No Way, Did It Show?
“Uh, Mom wants to talk to Rohan for a bit...”
“Not me, but Noah?”
Ichinose fidgeted with her lips and gave a small nod.
If that was true, there was no way he could keep his friend's mother waiting.
Rohan immediately stood up, reached out his hand for the phone.
Eungae Nose hesitated for a moment before handing it over.
“Yes. I've passed the phone.”
“Hello, Cadet Rohan~ This is Yui's mom. How have you been?”
A soft, gentle voice.
Rohan took care not to let an “aigoo” slip out as he replied.
“Of course. And how have you been, ma'am?”
“Of course. I'm sorry for dragging you away when you were having fun.”
“Not at all. I was just getting up anyway.”
“I heard from Yui that you're planning to go to the beach?”
Momo's voice carried its usual hint of laughter, but something felt different this time.
Rohan couldn't pinpoint why, but he could sense a heightened intensity in her emotions—whatever they were.
“...It's just come up in conversation for now. No date or location set yet.”
Rohan gave a vague answer and glanced at Ichinose, who was listening in.
He'd only met Momo once, so he had no idea how to read her reaction.
Was she telling him not to take her daughter to the beach?
For a few seconds, Eungae Nose fidgeted with her hands, unable to respond.
“Our Yui seems so excited about going to the beach with you, Cadet Rohan. Please take good care of her.”
“M-Mom...!”
Eungae Nose jolted in her seat. There was no hiding her flushed face.
But yelling at her parents to stop wasn't an option for a girl like Ichinose Yui.
She could only fidget anxiously and pray no more words would come.
Rohan relaxed, relieved it wasn't the scenario he'd feared.
He smiled and replied.
“I'm already thrilled at the thought of going with Yui.”
“Oh my, I love how straightforward you are, Cadet Rohan. Well then, this auntie will provide the beach and a place to stay.”
“Pardon? Provide the beach...?”
Offering a place to stay made sense, regardless of acceptance.
But providing a beach? That defied comprehension.
“Yui loved listening to the waves when she was little and had a hobby of collecting shells and conches, so she begged to go to the beach all the time.”
“That sounds like a heartwarming, happy memory.”
Realizing Rohan was listening, Momo continued smoothly.
“My husband bought a beach back then, so use that one. You and your friends would prefer clean waters without crowds, right?”
“...Ah?”
It was a sentence too abbreviated for an ordinary person to grasp instantly.
Rohan mulled over Momo's words carefully.
So... Ichinose loved the beach as a kid, so they bought one? And we're supposed to use that?
Rohan was speechless.
This was the scale of Samhwa Nation's elite. A private beach straight out of legend.
“Ah! I know which beach she's talking about!”
Noah, who'd been quietly eating the leftover meat from the grill, perked up her round ears.
She must have been there before.
“Hehe, Noah, you should come too. Auntie will prepare something delicious and step aside.”
“We definitely will!”
Noah jumped into the conversation naturally.
In that brief moment,
Rohan and Eungae Nose exchanged glances.
““...””
They shared a silent signal. Eungae Nose reached out and scribbled letters on Rohan's shoulder with her finger.
Conveying her intent clearly.
'Do whatever you want.'
Using his shoulder and arm as her canvas, Ichinose wrote fluidly.
Confirming the girl's wishes, Rohan brought the phone back to his ear.
“Ma'am.”
“Cadet Rohan. Your other friends are coming too, right? The beach has been left unmanaged for a bit, so it'd be great if you all came and livened it up.”
“Thank you. I wasn't able to properly greet you last time due to the circumstances, so I'm glad for this chance to do so again.”
“Then it's settled? Auntie might get too excited and overprepare~”
Rohan couldn't help but chuckle.
Who else could call themselves “auntie” and make it sound so mismatched?
“Still, we'll handle the food and cooking ourselves. We'll plan some nearby sightseeing too.”
“Mm... I guess if Auntie prepares to her taste, it might not suit you young folks?”
Momo's voice flipped to disappointment in an instant.
Startled, Rohan tensed his core and firmly denied it.
“No, that's not it at all. It's just that planning the trip together and deciding what to eat is one of the great joys of travel. I wanted to experience that part.”
“Hmm~ That's not wrong.”
Her reaction seemed positive—relief.
“Anyway, you're going to the beach with our Yui, right?”
“Since I heard she's looking forward to it, we'll definitely go.”
“That's all I needed to hear. Auntie got a little excited.”
“Thank you for understanding despite my presumptuous response. I'm grateful.”
“I didn't think it was presumptuous. And since you're in Samhwa Nation, stop by the house sometime.”
“We'll coordinate schedules as best we can.”
Click!
Rohan wrapped up the call, weaving in thanks throughout.
Handing back the smartphone, Ichinose apologized to him first.
“Sorry for suddenly making you talk to Mom... It must've been awkward...”
Rohan smiled at Ichinose, who couldn't lift her head.
There was a better response than “it's fine.”
“Ichinose.”
“Yes...?”
“When we go to the beach, I'll make you ramen. We've been putting it off.”
“!”
“Nothing beats ramen after swimming.”
“R-Right...?”
Ichinose couldn't hide her grin at Rohan's memory.
She hadn't seized the chance, time had slipped by, but he'd remembered.
..
..
They didn't scatter right after eating.
They moved to a café, chatting late into the night about the practical exam aftermath and vacation anticipation.
Then parted ways.
Though she wanted to see more of Rohan, Ichinose was content and headed to the dorm with Noah.
'Perfect.'
The most important thing for her: a chance to see Rohan even during break.
That alone kept her buoyant.
Even after showering, her lips stayed curved upward.
She dried her hair, cared for her skin, slipped into fluffy pajamas, and lounged on the bed fiddling with her phone. Noah opened the door.
“Back?”
“'Scuse me~”
Fresh from her own shower, Noah slipped into Ichinose's room as if it were natural.
She flopped beside her, claiming half the bed.
“Noah. Your hair's still wet. You have to dry it properly.”
“Too lazy. Nose, dry it for me later.”
Noah's plump tail wagged before draping over Ichinose's stomach.
“Hmm... Gonna need a new swimsuit for the beach. You'll shop with me, right Nose?”
“Of course. Let's go together.”
Ichinose had already been chatting in the group with Sion and Clara about swimsuits.
The topic: what kind Rohan would like.
The images and ideas were quite bold.
"Subscribers! From now on, I'm surviving the month on 1 coin!"
The sound of Noah's algorithm-recommended video filled the room.
Soon, she paused it and turned her head while prone, eyeing Ichinose messaging someone.
“Nose. Got a sudden question.”
“A question? What is it?”
“You... um... like, y'know... uhmm...”
The tail on her stomach perked up and swished.
Ichinose set down her smartphone and turned to Noah, eyes open wide.
“This is rare? You're hesitating like this. Did you do something bad?”
“No! Just figuring out how to ask.”
“Just say what's on your mind.”
Following the advice, Noah's round ears twitched. Her blue eyes fixed on Ichinose.
And she asked.
“Nose, do you like Rohan?”
“...!”
A question from Noah, who'd never cared about this stuff.
So the girl was startled.
'No way.'
A hypothesis followed.
Did her actions show so obviously that even romance-indifferent Noah noticed?
“No? Was I wrong?”
“...”
Despite Noah's follow-up,
Eungae Nose stammered, face red, unable to answer.