157 – What About Noah?

[Lethe: Senpai! Me and my friends got our licenses!]

[Lethe: Photo]

A tomboyish girl flashes a V with her fingers, holding up a license still damp with ink.

Rohan, before replying to the message that stirred a feeling of warmth, paused to reflect.

‘Ah, a driver’s license!’

He knew how to drive, alright. Drove tires so bald they were practically smooth, he was so sick of it.

Back when he went to save Zion for real, he’d even hijacked a car and enjoyed a short drive with Clara.

But Rohan in this world didn’t have a license.

Maybe getting one before the trip would be a good idea. It wasn’t just about going to the beach; thinking about the future, it was essential.

‘Can you even use one driver’s license in other countries?’

Rohan sent a reply and then started searching the internet.

Satisfactory information appeared almost immediately.

‘This world is so convenient, after all.’

If you got your license in the Academy City of Elysium, you could use it in the Samhwa Nation, Tigrova, and the Sepia Archipelago, which operated the Academy City.

It could mostly be used in other countries, too.

Even in the few countries where the license obtained here was explicitly stated to be unusable, a single stamp from the Public Safety Bureau would solve the issue.

‘Aim to get it before the semester break.’

Another thing to add to the list.

He looked up the prices and added the schedule to his calendar. Only after finishing all that did Rohan take off his gear.

‘Time to settle up, even if it’s just a little.’

Time to repay the comrades who helped him with the exam.

He opened the door and found Zion and Clara waiting, already changed into casual clothes.

The sight of the girls in tank tops and dolphin shorts, their long, bare legs on full display, tested Rohan’s resolve.

“Rohan. Massage me quickly. My legs feel like iron bars, they’re so heavy.”

“Coming, coming.”

Seeing Rohan approach the living room, Clara hesitantly added a condition.

“U-um, Big Brother… My legs are a bit stiff too…”

“How about your shoulders?”

“Ah, w-well, my shoulders as well…”

“Alright. I’ll do both for you.”

Rohan was serious about massages. He’d even bought body oil for massage on the way back.

“So, who’s the first customer?”

Rohan cracked his thick fingers, popping them one by one.

Clara swallowed hard, averting her gaze. Sion, however, offered a smile and raised his hand first.

“Massage me first, if you please.”

Rohan, massage oil in one hand, moved towards Sion.

Sion concealed his mounting nervousness, awaiting Rohan’s touch.

“Don’t you need anything besides a massage? Something to eat, perhaps a place to visit?”

“I’ll… think about it slowly.”

“Y-yes, I’ll think about it…!”

Rohan wasn’t about to pay back their hardship with simple things like these.

In the first place, he could give Sion and Clara whatever they wanted, even if it wasn’t in the form of a debt.

*Squish, squish.*

Rohan applied oil to his hands and reached out.

As Rohan’s large hand landed on his thigh, Sion couldn’t suppress a sound.

“Ugh, mmm…”

“Too cold?”

“Ah, no… It’s fine.”

“Tell me if it hurts.”

Rohan, with an infinitely serious face, continued the massage, his eyes focused on Sion’s leg.

Sion covered his mouth with both hands, trying not to make strange noises.

“Ahh…”

Sion let out a sweet sound from between his covered lips.

Clara, her face flushed crimson, watched Sion’s expression melt with bliss.

Soon, she would be in that very place.

Just watching was torture.

The wait was too long.

*

“Does Nose really *like* Rohan?”

“···!”

“Was I wrong? Did I imagine it?”

“···.”

Ichinose, his face flushed like a ripe apple, stuttered for a long moment.

Noah, without even hearing a reply, smiled knowingly and waited patiently.

Seeing the playful smirk on Noah’s lips, Ichinose asked in a small voice, barely above a whisper.

“···How did you know?”

“Wouldn’t it be stranger if I *didn’t*?”

Watching Ichinose’s surprised reaction at being caught, Noah couldn’t help but laugh.

Ever since he became truly dedicated to swordsmanship, he’d forced himself to hide his somewhat clumsy side, but lately things were different. In a good way, he was becoming softer, more pliable.

Noah knew this was Ichinose’s true, unvarnished self, his original disposition.

And that made him happy.

In the past, he might show that endearing clumsiness once a year, if that. But around Rohan, he casually revealed it at least once a day.

“Where did it show? Was there anything different about my behavior···?”

“Lots of little differences. Usually when you talk to a guy, your lips tighten into a straight line, your eyes narrow. And your voice drops.”

“But when I’m with Rohan···?”

“Well, to put it simply, you both have that ‘we’re joined at the hip’ look, like Shion and Clara?”

Noah’s example, comparing them to Shion and Clara, must have hit home.

Ichinose went blank.

Love is often like that. It makes fools of us.

You might think you’re hiding it well, but little telltale signs slip out and are noticed.

And since this was Ichinose’s first time loving someone, the frequency was particularly high. High enough to be noticed even by Noah, who had zero interest in romance.

“Oh?”

Just then, Ichinose remembered something.

His mother’s sudden curiosity and actions that had become noticeable every time they talked on the phone recently.

He’d brushed it off, thinking it was just his mother’s usual playful nature, but now things were different.

“Noah··· d-do you think my mother, or my father, might know too···?”

“They definitely know. Your aunt and uncle can tell if you’re even slightly off. They probably figured it out way before I did.”

“!!!”

“But that doesn’t really matter, does it?”

“It, it doesn’t matter? How could it not…”

“Ahem! Listen to what this tiger-cub maiden has to say.”

Noah nudged Ichinose in the stomach with her tail, trying to calm her down.

Then, she began to lay out the reasonable assumptions she had in her head.

“Auntie and Uncle didn’t say a word even knowing Nosae’s feelings. And Auntie even told Rohan to take care of Nosae this time, encouraging him to use the sea. What does that tell you?”

“…”

“Don’t you think they’re somewhat fond of Rohan?”

“I… guess so?”

The flower garden blooming in Ichinose’s mind gained vibrancy. The corners of her lips trembled, losing all restraint.

‘Certainly, Rohan is the type to win favor with the elders.’

He’s polite and greets them properly.

He adheres to those basic things so well, it’s no wonder he has the adults eating out of his hand.

“Now, I want to ask Nosae something I’m curious about.”

“Yes?”

“Where did you fall for him? Was it like in a fairy tale, that love-at-first-sight kind of feeling?”

“It’s, it’s not like that…”

Baby Nosae blushed, curling in on herself.

Just talking about such a topic made her skin crawl; it was hard to stay still.

“Is it because he’s handsome?”

“I don’t really look at faces, but… does Noah think Rohan is handsome?”

It was the first time Noah had ever spoken like that; it was fascinating.

Could it be that she likes sharp features and fierce impressions?

“The other girls were saying so after the exam, right?”

“…”

“It’s only natural his name is getting around as much as his actions. Anyway, if it’s not his face, then what is it? He’s good at grilling meat?”

“There are many reasons, but… his kindness?”

“Kind? All men are kind to Nosae, aren’t they?”

“He’s different from those men. There are different kinds of kindness, and the feelings they contain are different.”

“Hoo~”

Ichinose’s tone rose slightly as she argued, as if she felt Rohan was being compared to other men.

Noah’s eyebrows rippled, dancing across his forehead.

“I have another question. What does it feel like to like a man?”

“It’s just… well…”

“Does the urge to procreate just boil up when you look at them?”

“W-what are you saying!?”

“Why? It’s not weird, is it? Isn’t it a natural phenomenon?”

Ichinose, flustered, looked at Noah, but this time, his face was devoid of jest.

He blinked, as if wondering what was wrong.

“This… Noah will understand someday, when he loves someone of the opposite s*x…”

“Hmph, I can’t imagine it.”

He still seemed wholly uninterested in the notion of being attracted to a woman.

Noah’s tail, which had been swishing back and forth, drooped.

“I used to be like that too. But who knows? When Noah actually falls for someone, he might not even be able to approach them and end up running away.”

“Eh, me? I have to get what I want, or I can’t stand it.”

“That day will come eventually; we’ll see then. It’s not something you can resist just because you want to.”

“Ugh…? I wouldn’t like that.”

Ichinose chuckled, watching Noah’s look of distaste. He himself had probably been like that until recently.

And so, he was looking forward to the day his friend would fall in love.

What would Noah Frozenheart be like when he had a man he loved?

Would he boldly approach and try to conquer him, just like he said he would, or would he run away like a stray cat, circling from a distance, or would it be something else entirely?

Ichinose grew curious. At the same time, he felt a warm satisfaction.

‘I’ll have to help him then, as his senior.’

He was sorry that he was a senior who was unproductive, but would simply listening not be helpful?

Ichinose hugged the doll on the bed tightly, thinking so.