“That’s… I have plans today, so it might be tough.”
“…!”
The girl froze like a statue.
Even Rohan had never seen Clara this shocked before.
She couldn’t continue speaking, her lips just trembling.
What should I do here?
Rohan knows.
“Instead!”
Clara’s courage had reached its limit at the first invitation, but he knew he shouldn’t stop talking.
So, with a joyful heart, he sincerely offers.
This opportunity is precious to Rohan too.
“How about tomorrow? I’ll buy you something to drink. Or any other day you’re free.”
“B-but, you must be busy, no need to push yourself for someone like me…”
“Someone like you? You shouldn’t underestimate yourself like that.”
Rohan’s intuition tells him that Clara’s mind is probably blank except for apologies.
And since he had already told her to stop apologizing, she must be at a loss for words.
Rohan speaks up again and takes action.
“Here, take this.”
“…?”
Should he just grab the delicate girl’s hand and lead her?
As Rohan offers his apron like a leash, Clara looks puzzled but quietly takes it.
“Let’s go.”
“Wh-where to?”
Rohan steps back, maintaining eye contact with the shrinking Clara as they move.
He leads the girl to the table next to the counter.
And sits her down.
He opens the snacks left by the manager and brews some warm tea, placing it in front of Clara.
The girl alternates her gaze between the tea and snacks laid out before her and Rohan. She clearly doesn’t understand the situation.
“…Um, what’s this?”
“There’s too much for me to eat alone, right? I was hoping you could help me.”
Rohan casually hands her a snack.
Clara hesitantly takes it and expresses her thanks.
Rohan watches the girl nibble on the snack like a hamster.
And picks up the conversation again.
“Sorry. I really don’t usually have plans, but it just happened to get tangled up like this.”
“Ah, no! It’s because I spoke without thinking…”
“How about tomorrow? Are you busy?”
Clara shakes her head side to side. She’s not busy.
Her short twin tails and the ribbons on her clothes sway together.
“Then tomorrow, I’ll treat you to something delicious in exchange for helping with the weekly boss.”
Rohan extends his finger as a sign of promise.
Clara hesitates for a moment, then nods deeply and hooks her finger with his.
*****
The princess, as always…
I told the elders that I was going to train.
I left the tracking device in the ruins and set foot in the academy city of Elysium.
On the surface, it looks like a deviation, but deep down, it’s a desperate struggle to break free from the doubts rooted in my heart.
*Click!*
The princess, having arrived at the meeting point in Area 2, removed the goggles she was wearing and placed them in their case.
She lowered the mask that had been pulled up to her eyes.
She knew she had to blend in as naturally as possible with her outfit.
‘…’
She raised her head while walking down the street.
The dazzling signs and lights in her field of vision.
The princess, having lived in ruins with no infrastructure, was genuinely amazed by the prosperity of the academy city after sunset.
‘Two hours…’
To the princess, the academy city was nothing short of a bundle of curiosity and fascination.
The two hours waiting for the meeting felt insufficient.
If she wandered around on her own, that time would fly by in no time.
*Step. Step. Step.*
She walked along, following the flow of pedestrians.
How should she describe this mix of excitement and worry making her heart race?
“…”
The girl, who had been moving briskly, slowed her pace.
A hint of wariness sprouted within her.
‘What’s missing?’
The princess felt eyes on her with every step.
She thought she had dressed as naturally as possible, recalling a similar situation before, but the attention remained.
‘There’s no hostility in their gaze.’
Still, it bothered her.
Perhaps it was a sign that she hadn’t achieved harmony in some unexpected aspect of her appearance.
‘…I should ask if there’s anything awkward about my appearance during the meeting.’
The princess naturally shifted her steps toward the shopping mall.
She had known the currency system since childhood. Thanks to that, she always carried a few coins for emergencies.
Living in an uninhabitable area, killing monsters, and rummaging through abandoned homes, she occasionally picked up dusty coins.
Riding the escalator in the mall, she continued to explore each floor.
The princess got off on a lively floor and looked around.
‘There are many humans wearing similar clothes.’
She vaguely remembered hearing that it was the uniform of an educational institution called the Academy.
She deduced that it was likely because this floor had many stores selling school and office supplies.
How long had she been wandering around the floor?
“!”
The princess’s sharp eyes caught sight of a familiar blue sign.
[Waterdrop Friends]
The princess quickened her pace subtly.
Her lips twitched, betraying her otherwise cold expression.
‘…I didn’t expect this store to be in Area 2 too.’
Back when she had secretly slipped into the academy city before, she had met a chubby dragon and…
The store where I bought the memo pad and pen with the simple shark character was the same brand.
As the princess approached, the automatic door slid open smoothly.
A bubbly bell sound rang, and the employees’ gazes turned toward her.
“Welcome! This is Waterdrop Friends!”
Thanks to the cheerful voices of the employees, the princess felt a bit more at ease.
The princess bowed her head politely in response to the greeting and stepped inside.
Most of the customers were women or children.
The princess blended into the crowd and browsed the items.
‘Ulu’s suit and bowler hat, how interesting.’
She moved from one section to another, taking in the sight of characters dressed in various fashions.
As she passed by cute little items, larger characters greeted her.
‘A doll?’
Honestly, she was tempted.
She really, really wanted it. But the problem was the way back.
If such a doll suddenly appeared in her dark room, its presence would be too noticeable. No matter how much she wanted it, it was impossible.
‘There’s no helping it…’
It was frustrating that she could only satisfy herself by looking at it.
The princess couldn’t bring herself to leave and poked the soft doll with her finger.
How long had she been standing there, trying to soothe her regret?
A voice that made the princess’s ears perk up reached her.
“102 coins and 28 tokens have been charged.”
“Please deliver everything to the address.”
“Understood! Thank you as always!”
What could someone buy here to spend that much?
The princess’s gaze naturally turned toward the checkout counter.
‘…A blind person?’
It was an elegant girl with her eyes closed.
The sword she held like a cane suited her, yet it also gave off a sense of dissonance.
She finished her payment, put away her card, and turned to leave.
The princess, who had caught a glimpse of the girl’s strength, held her breath.
‘She’s strong.’
As if sensing her presence, the girl turned her head.
The princess stiffened, and the girl with closed eyes smiled gently, nodded, and disappeared.
“…”
The princess, who had reflexively nodded back, realized that there wasn’t much time left before the meeting.
She hurried her shopping.
“That will be 1 coin and 10 tokens.”
“Here…”
Clink, clink.
After purchasing a new memo pad, pen, and stickers, the princess left the store.
…
…
“─ I think I know where it is. I’ll head there.”
With the man’s final response, the princess ended the call and stood in front of the payphone, waiting quietly.
With few passersby, she didn’t feel any stares and was at ease.
Thud.
A deliberate-sounding footstep.
The princess’s gaze turned.
I faced the person I had been waiting for.
“I’m here.”
The princess thought she wasn’t on friendly enough terms to exchange pleasantries with this man.
She still couldn’t tell if he was an ally or an enemy.
“Why are you dressed like that?”
If the goal was camouflage, there should be a less conspicuous outfit.
Wearing an Academy uniform that seemed to be quite respected in the Academy City, there must be a purpose.
The princess thought so.
“I came right after finishing my part-time job because I thought I’d make you wait if I went to the dormitory.”
“Are you also in the business of infiltrating the Academy?”
In response to the princess’s question, Rohan just smiled without further explanation.
“Let’s move first. We need a place to talk…”
“Wait, there’s a problem we need to solve first.”
“Huh?”
The princess showed her outfit to Rohan.
“Is my outfit strange?”
“Not particularly strange.”
“Hmm…”
No large sniper rifle, and even the goggles were hidden.
She had zipped up her outerwear all the way to hide the magazine inside.
Considering the evening weather, it wasn’t such a strange look.
“Did you get stopped by a security officer for suspicious behavior?”
“No, not that. It’s just that I’m getting a lot of strange looks. If we don’t solve this, I might get stopped for suspicious behavior.”
“Ah.”
Rohan nodded slightly as if he understood.
“Do you know the reason?”
“Don’t worry too much about it. It’s a simple issue.”
“Simple?”
The princess became even more curious.
Not recognizing a simple problem could be dangerous.
“Answer me. What’s the problem?”
Rohan answered indifferently to the princess, who was glaring at him with dagger eyes.
“It’s because you’re pretty.”
“Wha, what…?”
“I’m saying your appearance is catching people’s attention.”
Rohan gave the obvious answer as if wondering why she was even asking.
He started walking ahead, urging her to hurry up.
