I Became the Must-Have Character of the Academy City - Chapter 98



97 – Baby Nose Wants to Sleep -1-

Just as Juyeon was observing the situation with transcendent senses from atop the transport ship.

So too did the instructors directly roam around the Paradise Knights and the deserted island.

Orion Academy Instructor Carrot, like the other instructors, was suppressing her presence, watching over the location where supplies had been dropped.

─ I, Ichinose-nim…!

The moment Ok Myeongjin’s skill was released, the giant shriveled up, reverting to his original form.

Finishing with a thud as he lost consciousness and collapsed to the ground.

‘Oh my, oh my? Rohan-saengdo’s fist is surprisingly tough.’

Carrot, who had been sitting in a tree watching the confrontation, confirmed the clean resolution.

And with a twitch of her perked-up rabbit ears, she took out a carrot-shaped pen and a thick grading sheet.

‘Ok Myeongjin-saengdo is hasty, true. But looking at his skills alone, he’s definitely in the upper tier of the first years.’

While the supply drop location was something the instructors were watching.

The killing intent emanating from Ok Myeongjin was so clear and unrefined that Carrot couldn’t help but keep an eye on him.

In case a student’s life was in danger during the skirmish, she’d have to rush out immediately.

But the painting he’d feared never materialized.

Such a clean conclusion.

Instructor Carrot, legs crossed, moved her pen with a cheerful hum.

“Hee-hee~”

Ok Myeongjin, marked zero for genuinely attempting to kill a fellow student. Deductions included his selfish attempts to swap partners.

After even adding a note that he needed to undergo special supplementary training.

Carrot briskly recorded the rest of the situation.

‘She’ll be pleased to hear this.’

If Juyeon were to hear what transpired here, she’d be more delighted that the 1st Class student upheld the regulations than that he won.

Wouldn’t her lips twitch upward in amusement, even while maintaining a poker face?

Carrot was eager to witness that moment.

Click!

Finishing her notes, she observed Rohan for a moment.

‘He’s certainly a student worthy of attention.’

There was a reason Juyeon periodically mentioned him.

His demeanor and aura possessed a strange allure.

Even with the famed Ichinose Yui at his side, her eyes drifted back to Rohan.

‘Already appearing in the news and attracting trouble…’

That student, she sensed, was destined to show them something.

Carrot, intrigued, pressed the tip of her pen to her lips.

*

Rohan, pulling his longsword from the ground, directed his gaze toward Ok Myeongjin’s partner.

He gestured with his chin toward the unconscious student.

“Pal. Take care of him. Leave him like that and he’ll be turtle chow?”

“Ah, y-yes, sir…!”

Had Rohan’s words startled him awake?

The male student, offering sudden, unexpected deference, scrambled down in a fluster.

He dragged the unconscious Ok Myeongjin away from the Iron Turtle, disappearing into the thicket.

“Good work.”

Ichinose, having collected the turbulent emotions that flared within her, descended with a light step to stand beside Rohan.

His eyes were hidden again, retreating inwards.

“Nothing special done. Let’s crack open the supplies.”

“…For all the noise, the big one’s still sleeping.”

As Ichinose said, the massive Iron Turtle with the supplies on its back remained motionless.

The others crawled sluggishly around, surrounding them, letting out harsh *kwehks! Kwehks!*

This hulking one, perhaps its senses were dull, showed no sign of its head.

‘Taking these down, they’re probably worth only one point each.’

Rohan decided to ignore the Iron Turtles here. Considering their time and condition, that felt right.

He couldn’t just start hacking at them one by one, severing lifelines, not with Ichinose present.

“Hup!”

Sheathing his blade, Rohan began to use the Iron Turtle as a stepping stone.

Ichinose smiled faintly, following behind Rohan, who, despite his size, seemed as giddy as a child.

From noble mtl dot com

Rohan arrived at the supplies.

If you listened carefully, you could hear the Iron Turtle beneath his feet breathing within its shell.

Snoring like a gigantic engine turning over. Not faking sleep for a hunt; it was truly asleep.

Rohan reached out and touched the supplies without hesitation.

“A fiery taste!”

A red box with a crimson smoke cloud.

After removing the blue cover on top, Rohan peered inside.

“…What is this?”

Boxes packed tightly, the contents individually wrapped.

First, discard the signal flare belching red smoke.

That done, his attention was drawn to what lay on top of the boxes.

A weapon on display. Rohan reached for it.

“A pistol?”

A snow-white pistol and a single magazine filled with ammunition.

As Rohan took the gun and turned it over in his hands, Ichinose seamlessly provided information.

“That’s the Gangseol-75. A mass-produced automatic pistol made in Tigrova.”

“Ooh, you know your firearms, huh?”

“Only know a few of the famous models, to some extent.”

Rohan clicked the magazine into place and, reversing the pistol, offered it to Ichinose.

“Want to use this, Ichinose? I can’t infuse it with mana anyway.”

“I’m not much with guns. Swords are all I know how to handle.”

“Hmm…”

Rohan stared thoughtfully at the pistol in his hand.

He wanted to keep it, but its usefulness seemed questionable.

Truly, a white elephant.

“They likely included it for a reason. Best to take it, no? Just in case.”

“Perhaps?”

Ichinose smiled silently at Rohan’s quick agreement, as if he had been waiting for the suggestion.

Rohan stowed the pistol and started opening the crates beneath.

The first things he saw were two plastic bottles filled with drinking water. He uncapped one, checked the scent, and handed it to Ichinose to drink.

Next came two packets of ramen and two cans of tuna. Two plastic forks.

And a mess kit, the kind you’d see all the time in the army.

Ichinose seemed intrigued, as if seeing a mess kit for the first time.

Meanwhile, Rohan was serious.

‘Is that all? This is far too meager.’

Rohan nearly climbed inside the supply crate.

He rummaged through the bottom, tearing away bits of plastic.

He found bricks, used as ballast to maintain weight.

“That’s it?”

“…It seems so.”

For a crate of that size, the contents were tragically meager.

At this rate, they’d have to search for food even tomorrow. And if the other students gathered, conflict was all but guaranteed.

‘Is that the intent, perhaps?’

It wasn’t emphasized in Abyss City, making it difficult to be certain.

But considering the nature of the test, the possibility was strong.

─ ＜i＞Grumble…＜/i＞

Perhaps it was the constant noise from the smaller creatures surrounding them.

The colossal Iron Turtle, used as a support, shifted its weight.

Whether it was waking or merely muttering in his sleep, Rohan and Ichinose knew what needed doing.

“Let’s head back for now.”

“Understood.”

Rohan cradled the ramen and bottled water in his arms.

Ichinose, seeing this, crammed a fork and tinned goods into his mess kit.

The pair made a swift departure.

··

··

They returned to the shelter that had served them for the day.

Rohan set the supplies in a corner, then gathered broad leaves to scatter the accumulated ash from their campfire.

Ichinose, somewhat awkwardly, aided in the process, then revealed his curiosity.

Skills. Combat tactics.

There was much he wanted to ask, but one question burned more fiercely than the others.

“Rohan. How did you know?”

“Know what?”

“That… Ok Myung-jin cadet, he… to me…”

“Confessed?”

Ichinose gave a small nod.

Then, he molded his doubt into a concrete form.

“Even if I received a confession, I told no one. And Ok Myung-jin cadet isn’t the type to broadcast his rejections.”

“Just a hunch. The atmosphere felt like it.”

“A hunch?”

“He kept darting his eyes around before we even fought. And you looked pretty uncomfortable too, Ichinose.”

“…”

Could such abstract stimuli really lead to that deduction?

Finding no satisfactory answer, Ichinose pouted.

Rohan, meanwhile, shrugged off his outer garment to make a seat, shifting the subject.

“Ichinose. You terribly hungry? Should we eat now?”

“No. I drank some water. I can manage.”

“Then let’s rest and assess the situation. More supplies might drop, or something else could erupt.”

“Alright.”

The two of them left their shelter and gathered firewood that lay scattered around.

Most of it was damp from the rain, but there were still quite a few pieces worth burning.

“Rohan.”

“Hmm?”

“Shouldn’t we consider the possibility of moving even after sunset?”

“That… makes sense, actually? Certainly, there’s a chance our supplies could run out at night.”

Rohan dumped the armful of wood he held into a corner, dusting off his hands and clothes as he nodded.

“If we’re eating later, should we take turns catching some sleep now?”

“How are we going to check the time for shifts? We don’t have a watch.”

“We can roughly estimate by the number of logs we burn. Like, if we put in roughly 20 pieces, then it’s time for the shift.”

“Ah…”

The girl made a sound of understanding and nodded.

Rohan pointed to his outer coat, laid out on the ground.

“You sleep first. I said I’d make up for you acting as you pleased.”

“No. Did you even sleep yesterday? Rohan, you sleep first.”

“I have to start the fire.”

“The fire…!”

The girl’s lips clamped shut. The words, “I’ll do it,” wouldn’t easily come out.

A picture of failing to build the fire and having to wake Rohan again? It was quite horrifying.

“Then just start the fire and then we’ll switch. You have to wake me up, no matter what.”

“Isn’t that a bit too short of a nap?”

“I slept really well yesterday, so I’m fine.”

The words were nothing more than a bluff for Ichinose.

Truthfully, she was endlessly sleepy because of the sticker.

The moment she lay down, she felt like she could sleep all day unless someone woke her.

“Alright. I’ll start the fire and then wake you up, so go to sleep quickly.”

“…”

Ichinose watched Rohan pile up the kindling and then headed to the corner.

She lay down on the coat that Rohan had spread out, just like yesterday.

Just so.

How long had her eyes been closed?

A situation unfolding beyond expectation.

The girl could not fall asleep.

“…Huh?”

Ichinose was genuinely surprised.

She’d been certain she would drift off the moment she lay down, but sleep was nowhere to be found. It felt like a bout of agonizing insomnia.

She knew the problem.

The sleeping arrangement was far too uncomfortable, causing her to toss and turn endlessly.

Sleeping on bare earth, it seemed, could cultivate this much discontent in one’s heart.

That realization was stark.

“…”

It was especially uncomfortable to rest her head.

She had rolled up her outer garment to use as a pillow, but it wasn’t enough.

Her neck felt like it would cramp. Who knew she would miss the pillow in her dormitory so much?

Thus, the question naturally arose.

Though her spirit, admirable in its own way, had attempted to embrace this life outdoors, her body, accustomed to being the heir of a vast corporation, was honest about its discomfort.

“How did I sleep so soundly yesterday?”

To have slept deeply in this kind of place.

Could it simply be a difference in the degree of exhaustion?

“No way.”

The clever girl conceived of one strong hypothesis.

She slightly opened her eyes and looked at Rohan, who was lighting a fire. Rohan’s firm thighs, as he sat hunched over, came into view.

Embarrassing memories surfaced, and her face flushed with heat, but she still thought that *that* was the answer if she wanted to sleep well.

“Why aren’t you asleep? Hungry?”

Rohan, sensing her piercing gaze, turned and smiled.

“…”

Ichinose continued to weigh her options.

The desire to pursue efficiency against the embarrassment of appearing childish to a classmate, the vivid shame even as she felt drowsy.

The thought of being a nuisance to her partner, the regret that she would have been better off never knowing that comfort in the first place.

Deepest of worries.

The girl chewed on her lip in hesitation.