I Became the Must-Have Character of the Academy City-Chapter 101: The Calamity Duo and the Tiger

"This?"

"It's a familiar presence. They'll notice us soon as well."

Rohan relaxed his low stance and stood at ease.

Ichinose also loosened her grip and closed her eyes, focusing her senses.

‘...I can tell for sure now.’

Unfortunately, it wasn’t Noah.

The presence alone was enough of an indicator. If it were Noah, he would have sensed Rohan and Ichinose from a much greater distance.

Then who were the approaching cadets?

The answer was obvious.

‘Gilbert Caniart.’

The heavy footfalls, matching his height, and the sheer force of his presence made it easy for Ichinose to identify him.

The other one must be his assigned partner, which naturally meant Dick Wicketree.

The two had a good relationship with Rohan.

Knowing that, Ichinose felt relieved, as there was no need to be overly cautious about the encounter.

Rustle!

The bushes parted, revealing the approaching cadets.

As expected, it was the pair she had anticipated. She greeted them accordingly.

"Welcome."

"Nice to see you."

Gilbert’s complexion looked better than when he was at the academy.

Was an uninhabited island actually his ideal environment? His face was practically glowing with excitement.

"Oh! So it really is Rohan and Ichinose Yui!"

"Ugh... Nice to see you..."

The unexpected part was Dick’s complexion—it was dark and sallow.

It was enough to draw immediate attention.

"What's wrong with him? Is he sick?"

"He doesn’t look well."

Rohan and Ichinose each made a remark.

Gilbert let out a sigh and shook his head.

"He’s like that because he’s hungry. Even in that state, he refuses to eat the food I secured."

"...Because it’s not food fit for human consumption. Even a countryside mutt wouldn’t eat that."

Dick retorted in a weak, drained voice, his pale complexion only adding to the pitiful image.

Rohan could already guess the situation, but he asked just to be sure.

"If you got food... was it from the supply crates?"

"The supply crates were already looted when I got there. Everyone’s so damn fast."

"Then what did you get?"

Gilbert, as if he’d been waiting for the question, let out a proud snort.

Crossing his arms, he continued with a shadowed expression.

"Even if it's Dick Wicketree, he's still my assigned partner. And since my partner was starving, I put aside my personal feelings and worked hard to secure food."

"And the result?"

"I caught three Geroais."

"...Geroai."

A monster with a huge eyeball and tiny wings.

Looking into its eye caused dizziness and nausea. A low-ranking F-class creature, hardly a threat.

"Rohan, you must know how many nutrients are packed into that giant eyeball. Even tuna eyes are rich in vitamins and unsaturated fatty acids."

Standing beside Rohan, Ichinose shuddered at the mere thought of it.

"Well... if you cook it properly, it should be fine. I’ve even seen videos of people eating it."

"As expected, you understand! See, now do you get it?"

Gilbert shot a reprimanding look at his starving partner.

But Dick was unwavering.

"I’m never eating that. I'd rather peel off my sticker..."

"You weak-willed fool! With that attitude, you’ll never be able to save the world!!!"

"Since when was I supposed to save the world?"

Listening to their ridiculous exchange, Ichinose felt even luckier to have been paired with Rohan.

For Rohan, though, this was already getting tiresome.

He cut off the conversation and asked directly.

"So you're out looking for food now?"

"No! We're being chased!"

"What? By who?"

His confident tone didn’t match the words.

Rohan thought he might have misheard and asked Gilbert again.

"We're being chased by Noah Frozenheart!"

"What the hell are you talking about?"

"I gave him food out of goodwill because he was starving, and he got mad and started chasing us!"

"I thought I was gonna die on the spot..."

Noah, unable to eat, was apparently too weak to run properly.

As Gilbert and Dick recounted their escape from the "tiger," Ichinose suddenly had a bad feeling and raised her voice.

"Wait... the food you gave him... don’t tell me...!"

Gilbert, seeing her expression of realization, gave a firm nod.

Then, he reached into his inner pocket and pulled out a grayish lump.

Just looking at it made one feel queasy—it was soft and gelatinous in texture.

"A roasted Geroai. I even stuffed it with pine tree bark for extra flavor."

"...You lunatic."

Even if someone was desperate enough to eat the eyeball, who the hell would think to stuff it with tree bark?

Noah, who could eat almost anything, must have taken it as an outright insult.

"Ha..."

Rohan let out a deep sigh, processing everything that had just happened.

Seeing an opportunity, Dick, who was groaning from hunger, immediately turned on Gilbert.

"See? Even Rohan thinks this is ridiculous."

"Hmm... The inner bark of pine trees has a natural sweetness, so it should balance the flavor well. Do White Tiger beastmen just hate vegetarian food? Perhaps I still have more to learn."

"It's not a race thing. That stuff just isn't food."

Rohan watched them bicker as he finished assessing the situation.

"These guys aren't guests. They're a disaster."

A starving Noah Frozenheart.

The two maniacs who had unknowingly brought upon themselves the disaster of a rampaging tiger.

"..."

A heavy silence fell. Rohan's piercing gaze stabbed at the two.

Trying to break the tension, Gilbert raised his voice.

"Rohan. The next thing you're going to say is... 'Since we've met like this, I'll hide you guys.'"

"What the hell are you talking about? Get lost before you drag me into this."

Rohan shoved Gilbert and Dick back in the direction they had come from.

"Why?! Let us stay!"

"Ugh... You're too heartless!"

Dick's ~Nоvеl𝕚ght~ situation was indeed pitiful, but their escape route was wide open.

If they really couldn’t handle it, they could just use a flare to summon an instructor or rip off their stickers to exit the test.

"Why would I take in a couple of sweaty nuisances? Can't you see I was enjoying a peaceful time alone with Ichinose?"

"W-What are you saying?!"

As soon as Gilbert and Dick's eyes turned to her, Ichinose hugged her sword and jumped up and down in flustered panic.

Rohan chuckled at the sight before sharing the location where he had caught the Hornbird.

With that information as an offering, he successfully sent the disaster duo away, still being chased by the tiger.

Updat𝓮d from frёewebnoѵēl.com.

***

Having sent off their unexpected visitors, Rohan and Ichinose returned to their camp and sat down.

Rohan picked up a pack of ramen while watching the water in the mess tin bubble as it boiled.

However, he didn’t put in the noodles or soup yet. Instead, he continued the conversation with Ichinose.

"That was a storm. But at least we confirmed Noah is nearby, so it's a win."

"Y-Yeah... that's true..."

"Should we go find him?"

Ichinose slightly opened her normally closed eyes and looked at Rohan.

As always, his expression remained unchanged, and he spoke smoothly, as if nothing had happened.

Somehow, that annoyed her.

She suddenly had the urge to reach out and pinch his cheek, stretching it as much as she could.

‘Was he always this much of a tease?’

Thinking back to his earlier joke, she felt like staying stiff and frozen over it was only putting herself at a disadvantage.

Suppressing the ripples in her heart, Ichinose opened her mouth.

"It's fine. You said we'd eat and then sleep, right? I won't accept my partner sacrificing rest just for personal connections."

"Hmm..."

"I was worried about him, sure. But just because I heard some news doesn't mean I'm going to rush over like a headless chicken. I've already given him enough advice."

Noah had Corinne as his partner.

If Ichinose pushed her way in just because of personal ties, it could make things uncomfortable.

"Alright, so we're not going. Then I'll cook the ramen?"

At Rohan’s confirmation, Ichinose nodded.

Only then did Rohan finally tear open the pack and dump the noodles and soup into the boiling water.

***

"That bastard...!"

Noah was fuming as he scanned his surroundings.

The hellish bitterness still lingered in his mouth.

‘If I catch them, I won’t let them off!’

He had already decided what punishment Gilbert and Dick would receive.

If only he had more strength left, he would never have let them escape.

The fact that he had been too weak from hunger to capture them made him even angrier.

"Noah! C-Calm down! We've gone too far already!"

His partner, Corinne, was running after him, struggling to keep up.

She had also failed to find proper shelter from the downpour on the first day, ending up in the same miserable state as him.

Seeing her pitiful condition made Noah waver.

It reminded him that there were more important things than revenge right now.

In the end, Noah Frozenheart stopped his reckless pursuit.

"Argh!!! I have to catch those two, damn it...!"

He knew getting caught up in emotions would only be a disadvantage in this test.

He needed to let it go.

But for someone like Noah, cold, calculated decisions were far easier said than done.

"Let’s go back and wait for the next supply drop, okay? We won’t be late this time."

"...Sorry for running off without saying anything."

Noah’s white tail and round ears drooped.

"It’s fine. I have some water left, so let’s go back and rinse your mouth."

"...Yeah."

Corinne was actually grateful that Noah had stopped himself here.

Thinking back, wasn’t he her savior?

He had tasted the food first before asking what it was.

If he had let her eat it without warning, she might have actually died from the trauma.

"I'm starving..."

Just as Noah accepted reality and turned back with Corinne...

He suddenly stopped in his tracks.

He sniffed the air.

Seeing this, Corinne tilted her head in confusion.

"What is it?"

"This smell..."

"Did you find something?"

"Yeah. I think I did."

Closing his eyes and focusing his keen sense of smell, he was certain.

There was something carried by the wind—something different from the usual scents of nature.

‘Ramen!? Is this from the supply crates?’

The distance was considerable.

If he hadn’t been starving, he never would have noticed it.

"..."

Drawn by the scent, Noah slowly started walking toward the source.