‘...’
The afternoon waned as the sleepiness brought on by a full lunch finally wore off.
Ichinose, having finished her allotted study for the day, spun her chair around to glance at the empty bed behind her.
It felt strangely awkward.
Noah, who usually occupied her bed every day without fail, was nowhere to be seen today. Without Noah bombarding her with questions, Ichinose had managed to finish her studying much faster than usual.
‘Could she possibly be napping even though it’s almost dinnertime?’
Or perhaps she’s just lounging around in her room because it’s the weekend.
“Hm...”
Lying on her soft bed and hugging a plushie, Ichinose pondered.
Should I go to her room and wake her up?
Considering Noah’s parents had entrusted her with their daughter, Ichinose couldn’t help but feel conflicted.
Even so, one thing was clear regardless of their words’ true intent.
‘If Noah is studying diligently, even the great Serho Emperor would be shocked.’
Given her nature, the fact that she hadn’t given up after three days was already worthy of praise.
Noah Frozenheart, dedicating herself to academics—it was a sight so fresh and unusual that Ichinose still found herself surprised every time she saw it.
Given her shocking transformation, Ichinose thought it might be okay to let her rest for the weekend.
For someone unused to studying, spending time with books must have been quite the ordeal.
‘This chill in the air...?’
Clara, just in case, carefully observed the beautiful woman standing next to Rohan.
The beastkin woman radiated a dazzling beauty.
Her tall and slender figure resembled that of a model from a fashion magazine, with a slender waist and a bust rivaling the female instructor Rohan had once mentioned.
Her exposed midriff revealed a toned abdomen without a trace of excess fat.
What unfair genetics!
Clara couldn’t help but feel she’d encountered irrefutable proof that life was unfair.
As if her striking appearance wasn’t enough, there was another point Clara couldn’t overlook.
‘A... a strong one...’
Although not as powerful as the red-haired instructor Rohan had mentioned, the beastkin woman exuded an abundance of magical energy and an overwhelming presence.
Drawing from her past fear and mistakes, Clara made sure to conceal her presence flawlessly this time.
She remained silent, carefully monitoring the situation.
“Manager, this is the friend I mentioned... uh, yeah, this friend.”
“Hello! You can call me Noah! Nice to meet you!”
At Rohan’s introduction, Noah greeted the manager with an energetic voice, as if she’d been waiting for this moment.
The manager returned her enthusiasm with a warm smile.
“Well, thank you for coming all the way to our little bookstore.”
“This place smells the nicest out of all the bookstores I’ve visited!”
“Hoho, does it now? I appreciate you saying so.”
“Big chain bookstores on the main street don’t use wooden shelves, so they don’t have this kind of scent!”
Noah carried on the conversation like she’d known the manager for years, praising the comforting aroma of the store.
Rohan was left speechless at her uncanny ability to blend in socially, rendering his presence almost irrelevant.
“Well, it’s good to have some lively chatter in the bookstore. Feel free to hang out, Miss Noah. Rohan, make sure to look after her.”
“...Understood. I’ll do my best.”
“Thank you!”
As the manager prepared to leave, Noah grinned and shot a triumphant glance at Rohan.
“Well then, this old man will get going now. Thanks for this gift—it’ll go nicely with tea for me and my wife.”
With a small present in hand, the manager left the store.
Though the gift wasn’t particularly expensive, the manager seemed pleased, and Rohan felt satisfied as well.
“Hehe, time to relax after all that studying.”
“Don’t tell me you broke down from just a bit of theory work.”
Her strange laughter didn’t match her appearance. Rohan smirked and stepped behind the counter, putting on an apron with the store’s name printed on it.
“What should I look at~”
“Anything wrapped in plastic stays wrapped until you pay for it, got it?”
“Of course I know that much.”
Noah dove into the shelves stacked with comic books.
Rohan shifted his gaze away from her and scanned the quiet bookstore.
He was looking for someone.
‘Where’s Clara?’
The chances of her not having arrived yet were slim.
Could it be that she’d sensed Noah Frozenheart’s overwhelming energy—the very definition of social magnetism—and decided to hide?
"Ring this up for me!"
"Already picked something?"
"Yes!"
Noah stacked a pile of manga on the counter.
The title was The Man Who Cooks and the Woman Who’s a Picky Eater. Scanning the barcode, Rohan noticed it was categorized as a romantic comedy with elements of humor.
"Volumes 1 to 24? You brought the entire series up to the final volume..."
As Rohan scanned the books with a beep-beep sound and piled them on the counter, Noah giggled.
She twirled the card she held between her fingers.
"Even if it’s boring, I’m going to finish it. I liked the art style."
"Why not look up some reviews first?"
"Not my thing. I don’t want to read with preconceived notions."
"Huh... that’s surprisingly insightful. Give me the card; I’ll process it."
When Rohan reached out for the card, Noah playfully pulled her hand back.
Her mischievous expression made Rohan uneasy.
"I’m a customer, you know. Treat me properly."
"..."
"Hurry up! It’s a fair request, isn’t it?"
Rohan knew the best way to handle situations like this.
It wasn’t a big deal, so he decided to humor her. Pulling up a practiced customer-service smile, he replied:
"The total for 24 volumes is 10 coins and 80 tokens. A paper bag is 1 token—would you like one?"
"No!"
"Do you have a loyalty card?"
"Nope!"
Was she enjoying this kind of formal exchange with a classmate?
Noah’s tail swayed side to side as if she were having fun.
"Will you be paying by card?"
"Yes! With this one!"
"Would you like to pay in installments?"
"One-time payment!"
She seemed satisfied with how straightforward the process was.
Noah carried the paid manga, holding them in her arms and with her tail, over to a corner of the store. She plopped down and began unwrapping the volumes.
Despite being in a new place, the white tiger girl acted as if she were completely at home.
She’s really something else.
Rohan shook his head in admiration, then resumed scanning the bookstore for Clara.
But she was nowhere to be found.
He wasn’t sure if she was hiding because of Noah’s overwhelming presence or if she genuinely hadn’t shown up.
There’s always the possibility she didn’t come at all.
Rohan pulled out his phone and sent Clara a message.
Bzzz!
A reply came almost immediately.
[Clara: ╥﹏╥]
When he asked where she was, he received a crying emoji in response.
Blinking at the screen, Rohan decided to call her.
Ring... Ring...
As the dial tone echoed, a voice reached his ears.
"O... Oppa..."
It wasn’t through the phone.
It was her actual voice.
At last, Rohan spotted her.
He stepped out from behind the counter and approached Clara, who seemed smaller and more withdrawn than usual.
"What’s wrong? Did something happen?"
Clara didn’t answer, just fidgeted with the edge of her apron.
Her slightly pursed lips and sulky expression only made her look adorable in Rohan’s eyes.
"I don’t have any energy because you didn’t greet me when I started work."
"..."
"Did you finish all the macarons?"
She nodded softly.
"Good job. I’m glad you enjoyed them."
"..."
Clara gripped the apron tighter, her lips trembling as if she wanted to say something.
At that moment, they both sensed someone approaching. Clara’s head whipped to the side.
"What’s going on? Who are you talking to?"
Noah appeared, holding a manga in one hand.
"Hic!"
Clara stifled a startled gasp and darted to the opposite side of the bookstore in an instant, moving like a cat startled by a cucumber.
Noah raised an eyebrow and smirked.
"Wow! Who are you? You’re as fast as Nosé!"
"Auu... Oppa..."
As Noah’s curious eyes sparkled, Clara shot Rohan a pleading look.
Rohan stepped between them, blocking Noah’s path.
"Go back and finish your manga."
"It’s not like I’m going to eat her..."
Noah looked genuinely offended, but Rohan didn’t budge.
It would take significant time for someone as extroverted as Noah and someone as introverted as Clara to understand each other.
"Want to read it together? I’m only on the first volume, but it’s really fun. We can chat while we read!"
"Chat...?"
Peeking out from behind Rohan, Noah tried to initiate a conversation.
Her words seemed to remind Clara of something, and she murmured:
"Please finish it before you try tutoring me again, Miss Customer."
"I’ll tell the manager you’re forcing me to study!"
"Go ahead. I’ll probably get praised for it."
"Samwha Nation’s laws prohibit torture! It’s inhumane!"
"Unfortunately, you’re from Tigrova, so those laws don’t apply to you. Also, studying isn’t torture."
As the two bickered, Clara watched them, her chest swelling with an unfamiliar feeling.
Finally, she spoke up.
"O-okay!"
This 𝓬ontent is taken from fгeewebnovёl.co𝙢.
"What was that? You think it’s annoying, don’t you? Wait... huh?"
Rohan turned his head toward Clara, confused.
Thinking he’d misheard, he waited for her to repeat herself.
Clara, trembling slightly, met Noah’s gaze and said again:
"Let’s read it together... a-and talk..."