118 - I Became the Must-Have Character of the Academy City

Rohan lay his weary body upon the bed and closed his eyes. Finding that object nestled in the recesses of his consciousness was not difficult. As soon as he grasped the distinct entity lying obediently like a book on a shelf within his mind, a current appeared before his eyes. [Playing Restricted Access Video #3.] The kind of video or text that always showed enigmatic and profound things, difficult to deduce their meaning. But Rohan focused all his mental faculties to avoid missing any information. Because when such things accumulate, they might form a clear picture. ‘Let’s see what we have this time.’ What will it show this time? Though he worried about any potential impact on his physical state, a sense of anticipation welled up within him. ────. The world once filled with darkness turned a pristine white. Vibrant colors gathered rapidly, creating a new world before him. ‘I can see.’ Like before, he was borrowing someone else's vision. Rohan began to meticulously analyze the information caught in the background. ‘From whose perspective am I seeing this?’ He observed a cigarette lying on the table and an overflowing ashtray on the verge of becoming a cactus. The long hair falling across the view suggested it might be a woman, indicating it wasn’t the man from last time. A hand moved to grasp a pen. Judging by the shape of the nails and fingers, it seemed to be a woman. ‘The cigarette and hair color... Is she the woman the headmaster met before?’ The woman he presumed had accompanied himself as a child. Though her face was obscured, he could infer based on other details. A woman habitually held a cigarette between her lips and began to fill the paper with elegant handwriting. Rohan absorbed the contents of the writing she was composing. [Starting the ■■■ Experiment] Rohan surmised. As a researcher dedicated to her role in the experiment, this woman intended to express her emotions in an earnest essay. Hoping perhaps that someone will read it one day in the future. [For Lowell, nearly frozen to death as a child, flames symbolized comfort and peace; For Jenny, who lost her family to a fire, they were a symbol of fear and disaster. What are flames to us, after all? The unevenly flickering forms conjure a plethora of feelings and meanings for each individual.] With a soft sigh, a stream of smoke escaped and disappeared towards the ceiling. [We understood that fire could symbolize peace to humanity. And we were certain it would instill fear in the monsters that threaten humanity.] ... ... [To punish those who betrayed humanity, a fire to burn everything was necessary. The arrival day of flames aligned with the ideal of purifying the world...] ‘!?’ The term “betrayers of humanity” associated with Omega now clearly surfaced in Rohan’s mind. “Phew...” The woman exhaled, ending the reflective moment. Thud! She closed the book. Her hands trembled as she put down the pen and cigarette. Swearing slipped out from her mouth, which had let go of the cigarette. “Damn it…” The woman who maintained a casual and impudent demeanor in front of the headmaster was now stricken with severe anxiety and fear. Reflections of some point in time haunted her. ‘What is this?’ The background Rohan watched turned to darkness. He began borrowing even the woman’s imagination. He was sharing something she had directly seen and experienced. [Playing Abyss City 5.0 Version PV: 『Traitors of Humanity』] Rohan stared blankly at the notification screen. ‘Abyss City version 5? But I was playing version 2?’ There was no time to gather his thoughts. The video began to play. The scene was a mist-laden canyon. It was eerie. No sign of people. ─ Hoooom. A gigantic whale, emitting a sound akin to a ship's horn, was settled upon the ground with its belly resting. ‘The void whale...’ A monster that brought ruin to the South. Rohan had never seen it personally. However, its face was familiar from occasional appearances in official illustrations and the story itself. ‘Despite it all, I didn’t expect it to be this massive.’ Calling it just a whale seemed insufficient. It made him suspect that perhaps the creator had instilled life in a mountain peak. What on earth was that thing? Could it truly be classified merely as a monster? ─ Gwoooong. The creature, simply by its presence, caused its surroundings to melt into darkness. It moved by utilizing the world transformed into an unknown liquid underfoot. ─ Gwooo. Suddenly, the void whale opened its mouth wide. The void whale is noted for its skill of creating spatial distortions within its mouth and spewing out monsters. Sensing that something crucial was about to occur, Rohan kept his eyes wide open. ‘Is it going to spew out monsters here? In an empty place?’ Surprisingly, that wasn’t the case. Something more astonishing than monsters emerged from the void whale’s mouth. Humans. A group marched out, having breached the spatial distortion created by the void whale. ‘...?’ For a moment, Rohan couldn’t comprehend the scene. The spatial gap is meant to be an exit for monsters. It closes after dumping monsters, thus cannot be used as an entrance for humans. Without giving him time to ponder, the astonishment continued. Remarkably, among the crowd were some familiar individuals. Omega and Hex stood as part of the group. Unlike that deserted island’s encounter, Omega bore no burn scars. But the human likeness yet sense of detachment from humanity remained similar. Hex appeared just as seen in illustrations. Rohan’s contemplation deepened. ‘The PV is titled Traitors of Humanity...’ Beyond the void whale’s mouth and the spatial rift. What lay there? Seeing that would likely quench the curiosity and tantalizing interest residing in his heart. However, the void whale had already submerged into the melted ground and vanished. [Exiting the video.] “...” Rohan opened his eyes. Checking his phone, approximately five minutes had passed. Indeed, after dealing with restricted access-related content, not only did his body feel weary, but his mental state was also burdened. The bed was exceedingly comfortable. Feeling that he might end up sleeping all day if he remained, he forced himself up and checked new messages sent by Shion and Clara. ... "Finished earlier than expected, huh?" Rohan mused as he arrived at the luxurious estate in front of Shion's house. He had brought an upscale pack of tissues as a housewarming gift. He considered buying a diffuser but was unsure of the scents the two preferred, and he wasn't in a state to deliberate further. Ding Dong! He pressed the doorbell. Silence. The door didn’t open. Ding Dong! No response again, even though he rang a second time. ‘What’s this? They seem to be home.’ They had mentioned via message that they'd be waiting for him. Debating whether to call, Rohan guessed they might be busy moving things around inside, so he fished out the card key. Having been given access to Shion's home, Rohan had both a card key and his fingerprints registered. Initially, he declined politely, but after hearing various "just in case" examples, he accepted. Beep beep! The gate unlocked. The door handle turned easily. "Shion? Clara?" Calling their names, Rohan placed his shoes on the rack and stepped inside. With every passing moment, his fatigue seemed to increase exponentially, weighing heavily upon him. If he lost concentration for a second, his eyelids threatened to droop, luring him into the clutches of sleep. "Rohan, you’re here?" “Oh, brother…!” The two emerged from a room. Rohan's jaw nearly dropped at the sight of them clad in the negligees they had purchased at the mall yesterday. Shion confidently strutted into the living room. Clara, with hesitant, creaky steps, half-hid herself behind Shion. "Hey! Both of you, put on proper clothes!" "It's my house, isn't it alright?" “...” Shion maintained a calm demeanor, though redness crept into her ears. Clara's eyes spun with embarrassment. Rohan found himself wrestling with his unfulfilled desires since arriving in the academy city, completing a mental rendition of the national anthem to clear his thoughts. This unaddressed instinct, often ignored through rigorous training and exertion, was swelling dangerously. “If Rohan had rung the bell, I would have had time to change clothes. But there wasn’t any time now, was there?” “I rang it a few times…” Rohan responded mechanically. "Then the bell must be broken. I didn’t hear it. I'll fix it tomorrow." “Y-yeah…! It’s broken…! Broken!” Seeing Clara echo the lie with a dizzy expression made Rohan chuckle. Might as well be candid about it. "As a perfectly normal guy, this is kind of tough to handle." “...!” Both Shion and Clara's eyes widened, their lips twitching in response. "We'll be careful." "Y-yeah… I’ll be cautious…!" Feeling they had achieved their goal, they retreated to change clothes. “Sigh.” Rohan set down the tissues he held and breathed a long sigh. ... ... Within the estate, Shion had prepared a room for Rohan. A sign of hospitality, complete with basic furniture and a bed, was extended as an invitation for frequent visits. Rohan, despite feeling a slight burden, couldn't hide his tiredness. After taking a quick look around the house, he mentioned he would take a short nap on the bed, even without blankets. He requested to be woken in 30 minutes, closing his eyes for some needed rest. As the girls shared stories of past missions and sorted their shopping lists, precisely 30 minutes went by. To wake Rohan, the two girls entered the room. “Not a common sight.” “R-right.” “Is he really that tired?” “If you consider his typical routine… He probably came straight after training…” Surveying the deeply slumbering Rohan, Shion and Clara realized this was an unusual incident. Even as they conversed like this out loud, he did not stir. “...” The girls' unspoken affections brewed some mischievous thoughts as they pondered over the scene before them. Yet, stealing a moment, they had the faint hope that their first time would be after mutual understanding, led by Rohan. “B-big sister...!” “Hmm?” Clara seemed startled by something and pointed at Rohan’s lower half. It was a natural physiological response. Were he not wearing elastic clothing, there would surely have been a risk of it tearing. The formidable presence was unmistakable. "As we said earlier, he’s a healthy guy, so it’s a perfectly... perfectly... normal and natural bodily function... No need to be… surprised." Despite her mumbling, Shion couldn’t hide her own surprise. Should they leave the room? It could become quite awkward if Rohan woke now. “...” However... Curiosity can be a double-edged sword. Without a word, the girls moved quietly and started closely observing Rohan’s lower half. A potent scent filled the air, spreading throughout the room. Difficult to describe, yet addictively so. With curiosity overcoming hesitation, Shion and Clara boldly inched closer, examining with wide eyes. Reaching the warm vicinity, breathing softly... Rohan’s body instinctively responded. His long-suppressed desires, left unattended for an extended time. Rohan’s vigorous body chose the path of nocturnal emission as a means of relief. “Ah…?” “!” A sticky liquid surged forth through the thin fabric of his pants, like a fountain. White and hot, it splattered onto Shion and Clara.