Just as Joo-yeon had watched the situation unfold from atop the transport ship with transcendent senses,
there were also instructors who personally roamed the island alongside the Paradise Knights.
One such instructor, Carrot of Orion Academy, had concealed her presence like the others and observed the location where supplies had been dropped.
– L-Lady Ichinose…!
At the moment Ok Myung-jin’s skill was dispelled, his large frame shrank back to normal.
He collapsed to the ground with a thud and lost consciousness in the end.
Oh my, oh my? Student Rohan’s punch was quite tough.
Carrot who was perched in a tree, had been watching the duel and confirmed its clean conclusion.
Her rabbit ears perked up as she took out a carrot-shaped pen and a thick grading sheet.
Student Ok Myung-jin may have a hot temper, but judging by skill alone, he’s definitely in the upper tier among first-years.
The instructors were already keeping an eye on this supply drop zone.
But Carrot had no choice but to observe because the killing intent leaking from Ok Myung-jin was so raw and crude.
If any student’s life had been at risk during the scuffle, she would’ve had to jump in immediately.
But the worrisome scenario never came.
What a clean finish.
Crossing her legs, Instructor Carrot happily moved her pen.
“Hmph-hmm~”
Ok Myung-jin had truly intended to kill a fellow student, so he was given a score of zero. The fact that he tried to switch partners out of personal bias also added to his penalties.
After marking that he would need special disciplinary training, Carrot swiftly documented the rest of the situation.
She will be pleased to hear this.
If Joo-yeon had heard what happened here, she would have been more pleased that Class 1 followed the safety protocols properly than the fact that they won.
Even while keeping a straight face, she probably would’ve twitched the corners of her mouth in delight.
Carrot was eager to see that moment.
Tap!
She finished her notes and took a brief look at Rohan.
He’s definitely a student worth paying attention to.
There was a reason Joo-yeon mentioned him regularly.
His actions and presence had a strangely magnetic pull.
Even with the famous Ichinose Yui right next to him, her eyes were drawn to Rohan.
He’s already been on the news and involved in incidents.
Carrot had a feeling that student would show them something in the future.
Curious, she pressed her lips with the tip of her pen.
***
Rohan pulled the longsword out of the ground and looked toward Ok Myung-jin’s partner.
With a jerk of his chin, he gestured at the unconscious student.
“Hey, friend. Take care of this guy. If you leave him like that, he’ll be turtle food.”
“Ah, y-yes…!”
Maybe Rohan’s words snapped him out of it.
The male student suddenly spoke in polite form and scrambled down the slope.
He dragged the unconscious Ok Myung-jin away from the Iron Turtles and disappeared into the bushes.
“Good work.”
Ichinose, who had calmed the storm of emotion she’d stirred, lightly stepped down next to Rohan.
Her eyes were once again concealed.
“Wasn’t anything special. Let’s just open the supply box.”
“…After all that noise, the leader is still asleep.”
Just as Ichinose had said, the large Iron Turtle carrying the supply box on its back still wasn’t moving.
The other ones were crawling around, slowly surrounding them, crying out with guttural kwek! kwek! sounds.
But the big one didn’t even show its head, as if its senses were dull.
These things probably only give one point each, even if you kill them.
Rohan decided to ignore the Iron Turtles here. Considering the time and his physical condition, it seemed like the right choice.
And with Ichinose present, it didn’t feel right to start stabbing each one to death on a whim.
“Yup!”
Rohan who had put the blade in the scabbard started to move forward while using the Iron Turtles as stepping stones.
Ichinose followed quietly behind. She smiled faintly at the sight of Rohan looking as giddy as a child despite his size.
Rohan arrived in front of the supply.
When he listened closely, he could hear the Iron Turtle beneath him breathing from inside its shell.
It was snoring like a large motor. It wasn’t feigning sleep to bait prey; it was actually asleep.
Without hesitation, Rohan reached for the supply.
“Red flavor!”
A red box released a vivid red smoke.
After removing the blue cover laid over it, Rohan peered inside.
“…What the heck.”
The box was filled with individually packaged items.
First, he tossed out the flare device that had been emitting the red smoke.
Doing that drew attention to the top of the boxes.
A weapon had been placed on display, and Rohan reached out for it.
“A pistol?”
A pure white handgun, along with a magazine loaded with bullets.
As Rohan picked up the gun and fiddled with it, Ichinose naturally began explaining.
“That’s a Snowfall-75. It’s a mass-produced automatic pistol manufactured in Tigrova.”
“Ooh, you know your guns?”
“I only know the more well-known models.”
Rohan attached the magazine and flipped the pistol around, before offering it to Ichinose.
“Do you want to use it, Ichinose? I can’t infuse it with mana anyway.”
“I can’t use guns either. Aside from swords, I don’t know how to handle anything else.”
“Hmm…”
Rohan quietly stared at the pistol in his hand.
He wanted to keep it, but considering efficiency, it was a questionable item.
This was truly a case of something useful yet not quite….like a chicken rib.
“They probably included it for us to use, so wouldn’t it be best to take it? Just in case.”
“Should I?”
Ichinose gave a silent smile at the way Rohan nodded as if he had been waiting for an excuse.
Rohan packed the pistol and began opening the boxes underneath.
The first things he saw were two plastic bottles of drinking water. He opened one, checked the smell, and handed it to Ichinose to drink.
Next came two packets of instant noodles and two cans of tuna. There were also two plastic forks.
Along with them was a mess tin commonly seen in the military.
Ichinose looked curious as if it was her first time seeing something like a mess tin.
Meanwhile, Rohan looked serious.
Is that it? Feels way too lacking.
He leaned into the supply box as if he were about to crawl inside.
He rummaged through the bottom, peeling back the plastic.
There, he found bricks placed to maintain the weight.
“This is it?”
“…That’s it.”
Considering the size of the box, its contents were disappointingly sparse.
At this rate, not only would they have to start looking for more food by tomorrow, but once the students started gathering, conflict would naturally arise.
Was that the intention all along?
It hadn’t been emphasized in Abyss City, so he couldn’t be sure.
But thinking about the exam’s design, the possibility was definitely there.
– Grrroooan…
Maybe it was because the little ones nearby kept making noise.
The large Iron Turtle they were using as a platform shifted restlessly.
Whether it was waking up or just sleep-talking, Rohan and Ichinose knew exactly what they had to do.
“Let’s head back for now.”
“Mhmm.”
Rohan gathered the ramen and water in his arms.
Ichinose, seeing that, quickly shoved a fork and a can into the mess tin.
The two of them swiftly left the area.
··
··
They returned to the shelter where they had spent the day.
Rohan set the supplies down in a corner, grabbed a wide leaf, and tossed the ashes from the campfire outside.
Ichinose clumsily helped with the process but she soon showed curiosity.
From skills to fighting styles—
There were plenty of things she wanted to ask, but there was one question Ichinose couldn’t hold back any longer.
“Rohan. How did you know?”
“Know what?”
“That… Student Ok Myung-jin, about what he said to me…”
“That he confessed to you?”
Ichinose gave a small nod.
Then, she made her question clear.
“I never told anyone about it, even after the confession. And student Ok Myung-jin isn’t the type to go around talking about being rejected.”
“I just had a feeling. The atmosphere kind of gave it away.”
“A feeling?”
“Before the fight even started, he kept darting his eyes around. And you seemed really uncomfortable too.”
“……”
Could someone really infer that much from such an abstract thing as a feeling?
Unsatisfied with the answer, Ichinose pouted slightly.
Rohan took off his outer layer to make a spot to sit and shifted the topic.
“Hey, Ichinose. Are you really hungry? Should we eat now?”
“No, I drank some water, so I can manage.”
“Then let’s rest and keep an eye on things. Supplies might drop again, or something else could happen.”
“Okay.”
The two of them stepped out from their shelter and gathered the firewood they could find nearby.
Most of it was damp from the rain, but there was still a fair amount that could be used for burning.
“Rohan.”
“Hmm?”
“Don’t you think we should consider the possibility of having to move after sunset?”
“That’s… reasonable. There’s definitely a chance supplies could drop at night too.”
Rohan nodded as he dumped the firewood he was carrying into a corner, brushing off his hands and clothes.
“If we’re going to eat later, maybe we should take turns getting some sleep now.”
“How are we supposed to keep track of the time for the shift? We don’t have a watch.”
“We can roughly guess based on how much firewood we burn. Like, say we throw in about twenty pieces, then it’s time to switch.”
“Ah…”
The girl nodded with a sound that showed she understood.
Rohan pointed to the outerwear he had laid out on the ground.
“You sleep first. You said you’d make up for acting on your own, remember?”
“No. Did you even sleep last night? You go first, Rohan.”
“I need to light the fire.”
“The fire…!”
The girl’s lips shut tight. She couldn’t bring herself to say that she would do it.
The image of failing to get the fire going and having to wake Rohan up again? Absolutely dreadful.
“Then just light the fire first and we’ll switch. You have to wake me up no matter what.”
“Isn’t that too short of a nap?”
“I slept well yesterday, so I’m fine.”
To Ichinose, those words were practically a bluff.
The truth was, the sticker was making her endlessly sleepy.
The moment she lay down, she felt like she’d sleep all day unless someone woke her.
“Got it. I’ll light the fire and wake you, so go to sleep already.”
“…….”
Ichinose watched Rohan stack the kindling, then headed toward the corner.
Just like the day before, she lay down on the clothes Rohan had spread out.
Just like that.
How long did she have her eyes closed?
An unexpected situation.
The girl couldn’t fall asleep.
…Huh?
Ichinose was genuinely surprised.
She had been sure she would fall asleep the moment she lay down, but she couldn’t sleep at all. It felt like she was suffering from a bout of terrible insomnia.
She knew what the problem was.
The sleeping conditions were far too uncomfortable, causing her to toss and turn constantly.
Sleeping on bare ground. That alone stirred up a whole storm of complaints in her heart.
The feeling was crystal clear.
“…….”.
The most uncomfortable part was where she rested her head.
She had rolled up her outerwear to use as a pillow, but it wasn’t enough.
She felt like a crick was about to form in her neck. Who would’ve thought she’d miss her dormitory pillow this much?
Naturally, a question began to form.
Though her mind bravely tried to accept life outside, her body which was raised as the heir to a great corporation was honest in its discomfort.
How did I sleep so well yesterday?
To think she had slept so soundly in conditions like this.
Could it simply have been a difference in how tired she was?
No way.
The clever girl arrived at one likely hypothesis.
She slightly opened her eyes and looked at Rohan, who was lighting the fire. His firm thighs, visible as he sat crouched down, caught her eye.
A flustered memory resurfaced, and heat rose to her face. But even so, she couldn’t help thinking that if she wanted a good night’s sleep, that was the answer.
“Why aren’t you sleeping? Are you hungry?”
Rohan, sensing her intense gaze, turned his head and smiled.
“……”
Ichinose continued running through a series of thoughts.
The desire to prioritize efficiency, the embarrassment of possibly appearing childish to a classmate, and the vivid shame she felt even through the drowsiness.
The thought that she was being a burden to her partner and the regret that it might have been better if she’d never known that kind of comfort at all…
Thoughts as deep as they come.
The girl hesitated and her lips started twitching as if to speak.
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