I Became the Must-Have Character of the Academy City-Chapter 159: Who Are You Trying to Meet?

At the point when the sun’s rays started to feel unbearably hot, the time had come for the summer vacation ceremony at Orion Academy.

As the thin clothes they wore forced them into short sleeves under the scorching sun, Class 1 gathered in the auditorium early in the morning for a brief ceremony. Afterward, they returned to their classroom for the final wrap-up.

Waiting for Juyeon, Rohan continued to chat with his two friends, Gilbert Carniart and Dick Wikitree.

“Rohan, did you get your driver’s license like you said you would last time?”

“Yeah. Thanks to that, I passed easily. The stuff you showed me was exactly what came up on the test.”

“Good. Anyone who knows what they're doing passes like that.”

Rohan had already gotten the driver’s license he had planned for. Watching the summary video Dick had sent him, he was able to quickly get familiar with the traffic rules of this world. It wasn’t much different from what he already knew, and after just checking a few things, the test wasn’t difficult at all. The driving test was even easier.

“Rohannnnn!!! Are you not thinking of visiting the Sepia Islands during vacation?”

“I don’t have any plans yet. I’m not sure if I’ll have the time for it.”

Rohan lightly pushed away Gilbert’s face, which was being thrust toward him, and casually responded.

“Ah, that’s a shame.”

“What’s with that tone?”

“Well, how about we have dinner together today? My girlfriend also uses a sword, so she’s curious about you. Apparently, there’s been quite a bit of talk about you after the practical exam.”

“Hmmm...”

“I mean, I really want to introduce my girlfriend to you! We’ve promised a future together, so it’s like she’s my wife already!”

Now that Gilbert mentioned it, he did have a girlfriend.

The reason he always disappeared during breaks was because of her. He did so many incomprehensible things that Rohan often forgot about her existence. Maybe it was because he hadn’t actually seen her during this period.

“Are you going, Dick?”

“No, I can’t. I’ve got a train reservation, so I’ll have to rush after this. If you go to the Sepia Islands, I’ll buy you dinner.”

“Rohan, he never planned to go in the first place. He’s the type of guy who can’t even speak a word when a girl’s around.”

“I wasn’t planning on going either. Just go away.”

Ignoring the two who started bickering again without getting tired of it, Rohan moved his head.

Ichinose and Noah’s seats were empty.

‘Did they go to the bathroom?’

Though it was the first day of summer vacation and there was plenty of free time, unusually, Rohan’s schedule was completely empty for today.

Shion and Clara, who had been with him every day, were going to meet Ichinose and Noah to look at swimsuits, so Rohan had no reason to refuse Gilbert’s invitation.

‘If they call, I can go back then.’

After leaving a message saying that he would have dinner with a friend, Rohan accepted Gilbert’s suggestion.

After chatting a little more, Noah did a somersault and returned through the back door. Ichinose calmly followed behind and took a seat.

Juyeon entered through the front door.

“Attention.”

Juyeon, standing at the podium, checked each of the students in Class 1.

She smiled gently.

“I’ve said everything I needed to say in the auditorium, so I [N O V E L I G H T] won’t keep you long. You’ve all worked hard following the instructor during the first semester. During the vacation, make sure to manage your health and be careful not to get hurt. Got it?”

“““Yes!!!”””

The students responded with loud, cheerful voices, mixed with smiles, and Juyeon nodded in satisfaction.

“As I always say, if something difficult happens, don’t hide it and tell the instructor. That’s all.”

As Juyeon stepped away from the podium, the students stood up and began moving around.

They surrounded Juyeon as she tried to leave the classroom, showering her with words of thanks.

Summer vacation had begun.

Gilbert asked for a moment of his time, so Rohan went back to the dormitory, changed his clothes, and put on his equipment.

As he left the dormitory, he took out his phone.

[Clara: I’m going with the girls! Have something delicious, oppa! ☆ﾐ(o*･ω･)ﾉ]

A smile naturally appeared on his face.

Clara also seemed less uncomfortable with Noah now.

‘They’ve gotten close enough to hang out together like that. I hope they continue like this.’

Everyone had a clear sense of direction, and their personalities were good, so Rohan believed things would be fine.

The only thing he felt a bit regretful about was not being able to witness this pleasant scene from the sidelines.

But, as the only male in the group, it was something he had to bear.

He waited, anticipating a good reaction when seeing the swimsuits, looking forward to the beach as the background.

‘I should just buy my swimsuit online.’

While waiting for the green light at the intersection, Rohan was browsing men’s swimsuits on his phone.

Then, an alert popped up in front of him.

[The shop list has been updated]

[A special product has appeared]

“Oh?”

It was something he had almost forgotten about, unsure of how long it would take.

The shop, which had been missing the first batch of sale items, had finally been updated.

Rohan crossed the crosswalk, following the change in the signal, and opened the shop skill.

[Shop ─ Lv.3]

◇ Unique Skill Level-Up - 50,000P (1 purchase available)

◇ Feather Fall Talisman - 1,000P (23 hours 59 minutes remaining)

◇ Monster Chatter Potion - 800P

◇ Animal Chatter Potion - 700P

◇ Intermediate Health/Mana Potion - 500P

◇ Fatigue Recovery Potion - 200P

··

··

◇ Low-Level Health/Mana Potion - 100P

◇ Restaurant Reservation Ticket - 50P

◇ Focus Enhancement Scented Candle - 50P

··

··

[Remaining Points - 1,750P]

‘Skill level-up has gotten more expensive.’

The limited items' prices had been steadily climbing, eventually reaching 50,000 points. How would he ever accumulate that many points?

Amidst his overwhelming uncertainty, his attention was drawn to the time-limited special item.

‘It’s that.’

It wasn’t surprising. He recognized it as soon as he saw it.

It was a result of his second transcendence.

[Shop skills will probabilistically feature special items.]

“Hmmm.”

Rohan knew exactly what the Feather Fall Talisman was. No matter how high he fell, it was a consumable item that negated fall damage once.

In Abyss City, when playing the game mindlessly, it was common to accumulate a lot of these items. They were inconsequential, and it didn’t matter whether they were there or not. But the current reality was different.

He wanted it.

However, the price was too high to buy with the points he currently had.

‘The special items, I can let that slide, but the skill level-up is a price you’d aim for only with something like a quest reward.’

Building up points by hunting low-level monsters like those random low-tier monsters that appeared on the side of the road, or through trivial achievements, wasn’t the solution.

The main story, which had been tied to quest rewards, was something he was eagerly waiting for to open up. He was dying to know when it would unlock.

He wondered if he should jump into a monster-occupied area to grind points and maybe even get a title as a monster hunter.

He knew the locations of a few places.

Lost in thought, as he moved forward, Rohan snapped out of it.

‘No. I should avoid dangerous things.’

Charging into a monster-occupied area with his current skill level? It would be the act of charging blindly toward death, and no matter how much his greed blinded him, there was no excuse for it.

Ignoring Ichinose Jun’s advice, it wasn’t something Rohan could proudly disregard and raise his head about. His current strength was too weak for that.

‘I might die trying to take a shortcut. Life’s only one, so no need to rush. Focus on training... skills are just a supplement...’

He corrected his thoughts and, about ten minutes later, saw the complex shopping mall that Gilbert had designated as the meeting place.

***

Ichinose Yui, Noah Frozenheart, Shion Testarossa, and Clara.

These four had grown quite close over time.

Recently, they had even made a promise to speak more casually in their own way.

Noah, knowing that Shion and Clara had feelings for Rohan, teased them by engaging in deeper conversations with the girls.

So, today’s swimsuit shopping was important and honest.

“To tease Rohan, isn’t something like this perfect? Sexy!”

Noah pulled out a swimsuit so daring that the area of fabric was smaller than the palm of her hand and shoved it at the group.

Ichinose didn’t respond and, without saying anything, walked toward Shion to look at other swimsuits. Clara, with her face flushed red, shook her head vigorously.

“Ugh, oppa says the best one is the one that suits you best...”

“Why~ I think this would suit Clara!”

“Aaah...”

“Noah, don’t tease Clara. She’s uncomfortable.”

“Tch!”

Noah hung up the swimsuit and began wandering around.

She seemed more interested in what the others would choose than in her own swimsuit.

“So, is that what you’re getting, Noa? Is it covering your whole body?”

“What’s wrong with it...”

Ichinose, holding up a rash guard, pouted her lips.

She also knew that her choice was somewhat passive, and it was clear she didn’t quite like it.

Still, exposure was embarrassing. She was still conflicted.

Shion, with an endlessly serious expression, was only looking at the bolder swimsuits, clearly feeling stimulated.

Time passed, and yet, aside from Noah, none of them had decided on a swimsuit.

Noah, trying on diving goggles and pondering water play equipment, suddenly noticed someone outside and immediately stood alert.

She went out to the store entrance, narrowed her eyes, and spoke.

“Isn’t that Rohan?”

The girls, who had been looking at swimsuits, turned their heads and gathered toward the entrance.

Amidst the bustling crowd, Rohan, riding the escalator, could be clearly seen.

He was looking at his phone.

“Oh, oppa said he’s having dinner with a friend today...”

“Clara, do you know the name of that friend?”

“I don’t know... I didn’t ask about that...”

“Looking at how he’s heading up, he must be going to meet someone, right? Rohan’s friend? Gilbert Carniart or Dick Wikitree, perhaps?”

Thinking about it, it felt odd.

She had heard that Rohan usually went to restaurants that were cheap and served large portions when eating with his male friends.

There were certain restaurants popular among men.

“They’re still going up.”

“What’s at the top?”

In the conversation between Ichinose and Shion, Noah answered.

“They sell men’s clothing at the top. And the very top has a movie theater? Below that, there’s a floor with restaurants and cafes.”

“...”

The girls exchanged looks after hearing Noah’s words.

Their expressions were all as serious as could be.