“…….”
The afternoon that was marked by the drowsiness brought on by a filling lunch had come to an end.
Ichinose who had finished her scheduled preparations at his desk spun her chair around and glanced behind her.
Staring at her empty bed felt strangely awkward.
Noah, who usually occupied it every day without fail, was nowhere to be seen today. Without her barrage of questions, Ichinose had finished her allotted study time earlier than usual.
Could she be sleeping already, even though it’s almost dinner?
Or maybe she was just lazing around in her room because it was the weekend.
“Hmm…”
Ichinose continued her thoughts as she hugged her stuffed toy while lying on her soft bed to rest.
Should she go to Noah’s room and wake her up?
Thinking about Noah’s parents who asked her to take good care of their daughter, Ichinose found herself worried about this and that.
Still…
Regardless of the nuances of their words, one thing was certain.
If they saw Noah studying, even the academy would be surprised.
Considering her nature, the fact that she managed to stick with something for more than three days was praiseworthy in itself.
Noah Frozenheart was diligently devoted to academics. That sight alone was new to everyone.
Even Ichinose, who still hadn’t quite adjusted, found herself surprised every time she saw it.
Given how unusual her behavior had been, letting her rest a little on the weekend didn’t seem unreasonable.
After all, for someone unaccustomed to studying, poring over books must have been no small ordeal.
***
This cold presence…?
Clara studied the beautiful woman beside Rohan with a curious glance.
A healthy and captivating beastkin beauty.
Her tall, slender figure resembled that of a fashion magazine model, with long limbs, a curvaceous chest comparable to the instructor’s, and a slim waist.
There wasn’t a single ounce of fat on her exposed abdomen.
What an outrageous set of genes!
Clara had stumbled upon undeniable evidence of the world’s unfairness.
Beyond her captivating looks, there was another point Clara couldn’t ignore.
A-A strong person.
Though not quite at the level of the red-haired woman Rohan had once introduced as an academy instructor, this woman radiated immense magical power and an overwhelming presence.
Drawing from past experiences of being caught and her mistakes, Clara sharpened her senses and kept her presence carefully concealed as she observed.
“Manager, this is the friend I mentioned… Yes, this friend.”
“Hello! Please call me Noah! It’s a pleasure to meet you!”
At Rohan’s introduction, Noah responded with an enthusiastic voice as though she’d been waiting for this moment.
The manager responded with a warm smile.
“Oh my, thank you for coming all the way to this tucked-away bookstore.”
“This place smells better than any bookstore I’ve ever been to!”
“Is that so? Well, thank you for saying so.”
“Large bookstores on the main streets don’t use wooden bookshelves, so they don’t have this kind of scent!”
Noah said that she felt a comforting scent, and continued the conversation as if she had known the store manager for a long time.
Rohan silently marveled at her overwhelming social ability, which seemed to render her presence irrelevant.
“A bookstore is nicer with some conversation than being completely quiet, so feel free to make yourself at home, Noah. Rohan, take good care of her.”
“…Yes. I’ll keep an eye on her.”
“Thank you!”
As the manager prepared to leave, he made a casual remark which caused Noah to flash a bright smile.
She cast a pointed glance at Rohan as if to make a point.
“Well then, this old man should get going. I’ll enjoy this with Grandma.”
Holding the gift Rohan had brought, the manager left the bookstore.
Though the gift wasn’t expensive, the manager seemed pleased with it, leaving Rohan feeling satisfied as well.
“Kuhuuu, time to cool my head after all that studying.”
“It’s not breaking down from shoving in theory in it, right?”
The incongruous sound of Noah’s strange laughter made Rohan smirk wryly as he took his place at the counter.
He donned an apron with the store’s logo and got ready for work.
“What should I look at?”
“Don’t open anything wrapped in plastic before paying for it.”
“Of course I know that much.”
Noah slipped between the shelves stacked with manga and was engrossed in her search.
Rohan let her be and glanced around the empty store.
He was looking for someone.
Where’s Clara?
It was unlikely she hadn’t come yet.
Maybe she had sensed Noah Frozenheart’s overwhelming energy, which was enough to make her seem like a social monster, and decided to hide.
“Here, ring this up!”
“You already found something?”
“Yes!”
Noah stacked a pile of manga books on the counter.
The title read “A Man Who Cooks and a Woman Who’s a Picky Eater”. When he scanned the barcode, it revealed that it was classified as a romantic comedy and gag genre.
“All the way from Volume 1 to 24? You brought the whole set to the end…”
When Rohan scanned the books with a beep! beep! sound and stacked them to the side, Noah giggled.
She held the card for payment between her fingers and twirled it around.
“Even if it’s boring, I’ll read it to the end. I liked the art style.”
“Why not check the reviews before buying?”
“That’s not my thing. I don’t want to read it with preconceived notions.”
“Wow… that’s quite the statement. Hand me your card; I’ll process the payment.”
When Rohan reached for the card, Noah quickly pulled it back. Her playful expression left Rohan feeling uneasy.
“I’m the customer here. Do it properly.”
“…….”
“Hurry up! It’s a reasonable request!”
Rohan knew exactly how to handle moments like these.
It wasn’t a big deal, so the best option was just to go along with it. He raised the corners of his mouth into a practiced customer service smile.
“For all 24 volumes, that’ll be 10 coins and 80 tokens. A paper bag is 1 token—do you need one?”
“No!”
“Do you have a rewards card?”
“No!”
Was she enjoying this odd back-and-forth with her classmate?
Noah’s tail swayed from side to side.
“Will you be paying with the card?”
“Yes! With this one!”
“How would you like to pay. Installments or full payment?”
“One-time payment!”
She seemed satisfied with how smoothly everything was handled.
Noah hugged the manga books while using her arms and tail, then carried them to a corner. She plopped down and immediately began tearing off the plastic wrapping.
Even though it was her first time visiting the store, the white tiger girl acted as if it was her own home.
She’s so carefree.
Rohan marveled at her attitude as he scanned the store again, trying to spot Clara.
But she was nowhere to be seen.
He couldn’t tell if she was there but he just couldn’t find her, or if she wasn’t there at all and he was searching in vain.
I guess there’s always the possibility she really didn’t come.
Rohan pulled out his phone and sent a message to Clara.
Bzzzzt!
Her reply came almost instantly.
[Clara: ╥﹏╥]
When he asked where she was, she responded with a crying emoji.
Rohan blinked at the message, wondering if something had happened, and called Clara immediately.
Ring… ring…
As the call tone played, he heard Clara’s voice.
“O-Oppa…”
It wasn’t from the phone. It was her actual voice.
And that’s when he finally saw her.
Rohan noticed Clara looking more withdrawn than usual, so he stepped out from behind the counter and approached her.
“What’s wrong? Is something bothering you?”
“…….”
Although he had a guess, he asked just to be sure.
Clara, without saying a word, moved her hand to lightly grasp the edge of his apron.
Her slightly pouting lips gave off a sulky vibe, which Rohan found nothing but cute.
“I felt kind of down because Clara didn’t greet me when I started work today.”
“….….”
“Did you finish the macarons?”
She gave a small nod.
“Good job. I was really happy you said they were delicious.”
“….….”
Clara gripped his apron a little tighter and chewed on her lips.
At that moment, Rohan noticed someone approaching. Clara quickly turned her head in that direction.
“What’s going on? Who are you talking to?”
It was Noah who appeared with a manga book in hand.
“Eek!”
Clara stifled a yelp and, in an instant, darted to the opposite side of the bookstore.
Her movements were like a cat startled by a cucumber.
Noah raised her eyebrows in admiration.
“Wow! Who are you? You’re as quick as Nose!”
“Aaah… Oppa…”
As Noah’s eyes sparkled with interest, Clara shot Rohan a pleading look.
Rohan stepped between the two, blocking Noah’s path.
“Go back and finish reading your manga.”
“It’s not like I’m going to eat her or something…!”
Noah’s face was filled with protest, but there was no helping it.
It takes quite some time for an extreme extrovert and an extreme introvert to understand each other.
“Wanna read manga with me? I’m still on volume one, but it’s good! We can chat, too, since I’m bored!”
“Chat…”
Noah peeked out from behind Rohan and tried to strike up a conversation.
Hearing the white tiger girl’s words, Clara muttered as if remembering something.
“Before I give you practice problems and make you review some homework, just stop and back off, customer-nim.”
“I’ll tell the manager! Forcing me to study is abuse!”
“Go ahead. I’ll probably get praised for it.”
“Torture is banned under the Three Nations Alliance law! It’s inhumane!”
“Unfortunately, since you’re from Tigrova, it doesn’t apply to you. Also, studying isn’t torture.”
Watching the two bicker, Clara felt a strange fluttering emotion for the first time and found herself speaking up.
“Y-Yes, that sounds good!”
“See? She’s uncomfortable. Isn’t it—wait, what?”
Rohan turned his head at Clara’s response.
Thinking he might have misheard, he looked at her again for confirmation.
Clara’s lips trembled slightly, but she stared at Noah and repeated herself.
“Let’s read manga together… and t-talk…”
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