136 – The Formal Meeting (Except Not Really, Too Many Attendees)

Rohan didn’t even have time to properly review his accomplishments or settle his quest rewards.

Because, immediately after ending the call, various people began to gather in front of the Orion Academy dormitory.

Rohan gave Ichinose a jacket to cover her ripped clothes, torn at the sleeve and side.

Then he came outside the dorm.

As soon as he did, welcome faces came into view.

“O, oppa? Are you alright…?”

“Rohan… the injuries…”

Zion and Clara rushed towards Rohan, their faces on the verge of tears.

Rohan lifted his bloodstained and torn clothing, proving that he was uninjured.

Relief washed over them, and they leapt into his arms.

Ichinose glanced at the two, hugging Rohan so naturally, then moved forward with heavy steps.

“Father… Mother…”

Ichinose faced her parents, who had come all the way to the academy city in the middle of everything.

Her father, Ichinose Jun, placed a hand on his daughter’s head with a calm face.

“It’s enough that you’re safe.”

With that single sentence, the worry clouding the face of the mite dispersed, and her expression brightened.

Knowing this clumsy, awkward expression was her husband’s very best, Ichinose Momo, wife and mother, stood a step behind, watching with a fond smile.

“Uwaaah! Noseee!”

Noah, overcome with worry, charged forward, wailing.

Rarely, Ichinose didn’t avoid Noah’s embrace.

In such a situation, Juyeon had no easy place to be.

Mingling with the peacekeepers, he exhaled, a complicated mix of emotions swirling within him, yet could only smile at the sight of the two students safely returned.

The peacekeepers felt much the same.

Now was hardly the time to ask them to accompany them to the Peacekeeping Bureau for questioning.

And so.

Noah finally released Ichinose from his tight embrace.

Momo, awaiting her turn, approached with graceful steps and embraced her daughter gently.

Ichinose closed her eyes, nestling comfortably in her mother’s arms.

“Yui. Are you alright?”

“The injuries… they disappeared when I returned. I’m sorry for worrying you when you’re so busy…”

“Don’t say such things. It’s not your fault, Yui.”

Judging only by the marks left on her clothing, Ichinose sustained only minor injuries. Rohan, on the other hand, suffered life-threatening wounds, hemorrhage.

Still, it was only natural for a parent to worry most about their own flesh and blood.

Upon hearing Ichinose mention being inside for several days, Momo felt no sense of wonder.

Just a sharp ache in her heart, as she met her daughter’s eyes, clinging to her like a child.

“My poor daughter, how much did you suffer for your face to be half its size…?”

Checking her daughter’s soft cheeks every which way, Momo blinked.

*‘It hasn’t shrunk?’*

She may be a little grimy, but her skin was smooth and glossy, as if she’d been eating well; she looked well cared for.

Could this be from the good food in Academy City?

“Mother?”

Ichinose tilted her head, questioning her mother who had paused while examining her face.

Snapping out of her reverie, Momo resumed the conversation.

“Nothing happened inside, did it?”

“…No.”

Ichinose averted her gaze, slightly lowering her head.

Momo only found herself questioning the brief, shimmering hesitation before Ichinose’s assent.

She prided herself on knowing her daughter well, but for parents with almost preternaturally attuned senses, such a moment naturally sparked curiosity.

It didn’t feel like she was hiding some bad experience or a negative secret.

Her daughter simply wasn’t the type to be capable of such a thing.

‘Could something have happened to Yui?’

Her parental gaze drifted naturally towards Rohan, the other survivor.

The beautiful, enigmatic pair of girls were huddled together, and somehow, even Noah had joined them, deep in conversation.

The male cadet struck her as remarkably dependable.

“I wonder what the relationship is between that cadet and Yui? It makes a mother curious, doesn’t it?”

“Uh, Mother… Well…”

Ichinose couldn’t quite conceal her fluster as her mother’s attention settled on Rohan.

Of course, introducing friends to her parents wasn’t a first.

Noah, especially, was practically a daughter in all but blood, their parents being close and having relied on each other’s hospitality often.

Even back when she attended school in Samhwa, there were quite a few friends she’d introduced whenever her parents came for school events.

The problem was, introducing a *male* friend was a first.

Harboring feelings for a person of the opposite s*x was also a first for Ichinose.

Moreover, in the course of pursuing the Monolith disappearances, her parents likely knew she and Rohan had met privately for dinner.

‘Th-This is… the situation is…’

The thought of her parents meeting him felt, frankly, like an engagement meeting.

Some might call it an overblown assumption, but for a girl whose mind was filled with blossoming daydreams, that was the only picture that came to mind.

“He’s, uh, the friend who helped me during the practical exam…”

“Heeeh~”

Momo, and even Ichinose Jun, who was standing a step away, were all ears.

So, this male cadet was the friend Ichinose had mentioned helping her immensely during the practical exam, the one who gifted her the Spiritual Fire Essence.

Having heard about the situation on the deserted island from Juyeon, they knew Rohan was definitely connected to their daughter.

“I’d like to introduce Rohan… would that be alright…?”

Ichinose, her face flushed, summoned her courage and revealed her inner thoughts.

The startled couple simultaneously exchanged glances.

““…””

Their daughter’s first, fledgling affections.

Ichinose Jun remained almost expressionless, but his wife could read the turbulent shifts within.

A father’s heart, unsettled by the novel sight of his daughter.

Momo merely curved the corners of her lips.

It felt like only yesterday she was toddling around, and now her daughter had grown so much.

‘I wonder who she takes after in this regard.’

It seemed his daughter had learned to love things besides the sword. That alone made the decision to send her to Academy City worthwhile.

A proud smile refused to fade.

Momo cast another glance at Rohan.

Before she knew it, Juyeon had joined the main cast of characters.

Watching them, only one thing gave her pause.

‘There seem to be so many women around him with such familiarity… and yet, none appear to be his paramour?’

Could he be a Tigrova native practicing polygamy?

Her daughter was sure to be averse to such a thing, and yet, the fact that Yui would voluntarily introduce him amplified Momo’s expectations.

*

Following Sion and Clara, Noah approached to offer his well wishes.

Only after that reunion with Noah, vibrant with the realization that his friend had returned, did Juyeon arrive.

Unlike her flamboyant exterior, Juyeon exhaled a sigh of relief at Rohan’s unharmed condition.

Without questioning him about anything, she simply praised him for returning safe and sound.

Officially, Rohan was the first person to return alive from the Monolith twice.

And so, as even Juyeon joined them in enjoying the simple pleasures of conversation,

Ichinose, accompanied by his mother, approached Rohan’s group hesitantly.

Sadly, Ichinose Jun was unable to join them.

The flustered heart of a father with a daughter had yet to find its composure, keeping him at a distance as he merely watched.

“…Rohan.”

She called out softly.

Rohan didn’t miss Ichinose’s voice, and his gaze shifted.

“Hello. I’m Yui’s mother.”

A woman, beaming and waving one hand playfully. She wore clothing reminiscent of a kimono.

It wasn’t a particularly unusual outfit.

After all, the Three Flowers Country in Abyss City was a fabricated place, drawing from and blending the cultures of Korea, China, and Japan.

“Greetings! I am Rohan!”

Rohan boomed, bowing deeply. It was only right to show proper etiquette and respect to his friend’s parents. It was practically a default setting.

“Cadet Rohan seems full of energy. Are you feeling alright?”

“I’ve recovered since returning! Please, speak casually!”

Momo closed the distance between them by a step, her expression gentle. She asked him to be casual, but Momo herself seemed more comfortable mixing honorifics.

“I’m curious how my daughter is doing at the academy. Could you tell me?”

Rohan wanted to respond with a playful remark, but. Knowing Icinose’s personality and all that he owed her, he decided to postpone such jokes for another time. First impressions called for praise of their child, didn’t they?

“Icinose is kind and gets along well with everyone. I’ve received a great deal of help with my studies, especially… I’m inspired by her diligence in never skipping her early morning training and her tireless efforts.”

“So you’re saying you see our Yui as wife material?”

“Huh?”

Startled by the sudden remark, Rohan could only make a dumbfounded noise as he repeated the question.

Icinose hastily stepped between them, pulling at her mother’s arm.

“M-Mother…!”

“Just a joke~ Was it a little too mischievous?”

Icinose spoke quickly to dissuade her mother as Momo smiled.

She had obtained the information she desired.

In the brief moment after uttering that one sentence, she had confirmed the subtle shift in the gazes and atmosphere between the twin-tailed girl and the elven girl.

She roughly grasped their relationships.

She could only feel sorry for the protagonist, caught in the middle, unable to say a word and clearly flustered.

“First, I need to change my clothes and wash up… How about we all go out for something delicious afterward? Noah, what would you like to eat? Auntie will buy.”

Though her beautiful appearance made her look more like an older sister, Momo referred to herself as ‘auntie’ as she asked.

Noah bounced up and down excitedly.

“Meat, please!”

Momo gently stroked Noah’s head and nodded.

Then, turning to the women around her, she announced.

“Please, everyone, make yourselves comfortable. I want to express my gratitude to Cadet Rohan, so I hope you’ll all come.”

Momo settled on their plans for the day with a flurry, a hasty decree.

Before her daughter could even open her mouth to voice a flustered protest, she turned towards the officers.

“Wouldn’t it be proper to fill our bellies before the investigation? It’s not as if we’ve committed any wrongdoing.”

“…”

“That would be acceptable, yes?”

Ichinose Momo asked, a smile playing on her lips.

The peacekeepers nodded so vigorously their heads nearly bobbed clean off.