— Passengers, please step back behind the yellow line.

The pride of the Sepia Archipelago.

The sky train, which uses massive amounts of floating stones, descends from the sky.

Whoosh! With a hissing sound, the train's enormous doors slide open.

Rohan quietly observed the flood of people pouring out, keeping a low profile.

'There she is.'

Among the many people disembarking from the train, one beautiful girl particularly catches his eye.

Short hair, energetic expression and movements, an oversized hoodie, and a bulging backpack full of luggage.

As he continues watching her, she looks around for a while before spotting him. She waves both hands with a bright smile.

"Ah! Senior! I'm here!"

Rohan approached Lete with a naturally spreading smile.

Seeing the brightly smiling girl improved his mood as well.

"You must be tired from the journey. The Academy City is quite far, isn't it?"

"Not at all! I arrived sooner than I expected!"

"Still, you were sitting for a long time. Let me take your bag."

After hesitating briefly, Lete took off her backpack and handed it to Rohan.

Rohan slung the backpack over one shoulder and extended his empty hand, gesturing for her to take it.

"!"

An unexpected development—Rohan making the first move. Lete's eyes trembled intensely.

The girl gulped. She carefully took Rohan's outstretched hand.

"As you know, Academy City is crowded. Hold on tight and follow me."

"Y-yes...! Academy City is... very... crowded..."

The area around them was actually quite empty as the crowd had dispersed. But what did it matter, as long as the two of them were happy?

"Should we just buy something to drink and go? Do you need to stop anywhere else?"

"...No!"

Lete interlocked her fingers and smiled brightly. They bought a large coffee and headed to the parking lot.

Lete's eyes widened when Rohan mentioned he had rented a car.

Enjoying the sight of the surprised girl who had meticulously checked bus routes, Rohan placed her bag and his longsword in the back seat and helped Lete into the passenger seat.

'Senior's hands are so big...'

Sitting in the passenger seat, Lete felt a twinge of regret at having let go of his hand. She fastened her seatbelt and sipped her coffee.

It felt too generous that he had rented a car just because she was coming.

Clunk!

The driver's door opened and Rohan sat down.

"Is it a bit hot in the car? I'll turn on the air conditioning."

"I'm fine with the coffee! Would you like some...?"

Lete carefully offered the straw she had been drinking from to Rohan.

Without hesitation, Rohan took a sip of the coffee Lete offered before starting the engine.

"Feel free to play music from your phone. I've only been listening to the radio on my way here."

"Okay. I'll connect it later!"

Lete had no intention of playing music right away. Now that the atmosphere had quieted down, she wanted to talk with Rohan.

Vroom! The car rolled out of the parking lot. The girl's mind was spinning as fast as the wheels.

What should she start talking about?

As Lete moistened her dry lips with her tongue, Rohan noticed from the corner of his eye and asked a question.

"How does it feel to see each other after so long?"

"I-I'm happy..."

The girl honestly conveyed her feelings and lowered her gaze.

Her heart was pounding so hard that she couldn't even spare a glance at the scenery outside.

"How about your succubus skill? Are you controlling it well?"

"I've been handling the magical energy as you taught me...! Since the dungeon incident, it hasn't manifested physically or gone beyond my control!"

"You've worked hard. That's great."

Was it because she became conscious of her instincts? Lete felt a warm heat rising from the mark on her lower abdomen.

She quickly gulped down the cold coffee to cool herself, but naturally, it had no effect.

"Oh right. Wasn't there a friend who was supposed to come with you?"

"Dick senior was supposed to meet a friend, but I heard they're going to meet in the Sepia Archipelago next time."

Rohan couldn't help but laugh. When would that name ever be corrected?

Perhaps Dick Wikitree should officially change his name to "Didick Wikitree" at this point.

As their casual conversation continued, Lete seemed to relax a bit and started sharing her own stories.

"Ah! I applied to Orion Academy!"

"Oh, is it already that time?"

"The interview and practical exam are in winter, so there's still plenty of time, but I'm already nervous..."

"Try to relax. Being too tense won't let you show your true abilities, though you shouldn't be too relaxed either."

"What was your entrance exam like, Senior? I've been gathering information, but everyone tells a different story."

Rohan furrowed his eyebrows as he thought about it.

In truth, he didn't have any tips to give Lete. When he opened his eyes, the admission process was already over, and it was the day of the placement test.

"It's hard to give exam tips... There's been a massive curriculum overhaul because of the Monolith issue. So the exam is likely to change, making it difficult to predict. But one notable point is that the practical portion seems to have more weight than before."

"I understand! I'll prepare diligently the standard way!"

The car stopped briefly at a traffic signal.

Rohan flipped his hand that was holding the gear shift, showing his palm, and Lete blushed as she placed her hand on his. The ticklish atmosphere was quite pleasant.

As if it were nothing special, as if it were a natural action, they continued their everyday conversation.

"I just remembered—how was the Security Office investigation? You only messaged that it went well."

"W-well, when I said I was protected as you told me, it ended faster than expected. My friends even enjoyed it, saying it was an interesting experience."

"Your friends are really cheerful. That's nice to see."

"Sometimes they're too cheerful, which causes problems. I had a hard time stopping them from filming a vlog at the Security Office..."

Rohan laughed at the easy-to-imagine scene.

He almost asked about the friend whose arms and legs were broken, whose name he couldn't even remember now, but he swallowed the question.

"You've been keeping in touch with Sion, right?"

"Yes! She always responds very kindly... I was touched when she invited me to stay over this time..."

"Since you have the opportunity, try to get close with Clara too."

With his relationship with Lete progressing smoothly, Rohan saw no reason to hesitate with this suggestion.

Lete seemed to have been thinking the same thing, as she showed curiosity.

"What does Clara like?"

"Games and animation. Or you could ask her to teach you shooting? Like Sion, Clara is also an incredible shot."

"I see...!"

Lete made a sound of understanding and fidgeted with Rohan's hand that she was holding.

She couldn't stop smiling at the intuition that their date would be sweeter than expected.

*****

Today, as always, a tiger girl is rolling around on Ichinose's bed.

The familiar scene is accompanied by the usual voice.

"Nose~ Let's go out and play~"

"After I finish this."

"It's our day off! Stop studying!"

"Even on days off, I need to do what needs to be done. Noah, come study beside me too."

"No way!"

Ichinose had heard from Sion. She knew that Rohan was going on a date with Lete today.

So she had decided to go to Sion's mansion if she got a call. She was busy trying to finish her tasks beforehand.

"..."

Honestly, she was so envious it felt like her insides were being torn apart.

How did everyone manage to set up appointments with Rohan so easily?

Ichinose, who had been moving her pen, looked back.

Seeing Noah hugging a doll on the bed made various thoughts cross her mind.

Noah's recent behavior was concerning. And Rohan was accepting it with a smile.

'Should I... bring Noah along today?'

There was no reason to worry about this before, but now it's different.

It's a gathering of women who have feelings for Rohan, isn't it? She should talk about it.

"What? Are you done studying?"

Noah's eyes sparkled as she moved her tail that was wrapped around her waist.

Ichinose shook her head and asked a question.

"Noah. You've been following Rohan around lately."

"Yes!"

"...Have you figured out or realized anything about your feelings?"

"I still don't know. But there are many good things about following him! Rohan gives me lots of snacks, and he knows my taste really well."

Hearing the clear emotions in Noah's voice, Ichinose closed her eyes and pouted.

'Isn't she already tamed?'

Ichinose had been increasingly uncertain lately.

How should she approach Rohan? The more she thought about it, the more overwhelming it felt.

"Sigh..."

"Why are you sighing?"

"It's nothing. Do you have any other plans today, Noah?"

"Nothing besides playing with Nose. Why?"

She hadn't made any plans, yet it was already established as an appointment.

That kind of cute shamelessness was something Ichinose wished she could learn.

"How would you feel if Sion and Clara knew about your feelings for Rohan?"

"Those two? I don't mind. If things work out well, they should know, of course."

At Noah's straightforward answer, Ichinose grabbed her phone and stood up.

She stopped Noah, who was about to get up as well. She put a sweet candy in her mouth and piled dolls in her arms.

"Wait just a moment. I'll be back after making a phone call."