Ia Ris (Fuck) 1
I could see Ia Ris's expression hardening in real time. She must've been pissed about me asking for repair costs. Sure, she'd called it a wise move, but that was just because Ia Ris was too damn nice to say otherwise. Hell, if it were me, I wouldn't be thrilled about getting billed by the guy I came to rescue either. Yeah, she'd burst in like a wrecking ball, smashing through the wall, but she'd come to save me. I had no idea how she'd known I was in danger, but with me blowing off our appointment and not picking up, she must've gotten worried and rushed over. I'd never broken a promise to her before.
But did people normally smash through walls to get in? She must've figured it was that dire. Either way, Ia Ris was my benefactor—she'd come to pull me out of the fire. I hadn't even needed her help in the end; I'd subdued Ska myself. Still, even if she'd trashed my perfectly fine place, she was my savior. I knew damn well it went against basic human decency to bill the person who'd come to rescue you.
But I had no choice. Fixing this house—which was basically a total loss and might as well be rebuilt from scratch—was way beyond me with tens of billions in debt already hanging over my head. And hitting up Ska, the actual culprit? She'd just say something horrifying like, "Good riddance. Just move into my place and live with me, right?" And then tack on, "While we're at it, I'll pay off all your debts too. In exchange, you live with me? You can refuse, of course. But if you do, I'll slap you with exemption privilege on the repairs and everything else. Figure out what's best for you." No doubt about it. I'd be stuck cohabiting with Ska, no escape. Just imagining it made my body shudder. Too fucking terrifying. Running into her at the guild was bad enough—living together? I'd rather die.
...Nah, dying might be a bit much. Point is, I had no one to lean on but Ia Ris right now. Me, an orphan who'd clawed my way up alone, actually thinking about depending on someone? Life really is full of surprises.
While I mulled that over with a faint smile, Ia Ris's face grew darker by the second. Not scary, just blank, but it felt like a ticking time bomb counting down. Hanging around a walking volcano like Ska sharpened your instincts whether you liked it or not. Ia Ris was getting pissed off in real time. Was billing her that bad? I felt guilty as hell, knowing I'd done wrong. Her anger was justified, really.
What threw me, though, was why she'd nodded along so readily earlier if she was this mad now. No rage from her back then—just happiness, even. I couldn't figure why she was so pleased, but whatever. Now she looked like her patience was fraying at the edges. The emotional whiplash—even a gorilla would shed a tear. Sure, I'd fucked up, but it left me confused as hell. What was the problem? Should I just drop the repair bill now? No, no—with tens of billions in loans, I couldn't afford more debt. I had no choice.
But even so, was this the right thing to do? Would I regret it later, even if it solved the immediate issue?
"…"
"…"
Fuck. The suffocating silence squeezed my conscience. As time dragged on, guilt outweighed the harsh reality.
Finally, Ia Ris's tightly shut lips parted for the first time.
"You're crossing the line."
My heart dropped like a stone. Her voice and eyes—seething with betrayal, rage, and despair—hit me like I'd stabbed my most trusted ally in the back. To her wealth, this penthouse repair was pocket change. She could've demolished and rebuilt it a hundred times without denting even 1% of her fortune. I'd assumed it'd be fine and leaned on her like a kid. But that was wrong. Just like she said, I'd crossed a line. Treating her kindness like she was a mark? That was betrayal. I'd betrayed the one person who'd truly been good to me.
Ska was the real fuckup here, but instead of going after her, I'd hurt Ia Ris just because she seemed like the easier target. Self-loathing crashed over me, my heart pounding uncomfortably. I'd crossed the line. Her icy gaze proved it.
But I hadn't gone too far yet. If I mustered the courage and owned up, I could fix it. Clutching that hope, I met her cold eyes—eyes I'd never seen like this—and apologized with every ounce of sincerity.
"I'm sorry, Ia Ris. I took advantage of your kindness."
"…Pardon?"
She raised one eyebrow, caught off guard. Words alone wouldn't cut it without actions to back them up. I bowed deeply and laid it all out.
"You only came here to save me, and Ska bears way more blame for trashing the place. But I dumped it all on you just because you seemed more approachable."
"M-More approachable? Than Ska Rate over there?"
Her surprised question threw me for a loop. Was that such a big deal? But as the sinner here, I answered seriously.
"Yes? I mean, yeah. You're the only one I can truly rely on without worry."
"Wh-What about Dr. Emme? Hasn't she been good to you too? Why say I'm the only one…?"
"Dr. Emme's my benefactor, sure, but I recently found out she was hiding something from me. I can't fully trust her anymore. So… right now, it's just you."
Technically, Ia Ris had played along with the fake hypnosis app too. But her? As kind as she was, always in my corner, rushing to save me in a crisis—lumping her in with a bitch like Ska? Even a stray dog would laugh. There had to be a reason she went along with it—office politics, blackmail, something. I trusted her.
That's why betraying her goodwill, even briefly, gnawed at me so hard.
"Only me…? I'm the special one…? Better than Ska Rate lying there, better than Dr. Emme, better than those unnamed S-ranks…? All those tears I held back were worth it…! Thanks for hanging in there, me…!"
She was muttering under her breath, too quiet to catch fully. Probably weighing whether to forgive me now that she'd felt my sincerity.
"Heh, hehehe… I'm the best… Only relies on me… Ehehehe…."
From that bone-chilling blank stare back to her usual smile-filled face—looked like forgiveness was on the table. How damn kind did you have to be to forgive a betrayal this easily? I was in awe of her capacity for it.
But her forgiveness didn't end my atonement. True apology meant owning the mess I'd made. Smiling fully now, I continued to the Ia Ris who seemed ready to let it go.
"Ia Ris."
"Hehehe, yes, Paster?"
"I'll drop that repair bill I threw out thoughtlessly. It was incredibly rude, even to me. I'm truly sorry, once more."
"…Pardon?"
"And I'll hold the real culprit, Ska Rate, accountable."
"Ska Rate…? You? What brought this on…?"
Her face hardened again, smile vanishing at my resolve. She knew if Ska invoked exemption privilege, I'd eat all the blame—but her shock made sense.
"If Ska Rate uses exemption privilege, you'll be stuck with everything, you know?"
Her tone was sharp, but laced with worry for me. Such a good person. To ease it, I gave her my usual faint smile.
"It's fine. Ska won't use exemption privilege. She'll even take responsibility for wrecking the place—probably say it's a good thing. So don't worry, Ia Ris."
"W-Wait, Paster. What do you mean?"
She frowned, not getting it. I let out a small sigh, forced a smile, and laid out the truth so she'd understand.
"It's awkward saying it while the culprit's passed out over there, but Ska likes me. She'll cover the repairs, no doubt. In exchange… she'll probably want me to live with her during them. But that's my problem."
No matter how much I hated taking responsibility, it wasn't right to pass the harm to others. So I'd shoulder it myself.
Ia Ris looked utterly crestfallen, worry maxed out. To reassure her, I cracked a weak joke with a forced grin.
"Don't look so worried. Ska's a total bitch, but she's smoking hot, so I might not hate it that much…? Ahaha!"