Meeting the Parents (Sort Of, With a Crowd)
Rohan didn't even have time to properly check his achievements or settle his quest rewards.
Right after ending the call, all sorts of people started gathering in front of the Orion Academy dormitory.
He gave Ichinose Yui—a coat to cover her torn sleeves and side—then stepped out of the dorm.
The moment he did, familiar faces greeted him.
"O-oppa? Are you okay...?"
"Rohan... your wounds..."
Sion Testarosa and Clara rushed over with teary faces the instant they saw him.
When Rohan lifted his bloodstained, tattered clothes to show there were no injuries underneath, they sighed in relief and threw themselves into his arms.
Ichinose Yui glanced at the two nestling comfortably in his embrace without a hint of hesitation, then took heavy steps forward.
"Father... Mother..."
Amid the chaos, Ichinose Yui faced her parents who had rushed to Academy City.
Her father, Ichinose Jun, placed a hand on his daughter's head with a stoic expression.
"As long as you're safe."
Those simple words melted the worry from Eungae Nose's face, brightening her expression.
Her mother and Ichinose Jun's wife, Momo, knew that blunt phrasing was her husband's best effort. Standing a step back, she watched with a pleased smile.
"Waaah! Noseee!!!"
Noah Frozenheart came barreling in with a wail full of worry.
Ichinose Yui, uncharacteristically, didn't dodge the embrace.
In that situation, Juyeon had no place to insert herself casually.
Blending in among the security officers, she let out a breath laced with complicated emotions but could only smile at the two students who had returned safely.
The security officers were in the same boat.
This wasn't the moment to ask them to come to the station for questioning.
Once Noah finally released her tight hold on Ichinose Yui,
Momo, who had been waiting her turn, approached with graceful steps and enveloped her daughter in a gentle hug.
Ichinose Yui closed her eyes and melted comfortably into her mother's arms.
"Yui. Is your body alright?"
"The injuries... they were gone when I got back. I'm sorry for worrying you when you're so busy..."
"Don't say that. It wasn't your fault, Yui."
Judging by the bloodstains on her clothes alone, Ichinose Yui had light injuries. Rohan had been in critical condition from blood loss alone.
Still, from a parent's perspective, their own flesh and blood came first.
Momo felt no wonder at her daughter's tale of spending a few days inside.
She simply met the eyes of her childlike daughter nestled against her, her heart aching.
"How much did our girl suffer for her face to look half its size...?"
Momo poked and prodded her daughter's soft cheeks, then blinked.
'It's not half its size?'
There were some grubby spots, sure, but her skin gleamed smooth and healthy, like she'd eaten something good. She looked well-cared-for.
Maybe that meant she'd been thriving in Academy City.
"Mother?"
Ichinose Yui tilted her head at her mother, who had frozen mid-poke.
Momo snapped back to reality and continued the conversation.
"Nothing else happen inside?"
"...Yeah."
Ichinose Yui averted her gaze and dipped her head slightly.
Momo found that evasive positivity—and the brief flicker before it—suspicious.
She prided herself on knowing her daughter well, and with senses honed to superhuman levels, it was natural to question it.
It didn't feel like she was hiding a bad experience or dark secret.
Her daughter wasn't the type to pull that off anyway.
'What happened to Yui?'
The parents' eyes naturally turned to the other survivor, Rohan.
Two mysterious beauties were plastered right against him, and Noah had somehow joined the huddle, chatting away.
The male student seemed remarkably dependable.
"What kind of relationship does that cadet have with Yui? Now Mom's curious."
"M-Mother... that's..."
Ichinose Yui couldn't hide her fluster as her mother's interest shifted to Rohan.
Of course, introducing friends to her parents wasn't new.
Noah went without saying—their families were so close it was like blood sisters.
Back in her Samhwa Nation school days, she'd introduced plenty of friends at school events when parents visited.
The issue was, this was the first time introducing a male friend.
And her first time harboring feelings for the opposite sex.
Plus, her parents likely knew she and Rohan had met alone in the evening while tracking Monolith missing persons.
'Th-this... the situation...'
Imagining her parents meeting that man felt straight out of a parental meet-up for an engagement.
Someone might call it overthinking, but in the mind of a girl with flowers blooming in her head, that was the only picture.
"He's the friend who helped me during the practical exam..."
"Hmm~?"
Momo wasn't the only one listening—even Ichinose Jun, standing a step away, perked up his ears.
They knew their daughter had relied heavily on someone during the practical and received a spirit fire core as a gift. So that male cadet was him.
Having heard about the uninhabited island from Juyeon, they could clearly see Rohan's connection to their daughter.
"Would it be okay if I introduced Rohan...?"
With her face flushed, Ichinose Yui mustered her courage and revealed her feelings.
The startled couple exchanged a glance.
"..."
Their daughter's first glimpse of budding romance.
Ichinose Jun remained near-expressionless, but his wife could read the turmoil beneath.
Dad's heart must be a mess at this new side of his little girl.
Momo just lifted the corners of her mouth.
It felt like yesterday she was toddling around learning to walk, yet her daughter had grown so much.
'Wonder who she takes after in this department.'
Her daughter had learned not just the sword, but how to love. Just this made sending her to Academy City feel like the right call.
Her proud smile wouldn't fade.
Momo eyed Rohan once more.
Juyeon had joined the group by now.
One thing nagged at her watching them.
'There are way too many women close to him... but he doesn't seem to have a lover?'
Maybe he was from Tigrova, where polygamy was the norm.
Her daughter clearly had no aversion to that, and volunteering to introduce him amplified Momo's expectations.
Sion Testarosa and Clara were followed by Noah Frozenheart asking after him.
Once the reunion with the now-energized Noah—finally feeling her friend's return—wrapped up, Juyeon approached.
Unlike her flashy appearance marred by battle, she sighed in relief at Rohan's unscathed state.
Without asking a thing, she praised their safe return.
Rohan was officially the first to survive two Monolith incidents.
As they enjoyed everyday chatter with Juyeon joining in,
Ichinose Yui shyly approached Rohan's group, Momo in tow.
Regrettably, Ichinose Jun couldn't join.
A father's chaotic heart for his daughter hadn't settled; he watched from afar.
"...Rohan."
She called softly.
Rohan caught Ichinose Yui's voice and turned.
"Hello. I'm Yui's mom."
The woman smiled brightly, waving one hand lightly. She wore something reminiscent of a kimono.
Not particularly unusual.
Abyss City's Samhwa Nation was a blend of Korean, Chinese, and Japanese cultures, after all.
"Hello! I'm Rohan!"
Rohan boomed his greeting and bowed deeply.
Polite and respectful to a friend's parents—that was default, right?
"Rohan Cadet, you seem full of energy. Body alright?"
"I'm all good now too! Please speak comfortably!"
Momo softened her expression and closed the distance by a step.
He'd asked her to be casual, but mixing in some formality suited her.
"I'm curious how my girl's doing at the academy. Mind filling me in?"
Rohan wanted to toss in a playful quip,
but knowing Eungae Nose's personality and owing her so much, he saved it for later.
First impressions called for praising the child.
"Ichinose Yui is kind, so she gets along great with everyone. I've gotten tons of study help from her... Her diligence in morning training without fail and her relentless effort inspire me."
"So you're saying you see our Yui as bride material?"
"Pardon?"
Rohan yelped in shock at the out-of-nowhere line, blurting a dumbfounded reply.
Eungae Nose darted between them, tugging her mother's arm.
"M-Mother...!"
"Just kidding~ Was I too cheeky?"
As Ichinose Yui frantically intervened, Momo curved her lips upward.
She'd gotten the info she wanted.
In that instant she'd thrown the line, she'd caught the twin-tailed girl and elf girl's gazes and atmospheres shift.
She'd roughly read the relationships.
Poor Juyeon, stuck awkwardly silent between them.
"First things first—you need a change of clothes and a wash... Then how about we all go grab something tasty? Noah, what do you want? Auntie'll treat."
Her beauty screamed "big sis," but Momo called herself "auntie."
Noah bounced excitedly.
"Meat for me!"
Momo stroked Noah's head gently and nodded.
She addressed the women around.
"Everyone, make yourselves comfortable. I want to thank Rohan Cadet, so please come."
Momo breezily finalized the plan.
Before her flustered daughter could protest, she turned back.
"Filling the belly before investigation is the proper order, no? You didn't commit any crimes."
"..."
"That work?"
With a smiling query from Ichinose Momo,
the security officers nodded vigorously, heads nearly breaking.