Leap of Trust
“Isn’t that Rohan?”
Noah’s casual remark sent Ichinose Yui’s senses rippling outward like waves.
The girl closed her eyes, extending her aura. It pinpointed the target cleanly.
Definitely Rohan.
And beside him, two familiar presences.
The quick-footed girl named Clara, and the elf girl from Testarosa’s last bloodline who’d come asking for help.
Ah?
Eungae Nose’s mind finally pieced it together.
So the prior engagement was… shopping for women’s underwear?
She’d been curious about his relationship with those women but hadn’t pried into his personal life.
No need to ask now. The picture was crystal clear.
Anyone who couldn’t see it after this would have to be an idiot.
Two such beautiful women as lovers… impressive.
The words sounded like praise, but the tone echoing in Ichinose’s heart carried a subtle thorn—one a girl without experience couldn’t easily grasp.
“Nose? Didn’t you hear me? Hey!”
“…”
“She’s broken again. I’m heading over first?”
“…”
Eungae Nose’s dilemma deepened.
If Rohan was a survivor who’d preserved the values of southern Solarea,
then ten lovers or a hundred—it wouldn’t matter.
As long as it was consensual between them, outsiders had no business interfering.
In that case.
Should she just go in, say hello, and shop like nothing was wrong? Pretend she hadn’t seen and move on? Or if neither was right, quietly excuse herself?
She couldn’t gauge the proper response.
It was like someone had glued her shoes to the floor—her feet wouldn’t budge.
Turning back… that’s probably best. He turned down the invite because of a prior engagement. Running into him might make things awkward…
Eungae Nose made her bitter decision, one that left a strange taste in her mouth.
Snapping out of it, she parted her lips.
“Noah. Let’s not interrupt them needlessly. We’ll go a bit later… Noah?”
She was gone. In the blink of an eye while Eungae Nose had focused inward, Noah had vanished.
Opening her eyes, she checked left and right.
Definitely gone.
No way!?
Anxiety surged through her.
Clutching her sword tightly, she hurried into the store with clipped steps.
Sure enough, Noah had already shoved her face into Rohan’s group.
“Rohan! What’re you doing here?”
“Noah?”
After greeting Rohan, Noah wagged her tail and rolled her eyes toward one side.
The predator had locked onto the twin-tailed girl.
“Heh heh, Clara’s here too? Wanna hug?”
“Eek…!”
Clara, clutching her underwear, darted behind Rohan.
Noah burst into bright laughter at the sight, relaxing her pouncing stance.
“Just kidding. I won’t anymore, so don’t hide like that.”
Sion slipped smoothly into the gentle opening.
“A pleasure to see you, Noah Frozenheart.”
“Oh! Dad and Yoho sis told me about you!”
Noah naturally grabbed Sion’s hand and swung it back and forth—bounce, bounce!
Her tail wagged up and down in sync. She must’ve been thrilled.
Even on their second meeting, Noah’s sociable nature shone through—no awkwardness at all.
“Thank you. I apologize for the delayed gratitude.”
“Nah, forget it. I’m kinda dumb, so I don’t really remember what happened back then, but we’re family who left footprints in the snow together, right?”
Sion showed her thanks again at Noah’s words, which emphasized Tigrova’s unique bond.
Noah wasn’t involved, and there was no reason to dredge up old stories here.
Thud. Thud. Thud.
Leaving the girls to their chat, Rohan headed toward the entrance.
There’d been a glimpse of a familiar face earlier.
“Ichinose.”
His voice calling her name pulled her head around like she’d been enchanted.
“Rohan…”
“Of all places, we meet here.”
“…Y-Yeah.”
He couldn’t diagnose it precisely as discomfort or awkwardness.
But Rohan understood the prickly aura radiating from Ichinose.
If it were a total stranger, maybe not—but acquaintances of the opposite sex hanging out in a lingerie store? That’d rattle anyone.
He even felt a bit guilty.
“Baby Yui.”
Trying to lighten the mood, he called her by the quiet nickname.
Ichinose’s shoulders jerked in an unexpectedly strong reaction.
“Th-that nickname…! Hah, don’t let anyone else hear it. I couldn’t show my face if they did.”
“You’re okay with it when it’s just us?”
She’d insisted never before.
But now the vibe felt different.
“…I gave up since you’d probably do it anyway.”
“What? Am I that type of guy?”
“Who knows. Wouldn’t you know best?”
Rohan stepped to the railing overlooking the mall’s lower levels.
Ichinose followed, leaving the store to stand beside him.
The lively chatter from inside naturally tugged his lips upward.
“Rohan. How’s your body? Any lingering effects from the poison?”
“All good. Got rechecked at the infirmary today.”
“…Glad to hear it. Good job.”
Her voice softened, still tangled in complex emotions from facing Omega.
But Rohan knew.
The powerlessness from that strong foe would become a stepping stone for her growth.
“Even on a holiday, we can use the academy training room, right?”
“Yes. Planning to go?”
“Obviously. It’s not just stamina—I need a place to swing my sword freely.”
His greatsword hung across his back.
Recalling his fights on the uninhabited island, Ichinose added,
“I’d like to learn a thing or two from you as well.”
“From me? Or do you just wanna hit me?”
Her playful guess drew a muffled laugh from Ichinose, hand over her mouth.
“True, sparring rules might just hold you back.”
“Rules or no, it’d be similar. My swordplay still lacks structure.”
“Isn’t that underselling yourself a bit much, even for humility?”
“I’m a total beginner with the sword. Just good at flailing around.”
“Hmm…”
The girls headed to the counter inside.
Rohan sighed deeply, recalling the pressure from Sion and Clara moments ago.
Blissful, but not easy.
From now on, whenever he was with Sion and Clara in casual clothes, he’d probably picture what was underneath.
“You came shopping with Noah, right? I’ll wait outside—shop comfortably.”
Ichinose suddenly remembered what kind of store this was.
A few cadets who recognized her stared. Standing glued to Rohan in front of this shop—what would they think?
Her face heated up.
Her habit of hiding emotions glitched, and her mouth ran away on its own.
“Y-Yeah! My size hasn’t been fitting lately, so it’s been hard to breathe…!”
“Huh?”
“Women grow overnight…! Keep developing!”
“I see.”
Rohan wiped away his puzzled look, drawing a fond smile—like he knew but was playing along.
Ichinose’s conscience pricked sharply.
Should she take it back now, say it was a joke?
Ichinose Yui. You’re acting so childish… what are you doing!?
She knew it was silly to fuss over bust size. Immature and girlish.
Once the talk ended and she parted from Rohan, a landslide of self-loathing would crash down.
Her embarrassment thickened.
At that moment of utter peace—
What’s this?
A chill swept over Rohan’s entire body.
“Um, what I said earlier was actually—”
Leaving Ichinose mumbling in thought, Rohan’s head whipped around.
Noah, Sion, and Clara inside showed no sign of sensing it, chatting away as they bagged their purchases.
Just my imagination?
Focusing his senses, Rohan gripped his greatsword.
And a notification appeared.
Starting Anomaly
◇ Quest Content: The peaceful Academy City. Dimensional rifts tear open in various locations, and monsters begin appearing. Hold off the monsters with your companions until the security officers arrive.
◇ Type: Sudden
◇ Success Reward: Calculated by number of monsters processed
◇ Failure Penalty: None
The air rumbled with foreboding.
Rohan peered into it. Eyes brimming with clear malice stared back.
Monsters inside leaped through space, extending attacks.
“!”
Was it just him sensing and predicting it right now?
Rohan scooped up the still-muttering Ichinose and leaped.
Crash!!!
The two shattered the railing glass and jumped down.
Where they’d stood moments ago, massive monsters crashed through with deafening clamor.
“R-Rohan…!?”
No time to answer.
Rohan curled protectively around the stunned Ichinose.
The Academy City mall’s structure was open in the middle.
Like a typical department store.
This way, it’s a high-floor drop.
Landing on his feet trusting his tough body was an option, but fractures were possible.
Rohan chose another path.
“Clara——!!!”
He bellowed for the girl who could help.
Ping! Tat-tat-tat!
Clara’s Arachne thrummed with minimal mana, threading rapidly.
Her nimble hands wove a spiderweb safety net.
It caught Rohan and Ichinose.
Oof.
He’d reinforced his body with mana, and Clara had dialed down Arachne’s cutting power to the floor.
Still, absorbing the fall’s impact wasn’t damage-free.
Even with the scabbard, his back throbbed.
“Rohan…? What’s going…”
“You okay? You really turned into Baby Yui now.”
While observing the monsters spilling out one by one,
Rohan gently stroked the girl in his arms along her back to calm her.