Having retrieved her lost item, the girl's mood seemed to improve significantly. Just as she had stated before, she gave a light wave of her fair, slender hand, and the magic dissipated.
"Don't do things like this in the future; other people might not be as easy to talk to as I am," the girl said before leaving.
Nearby, Satoru Gojo nodded in deep agreement. "That makes sense."
The last time he was robbed, he had made sure to swipe all of Felt's money in return. Compared to him, this girl was indeed quite lenient. With that, the girl turned and walked away.
Subaru Natsuki watched her retreating figure, feeling an odd, inexplicable urge in his heart to get closer to her and understand her better. A girl with such a kind personality who perfectly matched his aesthetic—if he missed this chance, he had no idea when they would meet again.
Subaru hesitated for a moment, and seeing her about to vanish from sight, he couldn't help but call out.
"Um, could I know your name?"
The girl's steps faltered slightly, and then Puck poked his head out from her hair.
"Are you planning to come find us for revenge later?"
"No, no, I don't have that kind of intention at all."
"Even if you don't, it's a no-go~ It looks like Lia doesn't want to tell you."
As Puck spoke, the silver-haired girl resumed her pace and drifted further away. Subaru watched this scene, his heart filled with disappointment. With this parting, he figured they would likely never meet again.
"A romance ended before it even began."
"Well, it's not like you gained nothing at all, right? At least you know the name 'Lia' might be part of it," Satoru Gojo said, patting Subaru Natsuki on the shoulder and offering comfort like an experienced elder.
"Besides, in those light novels, don't the heroes always end up with a harem? Maybe after you defeat the Demon King, she'll come knocking on your door herself."
Subaru Natsuki gave the sarcastic Satoru Gojo a flat look. He hadn't forgotten how this guy had just used his name to distance himself.
Crack.
As they spoke, a crisp sound came from behind. Felt had finally broken through the hard ice freezing her to the ground and regained her freedom.
"Hey, Felt, seeing you safe and sound puts my mind at ease..."
"You bastard, go die!"
Faced with Satoru Gojo's "relief," Felt's face flushed red with rage. She let out an angry shout, charged toward him, and swung her fist.
Thump.
This time, there was no strange barrier. Felt's small fist landed cleanly in Satoru Gojo's palm. However, this "strike of hatred" had absolutely no effect on him. Even the hand he used to catch her fist didn't tremble. Clearly, the difference in their strength was vast.
Felt didn't have much energy to care about that right now; her heart was consumed by a fury she needed to vent.
"You bastard!"
"You bastard!"
"Do you have any idea how much you made me lose?!"
"That was twenty Holy Gold coins! Twenty!!!"
Felt scolded Satoru Gojo as her heart bled. Twenty Holy Gold coins. It was no exaggeration to say that in all her years, she had never taken on such a lucrative commission. She had finally managed to get the item, and then what? It was ruined by the guy in front of her!
Satoru Gojo used one hand to easily intercept Felt's attacks while scratching his cheek with the other.
"Eh? Was that thing really worth that much?"
"Nonsense! I'm going to beat you to death today!"
Felt was hysterical, her small fists raining down like a storm. Even though no amount of effort could damage Satoru Gojo, she kept going.
Subaru Natsuki, standing nearby, didn't understand the concept of Holy Gold coins. However, Satoru Gojo, who had spent a day in the capital and read the history of this world, understood Felt perfectly. Twenty Holy Gold coins were enough for an ordinary family to live on for many years. For someone like Felt who survived by theft, it was an unimaginably large sum.
Felt pummeled Satoru Gojo for a while until she was breathless, yet she hadn't caused him a single bit of harm. But after venting, she calmed down significantly. The priority now wasn't to waste energy on useless actions, but to find a way to recover her losses.
After resting for a moment, Felt came up with a plan.
"Hey."
"You ruined my commission and made me lose twenty Holy Gold coins."
"You owe me those twenty Holy Gold coins!"
"You and this guy have to pay me back together!"
"Huh?"
"Why do I have to be involved too?"
Subaru Natsuki didn't know how much twenty Holy Gold coins were, but judging by Felt's expression, it certainly wasn't a small amount. For him, who was currently penniless, this was definitely not good news. What kind of hero gets saddled with a massive debt the moment he arrives?
"I'm a victim too! Didn't you hear him call me Satoru Gojo on purpose just now?" Subaru argued his case, trying to avoid this unfortunate outcome.
"No problem!"
"It's just a mere twenty Holy Gold coins. For my partner, that's not a problem at all!"
"Right, Protagonist-Partner?"
"Am I just here to take the blame for you? Am I not the supporting character?"
"These things are flexible. I think taking a guest role as the villain for me to defeat occasionally is fine too."
"..."
Subaru Natsuki turned and looked at Felt.
"I'm starting to understand how you feel."
"Is there any way to teach this guy a lesson?"
"This is really difficult... such a strong bond, yet our friendship is falling apart before it even began."
"Who do you think is to blame for that!"
After a round of "friendly" negotiation, the three of them reached an agreement in the alley.
In the less than three hours since Subaru Natsuki arrived in this world, he had successfully incurred a massive debt of 12.5 Holy Gold coins because of Satoru Gojo. From that point on, Felt became their creditor. The two men, who had nothing better to do, were officially relegated to "working grunts."
"For some reason, I feel like the future is pitch black. This isn't the isekai journey I expected," Subaru said gloomily as he followed Felt.