I Became the Must-Have Character of the Academy City-Chapter 118: Restricted Access #3

Rohan, who had entrusted his body to the bed, closed his eyes.

It wasn’t hard to find that thing, nestled in the corners of his consciousness.

As soon as he grabbed the foreign mass, which lay quietly like a book within the pages, a flow appeared before his eyes.

[Playing restricted video #3 for authorized viewers only.]

These videos or books always show things that are hard to interpret, full of deep meaning.

Rohan focused as much as he could to make sure he didn’t miss any information.

Such things, once collected, might draw a clear picture.

‘Let’s see.’

What will it show this time?

Though worried that his physical condition might worsen, he felt a sense of anticipation.

───

The world, once entirely dark, turned white.

Colorful shades of light gathered, creating a new world.

‘I see.’

Just like last time, it felt like someone else’s eyes were being borrowed.

Rohan began to carefully examine the background information that came into view.

‘Whose perspective is this?’

A cigarette on a table came into view. Even the ashtray, almost ready to become a cactus, was in sight.

The disheveled hair blocking the view made Rohan suspect that it might be a woman, and the thought that this wasn’t the same man he saw last time came to mind.

A hand moved to grab a pen.

Looking at the shape of the fingernails and fingers, it seemed to be a woman’s hand.

‘Is this the woman the head met last time, with the cigarette and hair color?’

The woman who had been with the body that seemed to resemble his younger self.

Though the face was obscured and couldn’t be confirmed, other details allowed for a guess.

“Sss...”

The woman, who habitually put the cigarette between her lips, began to fill the paper with elegant handwriting.

Rohan watched the words she wrote.

[Starting experiment #■■■]

Rohan could tell.

To fulfill her role as the researcher in this experiment, the woman had planned to write a personal reflection, pouring out her emotions.

There was even a small hope that someone might read it in the future.

[As a child, for Lowell, who nearly froze to death on the street, fire was a symbol of comfort and peace.

For Jenny, who lost her family in a fire, fire was a symbol of fear and disaster.

What does fire mean to us? Its form, which flickers irregularly, evokes various impressions and meanings in different individuals.]

“Phew...”

The hazy smoke drifted from her lips, rising toward the ceiling.

[We realized that fire could become a symbol of peace for humanity. And we were certain it would become a symbol of fear for the monsters threatening humanity.]

***

[To punish those who betrayed humanity, a fire capable of burning everything is necessary. The day the flame that aligns with the ideology of cleansing the world arrives...]

‘!?’

The phrase clearly appeared in Rohan’s mind.

The title of the humanity traitors following Omega’s name.

“Phew...”

The woman exhaled as she wrapped up the time spent scribbling her emotions.

Thud!

The book closed. Her hands, trembling as she set down the pen and cigarette.

From her lips, a curse spilled out.

“Shit...”

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A delicate voice and yet that harsh word.

The woman, who had shown a composed and unruly demeanor in front of the head, was now suffering from extreme anxiety and fear.

She was recalling something from a time long ago.

‘What’s this?’

The background Rohan was watching turned dark. He started borrowing the woman’s imagination as well.

She began to share something she had directly seen and experienced.

[Playing Abyss City 5.0 Version PV: “The Humanity Traitors.”]

Rohan blankly stared at the notification window.

‘Abyss City version 5? I was playing version 2...?’

There was no time to organize his thoughts.

The video began playing.

The setting was a fog-covered canyon.

It was eerie. No humans were visible.

── Uuuuum.

A giant whale sat, emitting a sound similar to a ship's horn as its belly rested on the earth.

‘Void Whale...’

The monster that destroyed the south. Rohan had never actually seen it.

But it was familiar from official illustrations and stories.

‘I didn’t expect it to be this big.’

The term whale didn’t seem sufficient.

Rohan suspected the Creator had granted life to something as massive as a mountain.

But what exactly was that? Could it truly be classified as just a simple monster?

── Guuuuung.

The mere presence of this monster caused the surroundings to melt into blackness.

It moved across the world that had turned into an unknown liquid.

── Guuuu.

Suddenly, the Void Whale opened its mouth.

When people thought of the Void Whale, it was known for creating dimensional rifts in its mouth, from which monsters would pour out.

Rohan instinctively widened his eyes, sensing that this was an important scene.

‘Is it about to spit out monsters here? But there’s nothing around...?’

But it broke expectations.

What emerged from the Void Whale’s mouth were not ~Nоvеl𝕚ght~ monsters, but something even more astonishing.

Humans.

A group of humans walked out through the dimensional rift the whale had created.

‘...?’

It was a moment of confusion for Rohan as well.

Dimensional rifts were exits where monsters emerged.

If monsters were to be spat out, the rift would close and couldn’t be used as an entrance.

Before he could make sense of it, the shock continued.

Surprisingly, Rohan recognized some of the humans in that group.

Omega and Hekes were among them.

Unlike the time he saw Omega on the deserted island, Omega no longer bore the burn marks. However, the body still felt distant from humans.

Hekes appeared just as he did in the illustrations.

Rohan’s thoughts deepened.

‘The PV’s title is “Humanity Traitors”...’

What lies beyond that dimensional rift in the Void Whale’s mouth?

If only he could confirm that, the curiosity and itch in his mind would disappear completely.

But the Void Whale had already submerged into the melted earth, disappearing from sight.

[Ending video.]

“...”

Rohan’s eyes opened.

Looking at his phone, about five minutes had passed.

Indeed, watching something related to restricted viewing always left him mentally and physically drained.

The bed was too comfortable.

He felt like he could sleep the whole day away, but he forced himself to sit up and checked the new messages from Shion and Clara.

***

"Afternoon was the planned time, but it ended sooner than expected."

Rohan arrived in front of an upscale mansion—Shion’s house.

For a housewarming gift, he had brought high-quality toilet paper.

He had considered buying a diffuser, but since he wasn’t sure what scents the two of them liked, it wasn’t an easy choice. He also wasn’t in a condition to leisurely contemplate it.

Ding-dong!

He pressed the doorbell. Silence. The door didn’t open.

Ding-dong!

Even after pressing it again, there was no response.

‘What’s going on? It seems like they’re home.’

Shion had clearly sent a message saying she would be waiting.

He considered calling but then thought they might be busy moving things inside. In the end, Rohan pulled out his keycard.

Rohan had already received access to Shion’s mansion—his fingerprint was registered, and he had a keycard. At first, he had refused, saying it wasn’t necessary, but after hearing a string of "just in case" examples, he accepted it.

Beep!

The main gate unlocked.

The doorknob inside turned smoothly as well.

"Shion? Clara?"

Calling their names, Rohan placed his shoes on the rack and stepped inside.

The more time passed, the heavier his fatigue became—an unusual sensation.

If he didn’t force his eyes open, his eyelids would keep drooping, and sleep would start creeping in.

"Rohan. You’re here?"

"O- Oppa...!"

The two emerged from a room.

Rohan’s mouth fell open at the sight of Shion and Clara.

They were coming out wearing the negligees they had bought at the mall yesterday.

Shion stepped into the living room confidently.

Clara, on the other hand, moved awkwardly, stiff as a board, half-hiding behind Shion.

"Hey! Hey! Hey! Put on proper clothes, both of you!"

"It’s my house. Is there a problem?"

"..."

Even though Shion kept a composed expression, her ears had turned red.

Clara’s eyes were already spinning in a daze.

Rohan could feel the frustration of unrelieved tension that had been piling up since arriving in Academy City.

He mentally began singing the national anthem from start to finish.

Until now, he had suppressed his urges by pushing his body to the limit and exhausting himself, but the more he ignored them, the larger they grew.

"If you rang the bell, we would have had time to change. But we didn’t."

"...I rang it several times."

Shion answered mechanically, as if waiting for that response.

"Then the bell must be broken. We didn’t hear it. I’ll fix it tomorrow."

"Y-Yeah...! It’s broken...! It’s broken!"

Clara, looking dizzy, nodded along.

Rohan let out a dry chuckle.

Might as well just say it outright.

"I’m a perfectly normal guy, you know. This is hard for me too."

"...!"

Shion’s eyes widened, and her lips twitched.

Clara had the same reaction.

"We’ll be mindful."

"Y-Yeah... W-We’ll be careful...!"

As if they had completed their objective, the two quickly retreated to their room to change.

"Hah."

Rohan set down the toilet paper he had been holding and exhaled deeply.

***

Shion had even prepared a room for Rohan inside the mansion.

As a sign that he was welcome to visit often, she had furnished it with basic furniture and a bed.

Rohan felt a bit burdened by this but couldn’t hide his drowsiness.

After briefly looking around the house, he lay down on the bed, which didn’t even have a blanket, saying he would rest for a short while.

Finishing his request to be woken up in 30 minutes, he closed his eyes.

As the two girls discussed the aftermath of their operation and made a list of things to buy while shopping, exactly 30 minutes passed.

They went to Rohan’s room to wake him up.

"...This is rare."

"I-It really is."

"He must be exhausted."

"If we consider Oppa’s usual routine... Didn’t he come straight here after training...?"

Shion and Clara observed the deeply asleep Rohan, coming to the conclusion that this wasn’t a common sight.

Even as they openly talked like this, he didn’t stir.

"..."

The girls, both aware of their growing feelings, had dangerous thoughts slowly forming in their minds.

But stealing was wrong.

For them, the first time had to be something mutual, something Rohan would take the lead in after their feelings had been properly conveyed.

“Uh, my sister!”

“Hmm?”

Clara, who had seen something, pointed her finger at Rohan's lower half.

What she saw was a natural physiological phenomenon.

There stood a huge stick that would have torn through any less elastic clothing.

It exudes a fearsome momentum.

"As I said earlier, it's a natural... natural... completely natural bodily reaction for a healthy man... there's no reason to be surprised..."

Zion could not hide his panic even as he spoke.

Should I leave the room?

It would be quite awkward if Rohan woke up now.

““....””

But.

Curiosity can sometimes lead to anger.

The girls moved in silent steps, not saying a word.

I began to study Rohan's lower half.

It smells so strong. It seems to fill the room.

It's hard to describe, but it's addictive.

Gradually, Shion and Clara moved closer and closer, and began to ogle.

When they reached a distance where they could feel the heat, they exchanged two breaths.

Rohan's body also changed.

Long unfulfilled needs.

Her energized body decided to fulfill the need with the option of reverie.

“Ah?”

“!”

Sticky liquid fountains out of her thin cotton pants.

The white, hot liquid splashed down on Shion and Clara.