episode_0042

Rohan wanted to get away from the counter right away and see how Clara and Noah were doing.

But now it’s impossible.

The moment Clara agreed to read comics together, customers started to flock into the once quiet bookstore like waves.

“3 coins 20 tokens. Do you need a paper bag for 1 token?”

“Yes, please put it in.”

“I put the receipt inside. Thank you!”

Why are so many customers flocking here at this time?

It was also the busiest day since Rohan started working part-time, and it could be said that the sales at Kkotmurat Bookstore were unprecedented.

“Is there anything like a book for studying letters? My child is looking at it···.”

“Is author Pascal’s new book out of print?”

“I’m looking for a book that tells you how to have a conversation to get a girlfriend.”

Rohan greeted the guests who were bustling about and talking about their business one by one, and glanced at the corner where the two people were.

Noah and Clara are not clearly visible, but they seem to be doing well in the quiet.

“···.”

And on the other hand, I realized something painfully.

Looking back on the situation, I realized that the very idea that I knew Clara well was arrogant.

Who would have thought that Clara would volunteer to spend time with Noah? It was a situation that was far beyond Rohan’s expectations.

As a gamer who enjoyed Abyss City, it is a picture that is not vivid and cannot be imagined.

It happened right before Rohan’s eyes.

‘I need to be more careful from now on.’

This also applies to Ichinose and Noah, who Rohan has a lot of information about. Maybe even the princess.

Reality was free.

Not confined to a set framework.

Rohan imprinted that point on his heart once again.

··

··

“Heh heh~”

“···.”

Clara herself wondered where the courage to accept the offer earlier came from.

Right now, just sitting next to Noah, humming, and holding a book, my mental strength is being drained in real time.

I couldn’t remember what the comic book I was reading was about.

“What’s our friend’s name?”

A question suddenly asked by Noah while reading a book.

Clara, startled and shaking her whole body, answered quietly.

“I, I’m Clara···! But···.”

“Hey, that’s a cute name. Just call me Noah.”

“Yes···.”

The name Noah is a characteristically beautiful appearance, a tiger beast with a pure white color like eternal snow, and a subtle coldness that gives off an extraordinary air.

Clara thought about it and decided.

‘Noah Frozenheart of Tigrova? What the heck is my brother…’

He was the greatest giant Clara had ever seen in her life.

But somehow I was able to suppress the tension.

Clara herself didn’t have to do any assassination or information gathering. Unlike last time, she was confident that she could escape if she wanted to, which lightened her mind.

The girl quickly turned the pages, making a rustling sound.

Noah’s gaze lingered longer on pages depicting food than on scenes with a lot of dialogue.

Noah, who had finished tasting it with his eyes, opened his mouth again.

“I was surprised when I saw you move earlier. Do you want to run a race with me next time?”

“That, that···.”

“Whoever gets to the top of the mountain first wins! Nose is also fast on his feet, so it would be fun if we did it together.”

“···.”

“Ah! Who is Nose? He is the one who entered school with me──.”

Clara voluntarily entered this space, but regretted it.

I wish Rohan would come and get me out right now.

How can you have a conversation like this and suggest hanging out when you first meet someone?

From Clara’s point of view, Noah was an incomprehensible character.

It’s not like Rohan who keeps a tightrope walk and only asks easy-to-answer questions.

This is the fear that the moment you say you understand, a promise is made. It’s to the point where you just tear the line and jump over and dance around.

Just listening to what people are saying next to me makes my eyes spin.

“Anyway, if you have any thoughts, tell me. I’ll make room for you. Okay?”

Clara nodded slightly.

It was a relief that it didn’t lead to forced recommendation.

But there is no way Saddam’s noose will be released there.

Noah immediately blurted out the first thing that came to his mind and changed the subject as if he was going to break the steering wheel.

“The more I look at Clara, the more she looks like a doll, which is amazing. Nose is also like a doll, but her style is a little different.”

“No···! Someone like me, that kind of···.”

“Huh? I don’t usually say things like this because my standards are really high. It’s rare to find such a pretty face!”

Clara shook her head in shock at the sudden, direct compliment.

If you just look at the sentence, it’s similar to what men on the street say.

Because Noah spoke with pure emotion and no purpose, the burden Clara felt was so heavy that it was crushing.

“My father said to Noh Se-han that if you deny and reject him, it doesn’t sound humble. Be confident! Rohan will probably agree with what I said, right?”

“Is it your brother···?”

“Should I ask you later? Even though you seem busy now, I will come sometime.”

It seemed like a golden opportunity for Noah to ask the questions he couldn’t ask himself.

‘Just in case, just in case! There’s no way a kind older brother would do that···!’

I’m scared that if I deny it coldly and without empty words, my mentality will be torn to pieces.

Just imagining it makes you nervous and tremble. Clara swallowed hard.

Noah, who had been quietly observing the girl’s strange symptoms, blinked.

My curiosity suddenly arose and I wanted to ask now.

“What is Clara’s relationship with Rohan?”

“With my brother···?”

“Yeah.”

What should I say here?

Clara, cowering, rolled her eyes here and there.

“Just··· a guy I met at a bookstore···.”

“I see. That’s interesting.”

“No, what about Noah’s sister?”

“Haha! Sister Noah? I like the sound of sister! I’m in the same class as Rohan.”

Noah’s tail taps the floor, as if he really likes the nickname Clara used.

“I have a question···.”

“Okay! Ask everything!”

“Tigrova, some of you··· are practicing polygamy···?”

Contrary to expectations, it was not a question or curiosity about the individual.

But Noah simply accepted it and nodded.

“That’s right! So my eldest brother has ten… ten or so wives now? I forgot.”

“Ouch!”

Noah chuckled as he watched the girl gasping for breath in shock.

“Well, if you come from a country where there is no polygamy, it might seem strange. You might be curious.”

“I wonder what you think about polygamy···.”

Noah crossed his arms and thought for a moment at Clara’s question.

Then, a blue light flashed in the water girl’s eyes and she looked as if she had found a good answer.

“I like it because I have a lot of older sisters, so I get to eat a lot of delicious food?”

“That’s not it···.”

“Huh? Isn’t this it? It’s a huge advantage.”

What kind of ideas do they have about their own country’s system? That was what Clara was curious about.

But just looking at what Noah is saying now, we can see the answer.

Doesn’t it seem like there is no sense of rejection at all?

“···Are there any men who don’t practice polygamy?”

“Hmm, it exists, but I feel like there isn’t much social awareness.”

“Huh, why?!”

This was a really incomprehensible story.

Rather, isn’t it right to be praised as being pure and innocent?

“Tigrova says that in the end, force is the best proof. In any country, if you have force, money and fame will follow, but Tigrova is a little more obvious.”

“···What does that have to do with polygamy?”

“Some say that having only one wife means that you don’t have the financial resources or the heart to accommodate many people. It’s proof that you’re not fit to be a ruler! There’s also a story like that.”

“···.”

“In the end, this kind of social situation is different in each country. Well, the Tigrova people don’t expect understanding from other countries.”

As Tigrova is a powerful country, its system and technology must have been developed to that extent.

However, the opinions supporting the system felt no different from those of a hunting society.

Should I package it as the exhilaration of living in a frozen land?

Clara thought it was amazing that he didn’t care about what other people thought.

“No, Sister Noah··· wouldn’t you mind if your lover or husband were polygamous···?”

“Yeah! It would be nice if there were more people to play with!”

“···.”

“In Tigrova, a woman’s refusal to practice polygamy is tantamount to blocking her husband’s advancement. As I said before, if you have only one wife, you might get tackled at an important moment for not being good enough.”

Is it because we have been taught that way since birth that we can accept it?

Clara was confused by the sentence spoken in such an innocent voice.

It’s like I’m feeling strange because I can’t accept it.

“Uuuu···.”

As the girl hid her head between the open comic books, Noah patted her slender back with his tail.

“Is it very different from Tigrova and Clara’s country?”

“Yes···.”

“Then I don’t think there’s a need to force yourself to understand other countries’ systems. Nosedo said it was hard because his brothers had too many weddings.”

“···.”

How nice it would be if it could end so neatly.

Clara took out her phone, her eyes looking drained of energy.

I started typing on the keyboard to write a message.

Jiiing───!!!

While Rohan was serving guests, his smartphone rang.