"Attention, everyone. Gilbert, if you've thawed out, return to your seat."
“Krrrghhh...!”
The morning assembly revolved around Rohan’s recent actions.
Juyeon, while praising and encouraging him in front of everyone for doing a good deed, emphasized that the most crucial point was his decision to contact his supervising instructor.
It was fortunate that things turned out well.
She made it clear that what he did was very dangerous, concluding the longer-than-usual morning assembly with that note.
As Juyeon left, Gilbert turned his head with a dramatic crack and immediately spoke up.
“Comrade! You’ve done something truly marvelous!”
“Thanks. I appreciate you not yelling for once.”
Maybe his excitement had finally cooled down after being trapped in ice.
Though louder than an average person’s voice, this level of volume could indeed be considered a whisper for Gilbert.
“You don’t understand yet. The depth of praise is not measured in decibels!”
“This guy knows that perfectly well...”
“But! Sometimes, a resounding roar adds an irreplaceable spice to the moment!”
As expected, it seemed hopeless to fix his habit of shouting regardless of the context.
After some casual chatter with a few classmates who joined the conversation, Rohan prepared for class by taking out his books and washing his hands. When he returned, he noticed Ichinose and Noah walking down the hallway, stopping to talk to him.
“You truly deserve the praise. It was remarkable.”
“Alright, enough. There’s no need to keep bringing it up.”
At Rohan’s response, Ichinose shook her head slightly with her eyes closed.
“Whether it was intuition or not, it’s not something just anyone could do.”
“Maybe he’s secretly a beastman too?”
Ichinose squinted at Noah with a sideways glance as if asking what nonsense she was spouting.
“Well, that aside, I also heard that you helped Noah with her studies over the weekend.”
“Oh, that? I just didn’t want to be bored studying alone.”
At that, Noah’s expression changed as if she suddenly remembered something important, her tail wagging slightly. She poked Ichinose with her tail, as if confessing something significant.
“Yui! Rohan tried to torture me with review problems from the workbook! Scold him, quick!”
“Rohan made the right choice. Well done. If a similar situation arises, please do the same.”
“Got it. I’ll make sure to handle it.”
Noah, clearly feeling betrayed, tried to hug Ichinose from behind, but Ichinose sidestepped her effortlessly, eyes still closed, avoiding the hug with light steps. Her movements resembled a small animal evading a tiger’s pounce.
‘They get along well.’
To Rohan, their interaction was like a comedy skit, painting a warm picture.
Noah Frozenheart probably knew how Ichinose would react and might have just needed an excuse to hug her friend.
“Isn’t torture prohibited under Samhwa law? How can you condone such inhumane practices!”
“...Stop cherry-picking convenient facts and try memorizing something else.”
Noah tried to hug Ichinose with both arms again, but she still couldn’t catch her.
The lighthearted banter continued as the three of them naturally made their way to the classroom.
And just then, the break ended.
“Is everyone here? Please take your seats.”
Carrying her textbook, Juyeon returned to the classroom and resumed her theory lesson as if nothing had happened.
Noah’s tail swished as she struggled to memorize formulas, clutching her head in frustration. Ichinose, on the other hand, answered Juyeon’s questions flawlessly without a single stumble. Rohan found it challenging just to keep up by taking notes.
It was another ordinary class session.
And so, theory class ended, leading to the much-anticipated lunchtime.
Rohan checked his phone as he headed toward the academy cafeteria as usual.
“!”
Noticing a message from Clara, he stopped in his tracks.
As soon as he snapped back to reality, Rohan changed direction and began running toward the dormitory.
***
This chapter is updat𝙚d by freeweɓnovel.cøm.
Shion Testarossa.
The girl worried that her visit might be a burden to Rohan.
Even though Rohan had told her to come anytime, showing up just a day later after seizing on a single casual remark might feel overwhelming from his perspective.
She thought about this, convincing herself it was true.
But when she returned to her cold lodging after hanging up the public phone and lay down on the icy sheets, she couldn’t ignore the difference.
‘It’s so cold...’
The gap was stark.
Despite spending so much time in her lodging, the chill never ceased to feel foreign. It was vastly different from the warmth she felt during her brief chat with Rohan over the public phone in Academy City.
The emotional contrast between joy and sorrow felt immeasurable—akin to falling off a galloping horse.
She had spent all her remaining tokens on that phone call.
But she didn’t regret it.
The thirty minutes she spent chatting with Rohan allowed her a brief reprieve from the suffocating hopelessness she faced.
Unable to hold herself back, Shion found herself once again at Elysium, in Academy City, today.
She thought she would be able to resist the urge, but Rohan’s words of encouragement from the other end of the line kept replaying in her mind. It made her think it might be okay to visit him.
It was 11:50 a.m. on a weekday.
Who would even be at the academy dormitory at this time? The area was bright but as quiet as midnight.
Even so, Shion scanned her surroundings several times to make sure no one was watching.
With a quick step, she leapt forward, gracefully scaling the wall of the academy dormitory.
As she approached the window, she couldn’t help but laugh bitterly at herself.
How absurd this was.
When she first met Rohan, she had coldly dismissed his offer to call if she ever needed anything, declaring she would never have such a need. How did things come to this?
Sliding the unlocked window open, Shion felt a wave of relief and perched herself on the windowsill.
Before stepping onto the floor, she removed her thick combat boots, her sharp eyes scanning the room.
“Rohan?”
She called out in a voice loud enough to be heard but not intrusive.
Despite calling his name, there was no reply. Not even a hint of movement.
‘I had a feeling from outside, but... he’s not here, is he?’
Now that she thought about it, Rohan was likely attending classes at the academy.
Stepping down from the windowsill, Shion held her boots in one hand and closed the window behind her.
Before deciding whether to return to her lodging or wait for him, she began with the basics.
She placed her boots neatly in the shoe rack and turned to look at the room.
A room without its owner, Rohan.
Gazing at the empty space, Shion narrowed her eyes and lowered her stance.
Her right hand slowly moved toward her weapon.
There was a subtle, almost imperceptible wrongness in the air.
Something her instincts picked up—something beyond words.
Shion’s sharp senses, comparable to those of a beastman, had been honed through her combat style.
It was the presence of someone trying desperately to remain hidden.
Snipers and assassins, who specialize in staying out of sight, are often the most adept at finding others in hiding. This was why Shion suspected someone might be in the room.
A split-second slip by the person hiding, even a fleeting moment, was enough for Shion to notice.
Shion froze in place, holding her breath, waiting.
“E-Excuse me...”
“!”
Someone was there. Her instincts had not betrayed her.
One thing was certain—it wasn’t Rohan’s voice.
Shion reacted instantly, drawing the dagger from her waist with a sharp whoosh.
Clink! Clank!
At the same time, Clara unfolded her balisong knife with a series of dazzling, practiced motions.
‘To the right!’
Catching the faint metallic sound with her pointed ears, Shion swung her dagger toward the hidden presence.
Clang!
The blades met with a sharp sound, metal grinding against metal.
Clara, fending off the attack, had a realization.
‘Is this the person oppa mentioned yesterday?’
[Rohan’s Message: “If I’m not around, a guest connected to my work might visit the dorm. I meant to let you know by phone that someone could stop by—”]
She remembered the long message word for word.
Rohan had mentioned an elf, but he hadn’t said the guest was a woman—or such a stunning beauty.
‘Oppa, seriously...’
Clara instinctively pouted, her lips pursing as her cheeks threatened to puff up.
Even as she expressed her irritation toward the absent Rohan, Clara noticed Shion’s dagger was double-edged.
There was no killing intent—only an effort to subdue.
Shion didn’t follow up with another attack after her dagger was blocked. Instead, she leapt back lightly, putting some distance between them.
She spun her double-edged dagger in her hand before examining the unidentified woman.
“W-Wait a second...!”
The girl, wearing what looked like a mix of clothing and undergarments, hurriedly fumbled to button her top, her twin-tails bouncing.
Shion’s wariness only grew at the inexplicable sight.
‘She’s strong. Can I win with my current equipment? And... she’s still wearing shoes.’
This detail suggested she might be an intruder.
The possibility was high. She could even be someone targeting Rohan.
From Clara’s perspective, her instinctive actions to erase traces of herself might have inadvertently made her look suspicious.
Shion drew her handgun with her free hand, addressing the stranger.
“Who are you?”