Chapter 224
Chapter 224
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Translator: True Detective
Chapter: 224
Chapter Title: My Little Brother (2)
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Yuri's brief welcome made Moochi's eyes go wide.
“Y- Yuri? This is really Yoram’s homeland?!”
“Yeah.”
“How did I even get here...?”
“What do you mean how? While you were out cold, I brought you.”
“Huh? Did I sleep that much? I barely slept at all!”
“Barely my ass. You were dead to the world for seven straight hours.”
“S- Seven hours?”
Moochi's jaw dropped.
No wonder he felt so refreshed.
It had felt like he'd just blinked, but he'd really passed out cold.
Then something dawned on him, and he asked.
“But can you really get from the Starting Forest to Yoram’s homeland in just seven hours?”
“Nope.”
“...Then how?”
“No one else can, but I can.”
“...?”
Moochi's head filled with question marks.
The more answers he got, the less sense it made.
Then he realized the most important thing, belatedly.
“Ah! The exam! So... what happened with the exam?”
“What exam?”
“The survival test...”
“Oh, that? You flunked, obviously.”
“...?!?”
“—said no one ever. Ah, this guy's about to pass out again.”
Seeing Moochi's eyes well up in shock, Yuri clicked his tongue.
‘Jeez, he's just a bigger version of the kid he used to be, inside and out.’
Always on the verge of tears. How was he supposed to mess with him like this?
Yuri sighed and waved his hand lightly.
“It's all taken care of. Don't worry.”
“...Really?”
Yuri shook the branch again at Moochi, who eyed him with pure doubt.
Thwack.
“Ow!”
Another black lump smacked into Moochi's forehead and fell.
“Eat that before you get hit again.”
“...?”
Moochi looked down at the three lumps neatly lined up in front of him.
‘What're these...?’
He first thought they were charred logs, but up close, they weren't.
He picked up the cold one that had hit his forehead first and split it in half.
Slice.
It parted smoothly, revealing yellow innards. It was perfectly roasted tosaba.
“Ah...”
Golden-brown, perfectly baked, steam rising invitingly. Just looking at it stirred up the hunger he'd forgotten.
Gurgle.
“F- Food?!”
How many days had it been since he'd eaten properly?
Instinct took over. Moochi blew on the well-roasted tosaba and bit in.
And the taste...
‘Insane... it's insanely good!’
Heavenly didn't even begin to cover it.
Yuri snickered, old memories surfacing as he watched Moochi tear up in bliss.
“I put some nostalgia into the grilling... How is it? Good, right?”
“It's amazing!”
“I made a bunch of people cry over these in the Starting Forest. Man... nothing beat selling tosaba there...”
“...?”
It sounded like reminiscing, for sure.
But Moochi had to tilt his head.
‘...Normally you'd say nothing beat eating tosaba in the Starting Forest, right?’
So why the 'selling' part?
“Points rolled in nice back then. I miss that hustle...”
“Huh?”
“Never mind. Kids like you wouldn't get it. Just shut up and eat.”
Looks like Yuri's memories of the Starting Forest were a different flavor from his own.
But that question melted away in the sweet savor of roasted tosaba filling his mouth.
Yuri kept tossing more from the fire as Moochi devoured the ones in front of him like a whirlwind.
Thud thud—thwack.
Around ten tosaba later?
Yuri stood up.
“Alright, let's go. On your feet.”
“Where to?”
Smack.
Moochi smacked his lips, hands and mouth smeared black with charcoal, looking wistful.
Yuri flashed a sly grin.
“Follow me. Be good, and I'll give you more tasty stuff.”
“Really?!”
Ten tosaba was nothing for a guy Moochi's size.
Those three magic words lit stars in his big, innocent eyes.
Yuri nodded at the sparkling gaze.
“Yuuup! Super tasty stuff! Just do what I say, and you can eat as much as you want!”
“Let's go!”
Moochi sprang up, beaming.
Ralph would've blown a gasket if he saw his naive grandson getting lured like this.
‘But what can you do? Jealous? Then come to Yoram, sixth-cohort senior.’
Yuri chuckled inwardly.
He kicked dirt over the fire, then took off running with Moochi in tow.
“Feel limbered up now? Picking up the pace. Might be tough, but keep up. Gotta earn that grub, right?”
“Yeah!”
“Hyup!”
“Yes!”
Moochi grinned brightly.
But that brightness didn't last long before turning to agony.
“Huh, huff... H- How much longer...?”
“Almost there.”
“Y- You said that an hour ago...”
“C'mon, we're really almost there.”
“H- How much...?”
“Four more hours.”
They'd started at the northern edge of Yoram’s homeland.
Two hours in, and four more to go? Moochi's face drained pale.
“C- Can we rest a bit...?”
“You're barely hanging on as is, dumbass! No time for breaks! Run!”
“B- But I suck at running...”
“If you can whine, you can move those legs, you maggot!”
Yuri prodded Moochi's butt with his knife, his face the picture of demonic glee.
“Waaaah...”
Moochi's wails echoed long across Yoram’s homeland.
* * *
Just minutes shy of the year's end.
Flick.
A tiny match flame bloomed in the darkened room.
Siiiip.
A deep inhale.
The match went out, replaced by a glowing red ember.
Fwooo.
The exhale whispered thin through the dark.
Thump. Thump.
An eerie rumble from outside, drawing closer.
“...Huh?”
Two eyes gleamed in the dark, tracking the sound.
Right then—
Bang.
The door flew open with a crash, backlit by light. A massive shadow loomed.
Coco nearly dropped her cheroot at the inhuman silhouette.
But then.
“Goddammit! This fucker's passed out right at the end!”
That hulking horror was just someone carrying another.
And she knew the carrier all too well. Coco quickly composed herself.
“Ugh, you're filthy huge! Why are your legs so damn long?”
She scowled as Yuri trudged in, grumbling.
“Doors are for hands, not feet.”
“Couldn't you see? No hands free.”
With that, Yuri dumped his passenger on the floor.
Thud.
Moochi sprawled with a heavy thump.
“I'm staaarving...”
At least he wasn't dead; he writhed, clutching his gut.
Yuri shut the door and waved at Coco.
“Hey, Coco! Long time!”
“...”
Siiiip.
Coco took a deep drag on her cheroot and blew it out, eyeing him coolly.
“What brings you here?”
“What else? Got business.”
“What kind?”
“Only one reason to show up here... right now.”
Yuri grinned wide.
“To hit the Special Sale, obviously.”
Special Discount Sale Shop.
Open only ten minutes on January 1st, New Year's.
That's what Yuri had come back to Yoram’s homeland for.
But Coco looked baffled.
“Special Sale? You’re mixed up. Second-years don't shop here. Five minutes, and you're locked out.”
Come New Year, Yuri would be a second-year, ineligible for first-year shops.
Yuri nodded at her point.
“Duh, I know.”
“Then why here?”
“The Special Sale's for him.”
Yuri pointed at Moochi, still wriggling on the floor.
“I'm staaarving...”
Coco tilted her head.
“Him? Isn't that your friend?”
“Nope.”
“No?”
“He's a new recruit this batch.”
“No idea where you got the wig, but I'm not falling for that lie...”
When she didn't buy it, Yuri nudged Moochi with his foot.
“Hey, get up.”
“Starving...”
“Up! You barely ran and you're wheezing like this?!”
“But Yuri bro...”
“Hyup!”
“...Senior, I'm starving. When do I get the good stuff?”
Coco's eyes widened at the rambling Moochi struggling upright.
She muttered in disbelief.
“He... talks?”
Yuri's friend.
Everyone in Yoram knew the 50th Cohort kid called Ppobi only said “I'm hungry.”
But this Ppobi-lookalike was saying more.
“That wasn't... a wig?”
Up close, the brown hair looked real.
Moochi noticed Coco and bowed politely.
“Ah, sorry! I was out of it from hunger. I'm Moochi Schnell.”
So polite. Coco blinked.
“Schnell? Related to Ralph Schnell...?”
“My grandfather.”
“I see.”
She instantly got why this absurd bulk screamed Schnell lineage.
She'd heard the report, sure.
51st Batch included master Ralph Schnell's grandson.
But she hadn't expected to see him here.
Yuri beamed smugly at her shock.
“Like I said, I'm not using the Special Sale. He is. I'm just watching.”
“...But you'll pay with your account, right?”
“Psh, loaning it. Right, Moochi? You'll pay me back someday?”
Yuri glanced back. Moochi blinked blankly.
“Huh?”
But.
“Hyup!”
Yuri glared, and Moochi nodded fast.
“Y- Yeah! Heh.”
“See?”
Yuri patted Moochi's back.
‘The kid's too nice for his own good, but he's no idiot.’
Perfect for using.
Coco checked her watch and sighed as Yuri smirked.
“Little shits like you...”
It was a loophole, sure. But she couldn't call it out—nothing violated rules.
Who'd think to drag a mid-exam first-year recruit here for proxy shopping?
Pulling it off proved talent.
Fwoof.
Coco chuckled smoke.
“First guy to spectate first-year Special Sale twice... probably a Yoram first.”
Like last year, she tugged the golden rope.
Rattle.
The regular shelves slid away, revealing Special Sale goods.
She checked the time.
“Exactly ten minutes.”
New Year had dawned on January 1st.
Yuri was now officially second-year.
But he ignored that, eyes glued to the bargains.
‘No real gems, but damn cheap. Steal at these prices!’
Special Discount Sale: ten minutes at midnight, January 1st, per year level.
First-year's was leagues cheaper than others.
No regrets ditching second-year sale.
‘Sweet!’
Yuri grinned, pointing.
“That, that, those over there... oh, and that at the end too.”
He jabbed fast, picking nearly everything.
Faster to list skips.
Coco stared. Yuri flicked eyes to Moochi.
“—right, Moochi?”
Grinning with veiled threat. Moochi drooped.
“...He says so.”
“Hyup!”
“G- Give us those!”
Moochi didn't get the full picture, but one thing was clear.
Do what Yuri said.
“Ah, almost missed that. That too... right, Moochi?”
“...That too.”
Yuri shopped eagerly; Moochi nodded hollow-eyed beside him.
Coco sighed.
“...Why not just say everything except these skips?”
“Should I?”
Yuri nodded, grinning ear to ear.
The happy haul ended with first-year shelves bare.
Yuri eyed the piled loot, smiling full.
‘1.5 million points for all this.’
Two high-grade potions included.
Insane discount.
Cheap, but to a raw first-year like Moochi? Mind-boggling sum.
“Heh. Heheheh.”
Yuri struggled not to cackle at the windfall.
Finally composing himself, Yuri's eyes turned deadly serious.
“Now, bring that out.”
“That?”
Coco's question lit blue fire in Yuri's eyes.
Like he'd lived for this moment.
He spat it out, deliberate, battle-ready.
“Luck. Or. Bust. Box.”
Coco caught on, stunned.
“You don't mean...”
“Heh.”
Yuri's eyes gleamed mad.
“If it was just Special Sale bargains, I wouldn't have dragged him all this way.”
Truth was, Moochi was mainly for this.
He'd never forgotten Coco's words.
[What's the surprise? First-years pay a million, others more.]
Cheapest time for Luck-or-Bust Box?
Simple.
‘Moochi, you're my only hope!’
Proxy pull with a first-year recruit.