Ch.263263. Instead of Senior, Call Me Oppa. (2)

The horde of stumps heading toward the village was quickly subdued.

By two people who appeared just as casualties were about to occur.

“Is that all of them?”

“Yes. I don’t sense any more.”

“Then we can relax.”

Crunch!

The burning wood, once ablaze, crumbled to ashes with just a light step.

When they mentioned that all the stumps that had invaded the village had been dealt with, the villagers bowed their heads in gratitude.

“If stumps attack during winter in the future, set them on fire. That way, you’ll be able to handle them easily.”

“Fire…? But don’t they just drop and switch to another piece of wood when set on fire?”

“That’s exactly why you should burn them. Just make sure to clear away any logs or firewood they might grab beforehand.”

“Ohhh…”

“By the way, has this been happening frequently lately?”

“Lately… it’s been happening often this past month.”

“This month? Not just stumps, but other monsters too?”

“That’s right. Not long ago, Kud Rats appeared, and we had to organize a group to eliminate them.”

“A Tau also showed up and injured some of our guards.”

“Now that I think about it, monster sightings in the village have become quite frequent.”

Were the signs already showing?

If such signs were appearing in Sirah, it wouldn’t be strange if that creature appeared at any moment.

‘But there’s not much I can do.’

Since becoming an ordinary person—no longer an academy student or a member of the Tembris party—I have no influence whatsoever.

I won’t be inheriting the commander’s insignia like in the past either.

At best, this is all I can do.

“Everyone. Could you gather around for a moment?”

Junon explained the characteristics of various monsters to the villagers and taught them methods to weaken them.

Since they couldn’t handle mana, they wouldn’t be able to fight directly. But telling them was better than not telling them at all.

‘If even one fewer person dies, that’s enough.’

In the upcoming all-out battle with the named monster, they would face all kinds of monsters head-on. So taking these precautions now had meaningful value.

After hearing this, the villagers began working in small groups, saying they should prepare quickly.

“Oppa.”

Meanwhile, Renias, who had been silently watching until now, finally approached.

“What will you do now?”

“Now… well. I think I’ll have to stay somewhere else. I can’t go back to the academy, even though it hasn’t been made public.”

Renias’s expression brightened at the mention of staying elsewhere.

Yes. This question was deliberately asked by Renias, knowing the answer—considering that Junon had withdrawn from Levrant Academy and had nowhere to go.

Now that he was a dropout, wouldn’t he need somewhere to stay?

She thought it would be perfect to cheerfully suggest, as during the Real Winter Parade, that they stay together at the Lantana ducal residence.

“But I’m not completely without options.”

However, he already had a place to go.

“You have… somewhere to go?”

“I recently got a house in my name around here.”

“A house in your name? In Sirah?”

This wasn’t going in the direction she wanted. Renias, whose goal was to bring him to the ducal residence, asked in confusion.

“Can I see it too?”

“Huh? The house? There’s nothing there, so there’s really nothing to see.”

“Still. It’s the house where you live.”

Saying it was the house where he lived wasn’t quite accurate, but he couldn’t say it wasn’t his house either. The property was indeed in his name.

‘Well, if she just wants to see how I live, I guess it doesn’t matter.’

When he agreed that it would be fine, Renias took his hand and began urging him, saying she wanted to see it right away.

Although he had agreed somewhat reluctantly, it felt less like showing her around and more like being inspected.

Dismissing it as just a feeling, he guided Renias to the house built by the Lakans.

After briefly looking around the house, Renias felt relieved. There was no trace of any woman to be found.

And if there was another reason, it was that she could become someone special to Junon.

***

“Oh, is this it? It looks new.”

“It is… Renias? Aren’t you in a hurry?”

“I’m just excited!”

Click.

As soon as the front door unlocked, Renias opened the handle and went in.

“Well then, excuse me~”

Excitement was just an excuse—in reality, her nerves were on edge wanting to confirm something.

Entering through the front door, Renias was relieved by the emptiness that permeated the interior.

‘Phew, so I’m the first!’

The interior was stark. There was hardly any furniture, and a few unpacked belongings were visible, with clothes and bedding not yet arranged.

It looked as if someone had just moved in and hadn’t finished organizing.

That’s why she let out a sigh of relief, despite the completely unorganized environment.

“Ouch.”

Poke.

Junon’s finger poked the center of her forehead.

“Hmph, why did you do that again?”

“Geez, you’re only catching your breath now. Why were you running so hastily? It’s not like someone was going to eat you.”

No one would eat me, but someone else might have gotten to you first. That’s why I rushed here with the excuse of being excited!

How could this dense man possibly understand the inner thoughts of a girl worried about someone else getting their hands on her man?

It was always the one with the unrequited love who was more anxious.

But what did it matter now? She felt much more at ease.

“There’s not much to see, right? Since the Lakans built this house for me as a thank you, there’s nothing here yet. They said it was only built recently.”

With Junon’s direct confirmation, it was certain that she was the first visitor to this house besides the owner and the builders.

The anxiety that had been burning in her heart melted away completely, and now she felt more at ease.

“Then let’s unpack your things first. I’ll help you.”

“Why would you help with that, Renias?”

“It’ll feel like you’ve moved in. I should help so we can finish organizing quickly and eat. That’s the formula, right?”

“Formula? I thought I saw you bring something earlier… Don’t tell me it’s a housewarming gift?”

“Hehe, you caught me.”

“…I didn’t actually move in, so is a housewarming appropriate?”

“Come on, there’s no need to be so strict about these things.”

What Renias had placed on the shelf visible as soon as one opened the front door was a decorative cord typically given by women to men as gifts for weapons. It was something she had reluctantly accepted from the villagers who insisted on giving her something as a gift.

In truth, the actual item didn’t matter much, but the act of placing it there was a matter of great significance to this silver rabbit girl.

Since ancient times, even beasts have marked their territory. Humans aren’t much different. Don’t they plant flags to mark their territory? So this was like planting a flag to declare this as her territory.

“You know I don’t use weapons.”

“Well, does it have to be attached to a weapon? They say it also has the effect of warding off evil spirits.”

“What evil spirits?”

“Living in a house, you might attract minor spirits!”

“Come on, in this day and age, where are there ghosts?”

You might not know, Oppa. But there are so many evil spirits in this world.

The world is full of flo—I mean, evil spirits trying to seduce and take away dependable, kind, and gentle men like you!

“…”

The silver rabbit with puffed cheeks clearly had some complaints. Noticing this, Junon had no choice but to accept the situation as a housewarming and the decorative cord as a housewarming gift.

“Well… I guess I can think of it as a housewarming gift. Thank you, though I’m not sure where I’ll use it.”

“Don’t you dare throw it away secretly! If I’m going to visit this house often, we need to ward off all the spirits.”

“I got it. I’ll keep it safe.”

The silver rabbit thus achieved two of her objectives.

Both the housewarming and placing the charm (?) to ward off evil spirits in a visible location.

But there was still one last thing.

“…? Why are you suddenly in such a good mood?”

“Hehe. No reason.”

That was something she would reveal after unpacking everything.

***

“Oppa, you just rest. Understood?”

Renias had seized the apron, insisting that when visiting for a housewarming, one should prepare a lavish meal to receive energy from the house.

It seemed she had heard some strange superstition somewhere…

Thanks to that, he couldn’t even touch the kitchen area. Whenever he tried to help with small tasks, she absolutely wouldn’t allow it.

With her impressive wok skills, she soon presented a bountiful table.

“Wow…”

The exclamation escaped involuntarily.

“Why did you make so much…?”

“In the cave, I didn’t have many ingredients I was familiar with, so I couldn’t really show my skills. This time, I wanted to demonstrate what I can do.”

She claimed this was actually modest. For a proper housewarming, she would have prepared several more tables of food.

She insisted we should eat before it got cold and picked out some well-grilled fish meat to offer me.

“Here. Say ‘ah.'”

I’m not missing both hands, nor am I at an age where someone needs to feed me.

But.

Somehow, I find myself opening my mouth to accept it. Instinctively judging this to be the right thing to do.

“It’s delicious.”

“Really?”

Not sure if this behavior is natural, I reciprocate by picking out some fish and offering it to her.

“Yes. It’s cooked perfectly.”

For a moment, I saw her lips quiver.

I also saw her hands making gestures as if trying to hide her trembling mouth.

And I noticed her eyes, which had become moist.

A tear was rolling down Renias’s cheek.

“Ah, I’m tearing up? I must have inhaled some smoke while grilling the fish earlier. Is there a tissue…”

“…Here.”

“Thanks.”

Were those tears really caused by inhaling smoke?

I don’t think so.

Why?

…Just a feeling. An unfounded intuition.