Chapter 40: Relationships Are Built on Tigers (1)

“What are you doing…?”

“Huh?”

Rohan and Noa’s relationship was rather ambiguous.

It was hard to say that they were close. However, whenever they did talk, it wasn’t awkward.

This was a significant deviation from Rohan’s expectations.

Being in the same class, I never thought I’d get closer to Ichinose than Noa…

Noa Frozenheart had a friendly and easygoing personality.

Rohan had expected to become friends with Noa the fastest among the main characters, but reality wasn’t so easy.

Noa in reality, not in Abyss City, possessed truly infinite stamina.

As soon as break time began, she would run around the Academy, making it difficult to even find a moment to talk.

“Hey, hey? Isn’t this Nose’s dawn partner?”

─ Meow!

Noa picked up a cat lying sprawled on the ground.

Then, she dangled the cat ostentatiously, grinning so wide that her sharp canines showed.

Rohan just chuckled at the potentially misleading remark.

“…Well, it’s not entirely wrong since I exercise with Ichinose.”

“Are you going to exercise with Nose today as well? Where did Nose go?”

“Ichinose left before me. We started a little later today since it’s the weekend.”

“Aha!”

Before continuing the conversation,

Noa put the cat she was holding back on the ground.

From Rohan’s perspective, he didn’t understand the meaning, but it seemed like the cat had been disciplined.

“Go on! Go back! Just be careful of cars from now on, okay?”

─ Meow!

The cats responded with meows and headed elsewhere.

Watching them, Rohan naturally expressed his curiosity.

“How do you talk to cats?”

“Huh? You want to learn how to talk to cats?”

“It would be nice if I could. I’m curious about what they say.”

Noa flicked her tail, crossed her arms, then twitched her round ears and shook her head.

“Unfortunately, ordinary people can’t. It’s possible for me because tigers are also felines, after all.”

“Oh… So that’s how it works.”

“Actually, if you look at it, it’s not really a conversation, but more like giving orders? Conveying intentions? Something like that.”

This was another story he’d never heard before.

For Rohan, whose head was mostly filled with information related to Abyss City, this was new and exciting information.

“So the cats weren’t understanding language and acting on it just now?”

“Right.”

Was she bored from standing still?

Noa approached the horizontal bar and hung upside down like a bat.

Rohan stood next to her as if it were nothing and asked,

“How’s your theory study going? I heard you’ve been working hard lately.”

“Hmm, the moment I open a book, my head feels like it’s about to explode. And I feel guilty for asking the Instructor and Nose so many questions.”

“Same here.”

A pained expression was clearly visible on Noa’s face.

The best Rohan could do was empathize with her.

And it wasn’t like he was in a position to give advice about theory.

“I should buy Nose something delicious, but where should I take her? The Instructor won’t come even if I ask…”

“Do you want to repay her for teaching you?”

“Yeah. Do you know any good places? Nose is a light eater, so if I choose based on my instincts, she’ll definitely struggle.”

Noa’s words conveyed a certainty born from experience.

Deep in thought, Rohan rubbed his chin and then answered.

“First, getting good results in the midterm exam is the first repayment.”

“…Is that so?”

“And it’s not too late to think about material rewards after achieving the first one. Just forget about it for now.”

“Hmm?”

The girl’s eyes, which had been looking straight ahead, turned towards Rohan,

And Rohan met Noa’s gaze as she hung upside down. Her blue eyes were a deep, rich color.

After briefly meeting her gaze in silence,

Noa moved.

“Hyah!”

She flipped over with momentum and landed.

Her movements were incredible as ever.

“How and when did you get close to Nose?”

“…Suddenly?”

“Don’t worry about the details and tell me quickly. I’m curious.”

“There wasn’t any particularly big event. Why are you so curious?”

Putting her hands on her hips, Noa laughed refreshingly.

Looking at her, she seemed transparent. It was clear she was recalling something that happened in the past.

“Nose hasn’t played with boys since she was young. And even when she talked, it felt like she was just being polite and kept it to a bare minimum.”

“So you’ve known Ichinose for a long time?”

“Our parents know each other.”

Rohan asked, even though he already knew.

The flow of the conversation simply led him there.

“So, how did you become friends with Nose?”

“Like I said, nothing special happened. We just started talking about swords.”

“Aha!”

Noa let out a short exclamation and nodded as if she understood.

“You understood from just that?”

“Mostly? You’re good with a sword, right? Even if your Mana is low, I think you’re good at fighting.”

Was there such a direct form of compliment? A lump of praise, raw and unrefined, without any embellishment or refinement.

But it wasn’t sarcasm.

Knowing Noa was sincere, Rohan chuckled and thanked her.

“Then, is your curiosity satisfied?”

While Rohan adjusted his clothes as he prepared to leave, Noa’s eyes widened.

“Where are you going! I’m bored, push me on the swing.”

“If you’re bored, go back and study. I’m also going to study until I have to go to work.”

“You have a part-time job too?!”

Noa’s blue eyes began to sparkle like jewels with interest.

And from that sparkle, Rohan felt a sense that something had gone wrong.

I made a mistake.

The words that were meant to fuel her competitive spirit seemed to have poured oil on a different fire.

“…Anyway, I’m off. See you on Monday.”

Taking a step with the gift for the manager in one hand, Rohan left the park, and looked back.

Noa was standing there with a playful expression.

“Why are you following me?”

“I’m not following you? Our paths just happened to cross.”

“What a child.”

Rohan laughed in disbelief.

As he continued walking, she walked right beside him.

“You’re not planning to follow me all the way to work, are you?”

“Are you embarrassed? Are you unexpectedly the type to care about that kind of thing?”

“…This is crazy.”

So she used this kind of tone too.

Noa giggled, as if amused by Rohan’s reaction.

“I’ve always wanted to visit a store where my friend works! It seems like fun.”

“My workplace probably won’t suit you? You said your head hurts just looking at books.”

“Where do you work?”

“A bookstore.”

“I’m fine with manga! I used to read them a lot when I was little!”

Rohan stopped walking.

He stared Noa in the alley and shook his head.

“Still no.”

“Why! Why not!”

“I think the manager would be surprised if a big shot like Frozenheart showed up at a local bookstore without any warning.”

“They’ll probably think I dyed my hair? Even when I walk around the city, hardly anyone recognizes me unless they’re Academy Cadets.”

Rohan was flustered by Noa’s look that challenged him to argue.

“No, but still… It’s a bookstore that sells books, you know? It’s not a manga cafe or a rental shop.”

“I’ll just buy them. If I want to read them, I can just buy them all, can’t I?”

“…”

“And I mainly look at the pictures in manga, so I read pretty quickly. It’d also be good for the store if I buy dozens of them.”

It didn’t sound like a joke coming from the royalty of a powerful nation.

Whether she bought a hundred or a thousand, it would surely be pocket change for Noa.

“Still no.”

“Tch…”

Perhaps sensing that it would be pointless to continue, Noa’s ears and tail drooped.

This is driving me crazy.

The problem stemming from Noa’s dejected behavior was one thing.

Noa, a beloved character, looked genuinely pitiful in Rohan’s eyes.

“Sigh…”

Rohan let out a long sigh, scratched his head in thought, and made a decision.

They say there was no parent who could win against their child, and no gamer who could refuse their favorite character.

Rohan nudged Noa’s ear while she pouted and stared at the ground.

“Alright, I’ll talk to the manager. Just promise me one thing.”

“!”

She blinked and wagged her tail, as if urging him to speak quickly.

“Don’t crowd the counter and don’t do anything that will interfere with business.”

“Then that’s two promises, not one.”

“…And don’t nitpick.”

“Okay! I absolutely won’t interfere!”

Noa regained her energy quickly, as if her dejected demeanor had all been an act.

Rohan massaged the corners of his eyes with the feeling that he’d been tricked, and checked the time on his phone.

“Hmm… There’s still a lot of time before work.”

“Shall we go play in the mountains? Let’s have a race to the top!”

Rohan grinned at Noa’s excited voice.

He couldn’t just give in to everything.

“Where are you going? We have to study.”

“…!”

“I’m planning to go to a cafe to study before work. If you don’t come, there’s no bookstore, so understand that.”

“T-Taking a hostage is a bad thing!”

“Didn’t you know? I’m a bad person.”

As Rohan started walking, telling her not to come if she wasn’t going to study, Noa stamped her feet hesitantly and then followed him.

30 minutes until Oppa’s shift…

Sitting in a corner of the bookstore, Clara tried to calm her pounding heart as she checked the time.

His shift would start in 30 minutes, but he would probably be here soon.

Rohan always came around this time to start preparing.

Cling!

The sound of the bell on the door jingled.

She could clearly tell who it was just from the weighty footsteps.

Oppa’s here! Uh…?

The footsteps overlapped with someone else’s. Did a customer come in with him?

Clara snuck a peek towards the entrance through the gap.

“Manager, I’m here!”

“Whoa! This is the place!”

“Keep your promise. Or I’ll kick you out.”

“I said I understood!”

She saw Rohan.

Rohan’s figure, entering side-by-side with a beautiful Beastkin woman, was clearly visible to Clara.