Chapter 101: Disaster Duo and Tiger

“This?”

“A familiar presence. They’ll notice us soon too.”

Rohan straightened up from his low stance.

Ichinose also relaxed her grip.

She closed her eyes and focused on her senses.

…I know exactly who it is.

Unfortunately, it wasn’t Noa.

The presence itself told her so. If it were Noa, she would have sensed Rohan and Ichinose from a much further distance.

Then, who were the cadets approaching?

The answer was clear.

Gilbert Kaniart.

His heavy footsteps, proportionate to his height, and the assertive aura he exuded made it easy for Ichinose to identify him.

The other person must be his randomly assigned partner, which naturally led to Dick Wikitree.

Weren’t they both close to Rohan?

It was fortunate for Ichinose that she didn’t need to be wary of this encounter.

Rustle!

The bushes rustled as the cadets emerged.

As expected, it was the two of them. She greeted them appropriately.

“Welcome.”

“Hello.”

Gilbert, standing in front, looked healthier than he did back at the Academy.

His cheerful demeanor made her wonder if the uninhabited island suited him.

“Oh! As expected, it’s Rohan and Ichinose Yui!”

“Ugh… Nice… to see… you…”

The surprising thing was Dick’s pale complexion, Gilbert’s partner.

It naturally drew attention.

“What’s wrong with him? Is he sick?”

“He doesn’t look well.”

As Rohan and Ichinose each commented,

Gilbert sighed and shook his head.

“He’s like that because he’s hungry. Even looking like that, he refuses to eat the food I got.”

“…The fact is, that’s not something a person can eat. Even a farm dog wouldn’t eat that.”

Dick retorted with a pale face and a weak voice.

Rohan could roughly guess the situation, but he asked just in case.

“If you got food… Supply?”

“I went to the Supply drop, but someone had already beaten me to it. Everyone’s so fast.”

“Then what kind of food did you get?”

Gilbert snorted as if it were a good question.

He crossed his arms with a grim expression and continued his explanation.

“Even Dick Wikitree is my partner, in name. My partner said he was hungry, so I put aside my personal feelings and diligently searched for food.”

“And the result?”

“I caught three Geroeyes.”

“Geroeyes…”

Monsters with giant eyeballs and small wings.

F-rank small fry that induce dizziness and nausea upon eye contact.

“Rohan, you should know how many nutrients are hidden in those big eyeballs. Even tuna eyeballs are rich in vitamins and unsaturated fatty acids, aren’t they?”

Ichinose, standing next to Rohan, shuddered as if the mere thought made her skin crawl.

“Well… if you grill or cook them properly, there shouldn’t be a problem. There are videos of people eating them.”

“As expected, you understand! See? Do you understand now?”

Gilbert shot a chiding look at his partner, who was clutching his stomach in hunger.

But Dick was firm.

“I absolutely can’t eat that. I’d rather peel off stickers…”

“You weakling! With that mentality, you can’t save the world!!!”

“How am I supposed to save the world?”

Listening to the dizzying conversation, Ichinose felt grateful to be teamed up with Rohan.

For Rohan, however, it was a tiresome exchange.

He cut off the conversation and asked,

“So, you’re out looking for food now?”

“No! We’re being chased!”

“What? By whom?”

A confident voice, yet an incongruous sentence.

Rohan wondered if he had misheard and asked Gilbert again.

“By Noa Frozenheart!”

“What are you talking about?”

“I offered her food out of goodwill, even giving her some, but she got angry and chased us.”

“I thought I was going to be beaten to death right there…”

Gilbert and Dick continued their recollection of escaping from Noa, saying that she couldn’t even run properly because she hadn’t eaten.

Ichinose, who had been listening quietly, exclaimed in surprise.

“That food, don’t tell me…!”

Gilbert gave a vigorous nod to the questioning girl.

He pulled a grey lump out of his Pocket. It looked squishy just from looking at it.

“Fire-roasted Geroeye. I added pine bark to enhance the flavor.”

“Crazy bastard.”

Even if he was going to feed her something, why would he feed her eyeballs and add tree bark to it?

Even though Noa ate almost anything, it was highly likely that she considered Gilbert’s offering an attempt to poison her.

“Ha…”

At this assumption, Rohan sighed deeply.

Dick, who had been groaning with Hunger, seized the opportunity and pressed Gilbert.

“See? Even Rohan thinks that’s not right.”

“Hmm… Pine bark has a sweet taste, so it should harmonize well. Do White Tiger Beastkin hate vegetables after all? Perhaps this body lacks knowledge.”

“It’s not a matter of race. That’s just not something you eat.”

Rohan finished assessing the situation as he watched the two bicker.

“These guys aren’t guests, they’re a disaster.”

Noa Frozenheart, the hungry tiger.

A crazy duo bringing a clear disaster, a tiger’s calamity.

““…””

Silence descended. Rohan’s gaze was sharp.

Gilbert raised his voice to break the silence.

“Rohan. The next thing you’re going to say is… “It’s fate that we met here, so I’ll hide you.”!”

“What are you talking about? Don’t cause more trouble and go back.”

Rohan pushed Gilbert and Dick back the way they came.

“Why! Take us in!”

“Ugh… You’re so heartless!”

Dick’s plight was pitiful, but the escape route was wide open.

If it was truly unbearable, they could just use a flare to call the Instructor or remove the sticker.

“Do you think I’d take in sweaty troublemakers? Can’t you see I’m having a nice time with Ichinose?”

“Wh, what are you talking about?!”

Ichinose hopped around, hugging her sword as Gilbert and Dick’s gazes landed on her.

Rohan chuckled mischievously at her reaction and shared the location where he caught the Honbird.

By providing information, he was able to send the disaster duo, chased by the tiger, away.

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After sending their visitors away, Rohan and Ichinose returned to their shelter and sat down.

Rohan held a ramen packet, next to a bowl where water was bubbling, but…

He didn’t add the noodles or the soup yet, continuing his conversation with Ichinose.

“That was a storm. Still, it’s a gain since we know Noa’s nearby.”

“Th, that’s true…”

“Should we go look for her?”

Ichinose narrowed her eyes slightly at Rohan.

He was the same as usual. His expression unchanged, speaking smoothly.

Somehow, it was irritating.

Ichinose felt the urge to pinch and pull Rohan’s cheeks.

Did he hide this mischievous side of him?

Thinking back to his earlier joke, continuing to be flustered felt like a loss.

Ichinose calmed the ripples in her heart and opened her mouth.

“It’s okay. Didn’t she say she’d eat and sleep? I won’t allow my partner to give up rest because of personal friendships.”

“Hmm…”

“Even if I was worried, I wasn’t planning to rush out to find her after hearing the news. I’ve already given her enough advice.”

Noa also had a Partner named Corin.

If Ichinose barged in solely due to their friendship, it was likely to become uncomfortable.

“Then I’ll take that as a no. Boiling the ramen?”

Ichinose nodded at his confirming question.

Only then did Rohan empty the noodles and soup into the bowl.

“Ugh…”

Noa grumbled, looking around.

The hellish bitter taste still lingered in her mouth.

If I catch them, I won’t let them off!

Noa had already decided on a punishment for Gilbert and Dick.

If she still had strength in her body, she wouldn’t have let them go.

Being dominated by Hunger and letting them escape made Noa even angrier.

“Noa! C-calm down! We’ve come too far!”

Her Partner, Corin, followed after her in a hurry.

Unable to avoid the downpour on the first day, Corin was also in a sorry state, just like her.

Looking at her pitiful appearance, Noa’s thirst for revenge wavered. She was reminded that this wasn’t the time.

In the end, Noa Frozenheart…

Stopped her frantic chase.

“Argh!!! I really need to catch those two…!”

Being swayed by such emotions during the test was a detriment. She knew she had to let it go.

However, for Noa’s personality, acting cold and calculating wasn’t as easy as it sounded.

“Let’s go back and wait for the Supply. Okay? I won’t be late this time.”

“I’m sorry for moving without telling you…”

Noa’s snow-white tail and round ears drooped.

“It’s okay. I have some water left, so let’s go back and rinse our mouths.”

“Okay…”

Corin was grateful that Noa stopped here.

Wasn’t it a godsend that Noa tasted the food first and asked what it was before she ate it?

“I’m hungry…”

Just as Noa, having given up, was turning back with Corin…

She stopped dead in her tracks.

As Noa stood still, sniffing the air, Corin looked at her questioningly.

“What’s wrong?”

“This smell…”

“Did you find something?”

“Yeah. I think I did.”

Closing her eyes and focusing on her sense of smell, she could clearly sense it. A scent carried by the wind.

One distinct smell amidst the natural aromas.

Ramen!? Is this the Supply?

The distance was considerable.

If she wasn’t hungry, she would have missed it.

“…”

Enticed by the smell, Noa started walking,

Beginning her search for the source.