"Sorry! I'm late. I had a sudden meeting with a lawyer, and it dragged on." I arrived at the family restaurant where Yuuno had been waiting.
When I entered the restaurant, I was momentarily stunned. I usually saw Yuuno in adventurer gear—leather armor paired with sturdy, practical equipment. But now she was wearing a sundress. The sudden change brought out her femininity. It was a sight for sore eyes. I never thought she was this beautiful.
Well, Sakura is prettier, but Yuuno just had that fresh aura. As if she were a childhood friend instead of a model.
"This whole plan was your idea! How could you make us wait?" Yuuno said, cocking her hips.
"Sorry. Let me treat you. As long as it's under 100 bucks, alright?"
"Really? Yay! Waiter! I want a tenderloin steak with parfait and tiramisu, please!" Whoa, this girl really had no shame.
"Um… you don't need to." Noelle, still wearing the robe I gave her even though it was a rest day, answered hesitantly.
Yuuno, please learn from Noelle. She didn't only trounce you in the boobs department, but in attitude as well.
"It's fine. This was my idea anyway." I sat down. Despite her behavior, I had to thank Yuuno for telling me about the scam.
Noelle then looked through the menu and ordered pudding and seafood fried rice. I ordered curry and beef soup.
"Now that we've slain an orc, it's time for us to elevate our status as proper adventurers! When I brought the orc stone to my guild house, I was met with applause, you know! I will no longer be called a goblin slayer or slime hunter!" Yuuno was especially elated. Even though we fought that thing together, she bragged about the fight the most.
I watched her warmly.
"By the way, I will not use that skill anymore, understand?" I needed to warn Yuuno. Thirty Essence Shards was manageable, but it was still expensive. I couldn't use it recklessly. "So I wonder if we should stay on the third floor for the time being."
"Well… that situation was supposed to be rare. Being surrounded by four orcs and a hobgoblin like that." Yuuno frowned.
"Um… I think we will be fine. I got a new skill yesterday. And my brother kept pressuring me to kill another orc. So he wanted me to tell you… no, that's not it. Could we please hunt another orc?" Noelle asked. Her pleading eyes made it hard to refuse.
"Why? Aren't you afraid? You were almost killed by that orc before," I asked. Yes, she almost died. If it were me, I would have stayed away from that floor—or even quit adventuring altogether. That was a bit too close.
"I hate being in debt. We could have run away that time, but it was my fault that we had to engage," Noelle pouted.
"Ah. I see." I nodded. It was about pride, huh? Unlike me or Yuuno, who were at the bottom of the totem pole, Noelle and her family had their honor to uphold. If word got out that she chickened out against orcs just because one almost killed her, her brother's reputation might be affected.
"Sorry." Noelle bowed down.
"No. Sorry for being a coward. Let's go explore the fourth floor on our next dive!" I smiled.
"Yes!" Noelle smiled snd pumped her fist.
"Alright! Don't worry! If something happens, we can always run away. Yesterday was an exception!" Yuuno said.
"Is that so?" I wondered as yesterday's battle replayed in my mind. Well, no risk, no gain, I guess. I should stop being a coward. Being an adventurer means risking your life. That's why the pay is good.
As we finished our meal, we chatted about builds and skills. Noelle had obtained a new skill called Spear Fishing—a skill that allows her to call her spear back after throwing it. She wanted to test this skill on orcs.
I then checked my status screen. I had 100 Essence Shards left after paying the penalty. I could buy an attribute point or Mana Eyes, but that would mean I wouldn't be able to pay the maintenance cost this week. That would be bad.
Moreover, my real strength right now was taking over my enemies' bodies. Upgrading other abilities would be useless at this point.
"Alright! See you in the dungeon, Makoto. Thanks for the treat! I will pay you back one day!" Yuuno said as we waved goodbye.
"M-me too!" Noelle nodded.
"I need to meet up with Sakura and play with her some more." I sighed as I dozed off on the bus.
Sakura POV
I was shocked.
I thought I had read and understood the contract. I never expected Makoto's lawyer to say something like that. Was I really in the middle of a scam?
As the sun set, I returned home for dinner. There, I found Alex having dinner with my aunt and uncle.
I fumbled to activate the body cam Mr. Jack had given me earlier. I didn't think I would use it so soon.
Before, I thought Alex was an evil person who wanted my parents' house. But recently, I had begun to see him as a kind man helping a struggling student.
Was this all a mistake after all?
"Sakura. How are you?" Alex greeted me warmly.
"H-h-hello," I answered.
"Ah, here. The money for your tuition." Alex opened his suitcase and brought out a thick envelope.
"Oh my. Sakura, look! It's not easy to gather such money in this kind of economy. You should thank him, Sakura. Mr. Alex had gone through many hoops to get this money to you." my aunt and uncle grinned.
As always, they praised him endlessly because he was rich.
My heart pounded inside my chest. This was happening exactly like Mr. Jack had predicted. Dread filled my heart. That thick envelope no longer looked like salvation—but a curse.
"Um… could you transfer the money instead? I don't think it's safe to carry that much cash around," I said, trying to refuse.
The pen-shaped body cam rested on my chest. I wasn't even sure if I had turned it on properly, but all I could do was pray.
"But this is your house, right? Who would steal this money?" Alex smiled. His smile looked like that of the Grim Reaper to me.
My uncle and aunt would. They definitely would.
Even if they knew this money was for my tuition, their eyes were locked on that thick envelope.
"Um… the bank is far away. So could you transfer it instead? When I pay my tuition next year, I'll need to transfer the money anyway. So… it would be best if you could transfer it. Holding such a large amount of cash… I don't think I could keep it safe. Hehehe. I might even end up spending it on a designer bag instead," I fake a sheepish smile.
Alarm bells rang in my head. Was Alex pushing the envelope toward me? What if he gave it to my aunt or uncle instead? How was I going to avoid him handing over the cash?
"Yeah. You're right. Sorry. I lost your account number, so I brought the money in cash instead. Yeah, that was improper of me. To be honest, even I was nervous carrying this much money around. Hahaha." Alex laughed.
I almost tilted my head in confusion. The fear inside me faded.
Was it all just a misunderstanding?
"Yes. Thank you, Mr. Alex. Sorry for being a bother." I bowed.
"I should have called you, but I forgot your number as well. Sorry. I will transfer the money to you tomorrow," Alex said.
"Yes. Thank you, Mr. Alex." I bowed once again.
"Let's eat. I brought pizza and fried chicken." Alex laughed as he set several boxes of junk food on the table to please my aunt and uncle.
After he left, my uncle and aunt scolded me.
"You should have just accepted the money, Sakura," my aunt said. "Mr. Alex already went through the trouble of bringing it here. You are imposing him Alex is a very busy man."
Mr. Alex might not be a villain, but these two definitely are.
That's my money, not yours.
"It's for my tuition. There are still several months before I enroll in college," I answered.
"How much is the tuition again? Around 30k, right? You'll still have much more than that."
"It's a debt, Aunt Karen. I plan to return it as soon as possible," I answered.
Now that I think about it… should I even take this loan? Couldn't I just ask Makoto?
No! I am not a leech!
He has already helped me so much—even now. I'm not even sure if I'm in the middle of a scam, but he went out of his way to introduce me to a lawyer and even willingly covered the cost.
At the very least, he has proven that he truly cares about me. Unlike this aunt and uncle of mine. He has never asked me for money either.
"Hah… we went through all that trouble to introduce you to Mr. Alex and got no thanks in return?" My uncle sighed. Disappointment dripped from his voice.
"I will thank you later when I have a job and my own money, Uncle Jonathan," I replied.
Disgust filled my heart at their behavior. They were the very definition of leeches. As I plopped onto my bed, I took out my smartphone and texted Mr. Jack, recounting today's events.
"Good. Please don't tell him that you received advice from a lawyer. If he hears that you consulted another lawyer, he might bolt."
That was the message he sent back. I wondered whether I should trust him. Did he want to catch this scammer and merely use me as bait?
But there was no one else I could rely on.
Should I get a third opinion? I didn't know who to trust.
"Makoto…"
My thoughts drifted back to him. Maybe I should visit his house tomorrow. Maybe I should even move into his apartment.
It was my house, but it feels so suffocating here.
But then… would I be considered a leech? It should be fine. I didn't ask him for money, right?
Oh yeah. I should cook him another meal. Maybe I should watch another cooking tutorial now.