Chapter 24: Fresh Water Before Stagnant Water (1)

The Princess worried a lot and tended to overthink, hence she would want to act cautiously.

So even if she decided to contact Rohan, it wouldn’t be overnight.

Perhaps after the next incident occurred.

“…”

With such expectations, Rohan took in a welcome sight.

Checking his smartphone on returning to Academy City, he saw it was already dawn.

It was the time when cats and crows outnumbered people on the streets, and the trash cans in front of stores were being emptied.

They said I could use it even on my days off.

Feeling like he’d collapse and fall asleep as soon as he stepped into the Dormitory, Rohan decided to head to the Orion Academy Physical Training Room.

The weekend was time-off from both the Academy and his Part-time job anyway.

I should start studying theory when I wake up.

Rohan made a model student’s resolution and started walking.

He was glad he’d headed for his excursion in comfortable clothes; he just had to take off his hood to exercise.

And so.

He bought a protein drink at a convenience store and arrived at the entrance of the training room.

He saw a petite girl just opening the door.

Before Rohan could say anything, the girl, with her eyes still closed, turned her head towards him.

The corners of her lips curved up slightly.

“By a hair’s breadth, but I arrived first today.”

“You seem to be in a good mood.”

“Not at all. Unlike Noa, I don’t rejoice over such things.”

Observing Ichinose’s expression, Rohan felt a sense of satisfaction that he’d come at this hour and approached her.

He scanned his student ID from the back of his smartphone and entered the training room along with her.

“Ichinose.”

“Did you call me?”

As Rohan called out to Ichinose, who was heading to the locker to put her bag away, he held out the box he had at his side.

“Want a Macaron?”

Did it seem that out of the blue?

Ichinose opened her eyelids, revealing her eyes.

“Carrying Macarons around at this hour? Do you have hypoglycemia in the early morning?”

“No. I just happened to buy some.”

“Hmm…”

“It’s also a bribe to ask you to take care of me.”

“A bribe?”

The girl looked up with a questioning gaze.

Even receiving her gaze was enjoyable for Rohan, causing his voice to sound slightly energetic.

“I think I’ll be asking for your help with theory starting from today.”

As if she understood, Ichinose closed her eyes again and nodded.

“Well, if that’s the case… Hehe, I’ll take just one.”

The girl’s pale, slender fingers carefully picked out a Macaron.

Then, she hid it between her lips.

Oh.

There was an air of elegance even in that brief action.

The girl, nibbling with her lively lips, nodded as if intrigued.

“This… is a Macaron made only with almond flour. I’ve been disappointed with shops increasing the flour ratio due to cost lately, but this one is made properly.”

“Really? My palate is rather undiscerning, so I don’t really know about those things. Glad you like it.”

“You bought it from a good shop?”

“Sort of.”

Since it was a Shop inaccessible with money, it’s fair to say it was a pretty decent shop.

And Ichinose’s positive review was a good testament to that.

“Want another one?”

When Rohan offered, the girl hesitated slightly.

She seemed curious about the other flavors.

“…I’ll just have one more. The last one, really.”

“Just have them all.”

“Ah!”

Rohan handed the entire box to Ichinose, who was contemplating which color to choose.

Seeing the girl he cherished enjoying them made the Points he’d spent on it worth it.

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After squeezing every ounce of energy in the training room, pushing his body to its limits, Rohan returned to the Dormitory and collapsed into a deep slumber.

And by the time he opened his eyes, it was already evening.

As his head felt foggy from how deeply he slept, he first washed his face with cold water before stepping outside to feel the cool breeze.

“…”

Returning to his room after buying a coffee, Rohan sat at his desk piled high with thick books.

A considerable amount of pressure weighed on him as he was about to start studying, but he managed to grab a book.

It’s been a while since I’ve actually studied.

It wasn’t an exaggeration to say that memorizing necessary information as a Hunter was all the studying he’d ever done in his life.

So, it was daunting.

But there was no option of not doing it.

What did that guy say about studying… Whose butt can stay glued to the chair longer? Something like that.

Those were the words of a former colleague who attended a prestigious university in Seoul before deciding to become a Hunter. He’d also said that the amount of information Hunters had to memorize was no small feat either.

It was a small comfort as he began.

And it’s not like I can just guess randomly on the next exam.

Gathering Points for the Shop Skill and preparing for future crises were important.

But since Rohan had become a Cadet in Academy City, life at Orion Academy was equally important.

Since he decided to live in this world, he couldn’t just focus on the future he knew.

He also had to take into account what would happen after graduating from the Academy.

And everything I know only goes up to the second year anyway.

How short was that time compared to the time he’d live from now on?

Hence, he needed to secure as many demonstrable qualifications as possible to make a living.

“Hoo!”

He exhaled, gathered his thoughts, and opened the book.

First, he decided to review and look for parts he didn’t understand.

Sharack. Sharack. Sharack.

He hit a wall almost immediately.

“…”

While he’d heard the content in class, he couldn’t quite understand the parts that required calculations using specific formulas.

Rohan organized his questions and sent a text without hesitation.

Bzzzt──!

The reply came back before he could even put down his phone.

[ Ichinose: Try solving it by applying the formula on page 27. If you’re still stuck, take a picture of your attempted solution and send it to me. ]

Rohan stared intently at the formula, pondered over it, then…

He scribbled down his work and sent a picture.

[ Ichinose: Good job. Try solving the problem below using the same method. ]

An emoticon of a chubby dragon giving a thumbs-up followed.

Rohan smiled to himself.

Hmm, studying is fun.

Being praised by Ichinose felt good too.

··

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Ah…

He blinked, finding himself in The Flower Bookstore.

Rohan was already wearing an apron and standing at the counter with the store manager.

His Saturday and Sunday, filled with training and studying, had disappeared like they were stolen by someone, and the weekdays melted away with interesting classes.

Adding his Part-time job to the mix, it was already Thursday.

“Rohan.”

“Yes.”

Standing still, Rohan turned his head at the manager’s voice.

The manager’s face was relaxed, having apparently spent a pleasant time with his grandson yesterday.

“You must have a lot of studying to do at Orion Academy, right? And the exams should be coming up soon, too.”

“Not right around the corner, but… I heard the exams are in mid-April. Ah! Still, I’ll continue working here even then.”

“Haha, I appreciate that, but that’s not what I wanted to say.”

Rohan listened attentively.

The manager looked at the empty bookshelves and continued speaking softly.

“Our Bookstore has a good number of regular customers, but it’s pretty late at night, right? Hardly any customers around.”

“…”

It was true that there weren’t many customers.

However, it felt a bit odd for him, a part-timer, to agree with that statement.

“Just greet the customers when they come, and feel free to relax at the counter. You don’t need to remain standing stiffly like now.”

Seeing Rohan nod in understanding, the manager pointed to the spot where he’d had his interview.

“There’s a separate table here, so you can sit there and study once you’re done with your work.”

“…Thank you!”

Rohan didn’t refuse the manager’s offer and bowed his head immediately.

He was already pressed for time, so this was welcome news.

“I can’t pay a capable young man much, so I should at least offer this.”

“It might not seem much, but thank you for thinking of me.”

“Even my son was surprised when I told him I hired an Orion Academy Cadet as a part-timer.”

The conversation flowed naturally from there.

Rohan listened attentively to the manager’s stories about the time he spent with his grandson, chiming in with appropriate reactions now and then.

While responding and manning the counter, Rohan checked the clock on the wall.

Then, he spoke to the manager.

“Manager, I’ll start closing shop from today, so please head home early.”

“Hmm?”

“It’s time I try doing it alone, so I can do it well later.”

“That makes sense. It’s not difficult… Would it be alright for me to ask you that?”

The manager had hired a part-timer so he could return home before his grandson went to bed.

It must have been a tempting offer.

“If I have any trouble closing up, I’ll call you right away.”

Saying he’d leave it to him, the manager quickly left for the day.

Good.

Only Rohan and Clara, reading quietly under a bookshelf, remained in the quiet Bookstore.

Rohan started the game as usual, in the same manner as before.

─ Company Wave!

The game sound was still at one bar.

He intentionally destroyed the formation and combination he’d been using successfully in the Dormitory.

─ Uh, somehow, I have to complete the mission…

And then, as the failures continued to pile up…

He added a line as a topping.

“Hmm… Should I just quit?”

With those words, he put away his smartphone and got up to prepare for closing.

Although Clara wasn’t in a spot where he could see her today…

Having repeated this for a few days, he could vividly imagine her reaction.

How much longer will she hold out?

As Rohan, pretending to have lost interest in the game, took out a mop and started cleaning the bookstore floor sloppily, a voice came from behind him.

“Ex-excuse me!”

“Yes?”

Clara was watching.

He’d thought it would take at least a month, but her response was much faster than expected.

Rohan kept his lips as stiff as possible to hide his excitement and asked,

“Can I help you with checkout?”

“Ah, no! That’s not it…”

“Then, are you looking for something?”

Clara shook her head, saying it wasn’t that either.

As Rohan stared silently, the girl fidgeted with her hands and spoke softly.

“Th-that… Company Wave…”

“This?”

When Rohan pulled out his smartphone from his front pocket, Clara nodded cautiously.

Then, after a silence for about five seconds.

Clara finally spoke hesitantly.

“Y-you’re not supposed to play it like that…!”