Confessions Aren't the Start—They're the Finish
The dimensional rift, that freak natural disaster, had come and gone.
But Academy City Elysium bounced back to life in no time.
Peacekeepers hustled about, cleanup crews dashed around with their gear to handle the monsters, but as Rohan strolled the streets already buzzing with their usual energy, he couldn't help but marvel.
Everyone's got some serious mental fortitude.
Sure, some shops were still shuttered. Still, the citizens' resolve felt rock-solid overall. Compared to his previous life, even ordinary folks here had real grit.
The catastrophe had scattered ominous shadows over the future before departing, yet people were determined to hold their ground.
A satisfying world.
I want to protect this place.
The licensed realtor Sion had been referred to was no different.
Ten minutes before their appointment, a confirmation call came in, and Rohan's group met the contact—a high-ranking figure from Tigrova.
With his plump tail and the dark patches around his eyes, he was probably a raccoon beastkin.
Short in stature, his head barely reached a bit below Rohan's waist, like it had been squished down from above.
He looked up with the ease of someone used to it, his affable face radiating business savvy as he greeted them.
"Hello. I'm Matthew Blackburn, president of the Academy City Elysium Licensed Realtors Association."
Quite the grandiose title for someone who looked so busy.
Sion accepted the business card he offered with both hands, politely.
"Pleased to meet you."
Rohan's group, lacking cards of their own, settled for greetings.
··
··
The raccoon realtor waddled ahead with steps matching his short legs and rotund build, leading the way.
They arrived at the first house.
Rohan had no idea what budget Sion had set, but it was a luxurious mansion that left his jaw on the floor just looking at it.
"···There was a place like this nearby?"
"Whoaaa···."
Not far from the men's dorm, yet he'd never noticed it.
Even Clara couldn't hide her awe.
The raccoon beastkin pulled a keycard from his bag and continued his explanation.
"No yard is a drawback, but it does have parking. And you mentioned prioritizing additional features over sheer living space."
"That's right."
Sion clearly had a specific vision in mind.
"An excellent choice. Loneliness is hard to shake otherwise."
"Is the owner inside?"
"The current owner has never actually lived here. It's more like a vacation home."
"Ah."
"Academy City limits how much land and building one family can own, so they've decided to sell."
He led them inside.
Rohan's group followed.
"Oh···!"
It rivaled even Juyeon's place.
He'd said the living space wasn't huge—maybe because there was no furniture? To Rohan, it looked like a plaza.
"As you emphasized, there's an indoor shooting range, plus a sturdy area perfect for physical training."
"A shooting range inside the house···?"
Rohan muttered, intrigued.
A strangely nostalgic sensation.
Back in his previous life, during the hunter boom when stocks were soaring, houses and apartments like this had been all over TV broadcasts.
Didn't last long, though.
The problem was that being a hunter was mostly innate talent—saying it took up nearly everything wasn't an exaggeration.
The hype fizzled out fast.
But this world was different.
Even if mana was innate, it needed endless refinement, and the body—as its vessel—required training to surpass limits.
Having a dedicated space at home was undeniably appealing.
"This was a key feature in the current owner's design: private bathrooms in every room, separate from the main bath···."
The raccoon realtor chattered on tirelessly, picking up his pace.
Rohan watched the agent candidly point out even the house's flaws and let out a breath.
I've got nothing to do here.
Drawing from past house-hunting experience, he'd planned to check water pressure, nearby noise sources, furniture space.
But in a mansion this upscale—beyond imagination—those petty concerns were irrelevant.
Not rent, but a purchase, so he'd thought to dig into management fees, mortgages, illegal additions.
Procedures differed greatly from his old world, though.
One call to the Academy City admin center yielded a guarantee certificate and voice recording confirming no issues.
The great powers keep it on a tight leash together.
The realtor might see it differently, but it felt like proper use of force.
Government simple and efficient, right?
"Shall we see the next one? It's right nearby."
"Sure, let's go."
They toured several more houses after that.
But Sion's heart seemed set on the first mansion already.
Rohan and Clara agreed.
Finally circling back, Sion discussed with the group, deliberating carefully.
Then decided.
"We'd like to move in as soon as possible."
"I'll coordinate with furniture and cleaning services to have it ready by tomorrow afternoon. If you have a lot of belongings, I can send movers."
"We're good on that."
Their stuff could be carried in a couple trips by hand.
Rohan's group moved to sign the contract.
With a legal advisor provided by the city, they sealed the deal.
The mansion was undeniably Sion's now.
Sharing an in-between meal—not quite lunch or dinner—Rohan bought a holster at a gun shop, reserved a scabbard at a specialist, and headed back after promising housewarming treats tomorrow.
Sion returned to Clara's cramped room for one last night.
Tomorrow, this place—with its faulty heating and AC—would be goodbye.
"Clara."
"Yes?"
"I have something important to discuss."
Finishing a cold shower, Sion—wearing not her new pajamas but Rohan's clothes—sat on the floor.
"W-what is it···?"
Clara sat facing her gravely serious expression, listening intently.
Sion's pointed ears, fresh from the cold water, began flushing red with heat.
"Today··· I realized my feelings."
"···."
No clear subject in Sion's words.
But Clara knew exactly what she meant from the hand pressing to her chest, like clutching her heart.
"Clara's feelings for Rohan must be the same as mine."
Clara froze at the blunt question.
"Ah, th-that, uh···!"
Denying it here? Pointless. A lie that wouldn't fool anyone.
Clara averted her eyes, nodding cautiously.
Admitting a crush in front of another felt irreversible to the girl.
"What do you plan to do from now on, Clara?"
"What do you mean···."
No real plan.
Confessing was scary. Rejection would end everything.
"But today, you realized you can't just stay complacent like this."
"···."
Sion's words pierced like an awl. Clara felt it deeply.
Just seeing girls openly flirting with Rohan, asking for his number—it was crisis-level intense.
"Euuu···."
Sion smiled faintly at Clara shrinking in defeat.
Shifting from across to beside her, she took Clara's hand.
"Can you be sure what Rohan feels when he cares for us, looks after us?"
"···No."
"Me neither. That's why expressing my feelings scares me."
"Wh-what do we do? O-oppa's so popular···."
Clara's voice dripped with anxiety and urgency.
Sion shared the thoughts she'd sorted during her shower.
"Clara."
"Yes···."
"I saw this online. In today's world, they say confession isn't an initiate—it's a finish."
Placing the period when you're sure of each other's hearts.
Far from bold, out-of-the-blue confessions.
"!"
Clara's eyes widened at the explanation.
A new horizon for someone whose romance knowledge came from anime and games.
"Exactly as it sounds: when Rohan clearly shows us his affection, we confess to seal the relationship."
"B-but him showing affection··· how would we know···."
"A valid question. So the path ahead is simple. We need to understand Rohan first."
"Understand O-oppa···?"
"What are his tastes in women? Any hard limits? Preferred outfits? The more details we grasp, the higher the odds—even if just by decimals."
"H-hard limits···?!"
Clara flushed and startled, but Sion remained utterly serious.
Like a commander plotting a decisive landing.
"Does Rohan even think about marriage? If so, how many wives? How many kids?"
"Gasp···."
Clara swallowed at the elf-like charge toward lifelong monogamy.
Sion was thinking marriage, not just dating, from the start.
"From now on, we have much to learn about Rohan. As capable comrades, and as women striving to be loved."
Clara bit her lip at Sion's resolute tone.
"Sis··· Do you think someone like me could ever win O-oppa's heart···?"
Still lacking confidence despite her pretty face.
But Sion understood. She felt the same anxiety.
"Clara. I'm anxious too."
"···."
"Will you just give up? Stay a spectator from afar without trying? I won't stop you."
"···."
"If you can watch without regret as I advance and get loved in Rohan's arms."
Life drained from Clara's eyes, then surged back with swirling emotions.
Sion smiled, satisfied.
Clara asked with resolved eyes.
"Sis. One more thing?"
"Of course."
"Why··· are you encouraging and helping me like this···."
No way she lacked the desire to monopolize her love.
But Sion smiled silently, as if the question itself was adorable, and answered clearly.
"Because the future I dream of includes you and Rohan together."
"···!"
"No other reason."