Clara was confident.
She claimed that no one would find her personal story interesting.
Because of that, she hesitated greatly to even bring it up as a topic of conversation.
However, Rohan listened to her circumstances more seriously than any government official would have.
And for the first time in her life, Clara spoke more than she ever intended to, almost as if she were grumbling like a child.
Strangely enough, whenever she talked with Rohan, her mouth just opened on its own.
“Hmm.”
Rohan listened and fell into deep thought.
What could he be thinking?
“……”
Clara sipped her drink through a straw and stole glances at Rohan.
While she was savoring the sweetness out of curiosity, she heard her name being called.
“Clara.”
“Yes… Ah! M-Mhmm?”
“If it’s uncomfortable for you to drop the formal speech, then there’s no need to force it. It’s fine if you mix it up however it comes out.”
It didn’t seem like that was the main point, but Rohan addressed it lightly and moved on.
Nod, nod.
Clara was curious about what Rohan, who had been pondering for quite a while, was going to say.
She nodded her head to show she understood, which caused her twin pigtails to wag like tails, and only then did Rohan continue.
“The dorm room the Academy gave me has hot water and it’s not cold at all. The washing machine might be a bit small in capacity, but it works just fine.”
It was an enviable story.
Clara quietly listened to Rohan’s voice.
“I leave at dawn on weekdays and don’t come back until I’m finished with work. So the room stays empty, right?”
“……..?”
“Why not wash there? If you’re sleepy, you can take a nap, or you could just do laundry and go.”
“!!!”
Rohan spoke with a casual expression as if it was nothing special, but Clara froze the moment she realized what he meant. As if she had been struck by lightning.
Her eyes grew as round as they could possibly get.
“It might feel a bit off since it’s a guy’s place, but I do clean it regularly.”
“S-still…”
“The weather hasn’t warmed up yet, so washing in cold water and sleeping on a cold floor seems a bit rough, doesn’t it?”
Rohan ended with what sounded more like an obvious statement than a question. Though he was seeking her agreement.
Then he picked up a bread knife to slice the muffin he had bought along with their drinks.
Slice.
The muffin was cleanly cut and placed in front of Clara.
She stared at it for a moment, then lifted her head.
“…Rohan oppa.”
“Mhmm.”
“Is it okay if I ask just one thing?”
“You can ask two or three if you want.”
Clara gazed at Rohan with an infinitely serious expression. Her eyes seemed to pierce right through him.
Her voice grew slightly lower, and she was no longer cowering helplessly like she usually did.
There was a faint chill of sharpness and caution beneath her gaze.
Rohan noticed it.
“…Why are you going this far for me?”
It was certainly suspicious to receive such inexplicable kindness. It was a fair question.
When you find yourself in a situation too good to believe, it’s natural to be suspicious.
Rohan wondered how to explain.
He folded his arms and thought for a moment, then let out a small laugh.
“Looking back, it does sound strange, even to me. I guess I got ahead of myself.”
“…….”
“If I were you, I’d have refused. It’s unsettling when someone suddenly tells you to make yourself at home in a place where a guy lives alone.”
At that frank admission, Clara blinked.
The sharp aura that had been subtly emanating from her subsided.
“Of course, it’s not like I have any ill intentions or… Actually, it’s probably even weirder to say that.”
“…….”
Rohan cleared his throat, gulped down the rest of his drink, and set it aside.
Clara swallowed nervously.
Rustle.
With his arms still crossed, Rohan tapped his fingers, then leaned forward.
It seemed he had no other choice; he spoke with a weighted tone.
“Clara. I don’t really have any proof to show for this, but is it all right if I just be honest?”
“If… if you’re going to be honest…”
She was actually all for it.
She could at least read the malice in someone’s heart, so she felt confident she would know.
When Clara signaled that it was fine, Rohan reached out.
He gently took hold of one of Clara’s slender fingers.
“I want to get closer to you, Clara.”
“Huh!?”
“It might sound a bit off-putting, but… it bothers me that you’re living in a place like that. Maybe I stuck my nose in too much. Sorry if it stressed you out.”
“It’s okay, it’s okay, it’s okay, it’s okay… r-really…”
Amidst her fluster, Clara mumbled and lost all her composure at his apology.
Hearing Rohan apologize with such earnestness made her, on the receiving end, feel even more taken aback, as though she were the guilty one.
Any wariness she had was gone the instant he touched her fingertip.
Now, Clara just felt like her face might explode with how hot it was.
Her mind spun in circles from the heat.
“….….”
It was completely different from the time she’d been grabbed by the wrist and thrown to the ground by an instructor during her training in Xeno.
Back then, her body moved naturally, ready to counter. But now, with just one finger held, she couldn’t budge at all.
It had been the same in the Academy City.
There had been countless men she didn’t know who tried to cozy up to her and initiate contact.
Every time, she found it unpleasant and wished they would just stop interfering with her game.
But this situation with Rohan was different.
In conclusion, she had no way to respond.
None of her past experiences could apply to this scenario.
“Hmm, if I were to give a straightforward example, what would be good…”
Rohan lowered his head and shared his thoughts as he looked at the now-silent Clara.
“Leaving a guy like me on a cold floor is one thing, but you staying alone in that freezing room is a whole different picture.”
“Hyaaeuhh…”
“Anyway, just think about it. If you ever need it, let me know anytime. All right?”
Instead of nodding, the girl agreed with silence.
Rohan apologized once more and decided to change the subject.
Clara’s finger remained in Rohan’s hand.
“Since you told me something about you today, maybe I’ll share something about myself. That is, if you want to hear it.”
Finally, Clara jolted and reacted.
“I-I want to hear…!”
“Thanks. I was afraid I’d look foolish.”
Rohan rummaged through his jacket pocket with his free hand and pulled out an Orion Academy student ID.
He held it out for Clara to see.
“Just like it says on there, my homeland is the Southern Ruins. It’s not a major power.”
“The South? If it’s the Southern Ruins …?”
The girl’s eyes were filled with shock when she confirmed the letters on the student ID.
She had received an education about foreign countries back when she was in Xeno, so she already knew how the South had fallen.
She also knew that among all those citizens, only a few had survived.
The materials she had seen in photos had been simply horrific.
“According to the family register, I was alone. Well, not just on paper but in reality, too.”
“U-Um, I’m the same…!”
“Clara and I have quite a few things in common.”
“Hee…”
Being an orphan with no place to cling to was nothing to laugh about.
Still, she laughed.
For Clara, it was the first time such a grim situation had brought a smile to her face.
“Hmm, I wonder what else I should tell you.”
“I… I’m fine with any story…”
“It might be boring, though?”
Rohan smiled and spoke lines that sounded vaguely familiar.
Clara realized why he had responded that way when she said those words before.
So she summoned her courage and spoke.
“O-Oppa! It’s not about fun; it’s about getting to know each other, right…?”
“You’re right. Clara’s absolutely right.”
Their atmosphere which was as sweet as could be seemed like it would allow no one else to intrude.
However, there were people who had no choice but to interrupt.
“Excuse me, customer-nims. It’s closing time for the hall now…..”
An apologetic, businesslike smile.
The beastkin part-timer whose ears drooping from exhaustion said those words, and Rohan and Clara had no choice but to wrap up and leave.
***
“Whew…”
Back in her tiny room, Clara let out a hot sigh that hardly matched the chilly air of the space.
Her body still had not fully cooled down from the warmth that had risen inside her.
In her arms were the macarons Rohan had brought from somewhere and handed to her like a gift.
Clara held them tightly and lay down on her bed.
“….…”
She wondered what kind of conversation they might have had if they had kept talking.
She felt as though the sensation Rohan had left on her fingertip still lingered.
– I wanted to get closer to you, Clara.
“What did he mean by that?”
The girl stared up at the ceiling and recalled those ticklish moments over and over.
– Leaving a guy like me on a cold floor is one thing, but you staying alone in that freezing room is a whole different picture.
Recalling those words, the answer came easily enough.
Perhaps it was just a kindness rooted in Rohan’s personality.
After all, she had never seen even a speck of ill will or bad intentions in him, which she had grown so tired of facing throughout her life.
However—
If someone asked whether this answer was entirely pleasing, well…
Bzzzt—!
A small vibration.
With a tinge of anticipation, Clara quickly checked her smartphone.
[Rohan: Did you get back safely?]
She felt a grin tug at her lips before she even realized it.
Clara answered him at lightning speed.
“Tomorrow…”
She realized she would have to wait until tomorrow afternoon to meet Rohan again.
She rolled around on the narrow bed and let her daydreams float around her.
She wondered what kind of face she should make when they met.
What reply she should give about his offer to use the dormitory.
“…Ah!”
She suddenly thought of a way to learn a bit more and gain a better understanding of Rohan.
Not by digging for details with messy intentions like in Xeno, but by looking into the customs and traditions of the South.
Tap.
Since it had once been a powerful nation, searching it up brought forth a flood of information.
She scrolled down and read about the characteristics of the Southern Ruins.
“!?”
She stopped her finger at a particular passage.
[A land that lost its former wealth and was left with nothing but desolation, which earned it the name ‘the southern ruins’. At one time ruled by Solarea, the South was a country that practiced polygamy, much like Tigrova and several others…]
The girl, who had been reading the text while lying down, suddenly jumped upright.
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