It's Fine. For You, Teacher, This Much Isn't a Waste at All.
I arrived at the auction house entrance arm-in-arm with the princess.
Since we hadn't left the Demon King's castle, the auction house looked luxurious from the outside.
"Wow... I didn't know there was an auction house inside the Demon King's castle."
"Actually, there are more elsewhere, but the most expensive items are usually traded here. After all, inside the Demon King's castle is the safest, right?"
I nodded vigorously.
Expensive items going up for auction shouldn't have any accidents happening to them.
With tight security inside the Demon King's castle, no one would dare commit fraud or theft.
"Hmm... That game console you mentioned? We should be able to get it here."
"Yes, it must be here."
In this world, game consoles carried eye-watering prices, so it was bound to be at the Demon King's castle auction.
The four years I'd spent cooped up in the lab were finally being rewarded....
I couldn't stop the corners of my mouth from creeping upward, and the princess reached over to stroke my head.
"Is the game console that wonderful?"
"Hehe... Yes. I bet you'll love it too, Princess."
The princess had a strong shut-in streak, so if she saw the game console in person, she would probably like it even more than I did.
"Really? If Teacher says so, now I'm looking forward to it. Let's head inside."
The princess pulled her black hood down low and stepped into the auction house.
"Oh, right, Teacher."
She stopped just before entering.
"Yes?"
"From now on, call me by my name instead of Princess. Understood?"
"Y-yes?! How could I possibly dare call the Princess by her name...."
No matter how close we'd become, calling her by name was something else entirely.
I didn't want to be executed for insulting the royal family, so I shook my head.
"Or were you planning to announce to the entire neighborhood that the princess had shown up at the auction? I'd rather not ruin the atmosphere here."
"Ah...."
She had a point.
If the princess participated openly, no one would dare compete against her on price.
Who would willingly enter a fight they were destined to lose in both status and wealth?
The auction would fall silent with no participants, and the mood would turn strange....
"Am I right?"
"Yes... I was being short-sighted."
"Then bring your lips here."
"...Huh?"
Chu.
It happened in an instant.
My chin was lifted, and the princess leaned in.
In that brief moment she tasted my lips.
The motion flowed so naturally that I simply froze, stunned.
"You have to accept punishment when you do something wrong. Don't you agree?"
"...Yes."
Was this really a wrongdoing? The thought might have crossed my mind, but the lingering sweetness of the princess's touch on my lips made proper thinking impossible.
"Then try calling me Reta."
"R-Reta...? That's truly impossible...!"
I had steeled myself to call her by name.
But a pet name? That felt not just difficult, but overwhelmingly so.
"If you say Regrita, won't everyone immediately know I'm the princess?"
"Ah...."
"And you've been talking back to me this whole time... Bring your lips here."
"Ehh? Wait, just a moment...."
Chu.
This time our lips lingered longer than before.
The princess gently caught my lower lip between hers and gave it a soft tug.
Chuuup.
My lip stretched out before springing back.
"Hwaaa...."
My mood had already been floating, but that kiss sent fluffy emotions swirling through my head.
"If you do that one more time, it won't end this lightly. Do you understand?"
"Y-yesh...."
I was so enchanted that my tongue wouldn't cooperate and my pronunciation fell apart.
I had graduated early from the academy and worked as a teaching assistant, after all.
I possessed a mind I could confidently call far from stupid, yet for some reason I turned into a complete fool only in front of the princess.
"Now then, call me Reta."
"Re... Reta-nim...."
"Hmm... I'd prefer you drop the -nim as well... but it seems too much for Teacher right now, so I'll let it slide."
"...Thank you."
Feelings of relief and regret flashed through me at the same time.
What would have happened if I'd disobeyed the princess here?
I was curious, but it felt like crossing a river with no way back, so I held the urge in check.
"Then let's go inside. We need to buy the item Teacher wants."
Led by the princess's arm, I stepped into the auction house, secretly licking my lips that still carried her taste.
"Whoa...."
The first thing I felt upon entering the auction house was pure admiration.
I had imagined it would be packed with people noisily shouting bids and driving prices upward.
But this was an auction house inside the Demon King's castle, after all.
The floor was smooth white marble, and soft lighting from the high ceiling bathed the entire interior.
Perhaps because they knew only a select few could enter this place, there weren't many seats.
Despite the modest space, fewer than half the chairs held bidders.
The princess took me—mouth still hanging open—to an empty spot and sat us down.
I made an effort to close my mouth and looked around.
The bidders lounged on plush seats that resembled sofas more than chairs, casually sipping expensive wine.
Their attitudes suggested they had come to enjoy a night at the theater rather than to purchase items.
The emcee introducing the goods from the front was a neatly dressed demon in a formal suit and black gloves.
"The starting bid is one hundred gold."
One hundred gold right from the start?!
What on earth were they selling to open at such a staggering price?
I glanced at the display case beside the emcee.
Inside was a small potion vial.
It seemed the potion within that bottle was responsible for the insane value.
"Prin... I mean, Reta-nim. What kind of potion is that to cost so much?"
Fearing I'd draw disapproving looks from the distinguished guests if I spoke too loudly, I whispered softly into the princess's ear.
I had nearly called her Princess out of habit, but her sparkling eyes made me correct myself.
The princess clicked her tongue, looking slightly disappointed.
"It appears to be a potion of longevity. It extends one's lifespan by roughly fifty years... The kind older individuals usually seek."
"A potion of longevity...? Then isn't one hundred gold actually cheap?"
One hundred gold in my previous world's terms would be around a billion.
Yet the saying goes that time cannot be bought with money.
Fifty extra years of life for that amount... surely the wealthy gathered here could afford it easily?
"That's why it's only the starting price, Teacher."
"Huh?"
"Watch how the bidding climbs now."
Before the princess even finished speaking, hands shot up across the room.
"One thousand gold."
"One thousand gold has been bid."
"?!?"
Multiplying the price by ten right from the beginning?
I nearly fainted on the spot.
The princess observed my reaction, stroked my cheek, and let out an adorable laugh.
"Pfft... Teacher has that much money yet you're still so surprised?"
"N-no... but still...."
That was the compensation I'd received upon appointment as the princess's tutor, on the condition that I live as a woman....
I felt utterly defeated by a demon who could casually call out one thousand gold.
Moreover, my monthly salary as a teaching assistant before becoming a tutor had been five silver coins.
It was a miracle I wasn't passing out right now.
"One thousand fifty gold."
"One thousand fifty gold has been bid."
"One thousand one hundred gold."
From there the price soared from one thousand one hundred to nine thousand nine hundred and ninety in the blink of an eye.
Had everyone lost their minds? How could they utter such enormous sums so indifferently....
"Nine thousand nine hundred and ninety-nine gold."
"Nine thousand nine hundred and ninety-nine gold has been bid. Any further offers?"
The truly astonishing part was that neither the emcee nor any bidder showed the slightest hint of regret or excitement.
They were all participating with an attitude of 'if not, then whatever.'
I couldn't even guess what titles they must hold to be able to throw around that kind of money.
In the end, the longevity potion sold for the massive sum of nine thousand nine hundred and ninety-nine gold to a masked demon wearing a white mask.
I wondered if covering one's face was permitted in the auction house.
But the princess beside me had hidden her face with a hood, and other masked demons were scattered throughout, so it seemed acceptable.
Perhaps once you possessed the status to enter this place, concealing your face was of no concern.
To someone who had lived in the commoners' world until recently, the entire scene felt surreal.
"Next item, please."
The emcee brought the following item onto the stage.
"This is an entertainment device recently developed by magic engineers, called a game console. This machine enables the enjoyment of entertainment known as 'games.' There are only five such devices across the entire continent...."
It had appeared.
The game console had come out.
I hadn't expected it so soon, but our timing in entering the auction house must have been perfect.
The emcee spent a long time explaining to the distinguished guests—who might be unfamiliar with it—just how incredible the device was.
Meanwhile, without realizing it, I clenched my fists and fidgeted in my seat.
"This is the first time I've seen Teacher so excited. You wanted it that badly? If you'd told me beforehand, I could have bought one for you."
"No, no! How could someone like me possibly accept such a precious gift from the princess?"
I shook my head rapidly like a dog shaking off wet fur.
I didn't even know how much it cost.
It was probably several times more expensive than the camera the princess owned.
To offer to buy it so casually...
...honestly, it was incredibly cool.
"The starting bid is one hundred gold."
After the emcee's extravagant explanation, the auction began.
Just like before, it seemed the starting price was fixed at one hundred gold.
I tried my best not to look too eager as I thrust my hand into the air.
"One hundred ten gold!"
Oops. Even though I'd tried to restrain myself, my voice had come out far too excited.
Several elegantly seated demons turned to look my way.
They were probably wondering who was making noise in such a quiet venue.
When they saw my face, they chuckled and turned back around.
Ugh... how embarrassing.
I patted my flushed cheeks and hid behind the princess.
"Hehe... It's fine, Teacher. They're only looking because they find you cute."
"That makes it even more embarrassing...."
I thought she was comforting me, but she was actually teasing me in a different way.
"One hundred ten gold has been bid."
"One hundred fifty gold."
"One hundred fifty gold has been bid."
Ah, no! Don't raise the price so quickly!
The demons gathered here seemed to lack any concept of restraint, jacking up the bids rapidly.
Still, I couldn't back down.
With pure determination to obtain the game console, I kept following.
"One hundred sixty gold."
"Two hundred gold."
Another demon immediately raised it again.
Did they all know how to play games and were therefore bidding like this?
Clearly they just wanted it as a novelty since there were only five in existence....
Ugh... what should I do? I couldn't afford too large an expense.
The compensation I first received from the Demon King was one hundred gold.
The additional compensation from the princess for living as a woman was one thousand five hundred gold.
My total assets came to one thousand six hundred gold.
...Calculating it now, the princess had truly given me an enormous amount.
Regardless, I had to settle the bid within one thousand six hundred gold.
Room and board were provided at the Demon King's castle, and my clothes had come from the tailor, so if I avoided luxury, I could live comfortably until the next payment.
"Two hundred ten gold."
Me—who had rarely even seen a single gold coin before—was now casually bidding two hundred ten gold.
My already overflowing loyalty to the Demon King and especially to the princess felt like it could pierce the heavens.
"Two hundred fifty gold."
The other demons didn't seem particularly interested in the game console.
Yet one persistent demon kept following my bids by adding exactly forty gold each time.
Why was he doing this? I was the one who could actually make valuable use of the game console!
"Two hundred sixty g..."
"Three hundred gold."
"......"
Now he was interrupting me and raising the price first.
...So that's how he wanted to play?
"Three hundred ten gold."
I lost my senses and began raising the bid in earnest.
My hands were trembling.
My thighs clenched on their own.
With my mouth completely dry, I opened it and spoke.
"One thousand five hundred gold...."
It had come to this.
In the end, the bidding had reached one thousand five hundred gold!
This wasn't my plan... I had intended to drop out at one thousand if necessary.
But the provoking demon following me made it impossible to back down.
"Three thousand gold."
"...Ah."
I let out an involuntary sigh.
I stared blankly at the demon who had made the bid.
The one wearing a half-mask smirked, lifting one corner of his mouth.
"Three thousand gold. Any further bids?"
At the enormous sum of three thousand gold, the previously quiet auction house stirred slightly.
They were probably wondering if such a huge amount was necessary for an unfamiliar item called a game console.
I dropped my head.
Even offering all my assets, I couldn't obtain a single game console....
The money I'd received even after changing my gender....
The sum in my hands was an amount most demons wouldn't touch in their entire lifetimes.
Realizing it meant nothing to the truly wealthy left me utterly despondent.
"Three thousand gold. If there are no more bids, it will be sold to—"
At that moment.
A hand rose beside me.
A white, delicate hand.
The hand that gently stroked my head.
...The hand that sometimes lewdly groped my body.
"...Reta-nim?"
It was the princess's hand.
"Six thousand gold."
"...?!"
The auction house stirred once more.
The demons who had been leisurely sipping their drinks froze solid.
Murmurs reached me, wondering who the hooded woman was.
"...Ahem."
The demon who had bid three thousand cleared his throat and straightened his posture.
He had probably wanted to toy with me using money, but apparently lacked the nerve to follow a crazy price like six thousand gold.
"...Six thousand gold has been bid."
Even the usually cold emcee couldn't close his gaping mouth.
"Any further bids?"
"......"
Silence.
Naturally, no demon was willing to follow with more than six thousand gold on an item whose true value they didn't even understand.
"...Congratulations. Sold for six thousand gold."
"Uh, um...?"
"Hehe... It worked out nicely, Teacher. The game console is now yours."
"Uh, eh...? Why would you spend such an enormous sum on someone like me...."
What should I even call this emotion?
Thump.
Gratitude?
Thump thump.
Loyalty?
No, those words weren't enough to contain what I was feeling.
"Enormous sum...? Hmm... It feels similar to the camera, so I'm not sure if it's really that much...."
The princess tapped her lips, then smiled brightly.
"Well, it's fine. Because if it's for you, Teacher, this much isn't a waste at all."
"......Ah."
I think I understood.
This feeling.
Thump thump thump.
It was exactly what I'd been thinking half-jokingly every day.
I had fallen for her.
That was the emotion.