Bzzzzzt—!!!
It was a vibration so familiar it had almost become comforting.
Rohan who was perched on an indoor ladder while he was rummaging through the top of a bookshelf slipped a hand into his apron pocket.
[Clara: Oppa. Is it okay if I use the hot water on Monday…?]
A rare message that gave off a spur-of-the-moment vibe because there were no emojis.
Of course, it was fine. The timing was a bit weird, but she had finally made her decision.
After replying with an assured “Of course”, Rohan resumed his work.
“Here’s one last copy of The Monster Fang Classification Chart by Writer Guwol.”
“Thank you! I’ll pay for it right away.”
As he moved to the counter with the customer, Rohan began mentally planning his evening.
Should I stock up on some snacks for the room?
He would also need to inform her about the location of the academy dormitory and unlock the window latch.
With Clara’s abilities, scaling a wall wouldn’t be a problem, and she’d probably sneak in quieter than anyone else.
“I’ll come again!”
“Thank you! Take care on your way home!”
After seeing off the last customer, the Spider Lily Bookstore returned to its usual quiet state.
The earlier commotion now felt like a lie.
It’s not like this place is a bustling lunch spot or anything.
It was the first time customers had crowded in like that, but Rohan thought he had handled it reasonably well.
“Phew…”
Rohan let out the breath he had been holding in and made his way to the corner where two people were sitting.
He had been curious to see how they were doing all this time.
“Everything okay?”
When Rohan spoke, both sets of eyes naturally turned toward him.
Their smiles each reflected their unique personalities and were pleasant to see.
“Finally catching your breath, huh?”
“Th-Thank you for your hard work…!”
While Clara’s message might have been the result of a discussion with Noah, there was no need to mention its contents in front of a third party.
As Rohan casually began tidying a nearby bookshelf, Noah waved her hand to get his attention.
“Hey! Let me ask you something.”
“Ha…”
The girl sitting next to her, knowing exactly what Noah was about to say, held her breath in tension.
Clara who was exuding a vague sense of unease and avoiding eye contact left Rohan puzzled.
“What is it?”
Noah, with her straightforward personality, was never one to beat around the bush.
She asked bluntly while waving her tail back and forth,
“Don’t you think Clara’s pretty? Doesn’t she look like a doll?”
“…….”
How would Rohan answer Noah’s question?
Clara strained her ears to listen with a mix of hope and fear.
Rohan let out a small, dry chuckle as if the question was silly, then resumed organizing after his brief pause.
“What kind of question is that… Of course, she’s pretty.”
“!!!”
Clara’s head shot up and her flushed cheeks turned a vivid red.
That has to be the right answer, right?
Though Rohan’s response seemed instantaneous, countless thoughts had raced through his mind.
Would Clara, given her personality, feel burdened by being called pretty? But then again, saying otherwise or giving a vague answer might hurt her feelings.
Yet, since she hadn’t run away and was still sitting there, wouldn’t a clear and confident response be okay?
Neither Noah nor Clara could have guessed that this seemingly offhand comment had come after such a flurry of internal deliberation.
“Oh! That’s a bold answer!”
“It’s not like I could say anything else without lying.”
“Fair enough.”
Noah immediately accepted Rohan’s reasoning.
Even if Clara wasn’t to his personal taste, to call her unattractive when her features were perfectly fine would have been an outright lie.
But was that really okay?
Clara had lowered her gaze again.
Noticing this, Rohan worried that she might be feeling overwhelmed. He tried to lighten the mood with a joke.
“But this isn’t bullying Clara, right? If it is, I’ll tell Ichinose to make you work through a stack of problem books.”
“Bullying?! No way! Clara just lacks confidence, so I wanted her to know the truth!”
“Hmm…”
“It’s true!”
As Noah protested her innocence, Rohan dropped his suspicious gaze. After all, her explanation fit the general picture of what was happening.
“Even so, this approach might make Clara feel a bit pressured, so—”
Ding!
Before Rohan could finish his sentence, the bookstore doorbell chimed as a customer entered.
“Excuse me? Is anyone here?”
“Yes! I’m coming!”
Leaving behind a quick suggestion to relax, Rohan hurried over to the register.
For some reason, today was unusually busy.
***
“Sorry. It must have been exhausting to wait until I got off work.”
“Oh, no… Not at all…”
Rohan was walking with Clara along a street dimly lit by the setting sun.
It was just the two of them now. Noah wasn’t with them.
The young girl who had been reading a manga suddenly claimed she was hungry, called Ichinose, and then abruptly stood up and left.
Before leaving, she loudly announced that she’d come back again, but by the time Rohan tried to respond to her booming voice, she had already disappeared beyond the bookstore doors.
Afterward, Rohan approached Clara who was now alone and told her he would explain the dormitory to her.
That’s how she ended up waiting for him until his shift was over.
“Rohan oppa.”
“Hmm?”
Clara who was walking beside him glanced at the bag in one of his hands.
For Rohan, nothing was more gratifying than having Clara walk next to him instead of trailing behind.
“Can I… please carry that for you?”
“It’s fine. It’s not heavy.”
Inside the bag were 24 mangas.
Noah had bought the mangas, read them, and then recommended them to Rohan, saying they were fun.
Before leaving, she gifted him the still-clean books, which left Rohan holding a heavy paper bag in one hand.
This works out better anyway.
Rohan decided to keep them at the dorm, even if he didn’t read them.
That way, Clara could read them whenever she felt bored.
“Are you hungry?”
“No! I’m fine.”
“Still, you should eat. Should I make you something simple when we get to the dorm?”
“You’ll cook for me… yourself!?”
Clara’s eyes widened in surprise as if she couldn’t believe it.
Rohan met her gaze and smiled.
“I’m not great, but I’ve picked up some basic cooking skills living alone. It won’t be delicious, but it won’t be completely inedible either.”
“…….”
“Or we could just grab something nearby. Honestly, that’s the safer bet.”
As they stopped on the main street, Rohan glanced around and started looking for a restaurant.
Clara tugged at his sleeve and whispered softly.
“I want to eat what you make…”
“Alright, then let’s stop by the market real quick before heading back.”
“Mhmm!”
With their destination shifted slightly, they started walking toward a nearby market.
Unable to suppress the curiosity swirling in her chest, Clara finally voiced her question.
“You and Noah unnie are really close… right?”
“Actually, today was the first time I’ve had a proper conversation with Noah. I only ran into her by chance while shopping for a gift for the manager.”
“Huh!?”
How could that be possible?
From Clara’s perspective, Rohan and Noah seemed like close friends.
It seemed impossible to set the price any lower than that. But Rohan casually replied that it wasn’t quite like that.
“That girl’s just naturally sociable like you saw today. We’re in the same class, but I don’t even have her number.”
“O-Oh…”
At Rohan’s words, Clara felt an inexplicable sense of relief.
An unfamiliar emotion made the corners of her mouth twitch upwards.
“Didn’t you exchange numbers with Noah earlier?”
“Mhmm…”
“If you were forced to, I can explain it to her, so don’t worry. Don’t push yourself if it feels too burdensome.”
“It’s not that… I just don’t know how to respond to her…”
“Respond?”
Clara held out her phone to Rohan, asking for his help.
A freshly received message appeared on the screen.
[Noah unnie: Rawr! ฅ՞•ﻌ•՞ฅ]
Rohan immediately understood the problem.
Clara was fine responding to messages with a clear meaning, but this one, with its ambiguous intent, was clearly throwing her off.
“She’s probably just sending that because she’s a tiger beastkin. There’s no deeper meaning to it.”
“Would it be okay if I just replied with a simple greeting? What if there’s some kind of beastkin messaging etiquette I don’t know about…”
“There’s nothing like that, so just respond however you like.”
As the flustered Clara frantically typed away on her phone, Rohan waited patiently.
Then, he started moving again.
At the market, they bought some simple ingredients and also picked up a container to store side dishes.
Since Clara also needed utensils and a cup, they carefully considered their options and added items to the cart, which quickly piled up.
By the time they were done, Rohan was carrying bags in both hands, while Clara held some items in her arms.
“This is the men’s dormitory building for the academy.”
“Wow…”
“You need a student ID to scan at the entrance, and there are cameras, so you’d have to come in through the window. Is that okay? Or we could cover you up with a big hoodie or something.”
Clara examined the height of the building and touched the wall to check its texture before nodding.
“I think coming through the window will be fine…”
“Hand me the bags. I’ll head up and unlock the window for you, so wait here for a moment.”
···
···
Click!
Rohan unlocked the door and stepped inside before flipping the light switch to brighten the room.
He placed the bags he was carrying on the floor and moved to unlock the window latch.
Clack. Sliiiiide.
When Rohan opened the window, Clara was looking up at him from below.
He gestured with exaggerated movements for her to come in and stepped aside.
Without making a sound, Clara climbed up onto the window frame.
“This is your room…”
Clara scanned every corner of the room with curious eyes.
She even sniffed the air with her sharp nose and took everything in.
“The shoe rack is over there.”
“Mhmm!”
Clara who was sitting on the window frame took off her shoes and landed lightly on the floor.
She placed her shoes neatly on the rack and returned.
“Should we eat first? I’ll show you where to put your things after that.”
“Whatever works best for you… I’m fine with anything.”
“Let’s start by rinsing the cup and utensils.”
As Rohan rustled through a plastic bag to find the items, Clara’s voice called out from behind him.
“Rohan oppa.”
“What is it?”
“Since this is the men’s dorm at the academy, does that mean girls aren’t allowed?”
“Well, it’s not just girls; it’s off-limits to any outsiders, technically.”
“O-Oh…”
Clara let out an awkward hum and began wandering around the room.
He noticed her quiet movements and thought to himself.
Today might be the perfect opportunity to have a serious conversation with Clara.
For her sake, for his own, and for what lay ahead of them.
Leave a Reply