Ways to Enjoy the Vacation (2)
Esdinas Academy second-year male undergrad Olivie Antre felt utterly pathetic about his situation. Vacation had started, yet here he was, unable to leave the academy grounds.
"Senior, do we really have to go this far?"
"Of course."
Olivie stifled a hollow laugh at the sight of his respected senior and fellow house member, Karas Antre. Karas had apparently pulled an all-nighter—dark circles hung heavy under his eyes. He hadn't washed properly either, camping out near these bushes for three straight days, and the smell was something else.
"We have to deliver a challenge to the Old School Building undergrads. That's the only way to get into the special class next semester and snag even a little something...!"
Karas's eyes were already gleaming with madness. Beyond those thick bushes, in a building invisible from here, burned his burning desire to become one of those undergrads.
"Olivie, this is our chance. If you get selected for the Old School Building special class next semester, Viscount Antre will see you in a new light."
"Is that your goal?"
"That's part of it, but it's also a shot at scoring one of these!"
Karas slapped his lower body with his hand. No need to spell out what was under those pants—Olivie was wearing the same thing.
"Even just getting Magic Pants, or something equivalent, some miracle magic tool related to them—it's a win!"
"You planning to play on their sympathies and beg?"
"Begging's fine! If it gets us anything! Hell, even just showing our faces might help with their 'selection'!"
"Might just backfire and piss them off."
"Why are you so negative about everything? You never know. The Old School Building's second-semester special class, the Blue Dragon Class, might end up with three guys and one girl!"
"I figure it'll be four girls..."
"That can't happen! The gender ratio has to balance! Even if he's the 'Miracle Sun God' who bestowed the 'Blessing of the Massive Tool,' we can't let him enjoy school life surrounded by seven beauties!"
What was he gonna do if it didn't? Jump in front of this passing carriage and yell, "Put me in the Old School Building!"?
"Why not just quietly accept the blessings from the 'Massive Tool Teacher'?"
Olivie, whose relationships with girls had deepened in all sorts of ways thanks to receiving those miracle Magic Pants, couldn't understand these people trying to annoy the Sun God who handed out golden blessings like the Massive Tool Boon just for existing. Why scramble sky-high to hog the sunlight when you could bask in divine grace by staying put? What if the Massive God got annoyed and said, "Screw the academy, I'm out," then peaced off somewhere?
"...You're not trying to make him quit being an undergrad, are you?"
"Me? No way. You think I'd deliberately drive him to drop out, then suggest he come to Antre territory since we don't know where else he'd go?"
"......"
"Why the silence—oh, incoming!!"
Before Olivie could respond, a flash of light sparkled from the no-entry zone stretching toward the Old School Building.
"Silverstar's golden carriage! This was the right path! Guys! Hurry and block the—" Boom!
Karas tried rallying the other undergrads for some stunt, but a powerful gust from the carriage sent him tumbling sideways.
"!!"
Through the fierce wind pressure, Olivie caught sight of her—a golden-haired, green-eyed beauty peeking out from the carriage, expressionless as she aimed her staff out the window and unleashed wind magic.
"Whoa."
Their eyes met for a split second, but all Olivie could do was admire.
"Phoenix, you lucky bastard."
Was it his imagination? That golden-haired green-eyed girl had smirked for a moment.
"......."
Rumble rumble.
Watching Silverstar's golden carriage speed down the road from afar, Olivie stared longingly after it, lost in thought.
"...If I play the 'supporter' angle for them, maybe I'll get a chance to make contact?"
Olivie had found a lead.
Sitting in the coachman's seat as we raced along, I spotted familiar side characters whizzing by, along with undergrads popping up everywhere trying to at least catch a glimpse of us.
Passersby on the roadside? Ignore 'em. Blockers ahead? Treat it like a mini-game—blast 'em with wind magic every time.
We weren't about to commit roadkill, after all.
Still the same old.
Even as the carriage barreled out of the Old School Building grounds, people clung desperately. I didn't know the exact rumors swirling inside the academy, but countless folks were desperate to make contact, strike up a conversation—anything.
I got it. Some were under family orders. Others saw it as key to post-grad success. And some probably had promises of insane rewards just for setting up a meeting with an Old School Building special class undergrad.
In that sense, I owed Yurha Silverstar a bit of thanks. With her going around declaring it "reserved by me," countless others would back off.
"Senior Yurha."
"Yes?"
Yurha, who'd come up beside my coachman's seat, answered my call.
"Get a lot of complaints?"
"Oh? What kind of complaints do you mean?"
She asked with an amused look.
"Like customer feedback at Silverstar? 'Don't price gouge' or whatever?"
"Don't you get tons of requests? Invites to parties, info demands, special favors?"
"Tons. Endless."
She didn't deny it.
"Just this vacation alone, word got out about me taking you to the resort—they flooded me with asks to join."
"What'd you do?"
"Turned 'em all down so far. But if there's a house or merchant group you like, let me know. I'll set up a 'lunch with Phoenix' or something."
"How much you planning to charge for a meal and chat with me?"
"Hmm. At least an academy staffer's annual salary, I'd say?"
Even a meal with a stock market tycoon probably wouldn't go that high. Was my status that elevated, or were the nobles and tycoons in this world just drowning in cash?
"You know why other magic researchers envy the Old School Building undergrads? They wonder what magic research topics the special class kids discuss over meals. What knowledge Phoenix shares. That's what they crave."
"Mostly just talk about bigger boobs or slimmer waists."
"......."
"Not joking or harassing. We don't chat about that during meals."
World secrets. Heavenly truths. That stuff was for inside the fairy-tale trials of the Seven Star Towers—not out here.
"But seriously, Senior Yurha. If you actually do that dinner date thing, how much would you take?"
"Not doing it."
"Huh?"
"It's a proper meal sharing healthy magic theory with a formal dinner—not a date."
Yurha shot me a half-lidded glare. There was reproach in her eyes, but for a split second, they flicked toward the people inside the carriage.
"For some, it's an everyday three-meals-a-day thing. For others, it's worth burning their annual salary to get. Imagine finding out it's just a 'dinner date'?"
"Burning a salary for a dinner date doesn't seem that weird..."
Back in my old life, one of my subordinates blew a third of his salary on virtual gifts just to meet a streamer for a meal. On the way out, he caught her kissing her manager in the parking lot—spent the night venting to me, crying, raging, drunk. Rough memories. After that, he dove into 2D waifus and gacha games, but his strategy tips for Esdinas of the Blue Sky let me clear an achievement.
"Senior Yurha."
"What?"
"How much to set up a meal with you?"
Dinner date. A way to grind that "lavish spending" achievement.
"Business talk on Silverstar Group's future and vision? That's not table talk..."
Yurha made a circle with her fingers at me.
"A real dinner date? I'd accept any offer from my junior."
"For free?"
"Said I'd accept—not free. Hmm, but as your senior, factoring in you're an undergrad... one silver coin?"
"Senior?"
I pulled my wallet from my pocket, then used magic to conjure a blank paper.
"Write it down."
"What?"
"Your price."
"...This work?"
Yurha held the paper in one hand.
Mwah.
"How's that?"
She waved the paper with a lipstick mark, winking one eye.