Meeting and Carrot -2-
“Hmhm~”
Whenever Carrot passed through this street, she made a beeline for her favorite café.
It was the ideal spot that no rabbit beastkin could resist.
Occasionally, there were days when she visited the street solely for the café itself—and today was one of them.
With the academy on break, she suddenly had time on her hands and nothing pressing to do.
She wanted to bask in the warm sunlight and take a leisurely stroll.
Normally, I’d be training or something.
Unlike her appearance, Carrot’s body wasn’t fully recovered yet.
She’d heard that Instructor Ed was in the same boat, spending his time in Academy City recovering with his wife.
As academy instructors, they had to be back in shape before the break ended.
Sigh… It’s so pitiful not having someone to look after you when you’re sick.
The mysterious woman who had infiltrated Academy City without a sound. The unidentified monsters she commanded. The chilling man with a clock in his pupil.
Recalling those she’d faced, Carrot keenly felt her own shortcomings.
If Juyeon hadn’t protected her in that moment when the monsters self-destructed, she’d either be dead or gravely injured.
Was it because she was reflecting on that time of utter powerlessness?
Her rabbit ears drooped limply, beyond her control—and she could see it herself.
As her lack of energy showed on her face, Carrot jolted in surprise and snapped out of it.
No, no way…! Smile! Gotta smile to look cuter!
She slapped her cheeks—smack! smack!—to lift her spirits. Pulling out her phone, she turned on the camera and used it like a mirror.
Forcing the corners of her mouth up into a smile. Propping up her drooping rabbit ears.
Today, carrot aid size up!
She desperately needed a mood boost. Carrot quickened her pace toward the café.
Today, she planned to indulge in delicious treats, wander aimlessly, and burn through time.
Just then, the café sign came into view.
“!?”
Carrot sensed it. Juyeon’s presence emanating from inside the café.
Juyeon must have detected her far sooner.
What’s she doing here? Don’t tell me Instructor Juyeon’s finally discovered the true flavor of carrots…!
Entering the café, Carrot headed straight inside without ordering for the first time.
One by one, the figures blurred by Juyeon’s overwhelming presence registered in her senses.
Across from Juyeon. Someone sitting with her came into focus.
Carrot quietly peeked around the corner to check.
That guy with her…
A familiar face. Cadet Rohan.
The cadet with all sorts of rumors swirling around him.
What’s going on here?
What on earth was this intriguing, entertaining scene?
Of course, she wasn’t jumping to idle fantasies.
Instructors and cadets meeting during break wasn’t impossible depending on the circumstances.
If that was the case, she’d understand.
But that soft, contented smile on Juyeon’s face.
Carrot could swear it was special.
She’d never seen Juyeon smile so brightly before.
“…”
Carrot pulled her head back and continued thinking.
Guess I should leave them be.
Just as she suppressed her curiosity and turned to go—
Juyeon’s voice rang out clearly.
“What is Instructor Carrot doing lurking there?”
*****
At Juyeon’s voice, Carrot’s ears popped out from behind the wall.
Followed by her face peeking out cautiously.
Rohan confirmed the sudden arrival and stood from his seat.
“Instructor Carrot! Good to see you!”
“Hi hi~”
Carrot approached with light steps.
Pressing down on Rohan’s shoulders to seat him again, she tossed a bubbly greeting at Juyeon and seamlessly continued.
“Didn’t expect to find you here, Instructor Juyeon. I came for a drink and got such a surprise!”
“It’s the place you’ve been recommending for ages.”
“How is it? To your taste?”
“The coffee’s quite good.”
“Ehh, Instructor Juyeon. This place is more about—than coffee.”
Carrot rolled her eyes playfully, checking Rohan’s drink.
Her eyes widened in delight.
“Whoa! Cadet Rohan knows his stuff!”
A carrot aide sat before Rohan.
In this café, carrot juice was one thing, but a carrot aide was rare for anyone but rabbit beastkin.
“Figured it was the signature menu, so I tried it.”
“How’s the taste?”
“I’ll be thinking about it often.”
“Right? Right!”
Carrot nodded vigorously with a vibrant expression.
Then, as if snapping to attention, she turned to Juyeon and explained the situation.
“Oh! Like I said, I just happened to come here, and I absolutely wasn’t trying to interrupt or eavesdrop! No way, no how!”
As Carrot hurriedly laid out her innocence, Juyeon assured her it was fine.
Taking a sip of her coffee, she spoke again.
“It’ll be common knowledge among the instructors soon enough. If it were something that couldn’t be shared outside, I wouldn’t have discussed it here.”
“Did Cadet Rohan cause some trouble?”
At Carrot’s remark, Rohan fell silent.
Watching him, Juyeon pondered briefly.
There’s no one better than Instructor Carrot at gently admonishing cadets.
Juyeon hadn’t called him just to reprimand him outright. She wanted to hear the full story and offer praise too.
With her hope that the praise would outweigh any critique, Carrot was the perfect fit.
“Since we’ve run into each other, why don’t you join us, Instructor Carrot?”
“Huh, is that okay?”
“No need to force it if you have business or are busy.”
“No! I didn’t have anything planned anyway!”
Grabbing a chair from the next table, Carrot said she’d just order a drink and stepped away.
…
…
With the cake and bread Carrot brought, the table grew abundant.
Rohan munched on carrot-flavored bread as he began recounting the Samhwa Nation incident.
Skipping the minutiae, he focused on the key points: while driving a rental car, he’d had a minor collision with a truck from a company called Cheongnim.
Wanting to check the truck for insurance purposes, the driver blocked him, leading to friction.
Managing to peek inside, he spotted people in containers and suspicious drugs—right before burly men dragged him into a building.
Then came the fight with Cheongnim’s Hwa brothers.
Emphasizing that he’d won without serious injury, Rohan wrapped up.
“…”
Juyeon crossed her arms and glanced at Carrot.
Carrot got the message—it was her cue.
“Cadet Rohan!”
“Yes!”
“You did great! So commendable! Here’s a pat from Carrot~ Pat pat~”
“Thank you!”
Carrot stroked the head of Rohan, who was much larger than her.
“But the method was risky. It was mostly improvisation, right?”
“You’re absolutely right.”
“If you’d gotten dragged in on purpose and faced villains too strong to handle, you wouldn’t be sitting here.”
“…Point taken.”
“Companies like that, operating under a corporate name for their crimes, are sensitive to attention. In those cases, you should’ve caused a scene before letting them take you—”
Rohan nodded mechanically to Carrot’s words.
He couldn’t mention that he’d gone along because he knew who they were.
Adding excuses would just drag this out.
“Still, the outcome was good! Protecting the innocent deserves praise! Right, Instructor Juyeon?”
“Mm. A fine deed.”
“Instructor Juyeon, give Cadet Rohan a pat too!”
“No, that’s…”
A troubled look crossed Juyeon’s face.
But Carrot stuck to her educational principles. No exceptions, not even for Juyeon.
“Instructor Juyeon! Don’t educators need a clear mix of carrot and stick?”
“…”
Such an obvious, correct point. Caught up in Carrot’s energy, Juyeon glanced at Rohan.
Sensing his chance, Rohan bowed his head eagerly.
“I’d be honored!”
“…”
Did I make a mistake inviting Carrot? Juyeon sensed it was too late for regrets.
She slowly extended her hand toward Rohan.
Her hand settled atop his head. Gently stroking.
She’d patted him before in the past, maybe. But doing it at someone’s urging felt unbearably ticklish.
“You’ve gotta say it with actions too! Good boy! Good boy! Pat pat~ Pat pat~”
“Y-Yeah, good boy… Pat… good… boy…”
Juyeon’s voice and fingertips trembled. Even for Rohan, enduring this wasn’t easy.
A situation he’d never even imagined.
He squeezed his eyes shut. Biting his lips to stifle a laugh.
If I laugh, I’m toast. Laugh and I’m toast. Laugh and I’m toast.
Repeating the mantra, he held out until the praise ended.
A crisis rivaling his encounter with Omega on the uninhabited island.
“What a heartwarming mentor-cadet bond.”
Carrot clapped happily, wrapping up the mediation.
“Hoo…!”
Juyeon, her face unusually flushed, exhaled deeply.
Rohan swallowed hard and lifted his head, feigning composure.
“So!”
“Huh?”
After a bite of carrot cake, Carrot suddenly leaned into Rohan’s face.
As he’d felt during the bell game, her tempo was lightning-fast.
“Don’t you have more to explain, Cadet Rohan?”
A trip to Samhwa Nation with Ichinose Yui and Noah Frozenheart.
There had to be more she hadn’t heard yet.
Carrot’s ears perked up.
“…”
Juyeon, who had closed her eyes to compose herself, turned her gaze to Rohan as well.