Relationships: Tiger as a Foothold - 2
‘...’
The lunch that filled my stomach triggered post-meal drowsiness, but even that had come to an end in the late afternoon.
Ichinose finished her assigned preview at the desk, spun her chair around, and looked behind her.
Staring at her own empty bed felt strangely awkward.
Noah, who had been coming every day and claiming the bed, was nowhere to be seen today. Without the barrage of questions, she had finished her preview quota faster than usual.
‘No way she's sleeping already, with dinner time approaching.’
Or maybe she was just rolling around in her room since it was the weekend.
“Hng...”
Taking a break, Ichinose lay on the fluffy bed and hugged a stuffed animal, continuing her thoughts.
Should she go wake her up in Noah's room?
Considering Noah's parents who had entrusted their daughter to her, Ichinose found herself pondering the situation from every angle.
Still.
Setting aside the true intent of what she'd heard, one thing was certain.
‘If Sulkho Daeje saw Noah studying, even he'd be shocked.’
Given her personality, the fact that she wasn't just doing it for three days was praise-worthy in itself.
Noah Frozenheart, devoted to her studies. That image would feel fresh to anyone.
Even Ichinose herself was still getting used to it and found herself surprised every time.
She was showing such a drastic change, so letting her rest a bit on the weekend seemed fine.
It must have been real torture for someone with no habit of studying to even open a book.
‘This cold aura...?’
Clara observed the beauty next to Rohan, just in case.
A beastkin woman radiating healthy allure.
Her height and limbs were long and slender like a model from a fashion magazine, her breasts as ample as that instructor's, and her waist perfectly narrow.
Not a single ounce of excess fat on her exposed midriff.
What selfish genes!
Clara had encountered proof that the world was unfair.
Beyond the captivating looks, there was another crucial point she couldn't ignore.
‘S-strong person...’
Not quite on the level of that red-haired academy instructor Rohan had mentioned, but she could sense abundant mana and an overwhelming presence.
Drawing lessons from her past terror and mistake of being detected, Clara had suppressed her presence even more cleanly now.
She watched the situation intently.
“Boss. This is the friend I mentioned... uh... yeah, that one.”
“Hi! Call me Noah! Nice to meet you!”
At Rohan's introduction, Noah let out a bright, lively voice as if she'd been waiting.
The boss smiled warmly.
“Oh my, thanks for coming all the way to this little out-of-the-way bookstore.”
“This has the best smell of any bookstore I've been to!”
“Hoho, really? I'm grateful you say that.”
“The big chain stores on the main street don't use real wooden shelves, so they don't have this scent!”
Noah chatted on about how the aroma put her at ease, as if she and the boss were old friends.
Rohan stuck out his tongue at her terrifying social skills that made him feel invisible.
“It's better for the store to have some voices rather than being too quiet, so make yourself at home, Miss Noah. Rohan will take good care of you.”
“...Yes, sir. I'll keep an eye on her.”
“Thank you!”
Noah flashed a grin at the boss's parting words as he prepared to leave.
She shot Rohan a triumphant glance.
“Well then, this old man's gotta head out. Enjoy this with the missus.”
The boss picked up the gift Rohan had bought with one hand and left the bookstore.
It wasn't expensive, but seeing the boss in a good mood satisfied Rohan.
“Kuhuhu, studied hard, time to cool my head.”
“Theory practice didn't break you, did it?”
A weird chuckle that didn't match her appearance. Rohan gave a dry laugh and stood at the counter.
He tied on the apron with the bookstore's name.
“What to read~?”
“No ripping open plastic before checkout?”
“I know that much.”
Noah dove into the shelves stacked with manga.
Rohan looked away and scanned the empty store.
He was searching for a certain girl.
‘Where's Clara?’
The chance she hadn't arrived yet was slim.
Had she sensed Noah Frozenheart's clingy energy—like a social monster—and hidden herself?
“Ring this up!”
“Picked already?”
“Yup!”
Noah piled manga on the counter.
The title was A Man Who Cooks and a Picky Woman. Scanning the barcode showed romance comedy and gag genres.
“Volumes 1 to 24? The whole complete series...”
As Rohan beeped them one by one, stacking them aside, Noah giggled.
She spun her payment card between her fingers.
“I'll read it to the end even if it's meh. Love the art style.”
“Search reviews or something.”
“Nah, don't wanna read with preconceptions.”
“Huh... good point. Gimme the card. I'll process it.”
As Rohan reached for it, Noah playfully pulled her hand away.
Her mischievous girl face only made Rohan uneasy.
“I'm a customer. Do it right.”
“...”
“Quick quick! It's a fair request!”
Rohan knew the fastest way to handle this.
Nothing difficult, so just go along. He curved his lips into a sales smile.
“24 volumes total 10 coins 80 tokens. Paper bag is 1 token—need one?”
“No!”
“Loyalty card?”
“Nope!”
Was chatting like this with a classmate cadet fun for her?
Noah's tail swished left and right.
“Card payment?”
“Yes! This one!”
“Installments?”
“Full pay!”
She seemed satisfied with the straightforward handling.
Noah hugged the paid manga with both arms and her tail, moved to a corner, plopped down, and started unwrapping.
First time here, yet the white tiger girl acted right at home.
‘Truly free-spirited.’
Rohan admired her while scanning around again for Clara.
But no luck.
Was she here but hidden too well, or not here at all? He couldn't be sure.
‘Maybe she really didn't come.’
Rohan pulled out his phone and messaged Clara.
The reply came instantly, as if waiting.
Rohan blinked at the message.
Something wrong? He called Clara right away.
Ring ring—
Amid the tone, Clara's voice reached him.
“O-Oppa...”
Not from the phone—from right there.
Now he saw her.
The girl, more shrunken than usual, caught his eye. Rohan stepped from the counter and approached.
“What's up? Something happen?”
“...”
He had a guess, but asked anyway, just in case.
Clara silently tugged the edge of her apron.
Her slightly pursed lips gave off a sulky vibe. To Rohan, it was just cute.
“No Clara to greet me at the start, so my energy's low.”
“...”
“Ate all the macarons?”
A small nod.
“Good girl. Glad you said they were tasty.”
“...”
She gripped the apron tighter, nibbling her lip.
Then footsteps approached. Clara's head snapped to the side.
“Huh? Talking to someone?”
Noah appeared with a manga in hand.
“Eek!”
Clara swallowed a compressed scream and vanished to the opposite side of the store in an instant.
Like a cat spotting a cucumber.
Noah raised her lip in admiration.
“Whoa! Who are you? Feet faster than Nose!”
“A-Ahh... Oppa...”
As Noah's eyes sparkled with interest, Clara shot desperate help-me looks.
Rohan positioned himself between them, blocking the way.
“Go back and finish your manga.”
“I'm not gonna eat her or anything...!”
Noah looked wronged, but no helping it.
Extreme extroverts and introverts need time to understand each other.
“Wanna read manga together? I'm only on volume 1, but it's fun! Bored, so let's chat!”
“Chat...”
Noah peeked from behind Rohan and tried talking.
At the white tiger girl's words, something clicked for Clara, and she murmured.
“Before handing out workbooks and making you review, buzz off. Customer.”
“I'll tell the boss! Forcing study!”
“Go ahead. I'll get praised.”
“Samhwa Nation law bans torture! It's inhumane!”
“Too bad. You're Tigrova, so it doesn't apply. And studying isn't torture.”
Watching the bickering pair, Clara voiced the unfamiliar flutter in her chest.
“O-Okay!”
“See? She's uncomfortable... Huh? What'd you say?”
Rohan turned at Clara's reply.
Thinking he misheard, he looked for confirmation.
Clara's lips trembled as she stared at Noah.
She said it again.
“Let's read manga together... and chat...”