The ride back to the store felt quieter than usual.
Not the awkward kind. More like everything that needed to be said had already been spent back at the Perez house. The adrenaline was gone, the tension drained out, and what was left was that strange, empty calm after finishing something heavy.
When we got back to ParaSystem, the place felt… different.
Maybe because it was ours now.
Maybe because we just proved it actually worked.
I dropped onto one of the chairs near the counter and let out a long breath, running a hand through my hair.
"Alright," I muttered, glancing at them. "Let's settle this properly."
Gino leaned against the display rack, arms crossed. Sarah took her usual seat, while Cynthia calmly pulled out a chair like we were about to start a formal meeting.
I looked at all three of them.
"How do you want to split the earnings?"
Simple question.
Cynthia didn't even pause.
"You decide."
Gino nodded right after. "Yeah. Your call."
Sarah followed without hesitation. "We trust you."
I stared at them.
"…That's it?"
Gino grinned and walked over, clapping my shoulder like this was some kind of joke. "Of course. You did the hard part. And everything we used? Yours."
I let out a breath through my nose.
"Easy for you to say."
Still… they weren't wrong.
So I leaned back slightly and thought it through.
"Fine," I said. "Here's how we're doing it."
They all focused immediately.
"I'm taking fifty percent off the top," I continued, tapping the table lightly. "That's for store funds. Rent, electricity, maintenance, future expenses. We're not touching that."
Cynthia nodded. "Makes sense."
"From the remaining fifty percent," I added, "I'm deducting item costs separately."
Gino tilted his head. "So the stuff we used gets reimbursed first?"
"Exactly."
Sarah nodded. "That's fair."
"Then whatever's left," I finished, "we split into four equally."
Silence.
Then....
"Sounds good."
"Works."
"Agreed."
That was it.
No arguments.
No negotiations.
I leaned back and shook my head.
"You guys are way too easy to deal with."
Gino smirked. "You say that like it's a problem."
"…It is when I'm the one doing the math."
I pulled out a notepad, but my eyes drifted slightly to the side.
"Millien," I muttered under my breath.
The little guy hopped onto the counter like he knew exactly what I was doing.
"Help me calculate."
He crossed his arms and nodded like this was a serious business meeting.
The others just watched like this was normal.
While the truth was, the system was doing all the calculations.
That made things easier.
I started writing.
"Total was one hundred thousand," I said out loud. "Fifty percent goes to store funds. That's fifty thousand."
Cynthia nodded, already keeping track.
"Remaining fifty thousand," I continued. "Item costs… forty thousand."
I paused.
"…Which leaves ten thousand."
Gino whistled softly. "That dropped fast."
"Yeah," I muttered. "Tell me about it."
I scribbled the last part.
"Ten thousand split into four…" I tapped the pen lightly. "…that's two thousand five hundred each."
Silence.
Then Gino blinked.
"…That's it?"
I leaned back slowly, staring at the numbers like they personally offended me.
"That's it."
Sarah frowned slightly. "After everything we just did…?"
"Welcome to business," I said flatly.
But I wasn't done.
Because in my head, I was already breaking things down further.
I quietly pulled my share aside.
Two thousand five hundred.
Then added the portion I mentally reserved earlier.
Forty thousand from item reimbursement.
And the service portion I internally marked.
All of it…
Gone. Converted. Used.
I stared at the numbers again.
Then leaned back, covering my face for a second.
"…You've got to be kidding me."
Gino raised a brow. "What now?"
I dropped my hand and looked at them.
"I just fought a giant, almost got flattened, nearly lost control of the situation…" I gestured vaguely in the air. "…and I end up with nothing."
Cynthia tilted her head slightly. "Nothing?"
"Nothing," I repeated. "Zero. Gone. Evaporated."
Sarah blinked. "But… we all just got our shares."
"Yeah," I muttered. "You did."
Gino squinted at me. "Wait… what did you even do with yours?"
I waved it off quickly. "Reinvested."
"…That fast?" he asked.
"Yes. That fast."
They stared at me.
Then....
That look.
That very specific look.
Pity.
I narrowed my eyes. "Don't."
Sarah softened her voice. "Anthony…"
"Don't."
Cynthia tried to stay composed, but even she sighed slightly. "You really didn't keep anything?"
I leaned back in my chair, staring at the ceiling.
"Not a single peso."
Gino scratched the back of his head. "…Man."
"That's rough."
"Tell me about it," I muttered.
They went quiet for a bit.
Not mocking.
Not judging.
Just… watching me like they were trying to figure out if I was serious.
I exhaled slowly.
"…And the worst part?" I added.
They looked at me again.
I turned my head slightly, staring at the table.
"It still feels like it's not enough."
That shut them up completely.
Because while they saw money...
I saw something else entirely.
Costs.
Upgrades.
Things I needed just to keep up.
I clicked my tongue and pushed myself up from the chair.
"Whatever," I said, brushing it off. "We've got a working system now. That's what matters."
Gino chuckled lightly. "You're insane."
"Yeah," Sarah added softly. "A little."
Cynthia just smiled faintly. "But effective."
I didn't respond.
I just glanced at the store.
At the shelves.
At everything we built from nothing.
"…Next job," I muttered under my breath.
Because whether I liked it or not...
This wasn't going to get cheaper. And I plan to raise the prices according to my clients.