Clank!
The princess returned after diligently completing her daily repetitive training.
Today was the worst—she ended up drenched in monster blood.
With every step, her shoes made a squelching sound.
“…Is anyone here?”
Even after all her hard work, no one was there to greet her.
Lately, she’s started noticing things she usually ignored.
Especially since she became certain the elders were tracking her location.
‘They only call me royalty or princess when they need something…’
Now, it’s time to return to her room, rest, and inspect her firearms.
It’s the most peaceful time for the princess.
And so.
As the princess headed to her room with her gun, her sharp, long ears twitched.
─ I’ve always thought I couldn’t trust those guys…!
─ But can we officially hire anyone? If you’re going to get angry, at least do it inside the room…
─ Isn’t arguing about this just hindsight bias?
─ You didn’t object when we first hired them, and now you’re…
…
…
Ever since the princess returned alone, saying the guests hadn’t arrived, the atmosphere had been tense.
The heated arguments were fueled by a series of failures.
With mysterious factors causing things to go wrong repeatedly, even the elders were furious.
Who were the guests they were waiting for? Why were they invited?
The princess subtly probed the elders but was brushed off, told not to worry about trivial matters.
“Sigh…”
Ignoring the ongoing argument, the princess moved on.
She stepped into her private space.
Unloaded her sniper rifle and gear onto the table.
Wiped the monster blood splattered on her face with a damp cloth, then sat down and opened a drawer.
She had to clean her equipment before washing herself.
Swish, swish.
The princess continued the now-familiar routine, lost in thought.
─ You must have many questions without answers.
─ What exactly happened to the elves who lived in the Tigroba coniferous forest?
Was sending that man a gain or a loss?
She still didn’t know. There wasn’t enough data to judge.
‘Still.’
It seemed clear the elders were hiding something they all knew about.
Thud!
After rolling up the cloth she used to clean her gun and tossing it into the trash, the princess touched the stitched-up part under her vest.
Feeling the discomfort from the voluntarily reinserted tracking device, she continued her thoughts.
─ Now, I think I’m starting to get a sense of how to use that tracking device.
“…”
The feeling of being swayed by that man was clear, leaving her annoyed and uneasy. But the Princess had already made up her mind.
She popped open one of her vest pockets and pulled out her cherished notebook. The Princess double-checked the phone number written inside.
‘I should go visit once.’
She knew gathering information would take a considerable amount of time. Still, after all this time, she must have figured something out, right?
Along with her determination, a subtle excitement about heading to the city filled the girl’s heart.
“Hmm-hmm~”
Humming a song she heard during her visit to the city, the Princess continued preparing to wash up.
*****
‘I’m sleepy.’
Rohan stood at the checkout counter, stretching to shake off his drowsiness. He tried sitting down to study some theory since he had time to spare, but no matter how hard he focused, nothing seemed to stick in his head.
Right now, he had no room for other tasks. He had to compress his focus to avoid mistakes at work.
“Huu…”
A condition slump due to mana exhaustion. This status effect was truly dreadful. Outside, the weather was cool, but his body felt damp and heavy, as if it were a humid day with rain.
Still, he had to endure. How could he always be in perfect condition for work?
Bzzzz──!!!
“Huh?”
The phone in his apron pocket vibrated intensely. Thinking it might be a call from the manager, he hurriedly pulled it out.
[Clara: Are you okay? Are you feeling unwell? •́︿•̀]
Clara peeked her head out from between the bookshelves, blinking her eyes. While she was fine talking about games, she seemed more comfortable messaging for everyday matters.
‘Good. Healing stack +1.’
It was surprising that Clara reached out about something other than games, given the distance still between them. It was truly touching. A much-needed relief for his weary mind.
He sent a message saying he was fine and gave the girl a small wave. Reacting to his gesture, Clara flusteredly rolled her eyes around before quietly disappearing. Rohan smiled at the sight.
‘I’ll clean in 20 minutes.’
Today, with his mind feeling loose, he set aside a generous amount of time for cleaning. He had a hunch that otherwise, things would get too tight.
Just as he steeled his resolve with his refreshed mind, the bell jingled.
Rohan turned his head towards the entrance, his eyes wide open.
He recognized who it was immediately.
Even if it wasn’t the usual suit attire.
The red hair and striking appearance left no room for confusion.
“Instructor!?”
“Rohan. Are you doing well with your work?”
“What brings you all the way here, Instructor…?”
“What a strange question. I came to buy books, of course.”
Juyun stepped forward, heading towards the bookshelves.
She glanced at the recommended books the manager had placed near the counter and continued speaking.
“And as the instructor in charge of Class 1, I also have the duty to supervise cadets working part-time.”
“Ah, I see…”
Rohan nodded in understanding.
When Juyun spoke, it was filled with undeniable credibility.
“How’s your health? You seem a bit better, your complexion looks brighter.”
“I’m much better than when I first woke up.”
Rohan raised the corners of his mouth, signaling he was fine.
Juyun, relieved, carefully looked around.
“Are you working alone?”
“Yes. The manager has left, so I’m also in charge of closing up.”
“If the owner were here, I would’ve greeted them… You’re trusted. That’s good.”
Meanwhile, perhaps she found a book she liked.
Juyun slightly raised her eyebrows, picked up a book, and headed to another bookshelf.
“Did you have dinner?”
“I plan to eat at the dormitory after I finish here.”
Normally, he would’ve had a cheap meal at the Orion Academy dining hall before coming to work.
But today was an exception.
After waking up from receiving a bluish IV at the infirmary, he had no appetite and came straight here.
“Straight to the dormitory… I guess you don’t have any plans.”
“Where would I go at this late hour?”
Rohan answered naturally, and Juyun met his gaze.
“Then let’s eat together, Instructor and cadet.”
“Huh?”
Rohan blinked in surprise as Juyun approached the counter and placed the books down.
What she brought were a mystery novel and a historical novel.
“Is it too much of a burden?”
“No, not at all. I was just a bit surprised.”
Rohan picked up the scanner to ring up the books.
Including the paper bag, it came to 4 coins and 31 tokens.
He took the card Juyun handed over and completed the transaction.
“I thought it might be awkward for a cadet to be with their instructor. But I couldn’t think of a better way to phrase it.”
“It’s sudden, but not awkward or burdensome.”
Juyun, putting her card away, briefly stared at Rohan’s calm eyes before chuckling softly.
“It seems like it’s not a lie, surprising the Instructor. Rohan, aren’t you uncomfortable with sitting with someone above you?”
“It depends on who the person above is. And I never refuse when someone offers to buy me food.”
Even with all the conditions attached, it’s not a lie.
A pretty older sister offering to buy food? From Rohan’s perspective, there’s no reason to refuse sitting with Juyun.
“…If I sensed any discomfort, I would have backed off, saying it was a joke.”
“There’s probably no cadet in Class 1 who would refuse to sit with the Instructor.”
“That’s some serious sweet talk.”
“Instructor, I’m not the type to do such things.”
Juyun, holding a bag of books, couldn’t help but laugh at how easily the situation had resolved, more than she had imagined.
“Unfortunately, it’s not special treatment, so keep that in mind. I came under the pretext of supervision, so I can’t just leave.”
“Understood.”
If other cadets were working part-time somewhere and Juyun had gone to supervise them like this, she would have likely offered to buy them food too.
“Is there anything you want to eat? Any food you avoid?”
“I eat everything except what tastes bad.”
“That’s a tricky request.”
“But my standards are extremely low. Even the hamburger place right outside would be fine.”
“Hmm.”
Juyun, expressing subtle emotions with her lips and eyebrows, slowly walked away from the counter.
“Anyway, got it. The Instructor has things to do, so contact me when your part-time job is over.”
With that, Juyun left the Flowering Chrysanthemum Bookstore with the books she had bought.
Rohan, still a bit dazed, left the counter to clean up.
‘What kind of sudden typhoon is this…’
It’s good but confusing. It’s accurate to say it doesn’t feel real.
As he pondered whether there had been any mistakes in the recent conversation, he went to get a mop.
“Huuuh…!”
In the corner of the bookstore, Clara was seen shivering.
