EP. 4 The First Request Isn't Easy -1
This island of Chronos was pretty well-stocked with food.
It was a shame it was all fruit, but at least I wouldn't get tired of eating just one kind.
No wonder there were so many clubs. When you've got a ton of options, the varieties naturally multiply.
"Here, dig in."
I pushed forward a pile of fruit masquerading as a salad.
Nia eyed it suspiciously for a moment, but hunger won out, and she took a bite.
"It's pretty good."
"It's just fruit—what'd you expect?"
I chuckled and bit into one myself.
...Huh?
It's delicious.
Not the best in the world or anything.
Just a perfectly sweet, juicy apple—tasty, plain and simple.
For a meal consisting solely of grass with no meat in sight, this wasn't half bad.
"Hm?"
As I chewed, a spirit fluttered down to land on my shoulder. It was the same one from earlier.
The little guy held a tiny cherry in its hands.
It rubbed its head against my cheek, offering it up to me.
"Thanks. I'll enjoy it."
I popped the cherry in my mouth and crunched down. Pop! Sour-sweet juice burst across my tongue.
If fruits could taste this good—almost like meat—did I really need the real thing?
...Nah, I still need meat.
I was seventeen, still growing, and my body craved protein. This greenery was dessert at best—never a proper meal.
"Meat..."
Tomorrow, no matter what, I'd go hunting after class. Fish, wild game—whatever it took to get my protein fix.
With that resolve, I leaned down to grab another fruit.
"Here. Eat."
A broad, dark slab was thrust toward me.
What the—? I looked up with a quizzical glance and saw Nia sighing.
"I can tell just by looking at you. You went to the academy today, right? The second entrance ceremony."
"Yeah? So?"
"Yeah, first-timers always react like that. But."
She tossed me some jerky and crossed her legs.
"Why the sudden formal talk?"
"'Cause you're my senior?"
"You weren't doing it earlier."
"That was when I thought you were a poacher."
Nia rubbed her arms like she had goosebumps. Why was she overreacting like that? I was just showing some respect.
Calling her a poacher had been my mistake anyway—I owed her the apology.
I tore the jerky in half and handed a piece back to her.
"Let's share, senior."
"Cut that 'senior' crap. It's cringe as hell."
Fine, if that's how she wanted it.
"So how'd you end up out here like this, Nia?"
"'Like this'? I'm taking my first great step forward right now."
"Great step? Out here?"
I gave her a baffled look. She averted her eyes for a second, gazing up at the starry night sky.
Something wistful flickered in her expression, then vanished.
"You still suspicious?"
"A little."
"Fair enough. Who'd wanna live in a dump like this on purpose?"
She let out a frank laugh and continued.
"I wanna contract with a spirit."
"Contract?"
"Yeah. Like I said, I'm a spirit mage who sucks at handling spirits. Figured coming out to a remote spot like this might give me a shot at connecting with one."
And I'm broke, too, she muttered under her breath.
I chewed on the jerky as I listened.
Meat hitting my tongue made me feel a bit more alive, but the buzz faded quick.
Probably 'cause I'd already tasted the academy's bitter reality up close.
"Academy's no joke, huh."
"Nope. This place is brutal. I'm just hanging on for that diploma."
"Even that's tough?"
"Bingo. Think about it—the continent's top academy? Graduation ain't easy."
A chill of fear crept in.
Could a nobody like me survive this death trap of a school?
The monster from today wasn't that strong, sure.
But against the real heavy hitters? Could I make it through another day unscathed?
The sudden anxiety spilled out of me.
"Think a guy like me can cut it?"
"What're you talking about? You're crazy strong."
"No way. I've lost my whole life. That fight earlier? Pretty much my first win ever."
Close enough to my first, anyway. The golem takedown was basically Luca spoon-feeding me the victory.
"What nonsense is that? You're seriously strong, I said!"
"Enough already. I appreciate the vote of confidence, but don't hype me up too much or I'll get cocky."
"Jeez. Can't even take a compliment."
Her kind words put me in a good mood, at least. Maybe that's why I wanted to nurture this first connection I'd made at the academy.
Or maybe I just felt a kinship with someone weak but scrapping to get by.
"So what's your plan from here?"
"Me? Stick around, contract a spirit."
"Does it have to be a spirit?"
"Yep. Gotta be."
Stubborn about it. There had to be some heavy backstory driving that.
Too soon to pry, though, so I let it drop.
Still...
"I have to become a great spirit mage," she murmured, her vibe turning dark.
"Nia."
"Yeah?"
"Focus on eating and surviving first."
I couldn't help but advise her.
"Playing mentor now?"
"Priorities, right?"
"...Yeah. Gotta sort out this mess before anything else."
A shack on the brink of collapse, barely edible meals. It was survive-or-die before chasing dreams.
"Hey, Anton."
"Yeah?"
"I wanna invest in you a bit. Cool?"
Invest?
"Invest what?"
"Gonna borrow some cash from the bank in my name."
"Take on debt? You know what happens if you can't pay it back."
A year ahead of me, she'd know better than anyone. Hell, that's why I'd avoided it myself.
Word was, students who defaulted on bank loans...
"Get dragged to continental labor camps, slaving away to pay interest forever?"
The endgame? Forced labor and eternal debt.
Even if you lucked out and paid it off, good luck finding an unscarred body.
"I know. But... I need this academy's diploma. And I'm gonna graduate big, rub it in their faces."
Flames ignited in her eyes—fiercer than the campfire flickering before us.
"Mind if I ask what for?"
"Know what the academy needs most, Anton?"
"No clue. First day here."
"Fixers."
Fixers?
"Like, problem-solvers?"
"Exactly. This place is packed with issues."
"Not following."
"Say you gotta submit some materials for a class."
"Okay."
"But you forget 'em by accident?"
"Could happen."
"That's where fixers come in—fetch 'em for you, whatever."
In other words...
"So, a jack-of-all-trades for troubles and dilemmas."
"Spot on. Hot trend among students lately. Grab a good spot, and it's solid money."
Sounded decent.
Nia kept going: she'd use the loan to set up an office.
Live there, take jobs, earn cash, pay off debt.
I'd wanted to try all sorts of things at the academy anyway—this seemed fine.
I've been too naive.
Before coming, I'd romanticized it—new adventures, escape from magic, fresh paths.
Reality was a harsh bitch.
My options boiled down to two: start from zero, or leverage what thieving skills I had to scrape by.
"So, we open this office—what then?"
"Take requests, solve 'em."
"I handle fieldwork, you man the office?"
"...Sorry. Can't help much there. But."
Nia held up her fingers.
Seven on one hand, three on the other.
"You get seventy, I take thirty."
"Generous."
"Whaddya say? Tempted?"
"Tell me more."
Stick to what I knew, make some cash.
Not a bad play.
+++++
What the hell was going on here?
Gazing at the sniffling Luca, I sank into thought.
I still hadn't fully grasped the situation—worried my friend might have some suspicious tastes.
But the suspicions had piled up too deep by now.
Even after promising to do my best for her request, I couldn't shake them off.
Once the waterworks stopped, I'd ask straight-up. Are you really into that?
...Yeah.
"Anton... sorry. Can you just... hold me? Once?"
"S-Sure, whatever."
Right now, I was hugging the sobbing Luca, patting her back.
Venue: Luca's dorm bedroom. Enviably spacious and luxurious, smack in the middle.
How the hell did things end up like this?
"Sob... hic... Anton..."
"Y-Yeah. It's me, bro. There there."
"Sorry... I know I shouldn't act like a kid... but the tears just keep coming."
As I stroked her back through the sobs, it hit me.
The moment Luca walked into our office as our first client.
That was when this mess kicked off.
Haa. How'd it come to this?
I sighed inwardly, replaying the scene.
"Waaah... Anton..."
Please don't be gay please don't be gay please don't be gay...