I Became the Must-Have Character of the Academy City-Chapter 95: A Comfortable Pillow

"Sit here."

At Ichinose’s invitation, Rohan straightened his back and stood up.

The glow of the campfire cast a warm light on her face, making her expression look softer than usual.

"Hurry up. You’re not planning to make me ask three times, are you?"

Without any protest, Rohan moved closer and sat down next to her, right where she had patted.

"..."

The makeshift seat, made from laid-out clothes, acted as both a mat and an unspoken boundary.

Even so, their shoulders lightly brushed.

For Ichinose, it was a seat with plenty of space. But with Rohan’s larger build, the proximity was unavoidable.

"Aren’t you cold?"

This chapt𝒆r is updated by frёewebηovel.cѳm.

"Not at all. My clothes are still damp, but the fire keeps me warm."

"If you catch a cold, this test is over for you. Make sure to take care of yourself."

"Hehe... I really lucked out with my partner. Living luxuriously on this deserted island."

Ichinose pulled her knees to her chest, gazing at the flickering flames.

The fire had almost died earlier, barely clinging to life, but under Rohan’s touch, it had been revived.

Now, the flames crackled and consumed the firewood eagerly, keeping their space warm.

"I wonder if Noah’s doing okay. He gets weak fast when he’s hungry, so I’m a little worried."

"Don’t worry too much. He might have already found some hidden food stash and is stuffing his face."

Ichinose chuckled at the thought.

It was better to think positively than to dwell on things she couldn’t solve.

But that wasn’t always easy.

"I at least told him not to hold out if he really couldn’t handle it. If things get too bad, he should just remove the sticker. The effect was much stronger than I expected."

"That applies to us too. If it gets unbearable, we should take it off."

Ichinose slowly turned her head to look at Rohan.

She wasn’t sure about herself, but judging by his actions today, Rohan looked like he could endure five days with ease.

"..."

With every moment, her curiosity about Rohan’s past only grew.

But she knew better than to ask.

In the southern regions, prying into someone’s past was like poking at an old wound.

It wasn’t something to be brought up carelessly.

"For now, just feeling reassured by my partner is enough."

As her tension eased, Ichinose let her eyes close slightly, enjoying the warmth of the fire.

The heat against her skin, the steady presence beside her—it all felt unexpectedly comforting.

"This test being on a deserted island... it wasn’t hard to predict what kind of challenges we’d face."

"Yeah, the academy practically hinted at it."

"So Noah and I watched survivalist videos and borrowed books on the subject."

"Oh? They have those?"

"I picked up a lot of theories and knowledge, but... experiencing it firsthand is completely different."

"That’s how it is in every field. Just because theory and practice don’t match perfectly doesn’t mean theory is useless, though."

Rohan nodded, snapping a branch in half and feeding it to the fire.

"Speaking of theory, how was the written test?"

"Thanks to you, I managed to answer most of it. Didn’t even have time to doodle in the corners like I did on the placement exam."

"That’s great."

"Well, after all the nagging you did, I had to do at least that much."

"I never thought of it as nagging. Your sharp questions actually made me reflect on theory a lot."

As they chatted, Rohan reached for the pile of gathered firewood.

Some of it was damp, but if they used it sparingly, they should be able to make it through the night without issue.

"Still, real education comes more from experience than just reading books—"

Ichinose’s voice trailed off into a murmur.

Her words grew softer, slower.

It was late, far past the time she would normally be asleep.

With her hunger and thirst temporarily satisfied, exhaustion took hold.

The sticker’s effects, amplifying their bodily needs, pushed her drowsiness to its limits.

"..."

Rohan quietly watched her.

Her arms wrapped around her knees, her head slowly bobbing.

And then, in just a few seconds, she slumped forward.

At first glance, it looked like she was just resting her eyes, but she was definitely asleep.

"Well... it makes sense."

Rohan himself was battling the weight of sleep pulling down on his eyelids.

It was a strong, almost irresistible urge—if he let his guard down even for a moment, he’d be out.

But he had his own tricks.

By constantly cycling through stimulating memories, he could push off sleep for at least a day or two.

"..."

He looked at Ichinose again.

And then he thought—

"Should I just let her sleep?"

It didn’t seem realistic to take turns keeping watch tonight.

Letting her rest properly to recover her condition was probably the smarter choice.

He kept feeding the fire, maintaining the warmth.

And then—

"...Mmm."

Ichinose’s body leaned over.

Her head gently landed on Rohan’s shoulder.

"!"

Rohan immediately snapped to full awareness.

This was like one of those cliché train ride moments.

A surprise so fresh, it completely wiped away any lingering drowsiness.

"If you sleep like that, your neck’s going to hurt. Just lie down properly."

He intended to shift away, planning to lay her down on the spread-out clothes instead.

Carefully, he cupped her head with his palm and started moving.

But just as he tried to pull away—

Ichinose let out a steady breath and, in her sleep, grabbed onto his shirt.

"Instructor... this time, I’ll..."

Her murmured words made Rohan chuckle at first.

But then—

"What the hell?"

When he tried to gently pry her fingers off, they didn’t budge.

Even starting with her pinky and working his way up, her grip remained firm.

Just how many swords had she swung for her grip strength to be this strong, even without using mana?

If he forced her hand open, her fingers might get injured.

"..."

That left Rohan with only one option.

"I guess I’ll just stay still."

***

‘Huh?’

When Ichinose woke up, the first thing she saw was the small flickering flames of the campfire, radiating a faint warmth.

A thick layer of ash had built up, showing just how much wood had been burned.

‘It’s quiet...’

Her hazy mind slowly registered that the torrential rain had stopped.

Even without opening her eyes, she could tell—the gentle sound of the wind made it clear.

Was it okay to sleep a little longer? Her head felt foggy, unable to fully organize her thoughts.

The comfort she felt was strange, almost too pleasant. She was about to let herself drift back into sleep when—

Like a bolt of lightning, a sudden realization struck her.

‘Wait...’

When had she fallen asleep?

And what was she using as a pillow right now?

She cautiously traced her senses.

She was resting on something solid and broad.

Not an object—it was warm.

‘...’

Should she get up? A subtle sense of unease crept in, making her hesitate to open her eyes.

But there was no avoiding it.

If she kept her eyes closed, her innate perception skill would only sharpen, forcing the information onto her anyway.

‘No way... it can’t be.’

Resigned, she slowly opened her eyes.

She started to shift, intending to look up at the rocky ceiling.

But instead of the ceiling—

She was met with a familiar face.

"Did you sleep well?"

Rohan, arms crossed and leaning casually against the wall, looked down at her with a calm expression.

Ichinose, unable to process reality, simply blinked in a daze.

Rohan continued explaining as if nothing was out of the ordinary.

"The sun just started rising. You woke up at the perfect time."

"..."

Still half-conscious, Ichinose reached out hesitantly—

And realized she had been resting on Rohan’s thigh.

As the realization hit her, it was as if a flashbang had gone off in her mind, turning everything blank.

"Ah...? Ahhh...!!"

Her lips trembled, her face growing redder by the second.

The heat built up to the point of near explosion—

And she shot up like a spring-loaded trap.

"Full of energy this morning, huh?"

With that, the second day of survival began.

Rohan chuckled in satisfaction at Ichinose’s rather spirited awakening.

"The ground is completely soaked. Feels disgusting."

"..."

"Wonder if we’ll see another Horned Bird today. There’s no way we’re eating Gero Eyes or Mud Slimes."

Rohan acted like nothing had happened.

Ichinose, however, kept her lips firmly sealed, gripping her sword and following behind him.

"If we don’t find anything, we could try fishing by the shore."

"T-that sounds like a good idea!"

After multiple failed attempts, Ichinose finally managed to speak again.

Her head was still down, but at least she seemed to be recovering.

"Have you ever fished before—huh?"

Rohan’s words trailed off.

Ichinose, noticing his sudden change in focus, lifted her gaze.

His eyes were fixed on the sky.

She followed his line of sight.

"...What is that?"

That’s when she saw it too.

The sky where the transport ship had passed—

Something was descending.

Not just one or two, but many.

Across the island, square containers were falling, each one trailing a bright red smoke.

They were attached to parachutes, spreading out evenly across different locations.

Rohan’s eyes widened in recognition.

‘Airdrop supplies!’

He recalled what Juyeon had mentioned on the transport ship.

Supplies would be dropped where everyone could see them.

It had been mentioned in advance.

"Looks like it’s a supply drop."

"Oh! Right, they did mention that."

"The closest one is over there."

Rohan pointed °• N 𝑜 v 𝑒 l i g h t •° at one of the descending crates.

Immediately, they adjusted their course.

"Wait."

Ichinose’s voice made Rohan halt mid-step.

When he turned back, she was standing still, eyes closed, as if deep in thought.

"Something that obvious... there’s a high chance we’ll run into other teams, right?"

"We should assume we will."

"What’s the plan?"

Her question was clear in its intent.

Rohan’s answer was just as direct.

"The instructor said she’d allow fights as long as they don’t cross the line."

Ichinose nodded in understanding.

With that, the two of them resumed their march toward the supply drop.