“What’s up with Johann? What a weirdo!”
Millia aggressively gobbled up desserts, as if feeding her anger with sugar. I wiped the food smudges from my head with the napkin the waiter had brought. Ugh, sticky! I wanted nothing more than to head back to Yeomyeong-gwan for a shower right now.
Thank goodness I had a jacket over my shirt. Otherwise, I’d have to walk around in a shirt covered in every kind of sauce imaginable. I still had to stop by Yeomyeong-gwan eventually, though.
“I guess we need to finish eating and head back to Yeomyeong-gwan.”
“Sure… it’ll be a clothes disaster otherwise!”
“Swallow what’s in your mouth before talking.”
It’s not that I’m against talking while eating, but at least she should finish chewing first. Millia nodded vigorously at my remark and gulped down the mouthful she had.
Wow, she’s really putting it away. That’s her fourth plate already.
She really loves her food. To think she had a hefty appetite even when she only had the brains of a kid… I sipped the water I grabbed from the food corner, waiting for Millia to finish. I was going to have more, but after that earlier incident, my appetite took a nosedive. The smell of sauce from my clothes was just gross enough to make me lose my hunger.
“Thanks for the meal.”
“Millia. Right side of your lips.”
“Right side?”
At my words, Millia wiped her mouth with the napkin. Well, she wiped the opposite side.
“Other side.”
“Oh, right!”
Nice and clean now. Shall we return the plates? We stood up and walked over to the return station to hand back our plates.
It was a splendid meal—except for the fact that I got assaulted by food out of nowhere.
…Do I really look that scary?
“Millia.”
“Yeah? What is it?”
“Do I look scary?”
“…A little?”
At her answer, I looked at Millia, who was scratching her cheek and turning away. What’s with that guilty look? I thought I had a pretty average face…
Maybe the wrinkles in my brain had just made my face seem more handsome?
“It’s okay! I think Johann’s a good person!”
“…Ah, thanks.”
That response is even sadder.
————————-
“Quite the eventful day, huh?”
Renny, who was sitting by the window puffing on her pipe, broke into a giggle at my unfortunate state. I guess me getting hit by food was hilarious. After a good chuckle, Renny took the pipe from her mouth and exhaled. A little cloud floated in the room. Compared to real cigarettes, the smell wasn’t too harsh, so it wasn’t that unpleasant.
“Ugh, Renny, you stink!”
…But it seemed pretty intense for Millia. She pinched her nose and pretended to fan the smoke away with her hand. Renny looked at her and apologized while dumping the contents of the pipe into the ashtray.
“Oh, really…”
As the source of the cloud dissipated, the air in the room cleared up somewhat. Millia hurriedly opened the window, flapping the curtains and fanning away the smoke. After five minutes of that, it seemed the cigarette smell had diminished by half.
“I can breathe a bit better now!”
“Ugh. I’ll have to keep it open from now on.”
Renny mumbled to herself, looking at me. Suddenly, a faded memory flashed through my mind. I had seen a similar scene before. In the original story, if you build enough affection with Karina, you’d also become close with Renny, leading to such moments.
But since Renny wasn’t a heroine, that was the end of it.
“Johann. I have a question.”
“What is it?”
I briefly glanced at Millia, who was now gazing out the window, then turned my attention back to Renny. She had sprawled out on the sofa, her legs draped over the armrest, confidently showing off her curves accentuated by her tight pants.
“What are you going to do now?”
“…Not really sure.”
I hadn’t firmly decided on my plans yet. With the title of the Saint’s Benefactor, I could stay here for a while, but without a solid identity, I couldn’t just linger in Yeomyeong-gwan forever. To Karina, I was a lifesaver and a friend, but to the folks at Kalon Academy, I was just some mysterious guy.
Having already been given strange looks because of my face, it seemed I needed to have a proper occupation to change their perceptions.
“It’s okay to stay here as a guest… but you don’t seem like the type who’d want that.”
I could feel the clear, disapproving gaze. And she was right.
I had no intention of wasting time here.
To survive, I had to hustle. My goal was to at least reach a good ending. Sure, the catastrophic event of Elina dying had thrown a wrench into things, but theoretically, you could still achieve a good ending without getting romantically involved with any heroine. So even if Elina died, it didn’t hinder the route itself.
The status screen hadn’t mentioned anything regarding Elina’s death, so the conditions for a true ending might not be too different from those for a good ending. Sure, some conditions would definitely be added.
“For now, I’m thinking of getting a job.”
“Want me to introduce you to the artisan guild? I think you’d sail through it.”
“Nah.”
While it wasn’t a bad suggestion for simply trying to make a living, considering the Survival Academy’s story I vaguely remembered, I needed a job that allowed me to operate both inside and outside the academy seamlessly.
But would such a job even exist?
I really couldn’t think of one.
“So what are you planning? Have anything in mind?”
“Is there a way to work inside Kalon Academy?”
“Hmm, if you wanted to, there’s a good number of options. What, do you want to work here?”
“If possible, yes.”
I wanted to mooch a little off my acquaintances. I mean, they had provided me food, shelter, and helped me escape from a deserted island, after all.
After staring at me for a while, Renny chuckled softly, looking up at the ceiling.
“A job you can do inside the academy… I’ll look into it. They might need extra hands because of the recent events, so it shouldn’t be too hard to find something.”
“Renny, what about me?”
Out of nowhere, Millia, who had been silently overhearing our conversation from the sofa, suddenly spoke up. Renny scratched her chin as if pondering.
“You? What do you want?”
“I want to go to the academy!”
Renny and I exchanged glances at the same time. Millia’s eyes sparkled with an undeniable longing. I wondered what had suddenly come over her since we rushed in and hadn’t gotten the chance to properly explore the place. Millia hesitated for a moment, chewing on her lip before continuing.
“I want to study, make friends, and go to school with Karina…”
Seeing her list out her desires like a girl full of dreams made me look at Renny. She seemed to share my thoughts, smiling at me.
I really wanted to grant her wish.
Renny must’ve felt the same way. We knew Millia’s past, and her wish to attend the academy was a reflection of her desire to escape the painful life she’d endured.
However, even if she got admitted, there were still realistic problems to tackle.
“Renny. How much is the admission fee?”
“…It’s quite high. Even if I wanted to pay for you, I don’t have that much money. Plus, I can’t just ask Karina for help.”
Karina probably didn’t have that much money either. More precisely, she wouldn’t need to carry any. After all, a Saint could attend Kalon Academy for free, and unless you had some expenses to maintain your stature, there wouldn’t be any income to rely on. And whether the tuition could even be covered as maintenance expenses for Kalon Academy was another big question.
…Where the heck do I come up with money?
This was turning into a headache. Still, I wanted to help. I looked at Millia’s downcast expression and said, “Don’t be too disappointed. There’s bound to be a way if we look.”
It was slightly irresponsible to say, but I didn’t want to see her sad face. Millia seemed to gather her emotions a bit and opened her mouth with a slightly sorrowful look.
“No, maybe I’ve been too selfish. I’m okay with things as they are.”
Hearing that made me feel guilty.
Is there really no way?
What about a scholarship or something?
Ugh, that’s impossible, too. To be a scholarship student, you’d have to either be a top student or meet some special conditions. Millia didn’t fit either case and, like me, didn’t have a clear identity. While she technically had Renny as a guarantor to get into the academy, she was in a position that could easily leave her as an outcast.
So there had to be another way.
I had no gems left to sell.
Nothing to sell.
There must be some good method…
A good method…
Oh.
If it’s the same as in the game, there’s one thing I could try.
I wrapped up my thoughts and immediately spoke to Renny, “Renny, I’ve got a good idea.”
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