Rohan wanted to get away from the checkout counter immediately to see how Clara and Noah were doing.
But right now, it was impossible.
Just as Clara had asked him to read manga together, a wave of customers started flooding into the previously quiet bookstore.
“3 coins and 20 tokens. The paper bag is 1 token. Do you need one?”
“Yes, please pack it.”
“I’ve put the receipt inside. Thank you!”
Why did customers have to come pouring in at this exact moment?
It was the busiest day since Rohan started his part-time job, and it could even be called an unprecedented sales day for the Flowering Chrysanthemum Bookstore.
“Do you have any books for learning letters here? My kid wants to read…”
“Is the new work by Author Pascal out of print?”
“I’m looking for a book on conversation techniques to get a girlfriend.”
Rohan calmly dealt with the bustling customers while sneaking glances at the corner where the two were.
He couldn’t see Noah and Clara clearly, but they seemed to be doing fine.
“…”
And on the other hand, he realized something painfully.
Looking back, he realized how arrogant it was to think he knew Clara well.
Who would’ve thought Clara would voluntarily offer to spend time with Noah? It was a situation far beyond Rohan’s expectations.
As a gamer who enjoyed Abyss City, it was a scene he couldn’t even imagine, let alone clearly picture.
Yet, it was happening right before his eyes.
‘I need to be a bit more careful from now on.’
This was a fact that applied not only to Ichinose Yui and Noah, who had a lot of information, but maybe even to the Princess.
Reality was free.
It wasn’t confined to a set framework.
Rohan engraved that point in his heart once again.
··
··
“Hmm~”
“…”
Clara herself was curious where the courage to accept the earlier invitation had come from.
Right now, sitting next to Noah, who was humming a tune, and holding a book, her mental energy was being drained in real-time.
She couldn’t even process what the manga she was reading was about.
“What’s your friend’s name?”
Noah suddenly threw out a question while reading the book.
Startled, Clara twitched her whole body and answered softly.
“I-I’m Clara…! Um…”
“Wow, cute name. Just call me Noah.”
“Okay…”
The name Noah, her strikingly beautiful appearance, the snow-white tiger beastkin with an aura of coldness that hinted at something extraordinary.
Clara finished her thoughts and became certain.
‘Noah Frozenheart of Tigroba? What on earth is my brother…?’
Clara, who could be considered the biggest figure she’s ever seen in her life.
But somehow, she managed to suppress her nerves.
After all, Clara didn’t have to do any assassinations or information gathering herself. Unlike last time, the confidence that she could run away if she wanted to lightened her mood.
The beastkin girl flipped through the pages quickly, making a rustling sound.
Noah’s gaze lingered the longest on the pages with food drawn on them rather than the scenes with a lot of dialogue.
After visually tasting and finishing her sampling, Noah opened her mouth again.
“I was really surprised when I saw you move earlier. Wanna have a race with me next time?”
“Uh, that’s…”
“First one to the top of the mountain wins! Nose is pretty fast too, so I think it’d be fun if we did it together.”
“…”
“Oh! Nose is someone who enrolled with me—.”
Clara voluntarily stepped into this space, but she immediately regretted it.
She wished Rohan would come and rescue her right away.
How could someone suggest playing and chatting like this upon first meeting?
From Clara’s perspective, Noah was an incomprehensible person.
It’s not like she carefully adjusts the distance like Rohan and only asks easy-to-answer questions.
This was the horror of having a promise made the moment you vaguely agree. It’s like she just tears through the line and starts dancing wildly.
Just listening to her talk makes your head spin.
“Anyway, let me know if you’re interested. I’ll set it up. Got it?”
Clara nodded slightly.
At least it wasn’t a forceful invitation, so she could breathe a little.
But there was no way the noose of small talk would loosen there.
Noah immediately blurted out whatever came to her mind, steering the conversation with the force of breaking a steering wheel.
“Clara, the more I look at you, the more you look like a doll. It’s fascinating. Nose looks like a doll too, but the style is a bit different.”
“No…! I’m not like that…!”
“Huh? I don’t usually say this kind of thing, but such a pretty face is rare!”
Clara panicked and shook her head at the sudden, direct compliment.
If you just look at the sentences, it’s similar to what creepy guys on the street would say.
But since Noah said it purely out of admiration without any ulterior motives, the burden Clara felt was crushingly heavy.
“Dad said that if you deny and reject too much when someone compliments you, it doesn’t come off as humble. Be confident! Even Rohan would agree with what I said.”
“My brother…?”
“Should I ask him later? He’s busy now, but he’ll come by at least once.”
Clara was…
It seemed like a golden opportunity for Noah to answer the unanswerable question instead.
‘What if, just what if! There’s no way my kind oppa would do that…!’
Honestly, if he flat-out denies it, my mental state might crumble into dust. Just imagining it makes me nervous and shaky. Clara gulped hard.
Noah, who had been quietly observing the girl’s strange behavior, blinked her eyes.
Suddenly, curiosity bubbled up, and she wanted to ask right now.
“Clara, what’s your relationship with Rohan?”
“With oppa…?”
“Yeah.”
What should she even say here?
Clara, shrinking back, rolled her eyes around.
“He’s just… an oppa I met at the bookstore…”
“I see. That’s interesting.”
“W-what about you, Noah unnie?”
“Haha! Noah unnie? I like the sound of ‘unnie’! I’m just Rohan’s classmate.”
Clara’s choice of address seemed to really please Noah, as her tail thumped the floor.
“I have something I’m curious about…”
“Sure! Ask away!”
“Tigroba, um, practices polygamy, right…?”
Contrary to expectations, it wasn’t a personal curiosity or question.
But Noah simply accepted it and nodded.
“Yep! So, my first oppa has like… ten… or something wives? I forgot.”
“Gasp!”
Noah chuckled as she watched the girl gasp in shock.
“Well, if you’re from a country without polygamy, it might seem fascinating. I guess it’s natural to be curious.”
“I was wondering… what you think about polygamy…”
At Clara’s question, Noah crossed her arms and pondered for a moment.
Soon, a blue glint flashed in the beastkin girl’s eyes, and she looked like she had found a good answer.
“I like it because more unnie means more delicious food for me!”
“That’s, that’s not what I meant…”
“Huh? Isn’t that a huge advantage?”
Clara was curious about what kind of views people had on their country’s system.
But just hearing Noah’s answer seemed to give her some clarity.
It didn’t seem like there was any aversion at all.
“…Are there any men who don’t practice polygamy?”
“Hmm, there are, but they’re not really well-regarded socially.”
“W-why?!”
This was truly something she couldn’t understand.
Shouldn’t they be praised for being devoted to one love?
“In Tigroba, strength is the ultimate proof. In any country, strength brings money and honor, but in Tigroba, it’s a bit more… raw.”
“…So that’s why polygamy…”
“What kind of relationship do you have with multiple wives?”
“There’s a saying that having only one wife means you lack the financial means and emotional capacity to accommodate more. It’s proof that you’re not fit to be a ruler! There’s also that kind of talk.”
“…”
“Ultimately, these social norms vary from country to country. Well, the people of Tigroba don’t expect understanding from other nations anyway.”
If it’s Tigroba, being a powerful nation, its systems and technology must have developed accordingly.
But the opinions supporting the system felt almost like a hunting society.
Is it something that should be packaged as the boldness of living on frozen land?
Not caring about someone else’s opinion seemed quite impressive to Clara.
“Uh, Sister Noah… Would you not care if your lover or husband had multiple wives…?”
“Yeah! It’s nice to have more people to play with!”
“…”
“In Tigroba, a woman refusing polygamy is almost like hindering her husband’s success. As I said earlier, having only one wife might lead to criticism that you’re not capable at crucial moments.”
Could it be acceptable because they’ve been educated that way since birth?
Clara was confused by the innocent-sounding sentences.
It felt like she was the weird one for not being able to accept it gracefully.
“Ugh…”
As the girl hid her head between the pages of a comic book, Noah tapped her slender back with her tail.
“Is Tigroba very different from Clara’s country?”
“Yes…”
“Then I don’t think you need to force yourself to understand another country’s system. Noah also said it’s tough because there are too many weddings for our brothers.”
“…”
How nice it would be if it could all end so neatly.
Clara, with her drooping eyes, took out her phone.
She started typing a message, tapping away at the keyboard.
*Bzzzzzz───!!!*
Rohan’s smartphone, which had been enthusiastically entertaining guests, rang out.
