Chapter 83: The Girl’s Nest

“May I go to Tigrova today? I’ll return as quickly as possible.”

“Of course. Do as you wish.”

Seeing Shion’s transparent excitement, Rohan responded refreshingly.

He also expressed his gratitude to Ichinose and Noa, who were watching the situation.

“Thank you for your help. I’ll repay you properly.”

Having received Rohan’s thanks, the two girls persistently sent gazes demanding an explanation.

But since Rohan had nothing particular to say about it, he just did his best to feign obliviousness and move on.

Did they even detect a speck of unnaturalness in his actions and the flow of the conversation?

The Beastkin girl, observing Rohan, became even more stimulated by curiosity.

“Hmm…”

Noa, who grew up freely in Tigrova, wasn’t as good at hiding and suppressing her emotions as Ichinose.

She appeared conflicted, caught between curiosity and the intangible wall of courtesy.

Her eyes, fixed on Rohan’s group, and her twitching lips seemed as if they would throw out a blunt question at any moment.

“Noa. It seems his business is finished, so shall we head to the dining hall now?”

“Wah!”

However, Ichinose, who noticed it first, grabbed Noa’s arm and quickly left the scene.

This was also part of what Noa’s father had asked of Ichinose.

─ Nose! Wait a minute…! Just a second!

─ That’s exactly why we can’t.

Rohan breathed out in relief after confirming the two girls were walking away with large strides.

“Phew…”

He hadn’t expected an encounter born of coincidence to produce results so quickly.

After all, it was originally an impossible development in Abyss City, where Shion didn’t exist as a playable character.

He wasn’t too worried since he knew information related to the Grand Emperor of Snow, but with a lingering sense of unease, Rohan asked.

“Shion. Shall we all go to Tigrova together?”

“No. I’ll go alone.”

Shion shook her head with a smile at Rohan’s question.

She now understood.

Not only could she handle it alone, but if she received help even with directions, Rohan’s daily life, which he had been maintaining until now, would be disrupted because of her.

Looking like a burden wasn’t the picture Shion wanted to paint either.

“It’s true that I still lack experience in the outside world, but… just traveling is no problem for me. I’m not a child.”

“…”

“Besides, you said you had Academy exams coming up. So, no. Absolutely not.”

At Shion’s firm tone, Rohan and Clara naturally changed their approach to persuasion.

Since they figured she would do well on her own, they worriedly conceded.

“Then you’ll have to buy a phone before you go. You’ll give us that much time, right? Let’s have lunch together too.”

“Ah, Unni! I’ll search for the route, so let’s eat together…!”

Even if she had declared in front of everyone that she would leave today, how could Shion refuse this as well?

Shion expressed her intention to go after thorough preparation and followed Rohan, led by Clara, who held her hand.

While walking like that, her tightly closed lips parted.

“And, I apologize, but… would it be alright to postpone our dinner plans for next time…? I’m really sorry…”

The excitement of potentially solving one of her long-standing problems, which had seemed impossible, at such an unexpected moment.

Intoxicated by it, she had selfishly pushed aside the prior engagement Rohan had made and declared that she would go to Tigrova today.

Remembering her own embarrassing behavior, the girl wanted to show that she had been looking forward to dinner with the group tonight.

That she hadn’t taken it lightly at all.

H-How should I say it…

Witnessing her own guilt, Shion felt her throat tighten and her mind go blank, but.

“Why are you apologizing for something like that? We can celebrate together when you get back.”

“Exactly!”

As if sharing the same thoughts, Rohan and Clara reacted simultaneously.

“…”

Every time Shion faced their kindness, she felt her emotions uncontrollably surge.

A contrasting light, as if telling her that her dark life so far had been a lie.

It was too warm for the girl, who had just gained her freedom, to accept straightforwardly.

“Let’s have something delicious for lunch so Shion can go with renewed energy.”

“Yes…!”

The three walked in a cheerful atmosphere.

While eating, Rohan and Clara avoided heavy topics.

They filled their stomachs with warm soup, which could be described as having a gentle flavor, in a comfortable atmosphere.

After the meal, they headed to their next destination without hesitation.

Rohan activated another phone under his name and handed it to Shion.

“…”

Shion stared intently at her first ever smartphone, holding it reverently with both hands.

Her lips formed their usual subdued smile, but her eyes, sparkling with interest, truly expressed the girl’s inner feelings.

With this, I can contact them while I’m in Tigrova!

There were two registered contacts. Rohan and Clara, that was all.

Yet, it didn’t feel empty. To Shion, their two names gave a sense of fullness.

She had learned the basic usage from the two while eating, so calls and messages wouldn’t be a problem.

“Contact us as often as possible. We’ll be waiting.”

“If anything is confusing or doesn’t work, call me anytime…! I can answer anytime! A-And I can look things up quickly too…!”

Three people formed a group where they could exchange messages.

Shion firmly grasped how to use the message function by pouring a torrent of meaningless consonants and vowels into the space.

She smiled, watching the two.

“I’ll report even the smallest details.”

“Good. And take this.”

Rohan handed her a card and cash.

Shion, solidifying her empty-handed position, accepted them without a word.

Holding them preciously against her chest, Shion hardened her resolve.

“No matter what anyone says, today’s business is personal. I’ll repay the amount used somehow when I return.”

“I won’t add any interest, so do as you please.”

Now, she could leave immediately after she went to the dormitory, put on her usual clothes that had finished drying, and packed her weapons.

“Shion unni. They say Tigrova is cold, so you should dress warmly…!”

“Mm, I’ll keep that in mind.”

She naturally hugged Clara, who now felt as close as family.

Leaving before even a day had passed.

Looking back on it now, it was ridiculous.

Foolishly, I told Frozenheart I’d leave today.

Now she had to leave and resolve her long-held desire.

Shion keenly felt the heaviness in her steps.

The girl hesitated, clinging to Clara to spend even a little more time.

Rohan, who had been quietly watching, reminded the girl of the truth.

“Shion.”

“Mm…?”

“You have to come back quickly so you can see us as soon as possible.”

A single sentence filled with obviousness.

Shion’s eyes widened at the words that recalled the truth.

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“Shion unni! This is the bus!”

Having finished her preparations at Rohan’s dormitory, Shion boarded a bus in Academy City with Clara, who had offered to see her off to the station.

Rohan had also expressed his intention to go with her, but Shion and Clara strongly pushed him away, telling him not to miss his afternoon classes.

It would have been nice if Rohan had come along.

However, she knew this was right.

Even knowing that, her heart wouldn’t calm down, and she regretted not finding out what kind of cologne Rohan used.

Rohan’s outer garment, which she had taken right before departure under the pretext of being cold, was nestled in her bag.

Just recalling its presence calmed the ripples in her heart.

The Sky Train…

Shion double-checked the transportation she had to take on the bus.

There were various ways and means to get to Tigrova.

There were cars and railways on land. But compared to flying, they consumed an absurd amount of time.

They weren’t cheap either, so there was no reason to choose them unless one enjoyed traveling or traveling by land.

To travel by sea, there were icebreakers that could reach the ice-filled Tigrova docks.

But the problem with this also took quite a bit of time.

Although the sight of breaking through the ice was spectacular and popular, it was out of the question for Shion, who wanted to finish her task as quickly as possible.

Ultimately, only one answer remained.

She decided to use the sky.

Through the app Rohan and Clara had installed, Shion booked a train that floated in the sky.

A means of transportation that used floating stones, a specialty product of the Sepia Archipelago.

What she liked most was that, unlike airships, there were direct flights left, and it was fast.

She didn’t even bat an eye at the reviews about severe shaking. She considered it sufficient as training.

The estimated travel time is 11 hours, huh?

Round trip alone was a day.

That alone was longer than the time she had gained her freedom.

She heard that the time difference between her destination, Tigrova, and Academy City was significant.

“…”

Various thoughts briefly dominated her mind.

Rustle.

Shion pulled out Rohan’s outer garment, buried her face in it, and breathed repeatedly.

“U- Unni!?”

Shion’s breaths were rough, and her actions were bold enough to startle the passengers who were paying attention to her beautiful appearance, as well as Clara, who was sitting next to her.

The Elf girl seemed quite agitated as she intermittently twitched.

“Haa…!”

The girl took a deep breath and collected herself.

With Rohan’s scent filling her lungs and mind, she made a promise.

As fast as possible.

But without creating regrets through impatience.

To properly hear the story about her parents, and if the names of the Tigrova Elves and Testarossa had been disgraced, she would clear them.

“Huu…”

She breathed her breath into Rohan’s outer garment with her exhale and reminded herself.

That the place she would return to was by Rohan and Clara’s side.

There is no other nest for Shion Testarossa.

The girl’s eyes, lifted from the outer garment, shone sharply.