‘Why go to such lengths as to bow when words would suffice... What an eccentric thing to do.’
Juyeon let out a small laugh, finding the recent events a bit absurd.
Rohan, on his way back to the dormitory, had shown such an unexpected and peculiar behavior that even she was taken aback. She had always thought Gilbert Carniaut was the oddest cadet in the class, but the more time passed, the more Rohan seemed to take the lead in eccentricity.
Having seen Rohan off, Juyeon turned to glance back at the hallway from her doorstep.
The long, stretching corridor seemed endlessly distant, as if the path to the living room had suddenly grown further.
“Hm.”
She began walking. Upon reaching the living room, she sat on the sofa, as was her habit.
But before she could grab the bookmarked book nearby, her gaze drifted to the ceiling.
‘Was my house... always this quiet?’
Rohan’s time in her home hadn’t even been long enough to call it a full day—just a few hours, most of which he had spent sleeping.
Yet the silence felt strangely more pronounced.
Perhaps it was because, while living in Academy City, she hadn’t had many reasons to smile. Rohan’s incessant chatter, paired with his cheerful tone, might have unconsciously brought a faint curve to her lips.
“...”
Juyeon paused, her hand hovering over the book, and decided against reading.
Instead, she walked toward the kitchen, where some tidying remained unfinished.
Hisssss!!!
Juyeon turned on the tap and grabbed a sponge.
She considered playing some music to fill the void but ultimately found the sound of running water soothing enough.
As she picked up the dishes, the clinking sounds combined with the soft scrubbing created a rhythm of their own.
There was a strange feeling in the air.
Today, there were one more bowl and one more set of utensils than usual to clean.
It was obvious who they belonged to.
Rohan’s rice bowl was completely spotless, as if he had scraped it clean with his spoon.
“Pfft.”
A clear laugh escaped her lips.
She felt genuinely pleased, knowing he hadn’t forced himself to eat her cooking.
***
“Shion?”
— ...!
Hearing her name called even before she could speak, Shion’s breath faltered, betraying her emotions.
“Are you in Academy City now? Where are you?”
— Rohan...
“Yeah, talk to me.”
Rohan focused on the call as much as possible, despite standing on a bustling street.
It was certain that Shion was the one on the other end, but the reason for her call was still a mystery.
— I want to ask you something.
“What’s on your mind?”
As a group of pedestrians passed by, Rohan walked into a quieter alley, leaning his back against the cold brick wall.
He waited patiently, giving Shion the time she needed to gather her thoughts.
— Last time... you told me not to act rashly, even if I felt like I was going to explode with anger.
“I did.”
On the other end of the line, Shion took a deep breath. Her voice lowered as she finally spoke.
This 𝓬ontent is taken from freeweɓnovel.cѳm.
— Do you really think... I should just wait like this?
“Yes. Wait.”
It was a frustrating answer for Shion, but Rohan had his reasons for urging patience.
Even if small challenges could be dealt with easily, major disruptions were best avoided unless he had overwhelming strength.
Predicting and preparing for significant variables wasn’t just vital for his plans—it was directly tied to Shion’s safety.
At the same time, Rohan understood why Shion had called.
Perhaps she remembered his offer to call whenever she was struggling or needed something.
For her to reach out to someone as unfamiliar as him suggested just how cornered she felt.
— I thought... if I just fought monsters and carried out missions properly, I’d be helping the compatriots settled in foreign lands financially...
“...”
She didn’t need to finish. Her silence implied she had come to the realization that it wasn’t the case.
Rohan could tell she had uncovered a lot on her own, though he wasn’t sure how.
— I just... I just...
“Yeah, I’m listening.”
Rohan answered briefly, carefully paying attention to the emotions pouring out of her.
‘This feels a bit unstable.’
Shion’s voice carried an unmistakable intensity.
Her tone was less sorrowful and more filled with a smoldering rage, like a volcano on the verge of eruption or a thundercloud ready to unleash a storm.
— You must think I’m pathetic and laughable too, Rohan. Letting myself get swayed by the flaws and whims of the Elders...
“That’s not true. I don’t think that.”
— ...
Rohan cut her off firmly.
A girl who had barely encountered malice from others, who had grown physically but not mentally, was bound to struggle.
The fact that she had managed to retain her humanity and decency in such adverse conditions was something to be commended.
“The environment you were in shaped you that way. It might sound condescending, but I find it unfortunate, Shion.”
— ...
She fell silent.
Rohan could sense the tumult of her emotions settling, the storm within her beginning to calm.
And so, he asked softly.
“Shion, are you having a hard time?”
— ...
“You know, it’s a strange thing. But if you share your feelings instead of keeping them bottled up, it gets a little easier. Offload some of that weight onto me.”
Raising his voice slightly, Rohan infused his tone with warmth and energy, which seemed to elicit a response from Shion.
"...It's hard."
"Really hard?"
"Yeah. I don’t even know where to start..."
"Just keep observing the situation calmly. I know it’s tough, but hang in there a bit longer."
"..."
"Don’t worry. You’ll be smiling again soon."
— "How can you be so sure...?"
Though the circumstances were different, Rohan recalled the point in Abyss City where Shion, in a far worse state than now, finally found clarity.
He thought back to the text he’d read: her feelings of helplessness, self-doubt, and the fury and sorrow caused by the betrayal of the Elders.
Right now, instilling hope in her was the priority.
That was the only way his careful approach—avoiding unnecessary risks—could serve its purpose.
"I don’t fail when I take on a task."
— "..."
She didn’t even seem to have the energy to respond with a sarcastic comment about his confidence.
Rohan could sense the stark difference in Shion’s mood compared to their last meeting.
— "Do you think it’s too late? That I can’t resolve this on my own...?"
"You don’t like relying on others for help?"
— "I know I’ve already received plenty of help from you. But... if I keep accepting help like this..."
He could understand how she felt. There were people who, when cornered, became even more resistant to leaning on others.
It wasn’t entirely wrong—such resilience was rare and admirable.
But Rohan’s experience told him that people like Shion eventually came to realize something important.
"Shion."
— "I’m listening."
"There’s no one who can stand entirely on their own without help."
— "..."
"Accepting help when you need it isn’t something to be ashamed of. Just keep that in mind."
Rohan didn’t wait for a response. Before Shion could argue or spiral further, he changed the subject.
"Since we’re already on the phone, how about we chat for a bit? Talking can be surprisingly good for lifting your mood."
— "...Chat?"
Her tone was more than hesitant; it was openly flustered.
Hearing something other than negativity in her voice, Rohan couldn’t help but smile.
"I wanted to talk to you personally last time too, but most of our conversation ended up being about work."
— "Ah!"
"Hm?"
Shion seemed to have remembered something, and Rohan waited quietly.
Through the phone, he could almost picture her fidgeting and shifting awkwardly.
Finally, she spoke in a small, hesitant voice.
— "That hamburger you gave me last time... it was good. I wanted to thank you."
Finding her unexpectedly endearing, Rohan adjusted his posture, squatting in the alley as he chuckled softly.
"Not bad, right? I’ll get you another one next time. It’s even better when it’s warm."
— "Now that I think about it..."
"Hm?"
— "The Elders used to say that humans outside of our community are rigid in their beliefs and assume all elves are vegetarians. That’s wrong too, isn’t it?"
"It’s not entirely unfounded, but most people don’t think that way anymore. Besides, the elves of Tigrova are pretty far removed from that stereotype, aren’t they?"
— "...You seem to know a lot about Tigrova elves."
"I’d say I do, to an extent."
Tigrova, a vast land of snowy plains and coniferous forests, was home to elves vastly different from the ones commonly imagined in lush green forests.
While elves from warmer climates often leaned toward vegetarianism, the harsh, stormy environment of Tigrova left little room for such choices.
The conversation meandered through various topics, and before they realized it, they had been talking for 30 minutes.
Every now and then, Rohan heard the faint clinking sound of Shion inserting coins into a public phone.
They had begun with her somber mood but had filled the time with lighthearted talk, hopefully easing some of the burden on her chest.
"Shion."
— "..."
The weighted tone in his voice seemed to signal a shift, and Rohan sensed that she was now listening carefully.
"If things get too hard or you need advice, you can call me again, just like today. Or, remember the dormitory? You can come there too."
— "Yeah..."
"But if you come on a weekday and I’m not there, someone will be—"
Beep. Beep. Beep.
The call ended abruptly, cutting off his sentence before he could convey a critical detail.
"Shion? Hello?"
Rohan checked his phone screen. The battery was still at 50%, and the call duration was precisely 35 minutes.
Scratching his chin in confusion, he muttered to himself.
"Did she run out of coins?"
Letting out a soft sigh, Rohan stood up and looked at the sky.
"...This is going to be a real problem."
If Clara were alone in the dormitory and Shion suddenly showed up, what would happen?
Should he inform Clara in advance? Rohan’s head began to throb at the thought.
The idea of them running into each other and possibly clashing was a troubling one.
As he moved slowly, checking his phone repeatedly to see if Shion would call again, he felt a creeping sense of unease.
That evening, no follow-up call from Shion ever came.