Juyeon and Clara
Juyeon had been moving like a woman possessed ever since she parted ways with Rohan, right up until the call came in from the Elysium Security Bureau.
Drawing on her vast reserves of mana, she conducted her own relentless searches, her mind racing with thoughts.
The monolith site the officers had guided her to. The lingering traces of catastrophe she'd felt there.
The eerie silence that hung in the wake of humanity's disaster.
She remembered that air all too well.
It was as if it whispered that the horrific tragedy had all been an illusion, a lie.
...I built my strength so I wouldn't be powerless, so I wouldn't be inferior.
And yet, before a natural calamity like this, she was still utterly helpless. No clear countermeasures came to mind.
It had been that way in the past, and it was the same now.
The world seemed determined to etch that truth into her soul.
"..."
Was she destined to endure the same hopeless despair as before?
Unable to just sit idly by, she pressed on with her brute-force search—
when her smartphone suddenly blared to life.
Brrring! Brrring!
The name lit up the screen.
[Rohan]
The moment she heard the news, Juyeon bolted full-tilt toward the Elysium Security Bureau.
She streaked across the sky like an arrowhead wreathed in flames.
"General Juyeon, ma'am. As we informed you, we're providing protection for Cadet Rohan and his companions."
"Lead the way."
Under the officer's guidance, the instant she laid eyes on Rohan—
"Instructor!"
She was met with the bright smile of the boy she'd thought she'd never see again.
A storm of emotions surged within her.
Ah...
No single word could capture the tangle of feelings in her heart.
His tattered cadet uniform, stained with blood, tore at her chest—but above all, he had returned alive. That was what mattered most.
Following her heart's pull, Juyeon strode toward her disciple.
She pulled Rohan, seated in his chair, into a tight embrace.
Gently, she stroked the hair of the boy frozen in shock.
That past still haunted her.
If her little brother had come home safe that day, would it have felt like this joy?
She opened her mouth, feeling for the first time how those heart-wrenching memories had loosened their grip today.
"...I'm so glad you're safe."
Buried in her bosom, barely breathing, Rohan sensed the raw emotion in her voice and touch.
Her embrace carried a sweet, rich scent like ripe fruit—but now wasn't the time for such stray thoughts.
Her arms relaxed.
Rohan lifted his head to meet her gaze.
"Sorry for worrying you, Instructor."
"Honestly... I've never had a student like you before."
"I fall short of your expectations."
"It was an unavoidable natural disaster, so I won't scold you. Praising your return is only right."
Juyeon winced inwardly as she said it.
His clothes were in such bad shape—had she hurt any injuries by hugging him?
"Rohan. How are your wounds? Have you been treated?"
"I'll report on that and everything else. I just got back, so I haven't had a chance to go over it properly."
The officers had already heard the situation from Rohan and Clara. Reporting upward and sharing with other nations was urgent.
But interrupting Juyeon? Not an option.
They stood quietly in the corner, holding their breath until it ended.
Then—
Her blazing gaze turned to the officers.
"I'll sit in as Rohan's guardian. That all right?"
"Yes, of course."
Relieved they could finally do their jobs, the officers moved quickly.
They took seats across from Rohan and Clara, switched on the recorder, and set up their equipment.
Hm?
As materials for the investigation were laid out on the table—
Juyeon's eyes shifted.
Only now did she notice the girl sitting beside Rohan.
She looked stiff with tension.
Juyeon recognized her instantly.
This presence... from the bookstore where Rohan works...?
She was certain who this beautiful girl was.
The visual from the footage was one thing, but this quiet aura felt so familiar.
The girl kept stealing glances at her, huddled in shyness. Juyeon had a flood of questions.
But not now. She waited for the officers to speak.
"Before we start the interview, as we mentioned earlier, if you're not feeling well, you can get treated first."
Rohan pondered where to begin in response to the officer.
He placed his hand over Clara's trembling one to calm her, his voice soft and steady.
"I know it's hard to believe looking like this, but no lies—my body's perfectly fine."
The officers nodded slightly, jotting notes.
They were all ears, urging him to continue.
"I took a lot of damage there, even lost an arm. But when I woke up back here, the arm was reattached."
"The arm... reattached?"
Juyeon and the officers showed clear surprise.
They didn't even know what "there" meant, let alone grasp the situation.
"Not just that—the lacerations, cuts, all healed up. As you can see, the torn clothes didn't come back, though."
The officers' skeptical looks turned to Clara.
Under tension, the girl nodded in firm agreement with Rohan.
"We'd like to hear from the moment you encountered the monolith. Mind if we ask questions?"
The bespectacled man with sharp features—an officer Rohan didn't recognize.
A pity, but Rohan figured his vagueness had sparked their curiosity, so he dove in.
"There are some parts I can't explain fully."
"Can't explain...?"
Some restriction? Juyeon and the officers grew serious.
But Rohan glanced at Clara beside him, signaling it was about her.
"I'm already a registered citizen of Academy City Elysium. So I'll share all my info openly for the city's benefit."
"..."
"But Clara, who helped me get back from there, has an immigration application pending. She's been waiting ages for citizenship."
Without Clara, none of this info would have reached the outside.
Rohan stressed it repeatedly.
Clara wasn't a fugitive. Her home country was known.
"Her current nation might not want monolith-related info leaked."
As Rohan's explanation took on clear purpose, the officers noted it down calmly.
"We've heard there's been an uptick in cases like this amid all the chaos in various countries. Immigration processing takes at least nine months—we're aware."
One officer finished, and the one beside him picked up seamlessly.
"Even so, administrative matters are outside our Security Bureau's purview. We only handle criminal record checks on request from agencies—can't really intervene."
A roundabout way of saying they couldn't pull strings.
Rohan had assumed the Bureau's authority overshadowed all city agencies, expecting a yes. This was unexpected.
"I'm confident the info I have is worth a lot."
"On that front, we were planning to form a committee to assess merits and award a bounty."
Money incoming—nice, but backing down felt like a waste.
"Hmm... If it's meritorious, shouldn't it help with immigration?"
Rohan crossed his arms, leaning back with a dissatisfied frown.
His posture screamed hardline refusal. The officers looked flustered.
"Mind pausing the recording for a sec?"
Juyeon's voice cut in as she watched.
The officers exchanged glances and stopped it.
"Rohan."
"Yes, ma'am!"
Rohan snapped to attention like he was about to bare his belly, making the officers' expressions waver.
"These folks can't give firm commitments on other agencies' business."
"Yes, I know. But I figured the Bureau could negotiate. Plus—"
He knew Clara was suffering in some cramped, un-air-conditioned hole.
Most waiting immigrants were, sure—but she was right there.
He couldn't look away.
Listening intently, Juyeon curved her lips faintly.
Then she reached out and pinched Rohan's cheek.
What to make of this boy? Admirable, yet worrisome in so many ways.
"Rohan. Whatever the facts, this is demanding the Bureau interfere in another agency's affairs. You get that you're being unreasonable, right? Apologize first."
"Sorry for being unreasonable!"
Cheek stretched, Rohan bowed his head.
The officers chalked it up to their own misunderstanding, exchanging apologies.
"Good job. Don't worry about your friend's immigration."
"Huh?"
All eyes in the room—Rohan, Clara, the officers—turned to Juyeon.
"I'll handle that part."
..
..
After that, things smoothed out.
For Sion, he vaguely said she'd vanished after they exited the space.
Rohan showed his phone's timer and scattered photos, unleashing a torrent of info that left Juyeon and the officers reeling. Midway, he excused himself briefly, remembering his Flower Lily Bookstore shift.
About four hours later.
The exhausting interrogation wrapped up. Rohan and Clara emerged from the Bureau in their grubby state.
But it wasn't over.
More calls and visits seemed likely.
Outside, night had fallen.
Juyeon's gaze settled on Clara.
"Your name's Clara, right?"
"Ah, uh, y-yes..."
Even knowing she was Rohan's friend, Juyeon addressed her politely, calling her over.
Clara mumbled softly that she could speak casually.
"You're living alone, yes?"
The girl nodded shyly at Juyeon's words.
"Then how about coming to our place? Wash up, get some food."
"...!"
Rohan, who'd been listening quietly, jolted upright, his neck cracking audibly as he whipped around.
Clara's head snapped up in shock too.
She met Juyeon's gentle smile.
"We have things to discuss about your immigration, and I owe you thanks for helping Rohan."