167 – Noah’s First Love Hearing

Jane Frozenheart.

The Frost Monarch’s first wife, and Noah Frozenheart’s mother.

Perhaps because she held the belief that tedious and boring time was true torture,

it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that Jane’s remarkable senses had evolved to seek out anything interesting.

“Euuung~?”

Releasing Noah from her embrace, Jane approached the reddening-faced Ichinose.

Since no amount of teasing had ever elicited a reaction before, Jane simply couldn’t ignore such a promising situation.

“Yui.”

“Yes…?”

“Would you keep this old woman company while she drinks?”

“…”

Ichinose didn’t readily answer.

She had data accumulated from experience.

Whenever Jane Frozenheart wore such a playful expression, she always ended up in a difficult situation.

Unlike Noah, she couldn’t restrain her or push her away. She was helpless, destined to be played with.

“So, Yui doesn’t like noisy people like me, does she?”

Jane blinked, looking like a rain-soaked kitten, and pleaded, taking Ichinose’s hand.

Of course, Ichinose knew. She knew all too well that Jane’s current behavior was an act.

But because of all the favors and debts she owed, the choice of refusal simply didn’t exist for a girl named Ichinose Yui.

She genuinely admired Jane, after all.

“A-ah, no… I’ll pour the drinks for you…!”

As Ichinose accepted, Jane’s expression shifted, and she grinned widely.

That smiling face was exactly like Noah’s. Ichinose almost sighed.

“Great! Let’s drink while chatting with my daughters for the first time in a while!”

Jane laughed heartily, taking both girls by the hand,

and sat them down at a simple, set-up table.

And just as the Ichinose Yui hearing was about to begin,

Momo took Ichinose Jun’s hand, who was standing beside her, drawing his attention.

“Dear.”

“Hmm?”

“I’m craving some fruit. Could you go buy some? Yui and Noah probably feel hungry now that they’ve arrived too.”

Momo had a hunch.

The topic that was about to unfold would undoubtedly unsettle her husband’s heart.

Even if he was aware of his daughter’s first love, hearing vivid stories would surely stir up complicated emotions in Ichinose Jun.

Besides, it had been a little while, hadn’t it?

What if there had been developments in the meantime that would shock a father who loved his daughter so much?

Given Momo thought it best to sample them herself and then relay the message, she asked Ichinose Jun to go grocery shopping.

“Sorry for the late hour.”

“Not at all.”

“You know you shouldn’t drive after drinking, right? Take your time and walk.”

“Mm.”

To buy food at this hour, one would need to go to the entertainment district.

The chauffeur, having already driven their daughter from Academy City to Samhwaguk, had clocked out.

Momo knew Ichinose Jun wasn’t one to recall a driver after they’d already left for the day.

As Ichinose, clutching his sword, departed, Momo settled her backside onto the low table.

Jane, flanking herself with Yui and Noah, asked in a voice brimming with affection,

“How are my darlings enjoying the Academy?”

“It’s fun!”

“…We’re learning a great deal under capable instructors.”

Answers that betrayed their distinct personalities.

Unfortunately for Ichinose, Jane’s warm-up ended there.

She unleashed the question her instincts craved.

“Found any boys you like yet?”

“Just made some male friends.”

“…”

Noah offered a curt reply, then picked up Jane’s chopsticks and began to nibble at the sashimi laid out as a snack.

Engae-Nose, however, chewed at her lip and hung her head.

Momo, as if delighted by her daughter’s transformation, covered her mouth with her sleeve and chuckled silently.

Jane, alight with intrigue, practically vibrated with excitement.

“Ah ha ha!!! What’s this, then?”

“…”

Before attending the Academy, she’d carried herself with the air that nothing beyond swordsmanship could exist. What had happened in just a few short months?

This was already fascinating. The reaction was delicious.

Jane felt a swell of certainty that coming to Samhwaguk had been the right choice.

“Which young man has stolen our Yui’s heart? Hmm?”

Engae-Nose, confronted by Jane’s gaze—little different from a predator’s—swallowed hard.

‘Oh, what should I do…’

Having heard from Noah that she was obvious, denials would be unwise.

Jane was more perceptive than Noah. And her particular brand of tenacity was simply unbearable.

If she were to evade with a half-hearted answer, she would be relentlessly pursued until every last detail was unearthed.

Ichinose lifted her head slightly, meeting Momo’s gaze across the table.

From sending her father outside to the knowing, gentle look in her eyes.

Only now did she see and feel those things. Engae-Nose exhaled a long breath.

‘Mother really knew… so Father, too, probably…’

Those around her might find it absurd, but Engae-Nose thought she hadn’t been obvious at all. She was merely perplexed at how matters had come to this point.

Regardless, she had no time to gather herself. She needed to give Jane an answer.

She spoke the truth, curtly, with lips pressed into a stiff line.

“He’s a… fellow student in my class.”

“Hoo, so Noah knows who he is as well.”

“Mhm!”

“What’s Noah’s impression of this student?”

“He’s got a good personality, and he’s a good fighter!”

For an Orion Academy student, that was the highest praise.

What’s more, it was rare for Noah to acknowledge anyone her age, so Jane’s smile widened.

Excitement, or perhaps the liquor hitting her, made her speech drift into peculiar territory.

“My daughter, while still rough around the edges, is no slouch. Do you think she could beat this boy?”

“I don’t know! Seems tough, maybe?”

“Ah ha ha!!! There’s someone like that?”

Jane’s interest in Rohan deepened.

Ichinose, catching her breath and listening to the mother-daughter exchange, couldn’t shake a feeling of unease.

“Yui. What’s this student’s name?”

“It’s Rohan…”

“Hmm? A name unfamiliar. If he had the skill to contend with my daughters, I’d have heard of him.”

Jane raised a brow, and pressed on with her questioning.

“Where is Rohan from?”

Here, Ichinose hesitated for a moment.

But Jane didn’t cross the line with mere amusement or playfulness. Ichinose trusted that much.

Besides, if she really wanted to know, she’d find out in an instant.

“The South… He’s from Solareah…”

“I see.”

Hearing the answer, Jane briefly shed her playful demeanor.

She nodded, as if understanding something.

“So, are you two going out?”

“Ah, n-no…!”

“Then, any progress?”

“We’re planning to go to the beach together during vacation…”

“How youthful!”

Jane slammed the table with a *thwack* of her palm, and pulled a wallet from her breast.

With a playful glint in her eyes, she handed over wads of cash.

Not cash, exactly, but stacks of checks. An amount that would likely stun Rohan, but no one present would be fazed by that kind of money.

Momo, watching quietly, stepped in to mediate.

“My, I promised to take care of it, so you don’t need to worry.”

“Is that so? But I want to do something for our Yui… Ah! That’s it!”

Jane snapped her fingers, *click*, as if struck by an idea.

She pulled Ichinose close, rubbing her cheek against her own.

“Yui. Your cheeks are so warm. Are you that embarrassed?”

“Y-yes…”

“Hahaha!!! Forgive this old woman’s mischief, child. You won’t regret confiding in Jane Frozenheart today, I assure you.”

Jane spoke of things Ichinose didn’t understand.

Ichinose listened intently, nonetheless.

“This old woman sees all. You’re from Solarea in the South, isn’t that Tigrova, a land of polygamy?”

“Y-yes, that’s right…”

“For our Yui, whose roots lie in the Samhwa Nation, that is a rather… weighty matter.”

Eungaenose nodded subtly.

She had already made resolutions with her friends, but it was a crucial point, indeed.

“Behold Jane Frozenheart. I prevailed in Tigrova’s most cutthroat polygamous contest, securing the position of First Wife. A man with polygamous leanings is already practically in this Jane’s grasp!”

“!!!”

Ichinose’s previously demure eyes snapped open.

Perhaps this woman was the one best equipped to offer guidance at this very moment.

“Now then, pour this old woman a drink.”

“Y-yes…!”

Eungaenose took the bottle and filled the empty glass – *schlorp* – to the brim.

Jane promptly downed the liquor, letting out a satisfied, “Ahh!” The sake, imbued with a young girl’s love and hopes, was truly a masterpiece.

“Daughter, stop eating and listen closely. This is a story that will benefit you in the future.”

“Ehhh?! Me too?”

Jane, now embracing Noah who had nearly devoured the entire plate of sashimi, began to regale them with her experiences in a voice brimming with excitement.

“My husband was incredibly capable, so there were no shortage of women vying for his attention. And yet, I became his First. Do you know the secret?”

“Appearance… perhaps?”

“Boobs?”

“As my daughters have pointed out, I am exceptionally beautiful and possess a physique of utmost perfection, but such external qualities were merely the basic qualifications possessed by all the contenders.”

Jane, having finished speaking, cast her gaze toward the ceiling, as though recalling the past.

Her voice took on an airy quality as she continued.

“Firstly, I was honest and pure. Neither of my daughters has known a man, have you? That is something that many men desire.”

Noah continued to yawn, seemingly disinterested.

Ichinose, her face flushed crimson, silently affirmed the importance of purity.

“I told my husband when our marriage was confirmed – that I would grant him the privilege of sullying a pristine, untouched snowfield with his footprints, where no other man had dared to tread.”

“T-that is too…”

The approach was far too audacious.

It was something utterly beyond Ichinose’s capabilities.

“Listen to the end. Yui, you are even more captivating as you are now. You certainly have what it takes to drive a man mad.”

“…”

“Secondly, you must cast aside all pride and engage in cosplay –”

Thereafter, Jane continued to share her experiences, suggesting things that could be adapted for Ichinose’s own circumstances.

Only Noah nodded along, replying “I see~” Ichinose found them all impossible.

Imagining doing such things for Rohan only caused a dizzying wave of heat to wash over her.

After the examples concluded.

“What swimsuit should I get?” Jane had asked, and Ichinose said a rash guard. She playfully slapped his rear, asking if that would be enough.

“Alright. Now, shall we hear about where Yui fell for you?”

Jane smiled as if this was just the beginning.

The tale of Sadam ended after Ichinose Jun returned.

That day, Eungaenose’s dawn stretched on endlessly.