180 – Perhaps Now

“Huh?”

Noah narrowed her eyes, gazing at Rohan as he finished preparing and came out.

The gaze of a predator wasn’t drawn to the food he held, but to his face.

Rohan’s expression, which seemed somehow joyous, entered her field of vision.

“What, did you eat something delicious by yourself in there!”

“Eat what?”

“Then why are you smiling like that?”

“I smile often, don’t I? Aren’t I rather generous with my smiles?”

“That’s different from your usual smile. I can’t be fooled!”

Noah made circles with both hands, attaching them to her eyes like binoculars.

The girl’s unwavering intuition was clear. Rohan was impressed.

He pondered how to respond.

His gaze swept past the ice cream and meat, pausing briefly on the sky.

The answer he could offer came to him more easily than expected.

“I’ve found a new motivation in life.”

“Huh? Did you hit your head on the refrigerator?”

“No. I’m saying there’s no driving force as strong as primal desire.”

“You…! You’re making fun of me because I don’t understand when you speak vaguely! I’m not that stupid!”

The scent of alcohol emanated from Noah’s bouncing, excited tone.

It seemed her tipsiness had increased in just a few minutes.

“I needed fuel to make training even more grueling, and I just found it. That’s what I mean.”

Noah pouted at Rohan’s answer and clung to Clara.

“Clara~ Rohan’s broken! Fix him~”

“U-Uh… please don’t do this to me…”

Rohan handed the ice cream to the two who were clinging to each other amiably and approached the grill.

Now that only he and Noah ate much meat, he placed less on the grill than before.

He began grilling a variety of vegetables, as they were surprisingly popular.

“Rohan. What’s going on?”

“…Is it that obvious on my face?”

“Well, it’s hard to explain, but I can sense something.”

Only Noah had not been the sole person to perceive the subtle shift in Rohan.

Ichinose and Sion, too, gazed at Rohan with curious eyes. Even Clara, held captive by Noah, was all ears.

“It’s like… an everyday realization. It just dawned on me how happy I am right now.”

“Ah…”

“I understand what you mean.”

Having each reached their own understanding, the topic shifted again.

Because empty glasses had caught Rohan’s eye.

“Shall we have more to drink?”

Rohan’s question addressed to everyone.

To which, they nodded, one after another.

“I could drink more.”

“You handle your liquor well. Is Ichinose naturally strong with alcohol?”

“Not particularly. I’m just skillfully pushing back the intoxication.”

“Wise.”

“…I feel a little bad, like I’m not fully enjoying the occasion.”

Ichinose, in his current guise, had merely chosen what suited his personality.

Because above all else, more than regret, the most worrying and terrifying thing was making a fool of himself in front of Rohan.

Before the two could continue their conversation, Sion abruptly approached and took both of Rohan’s hands.

Then, she guided them to cup her cheeks.

“Rohan. How hot are my cheeks?”

“Like a furnace. And your face is quite flushed.”

“I guess I’m not naturally strong with alcohol. But… can I still have another?”

“Do you want to?”

“Mmm.”

Sion, nodding, was more affectionate than usual. Even breaking into a bashful smile.

A sight that would compel any man to wave the white flag.

Rohan had no response other than permission. His best course of action was merely the unspoken intention of reducing the amount of whiskey in her highball.

“Just one more glass.”

“Hehe, your hands are so cold, Rohan. It feels nice.”

Rohan returned her smile. Nothing would make him happier than Sion’s happiness.

He was gladdened to see she appeared content with her days, free from the Elders.

“Oppa…! Can I have more too…?”

Clara, having escaped Noah’s embrace, tugged at his sleeve from the side.

Rohan’s gaze was drawn to the twin-tailed girl holding an ice cream in one hand.

“Clara, are you alright? Don’t you feel tipsy?”

“W-well, I don’t know… Are my cheeks hot too…?”

As Clara spoke, Sion smiled faintly and took a step back.

Her now freed hands naturally drifted toward Clara’s soft cheeks.

“Clara feels even hotter than Sion, I think?”

“Ah, Oppa, your hands are so cool…”

Clara rubs her face with her hands. Her movements are akin to a pampered cat.

She could stay like that all day, but Rohan had things to do.

“…Rohan. Isn’t the meat burning?”

“Don’t worry. I’ll flip it now.”

“If you burn it, you’re in trouble!”

Look at that growling tiger. He needed to focus on grilling the meat.

“More to drink!”

“No more liquor.”

Rohan showed her the empty whiskey bottle.

Still, Noah wasn’t disappointed. She wagged her tail more vigorously, shoving her glass forward.

“Not just booze! Anything is fine!”

“Drink water.”

─*Glug, glug.* Water filled the glass and Noah’s face brightened with satisfaction.

The get-together was nearing its end.

A drinking session ends when the alcohol runs out.

The carbonated water remained, but the liquor was gone. There was nothing left to nibble on either.

“Ah~ That was good!”

Just look at her, a tiger contentedly patting her belly.

If Noah was feeling full, there was hardly a need to explain how much she had eaten.

Each of them, faces flushed, finished off with a single ice cream.

‘I ate just the right amount.’

Rohan was fine. He only felt a slight dullness in his body.

As in his past life, he wasn’t the type to get drunk on highballs.

And because he was keeping pace with the three of them, rather than Noah, he hadn’t drunk much.

“Everyone, go upstairs and rest. And brush your teeth before bed!”

“I ate so well today! Oh, how cute~ Our porter, so admirable!”

Noah, reeking of alcohol, stroked Rohan’s head.

Rohan chuckled at the girl’s drunken antics and glanced at Ichinose.

Ichinose, who had blown away some of the alcohol’s influence, grabbed Noah’s arm.

“Noah. Let’s go wash up.”

“Ichinose! Let’s sleep together tonight~”

“Why squeeze together when the room is so spacious?”

“Eeeing!”

Ichinose, repulsed by Noah’s *aegyo*, pulled her along.

“Rohan… I’ll head up first. See you tomorrow.”

“Sleep well.”

“G-Good night…!”

They exchanged greetings, Ichinose’s cheeks twitching as she thanked Rohan for the meal and dragged Noah towards the second floor.

Sion and Clara also used their magic to dispel some of the alcohol, leaving only a slight buzz, and bid Rohan farewell.

“O-Onii-chan… I’ll text you before bed!”

“Rohan. Sleep well.”

Waving to Sion and Clara, who kept turning back as they climbed the stairs.

“Good night.”

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Rohan watched the pair disappear onto the second floor and turned away.

He didn’t head for the third floor, but toward the sea. He wanted a stroll before heading up to wash.

The blue sea under the sun was attractive, but the pitch-black sea, whose depths you couldn’t fathom, possessed its own charm.

Thump. Thump. Thump.

The feeling of walking the night sea, pressing his feet into the fallen-sun beach, wasn’t unpleasant.

He ambled along, listening to the black waves crashing.

Wandering slowly, as if lost in thought, he felt a presence and turned around.

“Rohan. Out for a walk?”

“M-me too, I want to walk with you, Oppa…!”

Sion and Clara, who had gone up to bed, suddenly appeared, and Rohan blinked.

“Huh? Why are you two suddenly out here?”

At Rohan’s question, Sion and Clara exchanged glances.

Then, as if finding the situation absurd, they let out a small laugh.

“Well, we were going to wash up and sleep, but Noah-unni…”

“Noah did what?”

“Noah couldn’t control her mana and froze half the shower room. We have to wash in two shifts.”

At Sion’s casually delivered news, Rohan’s mouth dropped open.

He hadn’t expected her to cause such a commotion in such a short time.

“Shouldn’t she just melt it herself, since she’s the one who froze it?”

“That’s…apparently difficult in her drunken state. She seems to be enjoying herself too much to bother sobering up.”

“Ichinose-unni said to wait a little, she’ll take care of it somehow…”

Lending an ear, he could hear Noah’s voice, booming with laughter.

It was a volume that made it clear Ichinose was suffering.

“Should I go up and melt it with my flames?”

“Right now, Noah-unni is, well, naked, so Oppa can’t go in…”

“Then I guess not.”

A quick surrender. He could only hope Ichinose persevered.

As he started walking again, Sion and Clara naturally joined him.

“How are you two feeling, with the alcohol?”

“Just a slight buzz left. We used mana, after all.”

“I’m fine…”

A brief silence after the reply. The quiet wasn’t uncomfortable.

The girls were just tense, wondering if Rohan could hear their hearts pounding.

“There’s still tomorrow, but did you have fun today?”

At Rohan’s question, Sion and Clara nodded their heads so emphatically, they nearly bobbed off.

“It was one of the happiest moments of my life.”

“M-Me too…!”

Knowing their pasts as I do.

Rohan wanted to give them so much more in the future.

“That’s good. There will be many more times like this.”

Sion and Clara watched Rohan’s voice and smile, mesmerized.

Was it that the emotions Rohan held within seemed so transparent today?

Just looking at him made their hearts feel like they would burst.

“…”

A single thought began to flood Sion and Clara’s minds.

Maybe now.

Maybe it would be alright to express what’s inside.