Best Connections Ever!!!
“Ah! It’s Clara!”
Even from a distance, I could clearly see Noah Frozenheart’s eyes sparkling with interest.
At the same time, the tiger girl wove through the bustling crowd without bumping into a single person.
The moment Clara appeared right in front of her, Noah flashed her signature cheerful grin and kicked off the ground.
“Come heeeere!!”
“Eek...!”
In an instant, Noah closed the gap with a bear hug.
And Clara’s graceful evasion, slipping perfectly behind me.
After missing once, Noah didn’t press with a second or third attempt.
Instead, she turned toward the approaching Ichinose, her voice bubbling with excitement.
“Nose! Did you see that? Told ya, she’s super fast!”
“Noah... you should apologize first. Even if we’re the same gender, hugging someone without permission is a crime.”
At Ichinose’s prim response, Noah pouted her lips.
Urged to apologize quickly, Noah drooped her tail and ears as she mumbled, “Sorry...”
Clara nodded that it was fine, her eyes darting around busily.
Th-that person... no way...
The woman sticking close to Noah Frozenheart.
Jet-black hime-cut hair, eyes always closed, delicate features, refined aura, a petite and adorable frame even smaller than Clara’s own.
Every trait matched perfectly.
Ichinose Yui...!
Just like Noah Frozenheart, a celebrity impossible to miss.
A famous figure no one would dare approach casually.
“Looks like you two are heading out for lunch?”
I spoke up as I glanced at Ichinose and Noah, while gesturing reassuringly to Clara, who was clutching my collar tightly—it’s fine, don’t worry.
“They’re doing a collab at the restaurant here.”
“...A collab?”
As I raised an eyebrow in question, Ichinose cracked her eyes open just a sliver, her expression utterly serious as she informed me.
“It’s Waterdrop Friends. Do you know Uloolee and Bluebee?”
“Ah!”
Recalling Ichinose’s favorite characters, I let out a short gasp of understanding.
Sion, who’d been listening quietly, shrugged her shoulders with a subtle chuckle.
Ichinose recognized Sion from their previous encounter at the merch shop and gave a polite nod.
“Noah’s not into Waterdrop Friends... but she’s perfect for powering through meals until the merch we want drops.”
Impossible for petite Ichinose to match Noah’s big appetite.
Proud of her eating prowess, Noah—without an ounce of fat on her—patted her flat stomach pow pow to show off.
“Weren’t you all headed there too?”
“Nah, we were just gonna grab something quick nearby.”
Ichinose quietly noted the unique presences of the women clustered around me.
Just as Noah said, that girl Clara’s instantaneous movement had been impressive.
A new name, yet skills like that? Naturally intriguing.
Oblivious or not to Ichinose’s thoughts, Noah wagged her revived tail energetically as she asked me and the two girls.
“Wanna come eat with us?”
“Noah, we booked a table for two. No room.”
“Eh? We did? But I hate cramped tables!”
“It won’t be cramped. Still, it’s a two-top reservation, so unfortunately, we can’t join.”
Ichinose picked up on Clara’s unease around Noah.
Lots of curiosity and questions, sure—but forcing a shy girl like that along? Not cool.
A brief lull in the conversation.
Ichinose straightened her sword and addressed me, the apparent center of our group.
“We’ll be off then.”
“Bye-bye! Clara and elf friend! See ya next time!”
As I waved and said we’d catch up in afternoon class, Noah flailed her hand wildly before blending into the crowd with Ichinose.
Then.
I turned to Sion, who’d gone quiet.
“...”
The girl’s gaze on Noah’s retreating back seemed heavy with thoughts.
Even so, I had no intention of stepping in. Acting or not—either was fine.
This was for Sion to decide on her own.
As Noah grew more distant, Sion’s conflict deepened; she bit her lower lip and shook her head.
Shifting her eyes to me, after a brief exchange of glances, she seemed to resolve something.
She took a step forward and parted her lips.
“Wait...!”
Whoever she was calling, that clear, bell-like voice halted everyone in earshot.
Of course, that included the sharp-sensed Ichinose and Noah.
“Were you calling us?”
“Sorry for holding you up when you’re busy...”
To Ichinose’s question, Sion affirmed with maximum courtesy, as far as her knowledge allowed.
“Not at all. We’ve got time to spare.”
So, what’s up? The vibe hung in the air.
Sion’s gaze drifted from Ichinose to Noah, who was yawning wide enough to show her tonsils.
“Lady Noah Frozenheart.”
“Huh? Me?”
Even if Noah had just called her “elf friend,” such heavy formality pulled an involuntary formal reply from Noah too.
This wasn’t her homeland Tigrova, after all.
“I am the last bloodline to carry the name Testarosa, daughter of the former king Weber Testarosa and Queen Melissa Testarosa: Sion Testarosa.”
“Testarosa? What’s that?”
“...Testarosa?!”
Unlike Noah, Ichinose’s perpetually closed eyes snapped open.
Her expression grew more shocked the more she mulled over the name.
Well-versed in history and intel, Ichinose couldn’t hide her confusion at “Testarosa.”
“What? Nose, you know her?”
“Sigh... What am I supposed to do when even you don’t know?”
Too long to explain on the spot.
And as a Samhwa Nation native, was it even okay to mention usurpation right in front of a Testarosa?
Ichinose wasn’t even sure if this elf girl truly carried Testarosa blood.
If it all checked out, though... Rohan was the real mystery.
What the hell has he been up to...?
Ichinose’s golden eyes sought answers from me like a lifeline, but I just flashed a sly grin.
Meanwhile, Noah and Sion’s exchange continued.
“I wish to request an audience with the Snow Tiger Emperor.”
“You wanna meet my dad?”
“Yes.”
Noah lumbered closer, narrowing the gap until their noses nearly touched.
Sion stood firm, head unbowed, accepting the approach.
“Hmm?”
Did her keen tiger instincts spot something in Sion’s eyes?
Satisfied, Noah lowered her head and sniffed deeply at the elf girl’s neck.
After a long, focused sniff, she looked up.
“Alright. I’ll ask him.”
“...You believe me?”
“Believe? Nah, I’m too dumb to even get the story.”
With that, Noah whipped out her smartphone from her pocket and hit call without hesitation.
It rang once before connecting.
“Dad! Busy?”
I watched Noah with keen interest.
On the other end, Tigrova’s ruler, the Snow Tiger Emperor himself, no doubt.
Even as his daughter, the direct line to one of the world’s top powerhouses felt surreal.
“I’m about to eat with Nose! You had lunch yet?”
Casual father-daughter chit-chat flowed freely.
My group and Ichinose watched quietly.
Before getting to the point, their small talk stretched on. I mulled over the info in my head.
Snow Tiger Emperor... total daughter-con, just like the forums guessed?
In Abyss City, he was name-dropped endlessly but had no player encounter route.
Patches might’ve added him eventually, but I was beyond that now.
Curiosity thumped in my chest.
“I met an elf here in Academy City? Says she’s daughter of that Weber Testarosa guy... she right?”
Sion nodded quickly at Noah’s mutter.
“She wants to meet you. Whaddya think?”
Mm. Mm. Mm. Reflexive replies echoed from Noah as the Emperor spoke.
Sometime later, she pocketed the phone and gave Sion the answer she’d been waiting for.
“Anytime’s fine. Sooner the better, he says.”
“!!!”
“Dad agreeing like this? Wild.”
The Snow Tiger Emperor wasn’t someone you just met easily—yet the appointment landed with zero fuss.
Daughter’s request? Or reaction to “Testarosa”?
Impossible for us to know.
“...Rohan.”
“Yeah. What’s up?”
I gave her a weary smile.
Perking up, Sion stepped closer, her voice light and excited. Her breasts, hidden under the hoodie, brushed tantalizingly close.
“Can I head to Tigrova today? I’ll make it quick.”
Ichinose and Noah couldn’t help but exchange puzzled looks at the girl seeking my permission.
Had they ever met an elf so friendly toward a human?