I Became the Must-Have Character of the Academy City-Chapter 109: Exam Over! Back to Everyday Life!
“This may not be the time for heartfelt reunions, but for now, take this moment to celebrate your survival and rest.”
“...”
Leaving those words behind, Juyeon exited the room.
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Click!
He shut the infirmary door firmly.
Rohan, left in the awkward atmosphere, felt slightly resentful that Juyeon had abandoned him here.
‘Ah, this is embarrassing. I want to run away.’
Noah was idly swaying her tail, her predator-like eyes gleaming as she stared straight at him.
He had no idea what that expression meant.
Ichinose, on the other hand, wasn’t even showing her eyes—her head was simply turned in his direction, which somehow made it even more unnerving.
“...”
Between the swaying of the thin curtain and the silence—
Ichinose gracefully rose from her seat, and Noah quickly followed, standing up in a hurry.
As the two girls strode toward him, Rohan instinctively held his breath.
Clack!
Stopping in front of his bed, Ichinose held her sword against her chest and gave him a respectful bow.
Noah also hurriedly straightened herself and did her best to mimic a formal gesture.
“Putting everything else aside, I just want to thank you, Rohan. Thank you... and I’m really glad you’re safe.”
“Thanks. I’m alive because of you.”
It wasn’t like he deserved gratitude—he had acted on his own accord. But seeing how Juyeon and his conversation had clearly been overheard...
“I’m glad you two are safe as well.”
Feeling awkward about his response, Rohan forced a small, sheepish smile.
“We never intended to eavesdrop on your conversation with the instructor. We just didn’t want to interrupt until he was finished speaking.”
“Yeah! That’s why we stayed quiet!”
Rohan knew exactly what they meant.
It wasn’t even possible for cadets to intentionally eavesdrop on Juyeon in the first place.
“I just woke up, so my head’s still a mess. How’s Corinne?”
Avoiding the awkward topic, Rohan shifted the conversation.
Ichinose hesitated briefly before answering.
“She’s fine. She woke up earlier and even ate with us. She’s sleeping normally now.”
“Corinne was probably exhausted from following me around on the island!”
Noah playfully self-deprecated, trying to lighten the mood.
Ichinose then casually mentioned another update to Rohan.
“You’ve been asleep for about six hours. The sticker was removed by the instructor.”
Oh, right.
Rohan reached for his nape, realizing that the bothersome device had indeed been removed.
“The Kangsul-75 pistol is completely broken. I don’t think it could withstand the mana output.”
“Well, I managed to fire it properly once. It served its purpose well.”
He should probably get himself a proper handgun once they returned.
It’d be best to ask Shion and Clara for advice.
“To be honest, there’s a lot I want to say to you. A lot to ask, and I want to properly thank you.”
“Yeah! Same here!”
Noah nodded enthusiastically, agreeing with Ichinose.
“But for now, I’ll hold back. As the instructor said, you need to rest.”
“Just treat me to a good meal later. We can talk then.”
Rohan smiled as he spoke, just as he usually would.
Ichinose gave a small nod in response.
“I never forget a debt. And food aside, I’ll make sure to repay you somehow.”
“Me too! My dad always said that forgetting a favor is something only beasts do! But I’m not a beast—I’m a beastkin! I won’t forget!”
With that declaration, the two girls vanished like a storm, leaving no room for Rohan’s protests.
Rohan stared at the closed door for a moment, then quietly closed his eyes.
“...”
Click. Click. Click.
Ichinose and Noah walked down the long hallway after leaving the infirmary.
Their steps naturally led them toward the place where the other cadets were gathered, resting.
As they moved—
Noah, who had been gazing up at the ceiling, suddenly let out a chuckle and spoke her mind.
“Haha! This is the first time I’ve ever thought a guy looked cool besides my dad.”
Ichinose stopped dead in her tracks, startled.
She stiffly turned her head toward Noah, her movements creaky, as if struggling to process what she had just heard.
She asked hesitantly, as if she had misheard.
“Noah... what did you just say...?”
“What? It’s true. He’s way better than those guys who just pretend to act manly.”
“That’s...”
Ichinose had always seen Noah get along with everyone, but she had never openly called a guy cool before.
And judging by her expression, she wasn’t joking.
“...Well, it’s just my honest opinion. My heart did beat a little faster.”
“...”
“People always talk about risking their lives, but I’ve never actually seen someone with that kind of unwavering resolve before.”
“I... understand what you mean.”
“And it’s seriously frustrating! I’m too weak! I couldn’t even beat that damn old man... If it were my dad, he would’ve crushed him in one hit! When we get back, I’m training! Training! Training!”
Ichinose watched Noah’s firm resolution and found herself admiring her.
The way she openly expressed even these kinds of feelings—
Ichinose could never do that.
How can she be so honest?
She envied that.
***
The transport vessel was currently en route back to Academy City.
After waking up from his rest in the infirmary, Rohan joined Class 1 where they were gathered and also retrieved his phone, which had been kept in storage.
‘Shion and Clara... I wonder if they’re doing okay.’
The exam had ended sooner than expected.
As their faces flickered through his mind in concern, Rohan turned on his smartphone.
Just as Academy City came into view through the transport vessel’s windows, his phone finally connected to the network.
Bzzz! Bzzz! Bzzz! Bzzzz!
The insane vibrations startled Rohan. He hurriedly silenced them and checked his phone.
Messages had flooded into the group chat.
[Clara: Shion-unnie said she wanted her own personal cup and utensils too, so we’re out shopping! ☆ﾐ(o*･ω･)ﾉ]
[Shion: Clara and I had hamburgers for lunch.]
[Clara: (*•؎ •)]
[Shion: [Photo]]
...
[Clara: We’re back at the dorm! Shion-unnie got hit on 12 times just while we were out! Even a famous agency scouted her! (¬‿¬)]
[Shion: Clara kept her presence completely hidden for over three hours... When she finally spoke to order a burger, the employee asked for her number.]
[Clara: It’s too hard to walk around! We need you, oppa! ✘_✘]
[Shion: Agreed.]
...
[Shion: I’ve been given some meaningless honorary position in Tigrova.]
[Shion: The CCTV footage from the past Monolith incident is no longer a problem. Yuho-nim arranged for it to be handled as an internal investigation within Tigrova.]
‘How many messages is this?’
He hadn’t even scrolled halfway down. There had to be at least hundreds of them.
Before letting them know he was on his way back, Rohan took his time reading through them, a small smile forming on his lips as he saw how well they had been doing.
Around the halfway mark, new messages popped up in real-time.
[Clara: Σ(ʘωʘﾉ)ﾉ Oppa read it!!!]
[Shion: Rohan? Have you been granted rest?]
Rohan chuckled and started typing.
He simply wrote that the exam had ended sooner than expected and that he was on his way back.
He added that he would be arriving shortly.
Just as he considered calling them to hear their voices, Juyeon’s announcement interrupted him.
─ Attention to all Class 1 cadets. The transport vessel will land in five minutes. Remain seated and prepare for arrival.
And with that, they arrived at Orion Academy.
Cadets poured out of the transport vessel in droves, and Juyeon gathered Class 1 to wrap things up.
“This kind of exhaustion won’t disappear overnight, but all of you will report to school tomorrow. There won’t be any lessons, though. Once that’s done, you’ll be given proper time off.”
Since the exam had ended abruptly due to the commotion, everyone had expected this outcome.
Seeing that there was no resistance or complaints, Juyeon continued.
“For today, return to your dorms and focus on resting. If any issues arise, contact your instructor immediately.”
Considering the scale of the incident, the academy wouldn’t be able to just sit idly.
They needed to gather cadet testimonies and ensure proper medical care for those who had sustained even minor injuries.
“Dismissed.”
“““Thank you for your hard work!!!”””
With a loud chorus of voices, the cadets dispersed.
***
Ichinose decided to follow Juyeon’s advice and focus on recovering.
After returning to her dorm, she soaked in warm water to relax her muscles and stretched while speaking to her parents on speakerphone.
Noah had seemingly passed out as soon as she arrived—there were no responses from her in the group chat.
‘Ramen...’
Hunger suddenly struck, and for some reason, ramen popped into her mind.
This had never happened before.
She went to a convenience store to buy some and tried her best to prepare it on her own.
But it tasted awful.
If Rohan’s ramen was a 100, this was barely a 10.
She couldn’t eat it.
In the end, she just brushed her teeth and decided to go to bed.
“Mm...”
A soft, warm bed.
She lay down and closed her eyes. Three minutes passed.
Then, Ichinose found herself sitting up in bewilderment.
‘What’s going on? Why does my pillow feel... off?’
The pillow she had used for so long suddenly felt strangely uncomfortable in a way she had never experienced before.
Had the shape of the back of her head changed?
She sat on the bed and ran her hands over her skull.
It was round. No issues.
Her head had always been well-shaped.
“Hah.”
Scoffing at herself, she grabbed one of the stuffed dolls lined up on her bed and lay back down.
She could definitely sleep.
Compared to the deserted island, this was heaven.
Yet, if she were to rate it objectively—this pillow was a 98.
There was nothing lacking about it.
And yet, there was an odd sense of disappointment.
‘Wanting a 100 # Nоvеlight # is just greed. This is more than enough.’
Her mind drifted into idle thoughts.
Her consciousness blurred as dreamlike images formed in her head.
She reflected on an unforgettable day.
“...”
Rohan’s words and actions surfaced vividly in her mind.
As Noah had said, her heart pounded.
Whoosh!
Ichinose yanked the blanket over her face.
