“Sit here.”
At Ichinose’s call, Rohan straightened his back and stood up.
Maybe it was because of the warm glow of the fire, but Ichinose’s expression looked softer than usual.
“Hurry up. You’re not trying to make me ask three times, are you?”
Without a word, Rohan approached Ichinose’s side.
He sat down where she had patted with her hands.
“…….”
They tried not to cross the clothes which were laid out like a mat and the boundary line. But they ended up touching each other subtly.
If it were two Ichinoses sitting, there would’ve been plenty of room, but with the larger Rohan there, this scene was inevitable.
“Aren’t you cold?”
“Not at all. My clothes are still a little damp, but it’s warm with the fire.”
“If you catch a cold, you can pretty much consider the exam over. You have to take care of yourself.”
“Fufu… I must’ve gotten lucky with my partner, enjoying luxury on a deserted island like this.”
Ichinose hugged her knees and cast her gaze toward the campfire.
A spark that had nearly died by her own hands had come back to life like a miracle through Rohan’s hands.
The now robust flame ate the wood with great enthusiasm and did its best to keep the space warm.
“I wonder if Noah is doing okay. She tends to lose her condition quickly when she’s hungry, so I’m worried.”
“Don’t worry too much. For all we know, she might’ve found some hidden food stash and is living it up.”
Ichinose chuckled softly as if she had just imagined such a scene.
It was better to think positively than to be weighed down by worries that couldn’t be solved anyway.
It was simply not easy, that was all.
“I told Noah that if she really couldn’t bear it, she shouldn’t hesitate to peel off the sticker, so I’m a little relieved. The effect was stronger than I expected; it even surprised me.”
“That goes for not just Noah but for us as well. If we can’t take it, we’ll have to peel it off too.”
Ichinose slowly turned her head to look at Rohan.
She wasn’t sure about herself, but judging by how he had acted today, Rohan seemed like someone who would breeze through the five days.
“…….”
As each moment passed, her curiosity about Rohan’s past deepened.
Still, asking someone from the South about their past was practically like poking at trauma. It was clearly not a topic to bring up lightly.
For now, just feeling reassured by having a reliable partner should be enough.
Ichinose, feeling a sense of ease as her tension melted away, closed her eyes.
She felt the warmth on her skin and continued making small talk.
“From the moment we heard the test was on a deserted island, there were some things we could expect, right?”
“It did feel like the Academy deliberately hinted at it.”
“That’s why Noah and I watched videos of a mercenary who specialized in survival and even borrowed some books.”
“Oh! There’s stuff like that?”
“I picked up a lot of theory and knowledge in one way or another… but actually going through it…. it’s just completely different.”
“The gap between theory and practice is the same in any field. But if you neglect theory, you end up stuck too.”
Rohan nodded in agreement as he snapped a twig in half and pushed it into the flames.
“Speaking of theory just reminded me. How did the written test go?”
“Thanks to you, I answered as much as I could. I didn’t even have time to doodle in the margins like during the placement test.”
“That’s great to hear.”
“Well, I kept pestering you every day. This is the least I could do.”
“I never really thought of it as pestering. You asked such sharp questions that it often made me re-examine the theory too.”
And so, their small talk continued like that.
Rohan finished his meal and reached out to grab the firewood and tinder he had diligently gathered.
Some of it was wet, but if he used it sparingly, it seemed they’d be able to get through the night without much trouble.
“Still, when it comes to learning… experience really beats reading books…”
Ichinose’s voice gradually faded into a murmur.
Her voice grew quieter, losing strength.
It was late and well past the time she would normally be asleep. Now that her hunger and thirst had been taken care of, drowsiness came creeping in.
The sticker’s amplified desire had cranked up her sleepiness without any brakes, and even Ichinose, who had been tense in this unfamiliar environment, could no longer fight it off.
“…….”
Rohan silently watched her.
She was sitting with her knees hugged to her chest, dozing off with little nods.
And after just a few seconds, her head drooped completely.
It looked as if she simply had her eyes closed, but it was clear she had fallen asleep.
Well, no wonder she’s sleepy.
Rohan himself was also fighting the heavy drowsiness that pulled down on his eyelids.
It was a strong urge. One that would drag him straight into sleep the moment he let his guard down.
Still, Rohan had his own tricks. He kept replaying memories in his mind that would chase the sleep away and figured he could hold out like this for a day or two.
“….…”
He looked again at Ichinose’s figure.
And then, a thought crossed his mind.
Should I just let her sleep?
Trying to implement something like a night watch system tonight seemed unrealistic.
Letting her sleep soundly to recover her condition seemed like the better choice.
He continued feeding firewood into the flames, maintaining the life of the campfire for who knows how long.
“Mmgh…”
Ichinose’s body slowly leaned to the side, and her head came to rest on Rohan’s shoulder.
“!”
Rohan instantly snapped to full alert.
What a scene; this was something that could’ve happened on a subway. He felt a fresh shock that cleanly chased away his sleep.
“This way, your neck’s going to hurt. Sleep comfortably.”
With the intention of giving up his place altogether and laying Ichinose down on his clothes, Rohan began to shift and cradled Ichinose’s head in his palm.
When he tried to slip away, Ichinose who was breathing steadily grabbed onto his shirt.
“Instructor… this time, I…”
Hearing Ichinose’s sleep-talking, Rohan gave a small chuckle and tried to release her hand.
But his smile quickly faded as confusion took over.
What the heck?
Even when he tried to loosen her grip starting from the pinky, her clenched fist wouldn’t budge at all.
How much had she swung her sword to develop this kind of grip strength without using magic?
If he tried to force her hand open, he might end up injuring her fingers or causing scratches.
“….…”
In the end, Rohan was left with only one option.
Just stay still.
***
‘Huh?’
When Ichinose woke up—
The first thing she saw was a fist-sized flame flickering softly, giving off a faint warmth.
So much firewood had been burned that a pile of ashes had built up.
It’s quiet…
Next, through the haze of sleep, she realized that the torrential rain had stopped.
Even without checking with her eyes, the gentle sound of the breeze told her as much.
Was it okay to sleep a little longer? Her mind was still foggy, unable to piece things together.
Drawn in by an oddly comforting feeling, she closed her eyes again.
Just as Ichinose was about to slip once more into the depths of sleep—
She was suddenly struck by a bolt of curiosity, as if she’d been hit by lightning.
Come to think of it?
When had she fallen asleep? And what was she using as a pillow now?
She slowly traced her senses.
She was resting her head on something firm and broad. It wasn’t an object. Whatever it was, it radiated warmth.
“….…”
Was it really okay to get up? A subtle sense of unease made her hesitate to open her eyes.
Still, Ichinose couldn’t avoid it.
With her eyes closed, her unique skill sharpened her senses.
She absorbed the surrounding information against her will.
No way… it can’t be, right?
Left with no choice, she opened her eyes. Ichinose shifted her body, intending to look up at the rocky ceiling.
But instead of the ceiling, someone all too familiar came into view.
“Sleep well?”
Roha’s arms were crossed as he leaned against the wall. He looked down and greeted her.
Ichinose, unable to process what she was seeing, blinked blankly.
Rohan calmly continued explaining the situation.
“The sun just came up. You woke up at the perfect time.”
“….…”
Ichinose absentmindedly reached around with her hand.
And realized that what she had been using as a pillow… was Rohan’s thigh.
The moment she processed it, her mind went blank, as if a flashbang had gone off in her consciousness.
“Ah…? Aaah…!!”
Ichinose’s lips began to tremble, and her face slowly turned red.
As if the heat had built up to its limit and finally exploded.
Ichinose shot up as if she had been flung.
“Full of energy this morning, huh?”
The second day had begun.
Rohan smiled in satisfaction at the sight of Ichinose brimming with energy.
··
··
“The ground’s really soaked. It feels gross.”
“……”
“Wonder if we’ll see any Honbirds today. We can’t exactly eat Geroeyes or Mud Slimes.”
Rohan acted as if nothing was out of the ordinary.
Ichinose followed behind him with her sword in hand and her lips tightly sealed.
“If nothing else works, maybe we could head toward the sea and try some fishing?”
“Th-That might not be a bad idea!”
After several failed attempts, Ichinose finally broke her silence.
Though her head was still down, it looked like she’d bounce back before long.
“Ichinose, have you ever tried fishing befo—huh?”
Mid-sentence, Rohan suddenly trailed off, and Ichinose cautiously opened her eyes.
His gaze was fixed on the sky. She followed his line of sight.
“…What is that?”
Only then did Ichinose realize something was off.
The sky where the transport ship had passed—
Something was slowly descending.
There were so many of them, it could only be called a massive drop. Not just one or two; they were falling evenly across the entire island.
Square crates, spewing red smoke, hanging from parachutes for all to see.
Rohan’s eyes widened at the unmistakably familiar shape he couldn’t ignore.
Airdrop!
Rohan recalled what Joo-yeon had told them on the transport ship.
It was a single line. About the supplies that would be dropped where everyone could see them.
They had been given a heads-up about it in advance.
“Maybe it’s a supply drop?”
“Oh! Right, the instructor did mention something like that.”
“The closest one is that one.”
Rohan pointed to one of the crates with his finger.
He immediately changed direction.
“Hold on a second.”
At Ichinose’s voice, Rohan came to a sudden stop.
When he turned around, he saw Ichinose with her eyes closed and a questioning face.
“Since it’s something that stands out that much, there’s a good chance we’ll run into another group, right?”
“We should assume we definitely will.”
“What do we do about that?”
Ichinose’s question carried an obvious implication.
Rohan’s answer came just as plainly.
“The instructor said that as long as no one crosses the line, a bit of force would be tolerated.”
Ichinose nodded her head in understanding.
Then she began moving again with Rohan.
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