I Became the Must-Have Character of the Academy City

16 – Give Me Your Number

Rohan was the first to arrive at the fitness center.

Unlike outside, the warm temperature and the clean air from the purifier made it perfect for exercising.

Ughhh!

Rohan loosened his stiff neck muscles and picked up the thread of thought that had been cut off the night before.

Next are those b*stards… When will it be?

The broken contact from the Yard Pound brothers.

Rohan is anticipating how the old elf men will respond.

In Abyss City, the protagonist eventually cut off contact with them as well, so even though Rohan’s actions were rougher than the protagonist’s, the result achieved was the same.

This is where the problem starts.

He knows the events that will unfold from now on.

But he must not easily predict or convert the occurrence time of the events.

In Abyss City, most quests are ultimately driven by the gamer’s will.

Until the protagonist interacts with the NPCs marked with exclamation points and progresses, the world is essentially at a standstill.

So, what he must focus on from now on are the signs.

Just like the one word that came out of the protagonist’s mouth, he must be careful not to miss the signs that herald the events.

Additionally, be wary of the sudden quests and special quests that occur out of the blue.

Rohan was strongly conscious of the events that would unfold in the future.

Knowing the events that will happen in the future, it is inherently impossible to just turn a blind eye and enjoy his school days.

The temperament lodged in his heart does not allow such shamelessness.

Dirty b*stards targeting the people I care about?

Just thinking about it made him feel like a fishbone was stuck in his throat.

The girls he had cherished with all his might were too delicate and pure to experience the oppression and mental erosion of injustice.

b*stards. As long as I’m alive, I will never allow it.

So he tried to prepare with all his might.

There were too many uncertain factors when trying to plan in detail.

There was a lot to think about. It was complicated. His already not-so-good head was overloaded.

‘Run. Just run like hell.’

Rohan knew that moving his body was the best thing to do at times like this.

After finishing his stretches, he got on the treadmill.

“Whew!”

A treadmill for those with magical powers.

They say it can handle running faster than a car. There was something similar in the machines that hunters trained on.

Whirrrrr!

Rohan started running. The machine gradually increased its speed in response to his feet pounding the ground.

It wasn’t bad.

He decided to keep running until the stiffness of dawn faded away.

Thump! Thump! Thump! Thump!

His heart pounded as if it were lodged in his head, his throat dried to the point of stinging, and his lungs screamed for mercy.

This is how dawn should be to fully wake up.

‘As expected, Clara is needed more and more as time goes on.’

How long would it take to recruit Clara if he started trying now?

Could he recruit Clara before a major incident, which he couldn’t handle alone, broke out?

‘Borrowing someone else’s hand…’

He pondered over the faces that came to mind.

‘Noah is a no-go. No matter what, this is not happening right now.’

In this story, the target, Noah, cannot lend his strength.

It’s not that he lacks ability. With Noah’s current skills, he could handle it the moment he steps in.

Even the old elves know that Noah is an unprecedented monster among his peers, so they are being cautious.

They’ve invested a lot of time trying to figure out the routes and actions Noah Frozenheart usually takes in the academy city, and whether he has any invisible bodyguards.

The biggest reason why Noah, who meets these conditions, cannot join.

‘The condition for this quest to fail and reset to the beginning… was Noah becoming aware of the incident.’

Even the Great Tiger Emperor, who tried to accommodate the elves living in the coniferous forest of Tigrova, would personally wipe out the entire clan if those elves tried to touch Noah.

Rohan does not want such a situation.

No matter what other trash, he wanted to save just one elf.

“.”

For that reason, Noah is excluded.

Another person?

‘Gilbert…’

No matter how you coax this guy, the probability of him being uncontrollable is high.

Doesn’t it seem like he might suddenly scream and have a seizure?

The problem was that he didn’t know how loud his own voice was.

‘Dick Wikitree?’

His hands tremble even when killing an F-class monster, so actual combat is out of the question.

Right now, he’s the kind of guy who would just float with his mouth open if he fell into the water.

Beep!

How long had he been running? The treadmill automatically came to a stop.

Rohan stepped off the machine, panting heavily, his waist bending involuntarily.

Wiping off the sweat with a towel, he loosened his leg muscles and headed to the next machine.

He pushed his body, again and again.

Ughhh!!!

Responding to his magic, the insane contraption increased its weight, and he searched for a breakthrough amidst his consciousness.

In the end, if I can’t recruit Clara in time, persuading Ichinose is the best option.

It was an ideal plan.

But there was a catch.

While Ichinose’s abilities were impeccable, Rohan wasn’t sure if he could steer the situation in the desired direction with her in place.

Thud!

One set done. He put down the machine and caught his breath.

Ichinose…

A muttered word of frustration.

It was a voice that should have drifted away like a speck of dust.

But that voice flew through the air and brought an unexpected response.

Did you sense this presence? As expected, you’re not ordinary.

!?

Rohan turned his head in surprise to see Ichinose in her gym clothes.

“Good morning. You’re out early?”

“Uh… I have to train.”

Rohan felt a surge of energy returning to Ichinose’s appearance.

In the game, he always saw her in the academy uniform, but seeing her in casual sportswear was much cuter than any fan art.

“That’s a model behavior. Diligence is an example for everyone.”

“Ichinose, you’re out too? I haven’t been here long.”

“For not being here long, you’re quite sweaty.”

Ichinose continued to stretch lightly while chatting with Rohan.

Her petite figure drinking water in small sips looked quite endearing.

“Well, I’m off to exercise. Sorry for interrupting.”

“Going for a run?”

“Yes. I only run in the mornings.”

“I was thinking of running again. Let’s go together.”

Ichinose slightly opened her eyes.

The girl, who was staring at Rohan dripping with sweat from his bangs, nodded slightly.

“Sure. It won’t be boring.”

…

…

Ichinose’s feet were fast.

Her jogging speed easily surpassed Rohan’s full speed.

Since childhood, he had built up his physical strength to the point where it couldn’t be narrowed down by sheer willpower. It was clear that if he used magic, his strength would far surpass Rohan’s.

“Huff! Huff…!”

Rohan, who had run until the machine stopped, lay flat on the training room floor.

Ichinose, who hadn’t shed a single drop of sweat, got off the machine and looked at Rohan with a surprised expression.

“Rohan. Are you not feeling well?”

“Huuu… Ugh, I’m dying.”

“Here’s some water.”

Rohan took the water Ichinose handed him, swallowed a few gulps, and sat down to catch his breath.

“I didn’t think the difference would be this big.”

“…?”

The girl looked at Rohan with wide eyes.

Ichinose was puzzled by his serious expression.

‘His running form is good, though.’

It was strange that his basic physical strength would drop so much while swinging a sword so fiercely.

Even if he didn’t belong to a swordsmanship school, he must have been swinging a sword and training since long ago. From Ichinose’s perspective, it didn’t make sense that he would collapse like that after running at this speed.

“Rohan. Can I ask you something?”

“Huh? What is it?”

Rohan, who had his face buried in a towel, lifted his head.

“Where are you from? The fact that you handle a sword so well and I didn’t know about it… It seems like there’s a gap in my information gathering.”

Rohan pondered the question for a moment, but there was nothing to hide.

Always ready to answer.

“If you answer, you’ll buy me a drink, right?”

“Of course. I’ll buy you two.”

Rohan simply enjoyed having these conversations with Ichinose.

Even if he hadn’t promised to buy a drink, he would have answered.

‘Just looking at you makes my heart soften.’

After pausing for a moment to enjoy Ichinose’s curious expression,

He revealed the answer.

“Southern Remnant.”

“…!”

Ichinose’s pupils trembled, sensing he had made a mistake, realizing he had touched on a sensitive topic.

Rohan chuckled at his gentle demeanor and responded before Ichinose could apologize.

“Aren’t I amazing? Coming all the way from the south to Orion Academy.”

Ichinose understood the meaning behind Rohan’s cheeky remark and closed his mouth.

The girl, who had been chewing her lips for a moment, nodded and smiled faintly.

“…Yes. You really are amazing.”

“The theory is a bit of a hurdle, but I need to work harder.”

Rohan stood up and massaged his legs.

Ichinose watched him and added her voice.

“Rohan.”

“Why?”

“Theory is the part I’m most confident in… Feel free to ask anytime.”

“Anytime?”

“Yes. Teaching is the best review, so it’s good for me too.”

With those words, Rohan rummaged through the bag placed in the corner and handed his smartphone to Ichinose.

“Give me your number. I’ll ask if I have any questions.”