Cool Lines and Empty Tickets
Screams. More screams.
The moment I stepped back into the classroom, the girls of my class swarmed me in a tight circle. Every one of them was talking at once, each voice tumbling over the next, so that I could barely make out a single coherent sentence.
I had grown somewhat used to chatting with girls by now, but having an entire pack of them rush me and fire off questions left me thoroughly flustered.
Yuri, who had been holding my hand as we walked in, looked just as overwhelmed. She quietly let go and began edging away, step by awkward step.
Don't leave me here alone!
My silent plea echoed only inside my own head. In the next instant the wall of girls closed in completely, and Yuri vanished from sight.
Tch. A barrier, huh.
Right then the girl standing directly in front of me grabbed my hand and spoke up.
"Elicia! That thing you said to the guy from Class 2 earlier—say it one more time!"
"Uh... huh?"
"You know, that line!"
She dropped her voice into a low, cool register and delivered it herself.
"'If you're mad, come at me, you trash bastard.'"
Gyaaaaaaah!
I said that?
Well... maybe I did, but... was it really that cringeworthy? Seriously?
Someone please tell me she's lying...
No one did. Instead the entire circle simply stared at my mouth, waiting, and the pressure went past awkward and straight into terrifying.
"...Ifyou'remadcomeatmeyoutrashbastard."
I forced the words out in a dying whisper. It wasn't enough.
"That's not it! You said it way cooler before!"
Please, someone save me. If I die right here the cause of death will definitely be pure secondhand embarrassment.
"If you're mad, come at me, you trash bastard."
"Kyaaaaah!"
I tried to bolt from the circle in sheer mortification, but another hand latched onto me.
"Do the hair flip! The one where you tossed it back all cool!"
Why are you people doing this to me.
There was no escape. By the time I finally broke free of the girls in my class, I had performed the hair flip three more times and the trash-bastard line twice more.
"...Even you, Yuri. I never thought you'd abandon me."
"Haha... sorry. But you really don't have to be embarrassed, you know? The way you smiled at me back then was genuinely cool! Just like a prince—"
Yuri cut herself off, covered her face with both hands, and hung her head. Apparently she had just remembered how cringey my little performance had been; the ear I could see from the side had turned bright red. The face I couldn't see was probably smiling.
That's what I get for saying something I didn't even mean...
Still, if adding one more black mark to my personal history had helped Yuri, I decided to count it as a win.
The warm sunlight pouring down on us felt like it was praising me for it, right?
I had to take whatever comfort I could find, or I was liable to throw myself into the nearest river.
Hm?
In the sunniest spot of all, a black cat lay curled into a perfect circle, fast asleep.
Pets were strictly forbidden on academy grounds, so this had to be a stray that wandered the area. For a stray, though, it looked suspiciously expensive.
Leaving the still-sinking Yuri where she was, I quietly approached the cat.
I reached out and stroked its fur. Sensing my touch, the cat slowly lifted only its head and looked at me—but it didn't pull away.
As I kept petting it, I remembered the cat we had kept back at the assassin guild. That one hadn't been nearly as elegant; just an ordinary alley cat you could find anywhere.
The guild had always been poor, but there was a stretch when it was even poorer than usual. The hideout became barely livable—more rats than people. The master finally snapped, went outside, and brought back a stray kitten. Thanks to that little guy the rats vanished completely (the cockroaches, not so much). Just thinking about those days made my skin start to itch.
That cat, too, would wake just long enough to give a soft meow when I stroked it in its sleep, then drift right back off.
This one was remarkably calm. It didn't refuse my hand at all, and the glossy coat and healthy weight told me someone was looking after it. Maybe a few students, just as cat-obsessed as I was right now, were secretly feeding it.
Come to think of it... cats liked being patted on the rear, didn't they?
Pat pat!
I shifted my hand and gave the cat's butt a couple of cheerful taps. It should have loved it—
"Hyaak!"
—instead it shot straight up into the air, scrambled several steps away, and began hissing at me.
Why?! Cats are supposed to like that! Why?!
I stood there looking like the world had ended. The cat stopped hissing, eyed me warily for a moment, then padded back over and rubbed its head against my hand.
Just stick to the head, is that it?
Apparently that was the correct answer. The instant I resumed stroking, it closed its eyes and started purring again.
"El~ we're back!"
While I was still petting the cat, Anne and Celly—who had gone to the restroom—spotted us and came trotting over.
I had gotten used to going alone, but the idea of all of us heading to the bathroom together still felt too embarrassing, so I had stayed behind and sent only the two of them.
"Miss Yuri, why are you like that?"
Celly glanced at Yuri, who still had her head bowed beside me, then turned the question my way.
Yuri remained thoroughly sunk. Was what I had done really that mortifying? The other girls had seemed to enjoy it well enough.
"...No, it's nothing."
Even so, I had zero intention of digging up my own black history for them.
"Yeah. It's nothing."
Yuri finally lifted her head. The bright red had faded; her face was back to its usual porcelain white.
"Hmm~?"
Anne's voice dripped with suspicion. Celly was staring at us just as intently. Neither of us opened our mouths.
"Fine! If you two say so, then that's that! Come on, let's get to the cafeteria before all the seats fill up."
Thankfully Anne dropped the subject first and led the way toward the dining hall.
Ah—the cat...
I turned to look for the one that had slipped out from under my hand, but no matter how I searched, it was gone. Well, I would probably see it again someday.
Fortunately the cafeteria was still quiet; the line was almost nonexistent.
Anne went first, followed by Celly; both dropped their meal tickets into the slot.
In front of Yuri, who trailed along after them, I pulled five tickets from my wallet and fed them into the same slot.
Trays in hand, the four of us claimed an empty table in the corner.
Celly sat beside Anne, I sat across from Celly, and Yuri took the seat next to me.
"Thanks for the meal~"
Today's menu was fish steak. I carefully worked the knife so the flesh wouldn't fall apart, lifted a piece onto my fork, dipped it in sauce, and brought it to my mouth.
Softness and rich savor bloomed across my tongue.
Ah, the sauce is a little sweeter than last time. Did the cook change?
Still delicious, though. Definitely worth the five-ticket price.
?
What is it? I feel like I've forgotten something...
...?
!
Emergency emergency super emergency~!!!
One month into academy life.
Remaining enrollment period: unknown.
Time left until vacation: three months.
Meal tickets currently remaining:
Exactly ten.
One ticket cost exactly ten silver coins. And the money I had left?
A measly three gold coins. I had already been broke; buying those gloves just to look cool when I issued the duel challenge had scraped the bottom of the barrel clean.
This was bad. Even if I poured every last coin into tickets I would only get thirty more. I always skipped breakfast, but lunch and dinner still meant two meals a day.
Even if I stuck to the cheapest one-ticket menu, that would last me twenty days at most.
And if I kept eating the five-ticket meals I had been enjoying until now? Four days. Total.
What the hell were you doing, past me, to let it get this far!
Anne, Celly, and Yuri were all noble daughters, so of course they headed straight for the five-ticket line, and of course I followed.
At first I had meant to save money. But back then I never factored in the snacks I bought every time we went out, the regular consumables I had to replace, or the sudden expense of those gloves. Somewhere along the way I had simply gotten used to savoring the cafeteria food.
Until a moment ago the money problem had completely slipped my mind.
Haa. Calm down. What's done is done. All I need is a solid plan from here on out.
I would look for ways to earn money separately. In the meantime I just had to stretch the tickets I had left.
First priority: stop eating the five-ticket meals. But Anne, Yuri, and Celly would never settle for the one-ticket menu. Sitting alone with a cheap tray and then trying to rejoin them felt just as awkward.
Better to peel off only at mealtime and join some other group that was eating the cheap stuff.
So I opened my mouth to tell the three of them I would start eating with other friends—
"Fufu, Miss Elicia?"
"Y-yes?"
"Shall we eat together again tomorrow?"
Celian smiled sweetly at me. She was definitely smiling, so why was cold sweat sliding down the back of my neck? And why had she gone back to the formal address?!
"Miss Elicia? Your answer?"
"Yes! Got it!"
I'm sinking~ I can't escape Celly~
I had to do something. At this rate bankruptcy was inevitable. Starting tomorrow—no, starting today—I needed a way to make money.
Ah, this dessert is delicious.