The week was almost over, and yet...
"Your history scores still aren't improving at all," I muttered, glancing over Kiana's test answers.
"Well, it's just too hard to digest~" Kiana groaned, resting her head on the desk, clearly frustrated.
With the improvement in our relationship, Kiana had been fully committed to studying diligently this past week. Her grades in other subjects had noticeably gone up, which was definitely encouraging, but...
"At this rate, you'll fail History alone and get stuck with a failing grade," I pointed out.
Kiana nodded in agreement. She didn't want her entire week's worth of effort to go to waste because of a single "slip-up" in History.
Riiing
Hearing the lunch bell, I glanced at the clock and stood up.
"Haah, I'll find a way to help you with this, but first let's go fill our empty stomachs. Lunch is on me."
"Okayyy!"
Excited at the thought of a free meal, Kiana jumped up eagerly, urging me along.
Hmm, are you wondering how someone in debt like me can afford to treat others to lunch?
Good question. To be honest, I'm completely broke at the moment.
No, actually, I'm in the negative.
So how am I treating Kiana? The answer lies in the little treasures filling my pockets.
Free meal vouchers!
With these, I get a free lunch every day.
This miracle item is my "salary" for a little secret job Principal Theresa assigned to me about three months ago.
Since someone else covers the cost, I stuff myself as much as I can and even pack leftovers to take back.
(Meaning, thanks to these vouchers, Yumeji can eat as much as he likes without worrying, since Theresa is the one paying.)
I currently have 30 vouchers, enough to cover the whole month.
So I don't have to worry about starving. Even if Kiana eats like she's starving, it doesn't matter since it doesn't cost me a dime.
That's the bliss of free meals: throwing aside your pride and conscience to feast.
Do I feel guilty about burning through someone else's funds? Not at all. My conscience is there to make sure my stomach's full without worrying about my own wallet. Ha! Ha! Ha!
---
Later that evening
"Let's see, it should be this room…"
Wandering through the dorms, I finally found the room I was looking for and knocked on the door.
Knock! Knock!
After waiting a while without an answer, I was about to leave when, just in time...
Click
The door slowly opened to reveal Bronya, looking at me with her usual stoic expression.
"Oh, it's you, Yumeji."
"Sorry to bother you this late."
I scratched my cheek apologetically. It was past curfew, and visiting the girls' dorm at this hour wasn't exactly… ideal.
"Come in."
Without much expression, Bronya invited me inside.
I stepped in quietly, glancing around the room for a moment before focusing back on her.
She had settled in front of her computer screen, legs curled up as she tapped away, working through complex formulas.
My eyes wandered to the rabbit-shaped helmet sitting on the desk, wired up with several intricate connections, and I thought to myself,
"It's almost time for that event, huh?"
Deep in thought, I looked back at Bronya, still busy with her computer, seemingly unaware of my presence.
She was dressed in yellow Homu-themed pajamas that matched her small, delicate figure, making her look surprisingly cute despite her expressionless face.
If this were the world I came from, just being in this situation would be enough to have some "concerned citizens" knocking on my door by morning. (FBI, open up~~)
She's old enough, right?
Pondering idly, I casually made my way to the kitchenette and started making a cup of coffee to wake myself up.
Tap Tap Click Beep Beep
The incessant sounds finally ceased after a long while.
"All done."
" Finished, huh?" I yawned, stretching.
"Huh? Yumeji, you're still here?"
"Did you just treat me like air?!"
"Bronya wonders why Yumeji would think that. Bronya was only doing her work."
"Never mind. That helmet's for Kiana, isn't it?"
Bronya seemed genuinely surprised that I guessed without asking.
"Can you stop with the overly dramatic reactions?"
She looked thoughtful in response.
One minute passed...
Two minutes...
...
...
Thirty minutes later...
"For crying out loud, just say something!"
Defeated by the silence, I spoke up.
"Bleh~ Yumeji loses."
Watching Bronya attempt a mischievous expression on her otherwise stoic face, I couldn't help but wonder if I'd somehow ended up in an unspoken staring contest.
Scratching my head and shaking off the thought, I refocused.
"Actually, I came here to ask you for a favor."
"??? Yumeji needs Bronya's help?"
I nodded and continued.
"Can you make one of those helmets for me too?"
I gestured toward the helmet on the table, but instead of answering, Bronya held out her hand.
"Compensation."
"Eh?"
What? Money? But I'm broke!
"Um, so you're charging for this?"
Bronya nodded coldly.
"$500. That's $350 for materials, $150 for labor."
"What!?"
If my math wasn't failing me, that was about 80,000 yen. Where was I supposed to get that?
"But you're doing it for free for Kiana, aren't you?"
I tried to protest.
"Kiana is a different case from Yumeji. Think of it like taking pity on a kitten caught in the rain. Bronya will make her pay it back in another way."
"I see..."
The corner of my eye twitched in disbelief as I tried to mask my rising worry.
Wait a second, she mentioned "another way"—so maybe it didn't have to be money, right?
After a lot of back-and-forth haggling, Bronya finally agreed to help me on one condition, and I reluctantly accepted it as the price of our deal.
Looks like I'd stumbled into yet another mess.
Oh well, I'll make sure Kiana pays me back for all the trouble she's put me through.
Alright, let's add this to the debt record.
I pulled out a notebook from my jacket pocket and began jotting it down.