The World Runs on Money
The world runs on money. This is an immutable truth. Everything else is nothing more than an accessory. Love? Friendship? Honor? All of them can be bought with money. My name is Neva Argent. I am the only daughter of the Argent Family.
If you’ve never heard the name Argent, it’s because you’re poor. The Argent Family controls half of the western empire’s trade. Honestly, even saying “half” is being modest. In the west, there are almost no transactions that don’t pass through our family’s hands. Salt, iron, spices—everything goes through us. Our family’s carriage is finer than the imperial one, our garden is wider than the academy’s training grounds, and our dinnerware… Anyway, from the moment I was born, I lacked for nothing. I had everything I wanted and did everything I desired. With money, nothing is impossible. That was my entire world.
At least until I met that little brat.
It was the year I turned seven. I followed my father to some rundown estate on the border for a business deal. I don’t remember the details. What I do remember is how brutally poor that place was. Crumbling houses, people dressed in rags.
‘Why is it so gloomy here?’
I climbed out of the carriage feeling thoroughly unimpressed. I like things that sparkle—expensive, beautiful things. But this neighborhood had none of that.
“How drab.”
While the adults conducted their business, I wandered the estate out of boredom. That’s when I spotted him. A scrawny silver-haired boy. Ganon was leaning against a wall in tattered clothes, eating a piece of bread.
“Huh…?”
It was hard, black bread that looked terrible.
‘He’s actually eating that?’
The bread at our house was soft and white. I was starting to feel a little sorry for him when—
“Whoa?”
Tap. The boy dropped his bread. The piece slipped from his hand and landed on the dirt floor with a dull thud.
‘…Ah, he dropped it.’
I naturally assumed he’d throw it away. It had fallen on the ground, after all. At our house, a servant would have brought a fresh piece immediately. But then—
Whoosh!
The boy snatched the fallen bread at the speed of light. Before I could even blink. And then—
Puff. Puff.
He blew the dirt off it, opened his mouth wide… and chewed.
Chomp. Chomp.
Like it was nothing.
“…Gasp.”
The sound slipped out before I could stop it.
‘He’s eating that?!’
Something that fell on the dirt floor? Isn’t that supposed to be thrown away? Yet he was eating the dirty bread with complete seriousness. As if it were the most precious thing in the world.
‘What a beggar.’
I stopped in my tracks and stared at him. My eyes asked whether a person should really be doing that. The boy who had been eating the bread lifted his head… and our eyes met.
His face was dirty, but his gaze was strangely clear.
“…”
Those eyes scanned me for a moment.
“…You.”
The boy spoke.
‘W-what? Is he talking to me?’
“Are you hungry?”
“Huh?”
The sudden question left my mind blank. Hungry? Me?
…No, that wasn’t it. He must have thought I was staring because I wanted his bread. And then—
The boy tore off a piece of the black bread he was eating. Just a fingernail-sized bit. Tiny. He held it out to me.
“Here.”
“…?”
“I don’t usually share with others.”
In a blunt voice, he added, “But I’ll give it to you.”
At that moment, my heart did a strange little flip.
I learned much later that for Ganon Pedro, sharing bread was practically the same as co-signing a loan.
“Hey, Ganon, give me a bite too—”
“Get lost!!!”
I saw how he treated the other kids. But strangely, that tiny piece of black bread seemed to sparkle more than any feast at our mansion.
‘…What is this?’
I stood there holding the bread, dazed for a long time. My heart was pounding. I had never felt anything like it.
That was the moment I fell in love with Ganon Pedro at first sight.
After returning home, I spent several days in a daze. Food wouldn’t go down, and I kept thinking about that boy…
‘Why am I like this…’
Frustrated, I finally asked my father.
“Dad. What if there’s something I want but can’t buy with money?”
Father paused while drinking his wine and looked at me.
“Hmm?”
Then he burst into hearty laughter.
“Haha! My little Neva has finally reached the age to understand the truth of life.”
“…The truth?”
Father set down his wine glass and spoke with a serious face.
“Neva, listen well. Everything can be bought with money.”
“…Even love?”
“Of course. If it can’t, it simply means you haven’t spent enough. Just spend more and it’s yours.”
At the time, I believed those words with absolute conviction. Father continued.
“Your mother was the same. She came from a poor commoner background.”
“…Mom?”
“When I proposed with a diamond ring, she was overjoyed. She even cried when she accepted it. See? Money makes everything possible.”
Father spoke with great pride. But at that exact moment, Mother, who happened to be passing by, heard him and—
Smack!
“Ow!”
She smacked the back of Father’s head.
“Darling! What nonsense are you teaching our child?!”
“W-wait, honey! It’s true, isn’t it?!”
“True, my foot!”
Mother placed her hands on her hips and sighed.
“Neva, listen properly. I didn’t marry your father because of the diamond.”
“…You didn’t?”
“Ten years. He chased me for ten whole years. He proposed so persistently. And after five years of passionate dating, when I was getting tired of waiting and thinking, ‘When on earth is this man going to propose?’ he finally gave me the ring. I accepted it then.”
“…Huh?”
“The diamond was just good timing.”
Mother shot Father a glare.
“This man is simply mistaken, thinking he bought me with money.”
“…H-honey…”
Father’s face fell.
“…”
I wasn’t entirely convinced.
‘That’s not the important part.’
Whether he chased her for ten years or not, in the end she accepted when he gave her the diamond ring. So ultimately, money put the period at the end of the sentence. Timing or whatever.
‘…Yes. The important thing is money. Money!’
That was the conclusion I reached.
…Mother would have smacked my back if she’d heard me. Anyway. That day, I made a vow. That poor little brat—I would buy him with money.
‘Just wait, you bread-sharing brat.’
‘One day, I’m going to buy you.’
That was the beginning of my first love.
Having begun my first love, I immediately took action. The method was obvious: money. There’s nothing money can’t do. And if it doesn’t work, just spend more!
First, I visited that poor border town every single day. I pretended to follow Father on business trips, but really I was going to see that boy.
…What was so great about a seven-year-old anyway?
Every time I went, I handed Ganon little things.
“Here, eat this.”
“…What is it?”
“Bread. From our house. Stop eating that black stuff and eat this instead.”
It was our family’s soft, white, premium bread.
“…”
At first Ganon refused to take it.
“If you’re not going to eat it, give it ba—”
“Who said I wasn’t going to eat it?!”
Chomp. Chomp.
…He couldn’t maintain his pride in front of food. Watching him eat with his cheeks puffed out, I couldn’t help but smile.
“Hehe…”
I felt so proud.
‘Yes. This is how I tame him, little by little.’
…Maybe “tame” isn’t the right word. But it’s pretty close. Give him food, build familiarity, make him used to me. Slowly but surely, draw him into the palm of my hand.
‘Hehehe.’
After that, the barrage of gifts continued. A warm cloak. I never imagined he’d wear it for ten years. New shoes, because his old ones were falling apart. And all sorts of tasty and necessary little things. I made sure he accepted the small stuff.
Every time he did, I secretly kept score.
‘One bread = 1 point.’
‘One cloak = 5 points.’
‘If I collect about a thousand points…’
‘Will he marry me?’
Looking back now, it sounds like I was making deposits into a savings account. But back then, I was completely serious. Accumulate favor with money and one day purchase the product called Ganon. A truly perfect plan.
…The problem was that this particular product was not easy to acquire.
Once, I made a big offer.
“Ganon. Want me to pay off your family’s debt?”
I knew how tight his family’s finances were. That amount of money was pocket change to us. I thought I could make him mine in one fell swoop.
‘With this… 900 points!’
After paying the debt, I’d say “Now you’re mine” and—
…Heh heh.
But—
“…No thanks.”
Ganon refused instantly.
“…Why? I have tons of money.”
“It’s your money. That doesn’t make it mine.”
“…What does that matter? I’m telling you I can give it to you.”
“I’ll pay the debt myself.”
“I don’t want to owe you.”
Ganon said bluntly, “A debt paid with someone else’s money is still a debt.”
‘What stubbornness.’
I was dumbfounded. I was offering him money and he was refusing? Was there really someone in this world who would turn down free money?
Yet strangely, when I saw that resolute look in his eyes…
‘Ah, why does he look cool again?’
That poor man’s pride—why did it look so cool?
‘No, get a grip, Neva.’
It’s just stubbornness. Not cool at all.
…I learned later that Ganon was strangely stubborn only toward me. I still don’t know why.
And above all, Ganon never asked me for anything.
…Even though he was poor. He never once said the common phrase, “Hey, can you lend me this?”
‘No, that actually makes me more annoyed.’
If he clung to me and relied on me, I could say “Sure, I’ll do everything for you” and act all smug… But the way he accepted what he was given while drawing a clear line drove me crazy.
Don’t misunderstand. I didn’t try to win Ganon over with money alone. I put in other small efforts too. For example, I invited him to our grand mansion to play together.
“Whoa… Your house is really huge.”
“Hmph. It’s only this much.”
…In truth, I had cleaned the guest room in advance. The one closest to my own room.
“Ganon, it’s late. Just sleep here.”
“No, I—”
“Sleep. Here.”
“…O-okay.”
Of course nothing happened. We were both still little kids with runny noses. But just knowing Ganon was on the other side of the wall made my face burn.
‘There’s only one wall between us…’
‘Is he sleeping right now?’
…Anyway, I did make those kinds of efforts. And when Ganon was being bullied for being poor, I would rush in shouting, “Hey! Who’s messing with Ganon again?!” and protect him. He would grumble, “I can handle it myself,” but he didn’t look entirely displeased.
‘See? I’ll protect you.’
‘So you just need to stay by my side forever.’
Isn’t that what love is? In the summer, we went to watch fireworks together. Beneath the bursting fireworks—
Bang. Bang.
Ganon stared blankly at the sky. I gazed at his profile instead. Because looking at his face was far more valuable than the fireworks.
‘What if I hold his hand right now?’
I slowly moved my hand. Just a little more, just a tiny bit further—
“Neva.”
“Y-yes?!”
“Look at that big one.”
‘Ah, seriously.’
‘Can’t you read the mood?’
“…”
…Well, it was fine. There was no need to rush. There were all these little efforts. But none of that is important. The important thing is money. Money!
‘Yes. The reason I still haven’t obtained Ganon…’
‘Is clearly because I haven’t spent enough money.’
And so ten years passed. A full ten years. I spent every one of those years right beside Ganon, but—
“His stubbornness is really something.”
Ganon still hadn’t fallen for me. He accepted the small things but refused the big ones. He stayed by my side but wouldn’t give me his heart.
“Just wait… One day…!”
But I didn’t give up. Because I was waiting for the perfect opportunity. The decisive moment that would shatter that stubborn fool in one blow.
And fortunately—well, unfortunately for Ganon—his family was still poor even after ten years. They hadn’t recovered their estate and still hadn’t paid off their debts.
‘Well, if he marries me, all of that will be solved, won’t it?’
It was starting to look like he had reached his limit.
‘It’s about time he comes around.’
When a person is driven into a corner, they eventually reach out to the person closest to them. And at that moment, I would grab his hand and say, “It’s hard, isn’t it? I’ll take care of everything now.”
‘Hehehe.’
Just imagining it made the corners of my mouth rise.
Then one day, while I was waiting for the right moment, news arrived. Ganon had passed the entrance exam for the capital’s magic academy.
‘Huh?’
I went to find him, pretending to be indifferent.
“I heard you got into the academy? …So did I.”
On the outside, I acted like it was no big deal.
‘Kyaaaaaaa!!!’
‘We’re going together?! Same school?! Same dormitory?!’
My heart felt like it would explode. This was a heaven-sent opportunity. After all, at the academy, neither his parents nor mine would be around. That stubborn father of his. Oh, and my mother too. In short, no one would be there to stop us.
‘Once we’re there…’
‘I can make it a done deal…’
‘Hehehehe…’
I smiled slyly. Same school, same dormitory. A perfect excuse to be together every day. At night… I could sneak into his room and say…
“Ganon~ I had a scary dream… Can I sleep with you?”
And best of all, Ganon’s magic skills were absolute garbage. He would definitely be struggling at the academy.
“Perfect…”
Then I could protect him again, take care of him again, stick right by his side for another ten years, and eventually make him mine.
‘Nothing will go wrong.’
‘What can that magic-less loser even do?’
‘I’ll take care of everything again~’
I genuinely believed that.
…However.
A few days after enrollment, strange rumors began to spread.
“Hey, did you hear? There’s a genius among the freshmen.”
“They say he created a mana orb using a Dragonfly Wing.”
“Professor Borges cried his eyes out! Called him a talent unseen in forty years.”
‘…What?’
A genius? Among the freshmen?
‘Well, I suppose it’s possible. Though of course he won’t be better than me.’
“And they say that genius is Ganon Pedro.”
…Huh?
…?
‘What?’
Ganon? That Ganon?
…A genius?
‘No. Wait a second.’
‘That can’t be right.’
“…”
Something had gone terribly wrong. The Ganon I had watched for ten years was…
“…Damn it.”
I needed to check. With my own eyes.
“…Where is that guy…!”
I immediately set out to find Ganon. The moment I spotted that silver hair in the hallway, I shouted without thinking.
“Hey! Ganon!”