episode_0023

“…Money, you say.”

Astel’s unique voice, with its lack of intonation, now sounded distinctly human.

“Yes, money.”

“…I have about 600,000 leafs.”

“Hmm… that should be enough.”

I should be able to make it work with the money I have.

“But why money…?”

“Oh, it’s nothing.”

It wasn’t really nothing; I had plans to invest money in the club room to make it our own hideout.

All the good spots were already taken by other clubs, so we had to settle for a slightly out-of-the-way location.

It was originally an abandoned warehouse, slightly dirty with a musty smell.

“I want to use the money to clean it up and make it nice.”

The dorms were clean and spacious, but using them as a hideout had its inconveniences.

You could make food, but you had to eat in the common dining hall and couldn’t take it to your room.

You couldn’t make loud noises in your room.

If any strange items were found during a surprise inspection, you would be penalized.

It was a place where you could live, but not really a suitable place to have fun.

Maybe that’s why club activities were so popular…?

“If we don’t do club activities and just go back to the dorm, it feels suffocating.”

“…Yes?”

“No, for now, I’ll use my money to decorate as much as possible. If we need more, can I borrow some money?”

Of course, I didn’t want to borrow more than I had to, but I wanted to do the decorating properly.

“…I can’t lend you a large sum of money.”

“I don’t plan on borrowing a large sum either.”

Regardless of my family’s wealth, there were many restrictions on getting financial help from home.

I couldn’t borrow a large sum of money, and even if I did, I wouldn’t be able to pay it back, so I nodded my head.

“…Then, shall we see how far we need to go together?”

“Yes?”

“Since this is not just for my use, Princess’s preferences should also be reflected as a member.”

If I were the only member and the president, I would have decorated according to my own taste.

But now, Astel had become another member.

It might be a bit off to reflect the preferences of a 10-year-old girl, but I could tolerate that.

As an adult, it was natural to make some concessions for a child.

I shrugged and looked around.

“…First, we need to oil the door. It’s too stiff.”

It was a sturdy iron door, probably because it had been used as a warehouse.

It was so stiff that it was difficult to open and close.

“…And we should put curtains on the windows.”

The windows with iron bars gave off a prison-like vibe, but that was probably fine.

It was more important to prevent people from looking in from the outside.

“…And other than that…”

Should I buy bedding?

Stock up on snacks?

There wasn’t much else that required money.

If there were any additional costs, maybe cleaning supplies?

There was enough dust to be visible.

Cleaning would be necessary.

I might have been lazy to do it alone, but I wasn’t alone.

I was with Astel, a 10-year-old kid.

Here, adults had to put in the effort to protect a child’s lungs.

It would be quite a difficult cleaning job, so I mentally prepared myself while pondering if there was anything else needed.

“Oh, we should repaint too.”

The iron door was slightly rusted.

Even if I didn’t care much about the appearance, it was still not ideal to have it looking too shabby.

Hmm.

I had a rough estimate now.

Excluding bedding, the work didn’t require a large sum of money, but that’s how these things usually went.

At first, it didn’t cost much.

But as I started and saw the end result, I realized that I would end up spending several times more than I had initially planned, so I didn’t let my guard down.

“…Come to think of it, I might need a drawer to store snacks, not just a bed but also blankets and pillows. And if I’m going to buy a pillow, might as well go for an extra-large one…”

For now, that’s my opinion.

I tilted my head, looking at Astel.

“Is there anything you need, Princess?”

“…Something I need…”

“Oh, nothing too expensive, please.”

I thought she might make an unreasonable demand as a princess, so I quickly warned her. Astel nodded slightly, as if thinking about what she needed, and hesitated to speak several times, but her final words were bland.

“…I can’t think of anything I need right now.”

Is that so?

Well, even if I suddenly ask her something like this, it would be difficult for her to answer right away.

“Well, if you think of something later, feel free to let me know.”

In reality, it seems like I don’t need to take care of her to this extent, but Astel’s vague eyes could be mysterious or confusing.

To be honest, the reason I came to the Concentration Management Department was because other guys recommended it.

If those who know what the Concentration Management Department is knew, they would also know how harsh the evaluations are here.

But the fact that they recommended it means they have a strong intention to bother Astel.

Not being able to notice the obvious malice and coming to the Concentration Management Department like this itself shows a blind spot.

It seemed like I would have to take care of her for a while.

“Then, would you like to go to the Merchant District with me? It’s something I can do alone, so if you find it troublesome, just say no.”

“I’ll go with you.”

“Okay.”

I can’t leave out things like this.

Whether she is enthusiastic or just has no opinion, I don’t know, but anyway.

As I went to the Merchant District with Astel, I spotted someone familiar.

“Why are you here, Prince?”

“…Huh?”

When Deron turned his head at my voice, our eyes met.

I looked around, but I couldn’t see Seina or Shasha anywhere, so it seemed like he came alone.

Is there something he wants to buy?

“I’m here to buy something.”

“…I’m here to buy something too.”

Strange.

There’s a bigger Astel behind me, but is he pretending not to know me?

I wondered if he was subtly avoiding me, but when I thought about him approaching me first, it didn’t seem likely. I wonder why.

“Prince, Prince.”

“What?”

“Here, it’s the Princess.”

I subtly pushed Astel, who was following me closely, forward.

“Hello, I’m the Princess.”

Astel, who had approached the prince without warning, bowed and greeted Deron, and I watched from the side.

I had been thinking about it for a while, but the strange way of speaking was probably due to the limitations of the translation magic.

Feeling like it was a bit entertaining, I stuck close to Astel and also said a similar thing.

“Hello, I’m Ria.”

“…What kind of reaction do you expect from me?”

I sighed at Deron’s indifferent expression as he looked down at us.

“…It’s not interesting.”

“It’s not interesting.”

Whether Astel felt the same as me or just followed my lead.

He calmly spoke, and Deron seemed annoyed by Astel’s behavior, judging by the way he furrowed his brow.

“…Princess, you shouldn’t associate with strange people.”

“I don’t think it’s anyone’s place to say who I should or shouldn’t be friends with. Ugh!”

I raised my hand above my head and pressed it down firmly, swearing to repay this humiliation all at once someday.

“…Your gaze is impolite.”

“…Are you using dark magic now?”

I subtly avoided the prince’s pitiful gaze, as I had actually entertained impure thoughts.

As the situation seemed to be increasingly unfavorable to me, I desperately looked to Astel for help, just like I had avoided Deron’s gaze.

Then, he suddenly whistled.

“…You really can’t whistle at all.”

“Yes, I can’t.”

It was quite strange for the princess to easily admit that.

“…Prince, the princess is really strange.”

“…Do you have something to say?”

“Ah!”

The hand pressing down on my head became stronger.

“Prince, you’re being too rough!”

“It’s okay to be rough with you.”

“…This is complete discrimination.”

While Deron and I were bickering, Astel had somehow come over to us and observed us, tilting his head innocently.

“…What is the relationship between the prince and the chief? Are you lovers?”

For a moment, I doubted my ears, but I immediately denied it.

“No!”

“Not at all!”

What a dreadful misunderstanding.

Deron and I both grabbed Astel and shook him vigorously.

“Please don’t make strange assumptions!”

“To think we’re lovers with this guy!”

…This guy?

No, even if it’s like that, that’s a bit much.

“…Even though I may be something insignificant, I’m not ‘this guy’! Well, maybe I am ‘this guy,’ but still, you shouldn’t say it so blatantly!”

Choosing such words among friends is offensive!

“Whether I’m a servant or a slave doesn’t matter, but calling me ‘this guy’ is like openly insulting me!”

“What are you talking about! I’ve never been a servant or a slave!”

As we argued loudly on the street, people passing by stopped and stared at us.

With the determination to reclaim my dignity in front of everyone, I raised both hands and charged at the prince.

…It took less than 3 seconds for me to be defeated.