Can I go shopping before we eat?”

“Sure. I don’t mind. What do you want to buy?”

“My breasts got bigger again, and my bra is uncomfortable. I can’t breathe!”

“…”

Ichinose didn’t particularly respond to Noah’s words.

She only gripped her sword tighter and increased her pace.

Noah, as if finding the reaction amusing, just laughed and followed behind.

And so, they arrived at the academy city shopping mall.

Noah and Ichinose step onto the escalator.

“But, really, what is it about this mass of flesh that men find so captivating?”

Noah, feeling the gazes, looked at her own breasts with a puzzled expression, kneading them gently.

Ichinose sighed and stopped her with the sheath of his sword.

“…Please, not that sort of thing in public.”

“Eeeh~ Noseda. Are you sulking?”

“I’m just saying people are staring, so don’t do it. And no acting cute, it’s too much to handle.”

“Papa says my cuteness is the best, though?”

“…”

Ichinose knew.

If he uttered even a single word now, Noah’s affection would come back tenfold.

The best course was simply to head to the shop in silence.

“Ah! Exams are over, it’s heaven! Heaven! I’m sleeping in late tomorrow!”

“If you sleep in too late, you’ll have a hard time when the Academy starts.”

“It’s fine. Noseda will come to wake me u— hmm?”

Noah, who had been bouncing around Ichinose, full of energy, suddenly stopped in her tracks.

Caught off guard by her sudden shift, Ichinose had no choice but to halt and look at her questioningly.

“What is it?”

From noble mtl dot com

Noah stood still, intently staring into the shop.

Then, she spoke towards the prominent, black-haired figure.

“Isn’t that Rohan?”