NOVEL NEXT Chapter 64
“…Are you sure you didn’t sneak in and steal from some noble’s vault?”
Renny glanced at me with a skeptical expression after opening the heavy pouch of money placed on the table. I felt a bit hurt by her doubt, but I couldn’t blame her. The amount I brought back could cover tuition twice over.
“I got it from raiding dungeons.”
“How much in the world did you steal to gather enough for two tuitions?”
“I raided about five places.”
“Dungeons? Five? You’ve got to be kidding, right?”
“I’m serious.”
“Wow… at this point, it’s like you uprooted the dungeons themselves.”
Renny picked up a gold coin from the pouch and held it up to the window. Was she checking for counterfeit coins? After a good while of examining it, she bit the coin.
“…It’s real.”
“Is your tooth okay?”
“Not really? But yeah, it’s definitely real gold.”
Did she just bite into a chocolate coin shaped like gold? I glanced down at the half-broken coin, a tooth mark clearly visible. What a brutal method of inspection! Is this what it takes to earn the title of the Final Boss? I must have been staring too hard because Renny put the broken piece of gold down on the table and spoke.
“How long are you planning to stare?”
“It’s quite the spectacle, isn’t it?”
“…What weird stuff are you talking about? Millia’s waiting for you, so why don’t you go see her? I need to meet Karina.”
“Is Karina doing okay?”
“You should get in the habit of putting ‘-nim’ after her name. I don’t mind, but there are quite a few people who would look down on you for it.”
“Thanks for the friendly advice.”
“Ah, well…”
Renny looked away shyly and scratched her cheek. Is she really that embarrassed? Maybe she just isn’t used to compliments. Considering her rough past in the original game, it makes sense that she’d show a weakness to praise. It didn’t raise her level of affection in-game, though… she was an NPC I couldn’t romance.
“Anyway, the curse on Karina’s body is gradually lifting. She’ll wake up soon.”
“That’s a relief.”
It was indeed good news amidst everything else. If something happened to Karina, no matter how hard I struggled, I wouldn’t survive in this world destined for fiery destruction. I could run away and leave everything behind, but that wouldn’t be living. It would be better to just end it.
…Or should I keep struggling?
I thought of Millia, Renny, and Karina.
They were at least friends I could genuinely be close to. Abandoning such people and fleeing alone would be such a cowardly choice. If I’m going to go, I’ll go all out. Even if that end leads to destruction.
I turned my body and walked towards the door. As I grabbed the doorknob and turned it, Renny casually reminded me.
“Millia is waiting in the reception room, so you might want to check in. She says she has something to show you.”
“Got it.”
———————
“Johann! Look at this!”
Millia spun around with her arms wide open right in front of me. It was a move worthy of a cartoon. But then again, since this is a game, it might not be that weird after all. Millia playfully laughed, placing her hands on her waist and puffing out her chest. The decent-sized chest bounced slightly over her jacket, emphasizing her curviness. It was a lovely outfit, accentuated even more by its school uniform style.
“You look great in that.”
“Right? Right? Renny picked it out for me!”
“…It definitely looks expensive.”
As expected of Kalon Academy, the top academy in this world, Millia’s uniform was made of a very luxurious fabric. The navy jacket had intricate golden embroidery, and the skirt was black and short enough to reveal her thighs, paired with a crisp white shirt beneath.
She must have had it adjusted before I arrived. Did she think I could collect enough money for tuition? Or did she dig into her savings to pay for it? Either way, that’s quite generous for someone with a rabid dog image.
Or is it that I felt sorry for Millia’s past, which she can’t speak of without tears?
Whatever the case, I’m just glad it helped.
“Johann? Johann! Are you even listening to me?”
“Oh, sorry. What were you talking about?”
“I was saying I’ll be transferring in the second semester! It’s a bit tough right now with it being midterms, but I’ll take the transfer exam to start in the second semester!”
“Which department are you planning to enter?”
“I’m going into the Liberal Arts Department!”
The Liberal Arts Department, huh? It’s the neutral department at Kalon Academy. Essentially, it serves a similar role as we know from universities in our world—a place where students skim various subjects to accumulate knowledge.
In the end, if you want to go into deeper studies, you’ll need to become a graduate student, but graduating from the Liberal Arts Department alone offers no worries for employment. I vaguely recall reading this in a tooltip on the loading screen.
…Why can I remember this kind of detail but not the finer plot points?
“Are you confident in your studies?”
“So I’m planning to study in the library!”
“It’s going to be tough to catch up without a teacher-”
The little girl in front of me doesn’t seem credible, but she’s actually someone who lived hundreds of years ago. Or rather, that’s how the setting goes, and thus, her understanding of this world is practically akin to a newborn’s. That means she has to learn everything from scratch, but can she manage before the second semester starts? There’s no one to teach her, after all.
The only person we know is Renny, and she isn’t exactly someone overflowing with knowledge to the point she could teach Millia.
…Should I earn enough money to hire a tutor? How much would hiring a tutor cost?
I felt dizzy at the unexpected burden of education expenses. Why am I taking on responsibility without pleasure? Escaping from a deserted island to end up playing the role of a parent! Am I destined to end up aging alone as a bachelor while playing caregiver for life?
“…I want to date, though.”
“Date?”
“…That was a slip of the tongue. Forget what I just said.”
Looks like I let a thought slip out again. It’s about time I fixed this habit. I can’t just put a clothespin on my mouth, can I? At this rate, I might accidentally spill important future secrets I shouldn’t share with others.
“Do you want to date, Johann?”
I looked at Millia, who was staring at me with genuine interest. Did I just accidentally spill something I shouldn’t have to someone I shouldn’t have? Just thinking about it made me sigh.
“…I wouldn’t say I didn’t want to.”
Dating during your golden years is something everyone should experience at least once. Whether my life will see a golden age, however, I still don’t know.
“Who would you date?”
“…I haven’t led a life leisurely enough to think about such things.”
I made a vague answer. I don’t even have anyone I feel is clearly romantic interest. Right now, my close female friends are Millia, Karina, Renny, and Sif, but plenty of issues arise when it comes to advancing those relationships. I don’t feel that close to them to even consider dating.
Though I think we have a camaraderie similar to comrades after all this.
“I see… And now that you mention it, I haven’t thought about it either!”
“It’s a meeting of the lifelong singles club.”
“Seems like it!”
Without even thinking about it, both Millia and I burst into laughter. I’m not sure why we’re laughing, but it just happened. After some time, Millia stopped laughing and turned serious.
“You could definitely date if you wanted to, Johann!”
“What about you?”
“I want to try, but school is more important for now!”
“…Is that so.”
Is she saying she’ll chase after her own dreams? That’s a good mindset to have.
“Since you’re going to school, make sure to do your best!”
“Of course! Once I graduate and do well, I’ll pay back everything you’ve done for me, with interest!”
“Guess I’ll need to keep accumulating debt then.”
“Sure, pile it on as much as you want! I’ll pay it all back later!”
…I don’t expect to be able to pay that back at all.
I chuckled at Millia’s confident demeanor. Still, I’m impressed she’s thinking like that. That means I have to earn money to ensure Millia can graduate as well.
…I should find a decent job, something fitting for my status.