Chapter 122: Spring Passes

“Really… since Noa keeps asking me to show you… j-just once…”

Ichinose, her face flushed, parted her lips slightly like a baby bird waiting to be fed.

“Try it! Try it!”

As Noa gestured for him to hurry up, Rohan chuckleed and opened the cutlery drawer.

He took out a clean chopstick and picked out a mushroom from the hot pot.

He cut the steaming mushroom into small pieces with scissors and blew on it.

“Hoo!”

At the sound of Rohan cooling it down, Ichinose’s ears twitch like a Beastkin’s.

“Here we go.”

As Rohan approached with a light voice, Ichinose’s tongue stiffened with anticipation.

“Heup!”

Rohan’s chopstick placed the food on her tongue, pressed lightly, and then retreated.

A ticklish sensation caused a shy sound to escape Ichinose’s lips.

“Is it hot?”

“N-No…”

She immediately composed herself with a serious expression and chewed.

Too easy. The moment Ichinose chewed, she knew the answer.

“Deer… Lion’s Mane Mushroom…”

“Correct!”

“See? Nose knows.”

Noa being vicariously proud also brings a smile to his face.

But the word “Mane” coming from Ichinose’s mouth has a certain charm.

“I wanna try!”

This time, Noa opened her mouth towards Rohan, wanting to try it herself.

However, remembering a prank from the past, Rohan ended up feeding her a raw garlic clove.

As they chatted and enjoyed a more leisurely lunch than usual,

Rohan’s phone rang.

Bzzzt──! Bzzzt─!

[Clara]

Surprisingly, it was a call, not a text.

A sense of foreboding made him jump up from his seat.

“Hold on a sec. I’ll take this.”

“Okay.”

“Be right back~”

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“Alright. Yeah. Let’s go out tonight. I’ll hang up.”

Rohan finished the call in the grassy front yard and headed back inside the Cafe.

Fortunately, it wasn’t anything serious.

It was just a check-up call from Shion and Clara, asking if he had eaten lunch properly.

Relieved that nothing was wrong, Rohan made sure they had eaten lunch too, and continued the conversation briefly.

He told them he found a good restaurant and suggested it as their next dining destination, then ended the call.

It’s nice to have a relaxed lunchtime.

As Rohan walked back to his room, savoring the everyday happiness just as the Dean had mentioned in the assembly, he stopped in his tracks upon seeing unexpected figures paying at the counter.

His eyes widened.

“…Instructor?”

“Are you enjoying your lunch?”

Juyeon didn’t seem surprised, as if she was already aware of Rohan’s presence.

There was another familiar figure beside her.

Long, upright rabbit ears boast their presence, prompting Rohan to greet her first.

“Instructor Carrot! Hello!”

“Hi!”

“Are you two here for lunch as well?”

“Don’t worry about it. We’re just leaving.”

It made sense that Juyeon would find this quiet and delicious Cafe.

This Cafe, Ansimjeong…

It seems like a good place to meet people from the Three Kingdoms Union residing in Academy City.

It feels like a place Abyss City might add as a Part-time job location after a few patches.

“Cadet Rohan, you’re quite popular, aren’t you?”

“Huh?”

“Which one is it?”

The rabbit beastkin made a heart shape with her hands and winked.

Instructor Carrot’s sudden words and actions.

Rohan was dumbfounded, his throat momentarily choked, but the playful glint in her eyes made him relax.

She was likely already aware that his companions were Noa and Ichinose.

After all, they were Instructors capable of naturally grasping the situation without needing to ask.

However! Such teasing didn’t work on someone who had experienced the outside world.

Rohan smiled back at her.

“We’re just comrades who went through hardships together, strengthening our bonds.”

“Hmm~?”

For someone like Carrot, who asked out of curiosity, feigning ignorance was like adding fuel to the fire.

Responding with a vague and harmless answer was the best course of action.

“Really? With such pretty girls? Cadet Rohan… don’t tell me you have a thing for men!?”

“I don’t like men. I’m a normal heterosexual, I like women.”

At this point, Rohan expected Juyeon to stop Carrot’s antics, but strangely, she looked at him with a worried expression.

“Rohan.”

“Yes!”

“If you don’t want to be caught up in unnecessary trouble with women, the recipient needs to make their stance clear.”

“…”

With Juyeon saying this too, Rohan was left speechless.

The problem was, unlike with Carrot, it didn’t feel like a joke.

That was definitely sincere. Rohan could tell.

“There’s a reason why ‘trouble with women’ is considered a type of disaster. If the one being courted by many doesn’t handle the situation properly, it often develops into a dangerous situation. Be careful.”

Even Juyeon lacked direct romantic experience.

Having observed quite a bit up until now, he could say this much for sure.

“…I’ll keep that in mind.”

When Rohan answered seriously, Carrot stopped joking and took a step back.

Juyeon, thinking she’d made a mistake out of worry, quickly opened the way, urging him to go.

“Your companions must be waiting. I’m sorry for holding you up with such a heavy topic.”

“Not at all. Thank you for the sound advice.”

He didn’t mind since Juyeon said it out of concern. He was truly grateful.

“Then we’ll be going~ Cadet Rohan, bye-bye!”

“Eat a lot. Just don’t be late for afternoon classes.”

After confirming that Juyeon and Carrot had left the cafe, Rohan returned to his room.

He informed Ichinose and Noa, who were finishing their meals, that he had met the Instructors.

The two girls reacted with surprise.

They said they hadn’t run into anyone they knew at this cafe before.

So, after finishing their meal and leaving the private room.

Ichinose, recalling the news Rohan had delivered, offered her opinion.

“Instructor Juyeon must miss the taste of the Three Kingdoms Union sometimes.”

“Yeah! I also have days when I particularly crave Tigrova Cuisine!”

As Noa smacked her lips as if she was still hungry, Rohan’s gaze shifted.

Even after eating so much, Noa’s stomach was flat, and her abs were still clearly defined.

Circumstances that made him suspect there might be a black hole inside her.

Arriving at the counter at the end of the hallway, Rohan expressed his gratitude once more.

“Thanks for the meal.”

“Don’t mention it. It’s hardly enough for repayment.”

As Ichinose held out a gold-tinged card, the employee smiled brightly.

Without taking the card, they bowed politely and informed them.

“Instructor Juyeon has already paid.”

“!”

The three looked at each other.

It was a large sum only for Rohan, and not a burdensome amount for the other two, but this was the coolness of a successful social adult.

The only thought filling his mind was that he had to express his gratitude somehow.

“Of course, I’ll thank her, and should I buy some drinks too?”

“That’s difficult. Instructor Juyeon wouldn’t accept anything bought by a cadet…”

“Then should we diligently participate in class?”

“Let’s all go to the faculty room and sing a thank you song!”

“Noa. We’ll get kicked out if we do that. Diligently participating in class is the answer.”

So, as they went outside to look for a taxi.

Noa suddenly announced that she would buy a strawberry smoothie and hopped across the crosswalk to the cafe.

As Ichinose was left alone with Rohan due to her usual impulsive behavior,

She thought it was the right timing and spoke what was on her mind.

“Rohan.”

“Yeah?”

“Th, this meal was bought by the Instructor, so I can’t say that I bought it, right…?”

“Is that how it works?”

Rohan found it hard to give a definite answer.

Wasn’t it strange to suddenly agree when he was the one who was treated?

“Since the Instructor paid, it’s not wrong, right?”

“Well…”

As Rohan mumbled his answer while watching Noa wagging her tail at the cafe.

“Focus on me when I’m talking.”

Ichinose tilted her head and lightly nudged Rohan’s shoulder.

“What I want to say is this. Next time… let’s eat together again. I’ll really buy it next time.”

Rohan admired Ichinose, who hesitated but mustered up the courage to suggest another time.

“Aeng-ae Nose…!”

Such a cute thing, wouldn’t you want to stamp a ‘Good Job’ sticker in her notebook?

“Shh! Shh! What if Noa hears…!”

“Just say ‘Aeng-ae’ once. Then I’ll stop.”

“Uh, Aeng-ae… what are you making me say!”

Looking at her blushing and flustered, this was why he called her Aeng-ae Nose.

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Quite some time has passed since the midterms.

April, which was chilly after sunset, has passed, and the 1st semester final exam schedule and warm weather were hand in hand, making their presence known.

On such days, Rohan’s morning began with him heading to the Training Room as usual.

Thanks to the Elixirs he received from Ichinose and Noa, he recently felt that the efficiency of his training had improved.

His third Sword had also begun to settle in reasonably well.

Peaceful.

Was this the calm before the storm?

The Main Story, which had been a milestone for Rohan, was quiet.

He had no idea how the world was going to turn out now.

I have to run harder at times like this.

Rohan knew.

Now that the Dimensional Rift had lost its power as a topic of conversation among the people living in Academy City.

Now, when a relaxed atmosphere pervaded, was the time to be most vigilant.

So, today too, he prepared perfectly.

Since the custom-ordered scabbard was completed yesterday, his exclusive weapon, Radiance, finally had a proper home.

His Handgun, Brand, had also settled completely in a holster made of tough leather.

Feeling uneasy about the lull in the notification windows that used to be noisy every other day with Quests and whatnot, Rohan carried his weapons even when stepping out of his house for a moment.

He was doing his best not to let go of his weapons at any moment.

Because there would definitely come a time when it would pay off.