Chapter 90: Midterm Exams Begin

Huh?

Rohan rubbed his eyes as he checked at the number Shion showed him once more.

Checking his Status Window, it didn’t seem like he was hallucinating. Nor was it a random number mashed on a calculator.

He couldn’t rule out the possibility that it was a hallucination beyond the Status Window’s recognition, but for now, he tried to accept it as it appeared.

Ones, tens, hundreds, thousands, ten thousands…

The units went up and up. An unrealistic amount of money. Rohan closed his mouth.

His mind went blank, and his mouth started babbling on its own.

“Is this some kind of hypnosis app or something?”

“What are you talking about… It’s the amount after disposing of a portion of the Testarossa inheritance that remained in Tigrova.”

“Ah!”

Rohan and Clara both understood. The flow suddenly found coherence.

Putting away her smartphone, Shion urged the two.

“I’ll explain the rest at dinner. It’s a long story to tell standing on the street.”

They also needed to discuss how to use the money and their living arrangements in Academy City.

But more than that, she wanted to continue their pointless chatter as a trio.

Because that time was the happiest for Shion.

Time to lighten their hands before dinner.

Shion unpacked the luggage she had prepared for Tigrova back in Rohan’s Dormitory.

“…”

When she inevitably returned the borrowed outerwear, Shion fiddled with the hanger with a feeling of regret. Rohan approached with a paper bag.

Clara was quietly watching the two of them, perched on the bed.

“Seeing the balance earlier made me shrink back a bit, but…”

“Hmm?”

“Here, a present.”

“!”

Shion couldn’t hide her surprised expression.

Rohan added another word to the frozen Shion and handed over the paper bag as if pushing it off.

“My arm is falling off. Take it.”

“Ah…”

Droplet Friends was written on the outside.

Her head turned white with unexpected joy.

“Why a present all of a sudden…?”

“I just saw it. Presents don’t always need a reason. If I had to attach one, there are plenty.”

Rohan tried to hide his embarrassment, saying it was okay as a token for their safe return.

But Shion didn’t miss it.

That Rohan was shy about giving gifts.

Really…

Why did this man, larger than herself, seem cute?

She swallowed hard, and her heart pounded in her chest.

Rohan’s presence in front of her grew larger. Clara’s existence, staring intently from the bed, felt faint.

“Is it okay if I open it now?”

“Of course.”

She carefully peeled off the tape so as not to damage the wrapping.

Inside the paper box were dolls. Ululi and Bluebee, the characters drawn in Shion’s notepad.

“…”

Shion took out the dolls with trembling hands and blankly exchanged gazes with them.

Something she desperately wanted at the goods shop but couldn’t have, only enjoying with her eyes.

For Rohan to give them to her as a gift without warning, could she be this happy?

She was worried she might have used up her entire lifetime’s quota of happiness.

“Do you like them?”

“Yes… Thank you so much. It’s the best gift…”

Shion smiled bashfully and hugged the dolls. This was more joyful than the sudden assets.

The dolls Rohan gave her would be with her on her bed forever.

I see.

Shion realized while hugging the dolls. Looking at Clara watching the scene with a warm gaze gave her certainty.

That hairpin was also a gift, wasn’t it?

Hadn’t she seen Clara constantly fiddling with it and smiling bashfully?

Shion had noticed. That object was definitely related to Rohan.

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A barbecue restaurant with private rooms.

It was the place Shion chose with Clara after offering to buy dinner.

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

“The most important part?”

Shion’s serious voice. Rohan, who was lining up cups and filling them with water, raised his head.

Clara, who was setting the table, also stopped and looked at Shion.

“…Even though we have financial leeway now, I still want to work together. I lack experience.”

As Shion looked at them to gauge their reaction,

Rohan and Clara smiled.

“Of course, we welcome that.”

“Y-Yes…!”

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

It was their first time eating proper barbecue like this in Academy City, so his mouth watered.

“Think of the money we have now as mental leeway. We can try what we want, and even if we fail, we won’t starve to death. That’s a huge advantage.”

“…Yoho said the same thing.”

Rohan muttered, looking at Shion who seemed fascinated.

“Shion. Is there anything you want to buy?”

“Hmm…?”

“Like a new phone model? The one I bought you isn’t the latest model.”

“No. I don’t plan to.”

She planned to keep using the same smartphone, just changing the ownership.

It would be meaningless extravagance, and since Rohan bought it for her, she didn’t want to change it.

“If there’s anything I want right now… I want to buy a house.”

A grand statement.

But remembering the balance Shion had shown him, it was feasible.

“That’s admirable.”

“I don’t know much about that sort of thing, so I’d like you two to look into it together…”

“Let’s go look after the exams. I’ll look into it too.”

“Mm.”

Shion’s gaze turned to Clara sitting next to her.

The girl blinked, showing her curiosity as she received the gaze. Shion reached out and fiddled with Clara’s cute cheeks.

“Once we find a place in Academy City, I plan to live there with Clara.”

“U-Unni… Is that okay…?”

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

Before leaving for Tigrova, it was the opposite.

Clara volunteered to live with Shion in the house they would get with Rohan’s reward money.

“It’s not just about repaying your kindness. I want to live with Clara even more.”

“Ha-ahh…”

Flustered by Shion’s aggressive approach, Clara’s eyes spun.

From Rohan’s perspective, it was a heartwarming scene he had no reason to stop.

“Clara is blessed because she was kind.”

Rohan said so and cut the now cooked meat into chunks.

By the time Clara accepted Shion’s goodwill, the meat was fully cooked.

“If we get a house… I should leave a room empty so Rohan can manage his bulky luggage and equipment.”

“O-Oppa too…?!”

“Me too?”

The three of them, now a team without a doubt.

The group oiled their bellies and chatted until their throats were dry before getting up.

It was also a good opportunity to teach Shion how to pay with her phone.

“Thanks for the meal.”

“Unni… It was really delicious…!”

They finished paying and came out, but wouldn’t it be a shame to just disperse like this?

Rohan led the girls to a cafe, saying he’d buy dessert since he’d been treated to a meal.

Only then did they bring up the topic of exams.

“From Monday to Friday. Will you be alright?”

““…””

Shion and Clara, as if they had planned it, closed their mouths at the same time.

Rohan stirred the ice in his drink and continued.

“It’s unlikely on the uninhabited island, but I’ll try to contact you as much as possible before departure.”

The girls, who were pouting like ducks, reluctantly accepted reality.

And showed their curiosity.

“Rohan. How will the exam on the uninhabited island be conducted?”

“It’s hard to explain exactly. They’ve kept mentioning Monolith preparations, so it’s likely a survival and response test in a resource-scarce situation.”

“O-Oppa… Then, are you going to be on the uninhabited island with those Unnis…?”

The people Clara referred to as “Unnis” were limited.

Probably Noa Frozenheart and Ichinose Yui.

Clara held her breath, waiting for an answer.

Shion crossed her arms with a serious face and furrowed her brows.

“I’ll be on the uninhabited island, at least. But I don’t know how the teams will be divided.”

“Hmm.”

“I, I see…”

After that, it was back to chatting. They ended up staying at the cafe much later than expected.

Clara led Shion to her house, and Rohan, returning to his dormitory, squeezed his refreshed brain and focused on studying again.

Sunday, after Saturday had passed.

Rohan focused on finishing the theory that day.

He only met Shion and Clara during meal times.

Monday.

He had breakfast with the girls, whom he wouldn’t see for a while.

Arriving at Orion Academy, Rohan felt a different atmosphere than usual.

Everyone was in the classroom earlier than usual, and it was quiet, with no chatter.

Looking at Noa next to Ichinose, she was clutching her head, staring at her book as if she would bore a hole through it.

“Sigh…”

A good atmosphere for concentration. Rohan exhaled deeply, sat down, and opened his book.

Today is important.

He needed to be flawless in the exams and make bold decisions to safely conclude everything.

Who will I be paired with on the uninhabited island?

For Shion and Clara, it was the beginning of an ordeal.

And for Rohan, it was time to face the next Main Story.