episode_0143

[Zion Testarossa: If you have time tomorrow, I would like to meet Clara with you.]

‘···.’

After receiving Zion’s message, Ichinose accepted the offer after much thought.

As long as the two girls are glued to Rohan’s side like gum, they will have to face each other properly someday.

It’s hard to guess the intention of this meeting, but there’s definitely something they want to ask each other.

Sunday, the day we promised to meet.

Since there was a warning not to overdo it just in case, the early morning workout is a break until today.

I slept well enough to relieve my mental fatigue. I slowly prepared to go out.

Ichinose left the dormitory before lunchtime, with a lot of time left until her appointment.

I also left a note and snacks on the table for Noah, who would drop by unexpectedly to ask for food.

Again. Again. Again. Again.

Ichinose, hugging the sword, takes slightly excited steps.

‘The weather is nice.’

Warm sunlight that I hadn’t felt in the dungeon.

Just walking down the street while listening to the little noises of everyday life can change your mood.

The only regret is that…

It would be nice if Rohan was walking next to me.

Since we were always together in the dungeon, the empty space seemed more vivid.

“···.”

Ichinose, who had moved away from the dormitory and entered a street with many commercial districts, turned on his smartphone.

I opened my eyes and continued manipulating the device with my fingers.

‘It would be a problem if I was late for an appointment…’

The reason I came out early was not because I was a loner or had no sense of direction. I just wanted to take a walk and enjoy some leisure time.

Even now, I don’t remember the promised location that Zion sent me, so I just turned on the map.

Anyway, Ichinose’s head is full of such rationalizations.

‘huh?’

Ichinose kept checking the map as he headed to his destination, wondering if he had gotten lost.

Because the place Zion chose was quite remote.

It was a residential area where people lived, not a place where infrastructure was gathered.

[Wooden Place]

Looking at the sign, I know this is the cafe.

It’s not a franchise. It’s a private cafe that Ichinose has never seen before.

I never thought there would be a cafe in such a quiet place.

Ichinose checked the time again.

It wasn’t too late.

‘Whew… Shall we go in?’

Zion and Clara are already inside.

I’m starting to feel a little nervous.

When I push the door, there is a rattling sound.

After exchanging a quick greeting with the welcoming staff, Ichinose headed inside.

‘What a nice cafe.’

It’s not very big, but it’s cozy. I like the wooden interior and the smell of coffee.

Just a few steps.

The other side naturally reads your presence, so when you get closer, they get up from their seats and greet you.

“Thank you for coming. Please have a seat.”

“Ah, hello···!”

Zion and Clara. They both look more dressed up than yesterday.

A situation where both parties are secretly concerned about their own behavior.

‘···They are truly beautiful. This person is particularly beautiful even among elves.’

Ichinose bowed her head and sat down across from me.

Since the table is empty, I pick up the machine next to me and check the menu.

“Have you two eaten?”

“Not yet.”

“My sister and I are going to have a quick bite here··· Would you like to eat together···?”

“Thank you. Is that so?”

Ichinose smiled at Clara’s cautious words.

Continue ordering.

Ichinose had Americano, Sion had Einspanner, and Clara had iced chocolate.

In addition, we finish by ordering caramel French toast and brunch dishes.

After we finished ordering, silence fell on the table.

Ichinose was thinking about whether she should ask why he had come to her or continue the conversation a little longer to see how things went.

While he was thinking about it, Zion spoke first.

“Rohan asked today.”

Ichinose shrugged at the name Rohan.

Even though I was trying to listen, there was something about the sentences Zion spat out that caught my attention.

“Not yesterday, but today? It’s lunchtime now… Did you meet Rohan today…?”

“Yes. This is a story that came up while we were eating breakfast together. Rohan is currently training.”

“···.”

I was speechless from the start.

Ichinose’s mind was filled with questions she wanted to ask, but Sion continued talking without giving her any room to speak.

“He asked what Clara, Ichinose Yui, and I had in common.”

“···What do they have in common?”

“I don’t know for sure, other than the fact that it’s pretty and strong.”

The corners of Ichinose’s mouth twitched with joy.

He knows that Zion and Clara are watching his actions, but he can’t control his expression because he’s so happy.

Ichinose, who had been waiting for quite some time for the training, tried to cover it up by coughing in vain.

“Ahem···! Is this the place to find that commonality?”

“No.”

Simultaneously with Zion’s resolute denial, the things ordered began to come out.

The staff fills the table with careful hands and disappears.

Clara drank the sweet drink slurp by slurp with a fidgety face.

The other two also nodded lightly.

This time, Ichinose showed curiosity.

“Can I ask you something?”

“Of course.”

“Can you tell me where Clara is from?”

Clara, startled by the sudden attention, lifted her lips from the straw and mumbled.

“I··· come from, from Zeno···.”

“Xeno. I see.”

You’ve come from quite far away.

Ichinose knows the current state of Zeno, which is virtually anarchic due to civil war. He can also guess why Clara came to Academy City.

“Do you have any further questions?”

“Now I’m most curious as to why you two came to me.”

As Ichinose said that, Sion and Clara looked at each other.

Zion nods slightly and volunteers to take up the gun. He asks directly, like a shotgun.

“Doesn’t Ichinose have feelings for Rohan?”

“!”

There was no need to ask what he meant.

I just stand there stiffly holding the glass.

“Is it a mistake between Clara and me?”

“···.”

Ichinose placed the glass on the table, nodding.

When I tried to speak, my hands felt so weak that I almost dropped them.

“As Ichinose-sama already knows, Clara and I want to spend our whole lives with Rohan.”

The voice was confident, but the ending was slightly trembling.

Zion’s bashful face and pointed ears with a blush on them were something that even other women could admire.

“I see···.”

Ichinose had expected that kind of innocent feeling, but she was surprised that the person in question was so sure.

That doll-like girl is like that too, and what on earth did Rohan do to make even an elf fall in love with her?

I really wanted to question it.

“That’s why I want to hear Ichinose-sama’s thoughts.”

“···.”

“I want to know if we are competitors or if we can join hands.”

“Holding hands···? What does that mean?”

“Please tell me what you think of Rohan first, and I will tell you about that too.”

Ichinose reached for the cold water instead of the warm coffee.

He gulps down his drink and hides his emotions while exclaiming in admiration.

“You both have a good eye for detail.”

“Yes?”

“I didn’t think anyone would find out that I liked Rohan. I guess the only people who would notice are you two.”

““···?””

Did Ichinose think she was good at hiding her feelings?

Do you really think that even your own parents don’t know?

Zion and Clara’s mouths were twitching, but they held back.

The girl’s unique charm seemed to be that she was smart but showed off her fierce side unexpectedly.

“Ichinose-san. I want you to be clear. When you say you like Rohan, is that really all you have to do to like him?”

“That’s···.”

It seems like it’s still difficult to put it into words.

Sion began to press on to hear Ichinose’s feelings clearly.

“Do you have feelings for Rohan like Clara and I do?”

“···.”

Ichinose blushed and tapped her teacup with her fingernails.

Even though I have faced it head on, it is not easy to tell others and affirm it.

“Is it true that you want to marry Rohan and have more than three children?”

“Hey, marriage?!”

Ichinose’s voice grew louder with embarrassment.

As everyone’s attention turned to him, Ichinose covered his mouth with both hands.

But the heat in his face did not subside.

“Isn’t it?”

“I haven’t thought about that yet···.”

“Even so, I don’t think you’ll feel light-hearted.”

Ichinose nodded slightly.

There was no denying it.

Because that appearance was enough of an answer.

Zion slightly twisted the subject.

“Recently, there is a girl who sends pictures to Rohan and calls him.”

“Who are you···?”

“This is Lete. She is the girl who was saved by Rohan at the shopping mall.”

“Ah!”

It’s been quite some time, but we’re still in contact.

After hearing it, it wasn’t surprising.

“They actively appealed to meet Rohan, saying things like there was a festival in the Sepia Archipelago and a school event.”

“···.”

When he sees something like that, he feels that the other person is amazing, but at the same time, he feels breathless, and Sion lamented to Ichinose.

“As Ichinose-san knows, Rohan is very popular. When I see it, I really want to do something about it, but Clara and I don’t have any experience, so we can’t just take action.”

“Oh, I’m scared that my brother will hate me···.”

Clara’s words were full of heartbreaking emotions.

That’s not a fuss. Ichinose also understood those feelings only now.

“I would like to meet and talk to the girl named Leta in person, but the situation is not favorable.”

“Is it the same place today?”

Shion nodded to Ichinose’s question.

He brings up the main topic as if to explain the purpose of the seat.

“I know that Ichinose is from the country of Samhwa.”

“Yes, that’s right.”

“So I want to ask.”

Ichinose listens.

“If your partner’s values are like Clara’s, I wonder if you accept polygamy even if your country doesn’t.”

“Ah···.”

What does it mean to hold hands as Zion said?

Ichinose understood at once.

Looking at Ichinose, who was biting her lip, not knowing how to answer.

Zion and Clara’s eyes sparkled.