I Became the Must-Have Character of the Academy City-Chapter 156: Vacation Plans!

After finishing his shower, Rohan changed into fresh clothes and gathered his weapons.

He strapped on the harness over his casual clothes, attached his sword, replenished the empty bullets, and holstered his pistol.

Ready to go.

When he stepped out of the room, Shion and Clara, who had finished getting ready to go out, were waiting for him.

They were adjusting their bangs in front of the mirror and then looked over at him with smiles.

Being in Shion's mansion was like a feast for the eyes, even just breathing in the air.

"Oppa, are you ready?"

"We’re ready to go anytime."

Rohan didn’t answer the question directly, instead closing the distance between himself and the two girls.

Every time he saw them, the feeling in his mind swelled up. He wondered what it would be like to say it out loud, but didn’t, until now.

“You’re both beautiful.”

“W-who...?”

At Clara’s question, Rohan laughed.

It was cute how she asked such an obvious question and seemed to doubt it.

“Both of you.”

““···.””

Both Shion and Clara froze, unable to answer. They stared at him with slightly parted mouths, blinking in surprise.

Rohan felt a sense of satisfaction for saying what he had wanted to say, and a bashfulness crept up as he reached out to lightly pat both their heads before heading toward the front door.

“Let’s go. Noah keeps calling, saying she’s hungry.”

“Ugh, okay...!”

“Got it...”

The two girls, holding their flushed faces and hearts that felt like they would burst, followed Rohan.

Rohan and the girls made their way to the bustling district to meet Ichinose and Noah.

Since it was near the academy, first-year cadets who had just finished their exams filled the area. Even if Rohan didn’t know their names, he recognized their faces here and there.

Regardless of how the exam results turned out, they were all enjoying the fact that it was over.

Mingling with the excited and noisy crowd, Rohan didn’t feel bad at all.

Weaving through the crowd, they headed toward the restaurant they had agreed on. Ichinose and Noah were already there, having arrived first.

As soon as they saw Rohan, they waved at him.

Ichinose, holding her sword, gave a small wave, and Noah announced her presence with a loud shout.

“I’m so hungry!!!”

“Sorry, sorry.”

Rohan calmed down the growling Noah and led the group into the restaurant, showing the reservation on his phone and being guided to their table.

‘The stares are intense.’

He could feel the eyes of people from all around. The men grilling meat turned their heads with wide eyes, flocking toward them.

Rohan couldn’t help but feel ◆ Nоvеlіgһt ◆ (Only on Nоvеlіgһt) a bit smug, praising himself for reserving a table in a secluded spot as he observed the pitiful men who couldn’t resist their instincts.

“Meat~ meat~”

Noah hummed a tune, excited as she took her seat. Her tail wagged in delight.

Today was all about grilling and eating meat.

It was the menu Rohan had discussed after finishing the exam, and Noah had been the most enthusiastic about it at the time.

“Oppa! Sit here...!”

“Rohan, hurry up and sit down.”

Shion and Clara naturally seated Rohan in the middle, sitting on either side of him.

Ichinose sat across from them, taking care of Noah.

“Order whatever you want.”

At Rohan’s words, Noah grinned as she grabbed the ordering machine.

There was a mischievous sparkle in her smile.

“Are you sure? You’ll really let me order whatever I want?”

“I’m sure.”

“Oh?”

This wasn’t a cheap place, but it wasn’t one of those restaurants selling ridiculously expensive meat either.

For Rohan, whose wallet had gotten a bit fuller, buying a meal—even with Noah involved—wasn’t a big deal.

In fact, he wanted to feed them until his wallet had a hole in it.

For the girls sitting with him, spending money wasn’t something he would regret.

“Then I’ll get the fresh ribs, flower sirloin, and flank steak too~”

Noah’s hands moved quickly. She took the orders around the table, expertly operating the machine.

As soon as the order was confirmed, a large amount of meat started arriving at their table.

Rohan pulled the plate with fresh meat closer.

“Alright! Everyone, put the tongs and scissors down. I’m amazing at grilling meat.”

Rohan grabbed the tongs, motioning for them to sit back and relax. He checked the heat of the grill before placing the meat on it.

Sizzle──!

As the meat hit the grill, Noah swallowed her saliva, staring intently at it.

She watched the pink of the meat disappear, her eyes never leaving it. The wait seemed to be difficult for her.

Rohan chuckled and called Noah over.

“Noah.”

“Wha?”

Noah’s blue eyes were still fixed on the meat.

It was impressive that she could answer while staying so focused on the food.

“Order some yukhoe too. We’ll eat it before we start grilling.”

“Is that okay...?”

Maybe she had been waiting for this. Noah perked up her round ears and looked up.

Rohan could tell she had restrained herself while ordering, though he wasn’t sure what had caused her to do so.

“Really, order whatever you want.”

“Then... you really won’t refuse?”

The ordering machine in Noah’s hand clicked again, and the table began to fill up with food, no space left.

Watching Noah devour the yukhoe with satisfaction, Rohan began turning the meat and started the conversation.

“The Orion Academy vacation is after the semester ends, so it’s twice a year, right? Summer and winter, I think.”

“That’s right.”

“Do you know the exact dates yet?”

“No, I haven’t heard anything.”

“Vacation? I think the academy vacation starts around July and lasts until August, right?”

Noah spoke up, and Ichinose nodded.

Rohan, receiving the yukhoe that Shion and Clara offered, kept busy with the tongs and scissors while continuing the conversation.

“Both of you will be returning to your home countries, right?”

“I plan to head back to Samhwa Nation first.”

“I’ll follow Noh-se. My home... I’m not sure!”

At Noah’s words, Ichinose let out a half laugh and then looked ahead, asking cautiously.

“...What about you, Rohan? Have you made plans for the vacation?”

“Me? I don’t have anything planned yet. If nothing comes up, I was thinking I could train and take you both out for a bit of fresh air.”

Naturally, the two people he was referring to were Shion and Clara.

At Rohan’s words, both girls beamed with happiness, their eyes shining with excitement.

“...”

In that moment, Noah instinctively sensed the seriousness of the situation.

Wasn’t this going to mean she wouldn’t get to see Rohan during the vacation if they finished the conversation like this?

Noah bit her lower lip, not wanting to imagine such a situation.

“We all talked about going to the beach together last time. What about that...?”

Back when Noah first mentioned going to the beach, she had hesitated because of the idea of wearing a swimsuit, but in this more urgent situation, her words were different.

“The beach, huh? How about you two?”

Rohan didn’t mind where they went, but the opinions of the two girls were what mattered.

“I’ve never played at the beach before... I’m embarrassed about the swimsuit, but... if I go with you, I’d be happy...!”

“I’ve never been either. It’d be nice to experience it if we go together.”

With the resolve of the two companions agreeing, the atmosphere flowed smoothly. Ichinose let out a small sigh of relief.

“Summer is all about the beach!”

As Noah happily added her input after finishing another plate of yukhoe, Rohan nodded, as though he had made a decision.

“Let’s plan it out. Choosing the beach is one thing, and we’ll need to prepare things like lodging and swimsuits.”

Having said that, Rohan placed the perfectly grilled meat onto each of their plates.

Noah quickly tucked into the meat with her chopsticks, already imagining the beach.

“I want to try catching fish with a spear when we go to the beach.”

“Not swimming?”

“My dad showed me how to spear a huge marlin once. Noh-se was there too. Do you remember?”

“Ah... He was amazing. But that wasn’t a marlin, that was a monster. It looked like a marlin, but it was the size of a whale. The color was a bit strange too.”

Rohan was curious about the story and wanted to hear more.

What would happen if Seolho Grandmaster threw a spear at the sea? He wondered about that.

‘Maybe I’ll ask him to tell the story when I have the chance.’

Trying to match Noah’s incredibly fast eating pace, Rohan kept grilling the meat without a break.

Just how much had their stomachs been filled by the dishes Shion and Clara had been feeding them?

As the meal was winding down, Ichinose’s phone vibrated in her pocket.

Bzzz! Bzzz!

She pulled out her phone and checked the name before standing up.

“I’ll take this call.”

“Go ahead.”

As Ichinose stepped away, Clara, who had been waiting for a chance, tapped Rohan’s arm with her finger.

“Oppa...”

“Hmm?”

“Do you drink...? In those anime, they go to the beach, drink at night, and do fireworks...”

“I’m curious about that too. Do you drink, Rohan? I’ve never seen you do it.”

Rohan had occasionally enjoyed drinks in the past, but not since taking on this current body.

“I don’t dislike it. What about you, Clara?”

“I... I’ve never had any...! But, they say it’s good to learn when you have your first drink...”

“Rather than learning, it’s better to have someone watch over you, so you can check your tolerance and what your limits are. That way, you can control how fast you drink.”

Though Shion seemed to be okay, Clara especially made Rohan a little worried.

She either seemed like she could drink a lot, or she wouldn’t be able to drink at all. One or the other.

“If we go to the beach, I want to try drinking with you as a souvenir...”

Clara, rarely expressing her desires so openly, got a hearty, approving response from Rohan, who happily agreed.

Since Noah was still busy eating, Rohan turned his gaze to the side.

“What about you, Shion?”

“...If Rohan takes care of me, I’d like to try drinking.”

He was already looking forward to what the two of them would be like.

Rohan was starting to look forward to the vacation. freewēbnoveℓ.com

Sizzle!

Just as the last piece of meat hit the grill and they were about to order rice, Ichinose returned, her face showing an expression of confusion.

“Rohan...”

“What’s wrong?”

Holding the phone with both hands, Ichinose hesitated, unable to sit down as she spoke up.

“Uh, um... My mom wants to have a quick call with you...”