I Became the Must-Have Character of the Academy City

23 – Clear Water Before Stagnant Water -1-

The princess had many worries and thoughts, so she wanted to act with caution.

Even if Rohan contacted her, it wouldn’t be overnight.

Perhaps it will be after the next incident.

“.”

With that thought, Rohan took in the familiar scenery.

Returning to the academy city and checking his smartphone, it was already dawn.

It was a time when there were more cats and crows on the streets than people, and the garbage left out in front of the stores was being cleaned up.

‘They said I could use it even on my day off.’

Feeling that he would fall asleep if he went back to the dormitory, Rohan decided to head to the Orion Academy training room instead.

After all, both the academy and his part-time job were free on weekends.

‘When I wake up, I need to study theory too.’

With a model student’s resolve, Rohan moved his steps.

Just taking off his hoodie made him ready for exercise. He was glad he wore comfortable clothes.

Like that.

After buying a protein drink at the convenience store, he reached the entrance of the training room.

There, he saw a petite girl just opening the door.

Before Rohan could say anything, the girl, with her eyes closed, turned her head towards him.

The corners of her mouth lifted slightly.

“By a narrow margin, but today I arrived first.”

“You seem happy?”

“Not at all. Unlike Noah, I don’t get happy over such things.”

Seeing Ichinose’s expression, Rohan felt pleased that he had come at this hour.

After verifying the student ID tucked behind the smartphone, they entered the training room together.

“Ichinose.”

“Did you call me?”

Rohan called out to Ichinose, who was heading to the locker to put away her bag.

He held out the box he had tucked under his arm.

“Want a macaron?”

Did he look that eccentric?

Ichinose lifted her eyelids to reveal her eyes.

“Carrying macarons at this hour, do you have early morning hypoglycemia?”

“No. I just happened to buy them.”

“Hmm…”

“It’s also a bribe to ask you to look after me.”

“A bribe?”

The girl, who had been looking at the macarons, raised her head and shot a questioning glance.

Rohan’s voice rose slightly, enjoying even that gaze.

“I think I’ll need your help with theory from today.”

Ichinose nodded, understanding, and hid her eyes again.

“If it’s something like that… hehe, shall I just take one?”

The girl’s pale, slender fingers picked out a macaron.

Then she hid it between her lips.

Oh.

From that brief action, elegance exuded.

The girl, who was slightly chewing her lively lips, nodded as if she found it interesting.

This… This macaron is made only with almond powder. Recently, more shops have been increasing the flour ratio due to costs, which was disappointing, but this macaron is made properly.

Really? I have a rough palate, so I wouldn’t know. I’m glad it suits your taste.

Did you buy it from a good shop?

Sort of.

Since it’s a shop that can’t be bought with money, it wouldn’t be wrong to say it’s quite a good one.

Just seeing Ichinose’s favorable review is a great proof.

Do you want another one?

When Rohan offered, the girl hesitated slightly.

It seemed she was curious about the other flavors.

…I’ll have just one more, for real this time.

Just eat them all.

Ah!

Rohan handed the whole box to Ichinose, who was pondering which color to choose.

Seeing the girl he cherished and cared for eating deliciously, he didn’t mind the points.

…

…

Rohan exhausted all his strength in the training room, overworking his body, and returned to the dormitory to sleep as if he had fainted.

Waking up in bed, it was evening.

My head felt fuzzy, as if I had slept deeply. I washed my face with cold water and stepped outside to feel the chill wind.

“.”

Rohan naturally bought a coffee and returned to his room.

He sat at a desk piled high with thick books.

As he began to study, he felt a considerable amount of pressure, but somehow he picked up a book.

‘It’s been a really long time since I studied.’

It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that the only studying he had done in his life was memorizing the necessary information while living as a hunter.

So it felt daunting.

But there was no option of not doing it.

‘What did that guy say about studying… Who can keep their butt in the chair the longest? Something like that.’

It was something a friend who had switched from attending a prestigious university in Seoul to becoming a hunter had said. He also mentioned that the amount of information hunters memorize is by no means small.

It was a small comfort at the start.

‘I can’t just guess on the next exam either.’

Gathering points to use for shop skills and preparing for future crises were important.

But since Rohan had become a student of the academy city, life at Orion Academy was just as important.

If he had decided to live in this world, he couldn’t just focus on the future he knew.

He had to think about life after graduating from the academy.

‘Anyway, the most I know is up to the second year.’

Compared to the time he would live in the future, how short was that time?

You need to secure as many provable specs as possible to make a living.

“Whew!”

He exhaled and opened the book, trying to focus.

First, he reviewed and looked for parts he didn’t understand.

Sharak. Sharak. Sharak.

It didn’t take long before he hit a wall.

“.”

Although he had heard it in class, he had no idea how to calculate the part that involved a specific formula.

Rohan organized his questions without hesitation and sent a message.

Ziiing!

The reply came back before he even put down his phone.

[ Ichinose: Try solving it by applying the formula on page 27. If you still get stuck, take a picture of your attempted solution and send it to me. ]

Rohan stared intently at the formula, pondering over it repeatedly.

He took a picture of his scribbled notes and sent it.

[ Ichinose: Well done. Try solving the problem below in the same way. ]

A chubby dragon emoji with a thumbs-up followed.

Rohan smiled to himself.

Hmm, studying is fun.

It didn’t feel bad to be praised by Ichinose.

Ah.

When he opened his eyes, he found himself at the Flower Spider Lily Bookstore.

Rohan was already wearing an apron and standing at the counter with the manager.

Saturdays and Sundays were filled with training and studying, passing by as if someone had stolen them.

The weekdays melted away with interesting classes.

Adding a part-time job to the mix, it was already Thursday.

Rohan.

Yes.

While standing still, he turned his head at the sound of the manager calling him.

The manager’s face was warm, perhaps from spending time with his grandson yesterday.

There’s a lot to study at Orion Academy, right? And exams are coming up soon.

It’s not like they’re right around the corner The exams are in mid-April. Ah! But I’ll continue with the part-time job.

Hehe, that’s nice to hear, but that’s not what I meant.

As Rohan quietly listened, the manager continued, looking at the empty bookshelf.

Even though we have quite a few regulars, it’s quiet during late hours, isn’t it? Hardly any customers.

.

It was true that there weren’t many customers.

Even so, it was hard for Rohan to agree with the manager’s statement as a part-timer.

“When a customer comes, just respond well and you can relax at the counter. There’s no need to stand stiffly like now.”

When Rohan nodded in agreement, the manager pointed to the spot where the interview had taken place.

“There’s a separate table here, so once you’re done with your tasks, you can study if you want.”

“…Thank you!”

Rohan didn’t refuse the manager’s offer and immediately bowed his head.

Time was already tight, so this was welcome news.

“I can’t pay a talented young man much, so I should at least offer this.”

“It’s not much, but thank you for seeing it positively.”

“My son was surprised when I told him I hired a student from Orion Academy as a part-timer.”

The conversation naturally continued.

The manager listened to the time spent with his grandson and gave appropriate reactions.

As Rohan mixed in responses while guarding the counter, he checked the clock on the wall.

He spoke to the manager.

“Manager. From today, I’ll close the store, so you can go home first.”

“Hmm?”

“I need to start doing it alone to get better at it later.”

“That’s true. It’s not difficult… Can I leave it to you?”

The manager, who hired a part-timer to get home before his grandson fell asleep, was quite tempted.

“If I run into any issues while closing, I’ll call you right away.”

The shopkeeper quickly left, saying, “I’ll leave it to you then.”

‘Good.’

In the silent bookstore, there were only Rohan and Clara, who was quietly reading a book under the bookshelf.

Rohan started the game in the same way as last time.

Company Wave!

The game sound was still at one bar.

He intentionally destroyed the formation and combination that worked well in the dormitory.

Oh, I have to complete the mission somehow…

And then failure after failure.

He added a comment as a source.

“Hmm… should I just stop?”

With those words, he put away his smartphone and got up to prepare for closing.

Although Clara was in an unseen position today,

After repeating this for several days, he could clearly picture her reaction.

‘How much longer can she hold out?’

As Rohan, who had lost interest in the game, took out a mop and started scrubbing the bookstore floor,

A voice came from behind.

“Um… excuse me!”

“Yes?”

Clara was watching.

It was expected to take about a month, but the response was much faster than anticipated.

Rohan asked, trying to keep his excitement from showing.

“Shall I calculate it for you?”

“Oh, no! That’s not it…”

“Then, are you looking for something?”

Clara shook her head, indicating that wasn’t it either.

As Rohan stared quietly, the girl fidgeted with her hands and spoke softly.

“That… Company Wave…”

“This?”

When Rohan took out his smartphone from his front pocket, Clara nodded cautiously.

Then, about five seconds of silence.

Hesitant, Clara finally spoke.

“That’s not how you do it…!”