171 – Summer Sea -1-
Having watched Rohan’s vehicle depart,
Momo and Jane returned inside, quickly setting about preparing drinks.
Jane filled a glass with ice and generously poured liquor. Momo prepared tea, steam curling upwards.
Completing their arrangement with simple refreshments,
they began a candid conversation to chase away the lingering tickle of anticipation.
The conversation centered on Rohan, the sole man among their companions.
“Yui’s reactions are delightful, so sweet. She has a different taste compared to Noah.”
“A blend of me and my husband, perhaps?”
Jane nodded, finding it a perfectly apt comparison.
Then, curiosity surfaced.
“What was Jun’s reaction?”
“My husband doesn’t say he dislikes him. But he hasn’t acknowledged liking him either.”
“That fool, always so doting.”
Jane playfully clicked her tongue and shook her head.
Momo, with a gentle smile, got to the heart of the matter.
“What do you think of Rohan, Jane-nim?”
“He acts courteously, but there’s no servility in his eyes, which is good. To live in this era, one must possess that kind of fortitude.”
An impression that could be considered abstract, yet Jane’s intuition carried considerable weight.
And since even her husband had little to say against him, and Juyeon even praised him, Momo felt reassured that she and her daughter weren’t wrong about their taste in men.
“And—”
Jane paused mid-sentence, gulping down her drink.
Her tail flicked rapidly as she drained the glass in one go, then continued.
“You can tell just by how close the girls are with him. The purer one is, the more sensitive they are to even small flaws or imperfections.”
“You’re right. Come to think of it, it’s not just Yui… It’s the first time Noah’s called a man a close friend either.”
“That’s what’s intriguing. We’ve grown too jaded by society to care about minor flaws, but the girls aren’t. Even with men lining up to impress them since they were young, they never got close because they are sensitive to impure intentions.”
“You’ve said that before. I remember.”
Momo picked up the bottle and refilled Jane’s glass.
Lifting the newly full glass, Jane tapped the floor with her tail, radiating merriment.
“Anyway, we’re talking about a man that my picky daughters recognize and are close to. I suspect his reputation at the Academy is probably decent as well?”
“According to General Juyeon, Rohan-saengdo is both peculiar and a complete fanatic.”
“Is that so? If he’s receiving compliments like that, then he was a prodigy from the start. And the fact that he’s not arrogant is also commendable.”
If even Juyeon recognized him, the story only became more interesting.
“Really~ The thought that I might soon be called ‘grandmother’ makes me feel rather bittersweet.”
“Aha ha!!! Yui hasn’t even started dating yet. Is the Ichinose Momo showing a rare display of impatience?”
Jane didn’t need to point out that even if she were to start dating, it didn’t necessarily mean it would lead to marriage.
Momo likely recognized this as well.
Despite this, Momo spoke as if the conclusion had already been reached.
“No. I have valid reasons for saying so.”
“Hmm?”
Jane, intrigued, lent an ear to Momo, a former strategist.
Was there some plan, some operation hatched without my knowing?
“As Jane-nim is aware, no man can refuse our Yui, can they? And Yui doesn’t seem to harbor affection for anyone other than Rohan, so… the conclusion is obvious, no?”
“…”
Jane closed the passage to her throat, stopping the flow of alcohol, and met Momo’s eyes.
*Not a joke thrown out for laughs. Frightening.*
Utter sincerity. Not a flicker in those pupils.
Turns out, Ichinose Jun wasn’t the only one driven mad by their child.
*A strategic genius, reduced to idiocy.*
Could it be that even the woman who once served as a staff officer for the Samhwa Federation was helpless when it came to her daughter?
So different from the meticulous image she’d maintained for so long.
Unfamiliar, yes…
But there was a feeling that this wasn’t so bad.
*Yes. Time has passed. This rounder aspect is… acceptable.*
Jane agreed with Momo’s words and drained her glass.
*
Beside Rohan, in the passenger seat.
That spot was naturally claimed by an enraptured Ichinose, giddy from reuniting with Rohan.
This was a point pre-agreed upon in a message by the three sworn allies, so Clara’s relinquishment of the seat was seamless, devoid of any discord.
Clara had the ride *from* the academy city, so Sion would have the return trip.
The desires and satisfaction of Ichinose, a fellow member of their sworn alliance, had to be considered to the fullest extent, so Ichinose would occupy the passenger seat during movement within the Samhwa Federation.
The bond forged by their Peach Blossom Oath was indeed sturdy.
And granted Ichinose boundless satisfaction.
*I’ve even received top-secret intel.*
Engrossed by the covertly delivered information, Ichinose hadn’t even reached for the seatbelt.
If the dreamy situation Sion and Clara had described actually came to pass, Ichinose felt a delicious chill, a feeling that she’d never be able to break free from the Peach Blossom Oath.
“The address is 17-46…”
Ichinose entered the address into the navigation system and leaned back against the seat.
Watching Rohan briefly check the route, she felt compelled to chatter.
“It’s a little outside the capital, but the location is good, right?”
“Forty minutes is nothing. The location is really the best… there’s so much around.”
“As you can see, the commercial district is only a short walk from the accommodation. You won’t have any problems even if you need something in the early hours.”
“Good. Let’s get going, then.”
Rohan chuckled, glancing in the rearview mirror at Noah, plastered to Clara like a purring cat, and was about to take his foot off the brake.
But seeing Ichinose sitting stiffly, holding her breath, he pressed the brake firmly again.
“Is it because our *agassi* always sits in the back? It seems she’s not used to it.”
“Pardon…?”
Ichinose, putting on the performance of a lifetime, looked at him as if she had no idea what he was talking about.
Rohan smiled, reached over, and manipulated Ichinose’s seatbelt.
“Even if it’s a bother, you need to get used to this. The passenger seat is a must, you know.”
“Ah, that’s right… I’d forgotten…”
Ichinose, rigid with nerves, savored the fleeting happiness and the scent of Rohan’s skin. Only Sion, who hadn’t yet experienced such a moment, smacked her lips in regret.
…
…
“Ooh! The ocean! The ocean!”
Noah plastered her face against the window. The sunlight glinting off the seawater made the girl’s eyes sparkle like stars.
“Wouldn’t it be better to go in the water tomorrow? It’s getting a bit late today.”
At Rohan’s words, Noah thrust her face between the driver’s and passenger’s seats, an expression of utter defiance on her face.
She shot a predator’s gaze toward the driver’s seat. “No way! I even wore my swimsuit under my clothes! I’m going in today, and I’m going in tomorrow!”
Now that she saw the sea, unlike when they set out, she seemed unable to resist diving in. Sensing Noah’s eagerness, Ichinose raised the corner of her mouth and chimed in.
“The sun is still strong. Two hours wouldn’t be a problem, would it?”
“Two hours should be enough time for splashing around, I suppose.”
As Rohan showed a positive reaction, Noah wriggled her round ears and nodded enthusiastically. Ichinose turned off the navigation system and gave directions.
“Rohan, if you take the left turn here, the parking lot is that way.”
He slowed down and carefully entered the lane.
[PRIVATE PROPERTY: NO TRESPASSING]
A gate with a stark warning sign stood before them. Ichinose got out of the car and manipulated a device attached to the gate. The gate, which had stood firm, opened, revealing a wide, white sandy beach.
“Wow…”
“A magnificent place, indeed.”
Sion and Clara exclaimed in transparent admiration.
*Whirr*──.
As Rohan slowly drove the car through, the lodging and parking lot that Momo had mentioned came into view. As one would expect from land owned by the Ichinose family, everything was neat and immaculate.
The moment the car stopped, Noah leaped out first. Watching her, Rohan stretched, and the girls approached to express their gratitude.
“Rohan, thank you for driving.”
“Big brother… thanks for your hard work!”
“Thank you for your trouble. It was so comfortable I almost felt guilty.”
“You’re very welcome.”
Receiving their thanks, the fatigue accumulated from the long drive seemed to evaporate cleanly. Rohan opened the trunk and methodically took out the stacked suitcases.
“I’m staying on the third floor, right?”
“Yes. Rohan can have the third floor… The second floor is large, so we’ll all stay there together.”
“I’m going straight into the water. Here, camera!”
Noah, returning from a sprint along the white sands, draped his camera around Rohan’s neck.
Seeing Noah head back towards the sea, abandoning their luggage, Ichinose sighed and gathered Noah’s suitcase.
“So, shall we get ready and meet at the beach?”
“…Alright.”
“Oppa! See you in a bit…!”
“Heh.”
Rohan, burdened with his backpack and Noah’s camera, ascended to the third floor.
Stepping into the impeccably clean room, recently tidied, he exclaimed, “Whoa!”
‘It’s awfully spacious for just me, isn’t it?’
Looking out, he saw Noah diving into the water.
So, it wasn’t a lie that they were already wearing a swimsuit underneath. The clothes they had worn over, now shed like a snake’s skin, lay discarded on the beach.
‘Is he a tiger beastkin, or a snake beastkin…’
Ichinose would probably pick up the discarded clothes with a sigh.
Imagining that comforting scene, Rohan indulged in watching Noah swim.
He leisurely surveyed the room and began preparing.
‘Will ramen and meat be enough for dinner? I’ll have to go out and buy some liquor, too… hmm…’
After much deliberation, he finished getting ready.
Emerging barefoot, he felt the grains of sand beneath his feet and inhaled the salty air. It felt truly like the sea.
Sinking his feet into the white sand.
The girls, having prepared quickly, had already made a spot and were waiting.
‘Ah.’
Rohan instinctively raised the camera Noah had given him.
He wanted to capture this moment.