But isn’t it the case that these things happen without any coherence anyway, so who cares?
At first, my brain was a bit dazed, but in an instant, it returned to normal.
“First place? Are you serious?”
Alice asked again.
“No matter how many times I check, it’s still first place.”
And there are two first places, no less.
This first prize is around 2 billion.
Even if half of it goes to taxes, that’s still about 2 billion since there are two winners.
Isn’t that enough to buy an apartment in Seoul? As long as we don’t go looking for somewhere too expensive, I think we can afford it.
Especially if it’s somewhere close around here, it’s a significant amount left over after the purchase.
“Uh, uh, what do I do? What should I do?”
“There’s not much to do. First, we need to focus on claiming the prize.”
Charlotte answered seriously to a slightly flustered Claire.
“What can we do with this amount?”
Mia tilted her head and asked. It seems she can’t quite imagine it since she’s never bought anything with her own money yet.
No, rather, she simply doesn’t know how big this amount really is. Even though both places have a currency economy, the prices in Azernar and this world are drastically different. As far as the same consumer goods go, items here tend to be cheaper and in better condition, whereas land prices might still be cheaper in Azernar.
Well, that’s not what’s important right now.
“We can move to a decent apartment.”
“……”
My answer left everyone momentarily silent.
It didn’t seem like they were shocked into silence. Rather, they seemed to be struggling to grasp exactly what I meant by that.
Still, Alice and Claire, who had spent over a month here, seemed to understand a bit, while Charlotte and Mia looked… well, confused, as if asking, ‘Should we?’
“It’s going to be hard for everyone to have their own rooms, but if we share a few rooms, it can create some personal space. The living room might even be bigger than this room. Then we can sleep a lot more comfortably.”
“I like living with my sister right now.”
“Well, just because we move doesn’t mean we have to live separately.”
“What do you think?”
Alice asked.
“Do you want to move? To a slightly bigger place?”
“More than just going to a bigger place…”
I thought for a moment.
“An apartment is the best living arrangement in this country.”
Sure, there are issues like noise between floors, but that’s the same wherever you live. All we can do is hope our neighbors are decent people.
Even if it’s not a villa, I’d appreciate having an elevator in my home. It tires me out when I sometimes come back after shopping.
“……”
The kids remained quiet, so I decided to speak again.
“What’s wrong?”
At my question, they all exchanged glances before looking back at me.
The first to nervously speak up was Claire.
“Well, I was just wondering if we are relying too much on you, sister.”
“……I already answered that last time.”
When I raised an eyebrow, they looked somewhat embarrassed.
“What I want to say is, it’s not about escaping from discomfort, but rather about moving to a more comfortable place. Since we’re at it, it would be nice to live in a larger space anyway.”
I waved the lottery ticket while speaking.
“And it’s also because nothing else comes to mind that I can do with this money.”
Exactly. What else can you do with 2 billion?
Sure, I could buy various new items, change the furniture, and stuff like that. But 2 billion isn’t exactly pocket money, and ‘spending all at once’ is about all you can do with that.
“Other than that, maybe I could buy a car.”
Of course, the only new thing I have is a resident registration card, all my other licenses and certifications have disappeared.
So I’ll need to get a new driver’s license too, but that’s not a big deal. With enough money and time, it’s not hard.
“Since it’s not money I can take back, I’ll just think about using it freely. Anyway, even after that, I’d still have some left over, so I won’t have to worry about living expenses.”
Only after I explained that did the kids’ expressions brighten a bit.
I guess worrying isn’t necessary.
Once they came around, they seemed to definitely be more shy.
Maybe it’s because they suddenly went from having a lot to having less?
*
The next Monday.
Who knew I’d see a number in the tens of billions on my bank account?
Even that time I first exceeded 10 million seemed oddly unreal, but now thinking about having twenty times that amount was even harder to grasp.
They say there are plenty of people asking for money outside the lottery payout place, but I guess because we look so obviously foreign, no one approached us.
There’s no reason they’d think winning first place wouldn’t apply to foreigners, legally speaking, but… they didn’t seem to realize a bunch of young girls were gathering because of the lottery win.
Well, that’s fine by me.
Whether it was a coincidence or they genuinely misunderstood doesn’t matter. I was able to receive my money without any interference, and that’s nice, right?
I put in a lot of effort not to show any expression during the broadcast yesterday.
Still, viewers didn’t ask, “Did you win the lottery?” They probably just couldn’t even think of that.
I wouldn’t either.
“Shall we eat something a bit more expensive today?”
I didn’t have to hold back with all this money in my account, plus the earnings we had saved up. Nothing to fear!
“Oh, really? What?”
Seeing me in a good mood, Alice seemed to brighten up too and asked with a smile.
“Well… something expensive…”
When you think of “expensive food,” it always seems to point to seafood.
I mean, sure, there are fancy sushi places or steak houses, hotel dining, but within the bounds of just saying, “Let’s go today!” that’s pretty much the range.
“How about crab?”
At my question, the kids tilted their heads.
*
Fortunately, everyone seemed to like it, and there weren’t any picky eaters.
After all, crabs can’t be bad. I loved crab meat when I was little. Though, it probably wasn’t real crab, to be honest.
Eating food I couldn’t afford when I worked felt really nostalgic.
“First, I’m thinking of looking for a house to move into.”
I said to the kids who were enthusiastically eating. I picked up a piece of sashimi with my chopsticks.
It seemed some of them hesitated to eat raw food, as only I touched the sashimi. The kids who seemed curious stopped reaching for it afterward.
It’s just so good, though.
If we hadn’t gone to a sushi restaurant, I might’ve regretted it.
“But before that, I think it’s best to decide how we want to live in the new place.”
After my words, two of the kids who were devouring their food paused.
It was Claire and Alice.
Mia and Charlotte slowed their eating a little too, glancing with interest between Claire, Alice, and me.
Why?
“I’m sharing a room with my sister.”
Before Alice could even open her mouth, Claire said that first.
“…Shouldn’t we think about how many rooms there’ll be first?”
Alice chided Claire.
“It doesn’t matter how many rooms there are. It’s going to be hard for everyone to have their own. So I’m saying I want to share with my sister.”
“There could be three rooms, you know?”
“Then you can use the extra room by yourself. You’re the Crown Princess destined to carry on the Empire, after all.”
“……The same goes for Sylvia.”
“Besides, it’s Sylvia who’s buying the house. If anyone gets a room to themselves, it should be Sylvia.”
“But I’m Sylvia’s little sister.”
“I’m Sylvia’s big sister.”
“Has Sylvia ever acknowledged you as an older sister?”
“……”
I decided to just eat my food in peace at that point.
While I was looking for a place with at least three rooms, it seemed like, at this rate, we would indeed need one room for three people.
We’d have to use the remaining space as a broadcasting room or something.
I’ve never been popular, but in this world, it seems I’ve somehow gained a lot of attention. I guess I could call that a blessing.
Ironically, that attention seems to stem from my sisters, who share the same blood.
…Is it common for sisters to get along this well? Claire and Alice’s relationship seems much more similar to real sisters than mine.
Ah, right. These kids are actual sisters.
Finding the answer in my mind, I nodded to myself.
“……Say something, sister.”
“Yeah, Sylvia. Since you’re the decision-maker, you should decide.”
Hmm.
“Now that I think about it, we have plenty of time. Let’s think about it a bit more before deciding.”
Though I had already made up my mind in my heart, it was quite amusing to watch these two argue, so I decided to stay quiet for today.
“……”
Meanwhile, quietly watching us were Charlotte, who lightly turned to Mia and said,
“Mia, let’s share a room.”
At Charlotte’s words, Mia nodded with her mouth full of crab leg.
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