Chapter 10: Trapped by the Girls, Cornered by My Finances

Screams echoed.

When I returned to the classroom, I was suddenly surrounded by the girls in the class.

They all started saying something, but honestly, since everyone was talking at once, I couldn’t make out what they were saying.

I’ve gotten somewhat used to talking with girls, but when they swarm like this and bombard me with questions, I get flustered.

Even Yuri, who had walked in holding my hand, seemed overwhelmed. She quietly let go of my hand and hesitantly started to inch away from me.

Don’t leave me alone!

But my inner cry echoed only within me, and soon I couldn’t even see her due to the wall of girls surrounding me.

Tsk, is this a barrier?

Meanwhile, a girl standing in front of me grabbed my hand and started talking.

“Elysia! That thing you said to that guy from Class 2 earlier! Say it one more time!”

“Huh… what?”

“You know, that thing!”

Then the girl lowered her voice dramatically and said,

“If you’ve got a problem, bring it on, you piece of trash.”

Ahhh!

Did I really say that?

Well, maybe I did, but did I really say it in such a cringey way? Really?

Someone, please tell me that’s a lie…

But no one seemed to be stepping up to say it was a lie. Instead, they were all staring at my mouth, making me feel more than just uncomfortable—it was downright scary.

“If you’ve got a problem, bring it on, you piece of trash,” I muttered in a dying voice.

But…

“That’s not it! You sounded way cooler earlier!”

Please, just let me live. If I die here, the cause of death will surely be from embarrassment.

“If you’ve got a problem, bring it on, you piece of trash.”

“Ahhhh!”

I wanted to run away from the group out of sheer embarrassment, but another hand grabbed me.

“I want to see that hair flip you did!”

Why are you doing this to me?

But there was no escape in sight. In the end, I only managed to break free after flipping my hair three times and saying “piece of trash” twice.

“…Even you, Yuri, abandoned me.”

“Haha… sorry. But you don’t need to feel embarrassed! The Elysia who smiled at me back then looked really cool! Just like a prince—”

Yuri suddenly covered her face with both hands and lowered her head.

Perhaps she remembered how cringey my actions were because her ears, visible from the side, were glowing bright red.

I’m sure she’s smiling behind her hands.

That’s what you get for saying things you don’t mean…

Still, I guess it’s fine. If adding another embarrassing moment to my past helped Yuri, I’ll consider it a win.

Surely, the warm sunlight shining down on me is praising me for my efforts, right?

I have to comfort myself with that thought, or I might just throw myself into the river.

Hmm?

In the spot where the sunlight is shining the brightest, a black cat is curled up, sound asleep.

Since pets are forbidden on school grounds, it’s probably a stray cat wandering around the area. Though for a stray, it looks quite expensive.

Leaving Yuri to sulk by herself, I quietly approached the cat.

I slowly reached out and petted it. Sensing my touch, the cat lazily lifted its head and looked at me. However, it didn’t shy away from my hand.

As I continued petting the cat, I suddenly recalled the time we raised a cat at the assassin’s guild.

It wasn’t a refined cat like this one. Just a common stray cat you could find anywhere.

The assassin’s guild I was part of was always poor, but during our most impoverished days, the guild hideout was barely fit for human habitation.

The master, fed up with the sheer number of rats living there, eventually brought in a stray cat as a solution.

Thanks to that, although we couldn’t get rid of the cockroaches, at least the rats disappeared. Thinking about those days makes my skin crawl a little.

Come to think of it, that cat would also wake up momentarily and meow when I petted it while it was sleeping, just like this one.

By the way, this cat is incredibly calm. It doesn’t reject my touch, and judging by the shine and condition of its fur, it’s clear someone is taking care of it.

Maybe a few students, enchanted by the cat like I am, have been secretly feeding it.

Speaking of which, didn’t cats like having their bottoms patted?

Pat! Pat!

I moved my hand to pat the cat’s bottom, but instead of enjoying it—

“Hiss!”

It jumped up in an instant, took a few steps back, and started hissing at me.

Why?! I thought cats liked getting their bottoms patted! What’s going on?

As I stood there with a defeated expression, the cat stopped hissing, observed me cautiously for a moment, and then approached me again. It rubbed its head against my hand.

So, you just want me to pet your head quietly, huh?

Apparently, I was right, because as soon as I started petting its head again, it began purring and closed its eyes.

“Eli~ I’m back!”

While I was petting the cat, Anne and Celie, who had gone to the restroom, spotted us and came running over.

I’ve gotten used to going to the restroom alone, but I still felt a bit awkward, so I stayed behind and let the two of them go together.

“Why is Yuri acting like that?”

Celie glanced at Yuri, who had her head down next to me, and asked.

Yuri was still in her sunken state. Was what I did really that embarrassing? But the other girls seemed to like it well enough.

“…It’s nothing.”

Of course, I had no intention of bringing up my embarrassing moment.

“Yeah, it’s nothing.”

Just in time, Yuri lifted her head. Her face, which had been bright red, had returned to its usual pale color.

“Hmmm?”

Anne’s voice carried a hint of suspicion at our words. Celie, too, was watching us closely. But I had no plans of opening my mouth.

“Well, if you both say so, then that’s that! Let’s head to the cafeteria quickly before all the seats are taken.”

Luckily, Anne dismissed her suspicion and led the way to the cafeteria.

Oh, speaking of the cat…

I turned to look for the cat that had slipped away from my hand at some point, but no matter how much I searched, I couldn’t find it.

Well, I’m sure I’ll see it again someday.

***

Fortunately, the cafeteria wasn’t crowded yet, and there was almost no line.

Anne was at the front, followed by Celie, who took out her meal ticket and put it into the slot.

Yuri followed close behind, and I also pulled out five meal tickets from my wallet and placed them into the slot.

Holding the tray of food we received, the four of us sat at an empty table in the corner.

Celie sat next to Anne, I sat across from Celie, and Yuri sat beside me.

“Let’s eat~”

Today’s menu was fish steak. I carefully moved the knife to cut the fish so that the flesh wouldn’t crumble.

I placed a piece on my fork, dipped it in the sauce, and moved it to my mouth.

The tenderness and umami spread inside my mouth.

Ah, the sauce tastes a little sweeter than last time. Did the cook change?

Still, it’s as delicious as ever. No wonder it’s a five-ticket dish.

?

Wait, what? I feel like I’ve forgotten something.

!

Oh no.

Emergency! Super emergency!

It’s been a month since I enrolled in the academy.

My remaining time here is unknown.

There are still three months left until the holidays.

The number of meal tickets I have left is exactly ten.

The price of one meal ticket is exactly ten silver coins. But how much money do I have left?

Only three gold coins. I was already short on money, and then I spent some on a pair of gloves to look cool while challenging someone to a duel, and now I’m completely broke.

This is bad. Even if I gather all my remaining funds, I only have enough for 30 meal tickets.

I’ve been skipping breakfast, but even with just lunch and dinner, that’s only enough for 20 days.

And if I continue eating the five-ticket meals like I’ve been doing, I’ll only last for four days.

What have I been doing all this time, past me!?

Anne, Celie, and Yuri all come from noble families, so of course, they gravitate towards the five-ticket menu, and I naturally followed them.

At first, I thought I should save my money. But I didn’t account for the snacks I’d buy during outings, the consumables I had to purchase regularly, or the extra expenses like the gloves I just bought.

Before I knew it, I had grown accustomed to savoring the cafeteria food.

In fact, I had completely forgotten about my money problems until just now.

Sigh, calm down. What’s done is done. I just need to plan things properly from now on.

I’ll find a way to make some money, but in the meantime, I need to conserve my meal tickets.

First, I need to stop eating the five-ticket meals. But there’s no way Anne, Yuri, and Celie would eat a one-ticket meal. And it’d be awkward to buy a one-ticket meal by myself and sit with them.

It’d be better to temporarily separate from them at mealtime and join another group that eats the one-ticket meals.

So, I told the three of them that I’d be eating with some other friends—

“Elysia?”

“Uh, yeah?”

“Let’s eat together again tomorrow, okay?”

Celie smiled at me sweetly. She was smiling, but why do I feel a cold sweat running down my neck? And why did she go back to calling me by my formal name!?

“Elysia? Your answer?”

“Yes! Got it!”

I’m sinking. I can’t escape Celie~

I have to do something. If this continues, I won’t be able to avoid bankruptcy. I need to find a way to earn money, starting tomorrow.

Oh, this dessert is delicious.