"Until you figure out what you want to do in the future, how about sticking with ?"
"!"
Clara froze, her body stiffening at the unexpected suggestion, but her mind quickly raced with thoughts.
Rohan's words seed to carry multiple layers of aning.
Clatter!
Rohan disposed of his nearly empty plastic cup, now filled only with lting ice, and let out a faint laugh as he glanced at Clara.
The sight of himself, anxious at the thought of her leaving, struck him as oddly comical.
"Ah, I really need to stop rushing ahead like this."
"…?"
"Since this is important, I should explain it properly to you, Clara."
The girl, still bewildered, gave a small nod.
With that, Rohan resud his slow steps, his voice asured and steady.
"After graduating from Orion Academy, settling in Elysium within Academy City and aiming for a job with the Security Bureau is a stable path. But I've been leaning more toward freelancing."
"What do you an by freelancing…?"
"I an hunting monsters and selling materials like hides and fangs. Or, when necessary, taking down beasts masquerading as humans."
Rather than offer vague explanations, he opted for clarity.
Rohan added another thought as he concluded.
"I also have legitimate clearance to enter the southern regions without any bureaucratic hassle. That's a significant advantage."
The south, teeming with monsters spawned by the Void Whale, wasn’t far away.
And Academy City's location, nestled between powerful nations, was pri real estate for selling rare materials.
"If I set up an office, I could probably settle for sothing affordable outside the central area."
When Rohan finished speaking, he turned to Clara, his gaze asking if she found the plan intriguing.
Clara pulled the straw from her lips and shared her impression.
"I'm surprised by how detailed your plan is…!"
"Detailed? It's just a rough outline, really. But thanks for saying that."
"I-I don’t know much about this kind of thing…"
As Clara listened, she imagined it. Even if it was tough work, she felt she’d enjoy it if it ant being by Rohan’s side.
To the girl, who was focused solely on the present, such thoughts were like a beacon illuminating the pitch-black uncertainty of her future.
Rohan felt the sa.
As he spoke, he noticed and was reassured by one detail: Clara showed no surprise or discomfort at his talk of handling monsters or humans alike.
"B-but aren’t there a lot of people at Orion Academy who are better than …?"
The unspoken question dangled at the end of her hesitant words: Why would you invite soone like when I haven’t proven myself?
Rohan shook his head firmly.
"Not everyone at Orion Academy is at Noah's level. You know that just from looking at or the cadets on the streets, right?"
"…"
"And what’s more important than skill is finding soone whose body and mind are in sync with yours."
Clara’s heart thumped unusually hard at those words.
Summoning her courage, she asked a question that left her more nervous than ever.
"Do you… think we’d be a good match…?"
"Of course."
Rohan’s casual response sent joy blooming in Clara’s heart.
And it blood brightly.
"It’s still a while off, so if you find sothing you’d rather do in the anti, you can pursue that instead."
"Mm…"
Even though she understood it as a considerate remark, Clara couldn’t help but feel strangely saddened by the idea.
Why am I like this… just with him?
Clara couldn’t understand why her emotions felt so unsteady and turbulent, like a flickering fla.
It was enough to make her question if sothing was wrong with her.
"Getting a regular paycheck is reassuring, but there’s also sothing satisfying about earning as much as you work for."
Though it sounded like wisdom gained from experience, it didn’t feel out of place coming from Rohan, despite his status as an academy cadet.
Which is why Clara answered, unable to hold back her eagerness.
She feared the kindhearted Rohan, who saw her so gently, might leave her behind if she delayed.
"I think… working with you sounds interesting. I’d like to try it…"
"!"
Seeing the delight on Rohan’s face at her words made Clara happy.
Feeling his need for her made her cheeks flush slightly.
"Rohan."
"Yeah, I’m listening."
"So… what exactly would I be doing…?"
Hearing her positive response, Rohan smiled, his voice lifting slightly with excitent.
Clara noticed the slight quickening in his speech, and the older man seed adorably flustered in her eyes.
"We’re not going to just sit around waiting for two years. We’ll gain experience and earn funds in the anti."
Clara nodded attentively as she listened.
"For now, though… wait, a car’s coming. Stay back."
"…!"
Rohan grabbed Clara’s wrist, pulling her to safety.
Vroooom!
A black van sped recklessly down the dark alley.
From the passenger seat, soone tossed a cigarette butt through the slightly open window.
"Huh?"
There was nothing particularly special about the black van—until Rohan saw the license plate: 4885.
“That license plate… a black van with 4885…?”
"Rohan?"
Clara's curiosity was evident, but Rohan didn't have the luxury to explain in detail.
As soon as he recognized the number, a notification window appeared before his eyes.
[ A Quest Has Appeared ]
[ Yellow Toads ]
◇ Quest Objective: You have identified a vehicle belonging to the human trafficking group Hwangseomdan (Yellow Toad Gang). Rescue the hostages and report the incident to Elysium’s Security Bureau.
◇ Type: Sudden Quest
◇ Reward for Success: 1,500 Points
◇ Penalty for Failure: None
Sudden quests like this would sotis occur while exploring the map of Abyss City.
This was exactly the kind of opportunity Rohan had been waiting for.
No need to erase traces of combat this ti? And reporting to the Security Bureau after the rescue?
After a mont of deliberation, Rohan concluded that this situation could be a valuable opportunity for Clara as well.
And he was certain it wouldn't cause trouble to get involved with the Security Bureau.
They had learned the laws of Academy City Elysium during class.
In this world, human trafficking was classified under cris that permitted summary execution by civilians.
The laws here were refreshingly straightforward compared to his previous life. And with hostages to testify, it made sense why the directive was to rescue them.
"…Clara."
"Rohan, are you okay?"
"I'm fine. Do you still have so ti?"
"Y-Yeah? I have ti, but…"
Clara glanced at her wrist, still held firmly in Rohan’s grip, and swallowed hard.
There was no way she could shake him off.
"I’ll give you a little preview of the kind of work we’ll be doing."
*******
Crash!
“AAARGH!!!”
The sound of shattering glass and soone screaming pierced the air.
n who had been dozing in a nearby shipping container bolted out, scanning their surroundings in alarm.
Each bore a toad tattoo on their hand or neck.
“What the hell was that noise?”
Their eyes shifted toward an unlit building.
One of its windows, perfectly intact just before they went to sleep, was now shattered.
"Don’t tell we’ve been caught already? This is our first job since we relocated."
"Co on, maybe the boss just lost his temper. He’s been on edge ever since we got kicked out of the district."
“Watch your mouth, idiot! Don’t say stuff like that in front of the boss.”
"I know, I know. I wouldn’t dare."
Their exchange was filled with wishful thinking.
But guesswork wouldn’t solve anything. They knew they had to check for themselves.
Just as they headed toward the building to investigate, they saw a woman blocking the staircase.
Her long, purple hair was tied into twin-tails, and her striking appearance captivated their attention imdiately—even before they noticed the open basent door behind her.
Her beauty was disarming.
Instinctively, the n almost made lewd remarks but swallowed them back.
The fact that soone so out of place was standing there heightened their suspicion.
And how had she gotten this far unnoticed? Not even her presence had been felt, let alone her magic.
“Who the hell is this chick? Did you call her?”
“Of course not, boss!”
“Maybe she’s with the Security Bureau? I heard so of them are real lookers.”
“As if! Even if they’ve got sharp noses, we’ve barely started. No way they’d be onto us already…”
Their conversation grew tense as they each drew weapons.
The guns and blades in their hands were nacingly sharp.
"Y-you’re all bad people who deal in human trafficking, right…?"
“What the hell is she saying?”
“Maybe she’s just nuts? But hell, even if she’s crazy, she’s pretty enough to sell for top dollar…”
As the girl avoided eting their eyes, her timid deanor emboldened the group.
In the underworld, half the fight was about intimidation.
Her shrinking posture only made her seem like she’d already lost.
“I’ve already checked everything inside…”
The girl tapped a small rock on the ground with the tip of her shoe, sending it rolling.
The n’s eyes naturally followed its movent.
"Don’t cross that line, okay? You can’t go in right now…"
Even as she spoke, the sound of shattering glass echoed from upstairs, followed by a scream.
***
Crash!
“AARGH!!!”
The voice unmistakably belonged to one of their own—the guard watching over the "goods."
“What the… This is insane.”
“Boss is still here, right? Sothing feels off.”
One man, sensing danger, began to back away, but another cursed and stepped forward, his expression twisted with frustration.
And then it happened.
Thwip!
A sharp, piercing sound cut through the air.
The man who had ignored her warning fell to the ground, a bullet hole clean through his head.
In the girl’s pale hand was a silenced pistol, the weapon having appeared as if out of nowhere.
"I told you… not to cross the line."
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