Creak.
The entrance let out an unpleasant creaking sound as I stepped inside. It seemed like it hadn't been properly oiled, and to make matters worse, the door was stiff when I opened it.
The dormitory wasn't very large. It was only two stories tall at most, and the first floor was completely empty except for a bare living room and kitchen.
Fortunately, there were no cobwebs or dust piled up.
'…That's not fortunate at all.'
The living room, despite being called a living room, was essentially being used as a storage room.
Documents, books, documents, books, documents. It was filled with all sorts of written materials and traces of studying.
"…"
Flip.
I picked up one of them, and it was about an economics thesis. Next to it were financial operation reports from other academies.
Naturally, there were no important documents or reports from Grandis Academy here. There was nothing that would be problematic for anyone to see.
But the sheer volume of it was considerable, filling most of the living room.
"Student Ruth, would you like a drink? It's an elixir."
"…Yes."
At least the living room was better. The kitchen was in an even worse state.
The kitchen utensils looked like they hadn't been used in ages, the magic stone heating device was broken, and only the magic refrigerator seemed to be working. How did he even cook here?
And the refrigerator was filled with nothing but elixirs. I took a sip of the one Adam handed me, and I could feel the magical power unique to elixirs, but…
'The quality is too low.'
It was a low-grade product, far inferior to what mages or knights usually drank. Considering Adam was Rank 1, this would probably be enough for him.
But considering the fatigue and dark circles that were always etched on his face, it was a different story.
Even if they were Rank 1 or 2, wealthy people used high-quality elixirs. Ignoring the primary function of restoring magical power, they sought the additional effects of high-quality elixirs, such as a feeling of fullness and fatigue recovery. Even among the Administration Department students who didn't need elixirs, many drank mid-grade or higher elixirs to recover from fatigue.
Perhaps the only people at Grandis Academy who would drink something like this were Administration Department students, and even then, only the poor ones who hadn't received scholarships yet.
And yet, the Finance Director, Adam, was drinking this. He even had a whole refrigerator full of them.
'Why?'
It wasn't like he didn't have money, so why was he living like this? Ruth couldn't understand it at all.
In his past life, Adam was very well-off. Although his lifestyle was ordinary because he wasn't the type to indulge in luxury or spend a lot of money, he lacked nothing.
He even spared no expense when supporting Ruth. The first sword, the protective gear, the private instructor, all of it was paid for by Adam.
How many times had she wept in bed, reminding herself not to get used to his kindness, not to take it for granted, to always remember Adam as her benefactor? The current Ruth couldn't exist without Adam. Adam's existence was a miracle to Ruth.
But why, why were you…
Living like this?
"I'm sorry for contacting you so late. We had some things going on…"
Adam was saying something. But Ruth wasn't focused on it.
She never imagined he would be living like this, in a place like this. Since he mentioned living in a different dormitory than before, she vaguely assumed he would be living luxuriously in a better place. She had wanted to know why he had changed.
But this was different.
And because of that, as she looked at Adam again, something caught her eye.
"It's partly my fault, but it's mostly that Cassandra bastard, the student council president…"
His clothes were too old. It seemed like he washed them every day, but they were still wrinkled, and the edges were frayed and dirty. More importantly, had she ever seen him wear anything else?
His hair was too dry. It wasn't great before either, but it wasn't this lifeless. It was evidence that he was suffering from fatigue, exhaustion, or some other side effect.
The dark circles and fatigue in his eyes hadn't faded. When she first saw him at the entrance exam site, she thought it was because he had been working. Adam had always been busy juggling work and studies. But it wasn't normal for that unshakeable fatigue to keep getting worse.
'The times when Adam wasn't exhausted…'
Were only after the Headmistress died, the academy collapsed, and he fell from grace.
But what about now? It hadn't even been half a year since he entered the academy, and Adam looked like he could die from overwork at any moment.
Why?
What was the reason?
"Still, as a token of apology, I prepared this…"
A remote place that could only be reached by going around in circles through alleys, an old and worn-down dormitory, a room barely kept free of dust, a meager lifestyle, chronic fatigue.
Things she hadn't noticed or hadn't paid attention to when she occasionally met him during exams or on the streets.
Things that became clear only after coming to this dormitory.
"Anyway, so…"
"Food."
"Yes?"
"How… do you eat?"
"As for a meal, we'll go to a restaurant a little later. To a good one, as a token of my apology."
"That's not what I meant. I'm asking about you, Finance Director."
"…Me?"
"What do you usually eat?"
It was impossible to cook in this kitchen. There weren't any ingredients in the first place, only elixirs in the magic refrigerator.
The heating magic tool looked like it hadn't been used in ages, and there was no trace of any meals.
So?
"Uh… usually, just…"
"Just?"
"Boiled potatoes or eggs. They're filling and nutritious. The grocery store in front sells them boiled, and they give a discount on groceries to faculty members. It's cheaper to buy them boiled than to buy potatoes and boil them myself."
"Ha."
"Student Ruth?"
Boiled potatoes, boiled eggs?
No. That wasn't right.
Adam, you…
"You like fruit, don't you? Especially apples."
"How did you know? I do like them."
"You like meat too, don't you? Like steak."
"Well… I do."
"Then why?"
"Well, it's expensive. I'm saving money. Saving."
Saving? Was this sight, this lifestyle, all in the name of saving?
And the fountain pen tucked into the Finance Director's chest pocket was the cheapest one sold at the general store. She knew because she once saved up to buy Adam a fountain pen as a gift.
It was ridiculous. A hollow laugh escaped her lips.
"Student Ruth?"
"…As the Finance Director, aren't you treated well? Why are you living in a place like this?"
So she just asked him directly. It was a question fueled by anger, but it wasn't strange.
No matter how she thought about it, it didn't make sense for a high-ranking faculty member like the Finance Director to live in such a shabby place.
Adam's expression changed slightly, and he glanced around the old dormitory.
"Hmm, does it look that bad?"
"Very much so."
"Sigh, I heard that before, but is it really that bad?"
…Before? Had someone else been here and commented on the state of the dormitory?
Before she could ask about it, Adam continued, with a slightly embarrassed expression.
"Still, if I'm content, isn't that enough?"
"Content? Truly content with this kind of life?"
"That 'this kind of'… hurts my feelings a bit."
"Look at the state of this dormitory. What's on the second floor?"
"My room, a bathroom, and a spare room."
"And it's just as bare, empty, and desolate as this, right?"
"…Well."
"No one can be content in a place like this."
It was frustrating. If Adam was truly poor, it would be one thing, but as the Finance Director, he must be earning a lot of money, so she couldn't understand why he was living like this.
Where was all that salary going, that he was living like this?
"Are you perhaps being underpaid?"
"Student Ruth? That's my private information, and I don't think it's appropriate for a student to ask a faculty member about it."
"I'm curious. Really, so curious."
"I'm paid enough to live."
So, you were paid enough to live like this? In this place, in this state, in that condition?
Always exhausted, eating boiled potatoes, drinking low-grade elixirs?
Ruth's eyes became bloodshot. She saw the Adam of the past overlapping with the Adam in front of her.
This had happened before. During the deserted island midterm exam, she saw the fallen Adam overlapping with the present one. Back then, it only triggered her trauma.
But now…
"Student Ruth? What's wrong?"
──Ruth, are you okay? Why are you crying?
"No."
"Uh, would you like something to eat? Uh, I have some leftover boiled potatoes."
──Want something to eat? Should we have them with lots of salt for a change? Coincidentally, the academy has plenty of salt.
"No."
"Student Ruth? Student?"
──Don't cry, Ruth. I'm here.
"…No."
Tears didn't well up. Ruth was already worn out. She had been through too much.
But even more so, her emotions, her lingering feelings, were sinking deeper, accumulating…
In front of Adam, who was flustered by her sudden reaction,
Ruth looked at him with empty eyes.
"I've made up my mind."
"Excuse me?"
"I, I'll move in here."
"No, wait. What?"
While Adam, forgetting even his usual formal speech, froze in place,
Ruth looked up at his chapped lips, cracked from fatigue. It was probably because he was eating things like boiled potatoes.
Now that she knew about Adam's living situation, she couldn't just leave him like this.
Regardless of the reason why he was living like this,
She wanted to repay him for what she had received.
"I'll do the cleaning, laundry, and cooking. I'm good at it. I'm used to it."
"That's not what I'm talking about! How can a male student live in the faculty dormitory—"
"This isn't really a faculty dormitory, and the way here is complicated. We won't be caught."
"That's not…!!"
Adam was flustered. It was only natural. Ruth had been just as flustered when Adam first suggested they live together.
What did Adam say back then? She remembered every conversation she had with Adam. She remembered everything, from the moment he called her the protagonist.
…Yes, because it was Adam.
She had to use the method that worked best on him.
"I'll pay the rent."
"Sigh… Student Ruth, are you trying to buy me with money?"
"Three times the current amount."
"You seem confident because you succeeded in negotiating the tuition fee with me at the entrance exam site, but you're underestimating me."
"Five times."
"No matter how much you offer, it's not…"
"Ten times."
"…Do you even know how much that is?"
"Of course."
She had more money than she could ever spend. She just wasn't using it because she had to save it for emergencies.
The money she earned from the rock salt mine was substantial. It was enough to pay the rent and live with Adam for the rest of her life.
She had deposited it in the Imperial Bank as a Rank 6 swordsman, so it would either gain interest or stay the same; it wouldn't decrease. The Imperial Bank boasted ironclad security and trust, even providing vaults right next to the Imperial Palace for trading companies and those Rank 6 or higher.
"Is it not enough? Twenty times."
"You know how cheap the dormitory rent is at the academy. It's all for the welfare of the students. Twenty times that amount would allow you to live in a good place until you graduate from the academy."
"Thirty times."
"Student Ruth! Are you really going to force this!?"
"Fifty times."
"Which room will you be using?"
"The second floor, the room right next to yours, Finance Director."
"I'll clean it up right away and wait for you. Take your time bringing your luggage!"
"…Yes."
As expected, Adam was weak to money. It seemed like his obsession with money had become even worse than before.
Well, since he was living like this in the name of saving, he must have something he needed money for.
'If that's not the case…'
If Adam, the Finance Director, was living like this against his will…
There weren't many people who could pressure him and blackmail him with his salary.
'…The Headmistress.'
She knew it was an excessive assumption. But if she was a decent boss, wouldn't she make sure her subordinate wasn't living in a place like this?
Moreover, it was definitely the Headmistress's fault that he was working himself to exhaustion. Even the Adam of the past worked a lot.
Of course, Adam had fallen from grace after the Headmistress died, but that could be due to gaslighting or other reasons.
Ruth, burning with hostility towards the Headmistress, glared at Adam's back as he quickly went upstairs to clean the room.
It was the back of someone who wore old clothes, didn't eat properly, and worked without rest.
But things would be different from now on.
'I'm repaying Adam's kindness.'
This was simply to repay the kindness she received during her time at the academy. As for the Adam who fell from grace after the academy collapsed… she would deal with him separately.
She simply couldn't ignore the kindness she had received.
At the same time, if she repaid Adam's kindness, perhaps she wouldn't have to agonize over him like she had been. Maybe once she cleared all her emotional debts, she could fully confront him as an enemy.
And more than that…
"…I should go grocery shopping."
The fact that she would be living in the same place as Adam, even if it was a different dormitory, and cooking for him, seemed to evoke old memories and nostalgia.
For the first time in a long time… Ruth smiled.
It was a faint smile, so small that no one would notice.
But it was the first smile of the broken regressor.