Exam Over! Daily Life Begins!
"It hasn't been long enough to call it a reunion, but let's commemorate our survival and get some rest, cadets."
"…."
Juyeon left those words behind and departed.
She shut the infirmary door with a thud!
Rohan felt a twinge of resentment toward Juyeon for leaving him in this awkward atmosphere.
Ah, this is embarrassing. I wanna bolt.
Noah's tail swished back and forth. Her eyes gleamed with the predatory glint unique to her kind as she fixed her gaze on him.
He had no idea what that expression meant.
Ichinose kept her eyes hidden, her head merely turned his way, but it was extremely burdensome.
"…."
In the silence, the thin privacy curtain rustled faintly.
Ichinose rose gracefully from her seat, and Noah shot up right after her.
Rohan held his breath as the two girls strode toward him.
Clack!
Ichinose halted in front of his bed, bowed politely with her sword cradled in her arms.
Noah hurriedly bowed as deeply as she could.
"Putting everything else aside, I wanted to thank you, Rohan. Thank you. And… I'm so glad you're safe."
"Thanks. You saved my life."
It wasn't something he did expecting thanks, but with their conversation with Juyeon apparently leaked…
"Glad you two are safe too."
Rohan felt his responses growing lame, so he flashed an awkward smile to smooth things over.
"We didn't mean to eavesdrop on your talk with the instructor… We were just waiting for her to finish before interrupting."
"Yeah! That's why we stayed quiet."
Rohan knew what they meant.
It was impossible for cadets to eavesdrop on Juyeon in the first place.
"I jumped up so suddenly, I was out of it. How's Corin?"
He deliberately steered away from the awkward topic.
Ichinose hesitated briefly before answering.
"The checkup showed no issues. She woke up earlier and we ate together. She's sleeping normally now."
"Corin must've been exhausted from sticking with me on the island!"
Noah's self-deprecating joke lightened the itchy atmosphere.
Ichinose casually relayed what came to mind.
"It's been about six hours since you fell asleep, and the instructor removed the sticker."
Oh yeah, there was that.
Rohan touched his nape, realizing the annoying device was gone.
"The Frostfall-75 pistol is completely wrecked. Probably couldn't handle the mana."
"You fired it properly once. That's solid use."
He'd need to get a proper pistol when he got back.
Time to consult Sion and Clara.
"Honestly, I have so much I want to say to you, so many questions, and I want to thank you properly."
"Yeah! Yeah!"
Noah nodded vigorously, clearly on the same page as Ichinose.
"But I'll hold back for now. Like the instructor said, you need rest."
"Buy me something tasty next time. We can talk then."
Rohan grinned like always.
Ichinose gave a small nod. "Got it."
"I don't forget favors. Lunch is separate—I'll repay you somehow."
"Me too! Dad says forgetting a favor makes you a beast! I'm a beastkin, not a beast, so I won't forget!"
The girls finished speaking and vanished like a storm, ignoring any protests from Rohan.
He stared quietly at the door they left through, then closed his eyes.
"…."
Clack. Clack. Clack.
Ichinose and Noah left the infirmary and walked down the long corridor.
Their footsteps headed toward where the cadets were gathered, resting.
As they walked, Noah suddenly chuckled while gazing at the ceiling and spilled her thoughts.
"Haha! First time a guy other than Dad looked cool to me."
Ichinose froze mid-step in shock.
She stiffly turned her head toward Noah.
"Noah. What did you just…?"
"Why? It's true. Way better than those guys clumsily trying to act manly."
"That's…."
Noah got along with everyone, but Ichinose had never heard her openly call a guy cool.
Her excited expression didn't seem like a joke.
"Just my impression, y'know? My heart was pounding pretty hard."
"…."
"Everyone talks big about risking their lives, but I've never seen resolve and mental fortitude that solid in action."
"I get what you mean."
"And it pisses me off! I'm too weak! Couldn't beat that one old guy… Dad would've crushed him with one punch! Training when I get back! Training! Training!"
Ichinose admired Noah steeling her resolve.
Sharing such impressions so openly with others—something she could never do.
How was she so honest?
Enviable.
…
…
The transport ship was en route to Academy City.
Rohan, having finished sleeping in the infirmary, joined where Class 1 was gathered and retrieved his stored phone.
I wonder if Sion and Clara are doing okay.
The exam ended sooner than expected.
Worried faces of the two girls, possibly back at the dorm already, flickered in his mind. He turned on his smartphone.
As Academy City came into view through the transport ship's window, the signal connected.
Bzzz! Bzzzzz! Bzz! Jingle!
The phone vibrated like crazy.
Rohan jumped in surprise, silenced it, and checked.
Messages flooded the group chat.
How many is this?
Not even halfway through. Definitely hundreds piled up.
Before announcing his return, Rohan read through them carefully, a pleased smile forming at how well the two had gotten along.
He'd scrolled about halfway when new messages popped up in real time.
Rohan chuckled and kept typing.
The exam ended early; heading back now.
Almost there, too.
He figured he'd call to hear their voices, but unfortunately, Juyeon started a broadcast.
They arrived at Orion Academy.
Cadets poured out of the ship in a horde, and Juyeon gathered Class 1 for final instructions.
"The fatigue won't vanish overnight, but come to class tomorrow. No lessons. You'll get proper rest after."
With the exam ending early amid the chaos, everyone expected as much.
No objections or grumbles. Juyeon continued.
"Today, head to the dorms and focus on recovery. Contact an instructor if any issues arise."
After such an incident, the academy couldn't just sit idle.
They'd need to collect cadet testimonies, provide top care for even the lightly injured.
"Dismissed."
""Thank you for your hard work!!!""
The cadets shouted in unison and scattered.
Ichinose decided to follow Juyeon's advice and focus on unwinding.
Back at the dorm, she soaked in hot water, chatted with her parents on speakerphone while stretching.
Noah must've crashed upon arrival—no reply to messages.
Ramen….
Hunger struck, and ramen popped into her head out of nowhere.
First time for this.
She bought some at the convenience store.
Tried her best alone, but it tasted awful.
If Rohan's was 100 points, this was maybe 10.
Couldn't eat it. Brushed her teeth and hit the sack instead.
"Mm…."
Fluffy, warm bed. Lay down, closed her eyes for three minutes.
Ichinose sat up in confusion.
What's this? Why's the pillow like that?
Her trusty pillow suddenly felt subtly off in a way she'd never noticed.
Maybe her head shape changed? She sat on the bed, feeling her skull.
Round. Fine.
Perfectly shaped head.
"Ha!"
Absurd. She grabbed a lined-up doll from the bed and lay back down.
Should be able to sleep plenty. Heaven compared to the island.
But objectively? This pillow was 98 points.
No lacks.
Yet a strange regret lingered.
100 is greedy. This is more than enough.
Thoughts flowed indifferently.
Mind drifted to dreamland, painting fluffy clouds.
She reflected on the unforgettable day.
"…."
Rohan's words and actions flashed vividly.
Noah was right—her heart pounded.
Whoosh!
Ichinose pulled the blanket up over her face.