I Became the Must-Have Character of the Academy City

Chapter 38

Clara had confidently stated that her personal story was dull, the kind of thing no one would find interesting.

Because of that, she hesitated greatly before bringing it up.

But Rohan, listening to her with more sincerity than any bureaucrat ever had, made her feel, for the first time, like she could let her guard down. She ended up sharing more than she had originally intended, almost as if she were indulging in a new form of vulnerability.

Strangely, whenever she talked to Rohan, her words seemed to flow on their own, unbidden.

“Hm.”

Rohan, deep in thought after hearing Clara’s story, appeared to be seriously pondering something.

“...”

Clara sipped her drink through a straw, her eyes flickering up to steal glances at him. As she savored the sweetness of her drink and let her curiosity simmer, her name was called.

“Clara.”

“Y-yes... ah! Uh, y-yeah?”

“If speaking casually feels uncomfortable, you don’t have to force it. Just mix it up however feels natural.”

Though this wasn’t the main topic, Rohan brought it up gently as a side note.

Clara nodded, her twin tails swaying slightly as she mulled over his words. Her curiosity about what Rohan would say next kept her hanging on his every word.

“The dorm room I have at the Academy comes with hot water and heating,” Rohan began, his tone casual. “The washing machine’s a little small, but it works fine.”

Clara listened intently to his enviable description of the accommodations.

“I usually leave early in the morning and don’t come back until late at night. That means my room’s empty most of the time.”@@@@

“...?”

“You could use it to shower if you want. Or, if you’re tired, you could take a nap. Even if it’s just to do some laundry, it’s fine.”

“!!!”

Rohan spoke with an air of nonchalance, as if this was no big deal, but Clara froze, her understanding of his words hitting her like a bolt of lightning. Her eyes widened to their fullest extent.

“I know it might feel weird since it’s a guy’s room, but I keep it clean.”

“St-still...”

“The weather hasn’t warmed up yet, and it’s not great to be showering in cold water or sleeping on freezing floors, is it?”

With that, Rohan concluded his statement, his tone seeking agreement, while he reached for a knife to cut the muffin he had bought alongside their drinks.

Slice.

The muffin was neatly divided and placed in front of Clara.

She stared at it for a moment before looking up at Rohan.

“...Rohan-oppa.”

“Yeah?”

“Can I ask you something?”

“You can ask me two things, three things—however many you want.”

Clara, her expression unusually serious, fixed her gaze on Rohan. Her intensity was almost piercing, as if she could see right through him.

Her voice, slightly lower than usual, carried a gravity that was uncharacteristic of her normally timid demeanor.

Beneath her gaze lingered a faint trace of sharpness and caution, and Rohan noticed it.

“...Why are you being so kind to me?”

It was a fair question. Unexplainable goodwill often came across as suspicious, and skepticism was a reasonable reaction in such cases.

Rohan paused, crossing his arms as he thought about how to respond. A wry smile tugged at his lips.

“Looking back, it does sound odd when I say it out loud. I guess I got a little ahead of myself.”

“...”

“If I were in your shoes, I probably would’ve refused too. Being told to use a guy’s room out of the blue would be unsettling.”

Clara blinked, the sharpness in her expression softening.

The subtle tension in her demeanor seemed to dissipate.

“Of course, it’s not like I have any bad intentions or... no, saying that sounds weird too.”

“...”

Rohan cleared his throat awkwardly and took a long sip of his drink.

Clara swallowed nervously, her tension evident.

And then, Clara realized why Rohan had responded the way he had back then.

Summoning her courage, she spoke up.

“Oppa! It’s not about being interesting—it’s about getting to know each other better, isn’t it...?”

“You’re right, Clara. That’s exactly it.”

The sweet, intimate atmosphere surrounding them seemed impervious to any interruptions.

But even this moment wasn’t immune to the world.

“Excuse me, guests. We’re closing soon...”

A tired-looking demi-human waitress approached them with a polite yet apologetic smile, her ears drooping from exhaustion.

Rohan and Clara had no choice but to wrap up their time and leave the café.

Back in her small, cold room, Clara let out a deep, warm sigh.

Her body still hadn’t cooled down from earlier, the residual warmth lingering in her chest.

Clutched in her arms was a box of macarons Rohan had casually handed her before they parted ways.

Clara lay on her bed, holding the gift tightly.

‘...’

She wondered what else Rohan might have shared if they’d had more time to talk.

The touch of his hand on her finger seemed to linger, a ghostly warmth that wouldn’t fade.

“I want to get closer to you, Clara.”

‘What did he mean by that?’

She stared at the ceiling, replaying the moment over and over in her mind.

“Leaving a guy like me on a cold floor and leaving you in the same situation aren’t the same picture at all.”

That line was another that came to mind easily.

It made sense, and it matched Rohan’s personality—a kindness rooted in sincerity rather than ulterior motives.

He lacked the malice she had grown so used to encountering in others.

And yet.

Even if she accepted that as the reason, did it make her feel better?

Not entirely.

Buzz.

Her phone vibrated softly.

Clara quickly checked the screen, her heart racing with expectation.

[Rohan: Did you get back okay?]

Before she realized it, a grin had spread across her face, her lips curling up uncontrollably.

She typed out a response at lightning speed.

‘Tomorrow...’

She realized she’d have to wait until tomorrow afternoon to see Rohan again.

Clara rolled back and forth on her small bed, her thoughts bubbling up like fizzy soda.

What kind of expression should she wear when they met?

How should she respond to his offer to use the dorm?

“Ah!”

A thought struck her—a way to better understand Rohan.

Instead of approaching it like the underhanded missions she’d been assigned in Zeno, she decided to learn about the South—its culture, history, and traditions.

Tap.

Clara began searching online, her curiosity driving her to uncover details about Rohan’s homeland.

Being a former great power, there was no shortage of material to sift through.

“!?”

Her scrolling came to an abrupt halt as her finger froze over a specific passage.

“Once known for its prosperity, now reduced to ruins, Zanhyang earned the name ‘Echoing Plains.’ Historically, Solarea, the ruling power of the South, practiced polygamy, similar to Tigrova and several other nations...”

Clara, lying in bed, sat bolt upright.