Sylvia's Confession (3)
Sylvia's Confession (3)
After receiving the check.
I headed straight to the bank with Sylvia.
[ Charles Bankoff Lichten Branch ]
A staff member came running over and greeted me warmly.
She was the same female employee who always welcomed me whenever I came.
"Please, come sit over here. Oh my, is the young lady with you your girlfriend? She's so beautiful. Here, have some tea."
The way she guided me from the entrance to the customer reception table was the polar opposite of the cold service at the stock exchange.
Sylvia was all smiles, looking quite satisfied too.
"You don't have any trouble repaying the interest, do you?"
Her eyes seemed to say that if I couldn't pay, she'd chase me to hell to collect, yet there was also a glint of greed for performance results, but—
'...Well, at least she's friendly.'
I decided to think of it positively.
The employee, who had been smiling and glancing between me and Sylvia, carefully whispered to me.
"Um, Mr. Ian... I'm sorry, but additional loans might be difficult."
"Pardon?"
"Though you have Her Highness the Princess's guarantee, even the interest we're charging you now exceeds what a student can typically earn. I'm sorry..."
It seemed the employee had mistakenly thought I'd come to take out more loans.
Come to think of it, I had increased the loan every time I visited, hadn't I?
Since the monthly interest charges had begun surpassing the salary of a typical middle-class person, the bank probably thought this couldn't go on.
...But why was she whispering?
"I thought it might be awkward if your girlfriend overheard..."
The employee gave a deeply apologetic look.
Strictly speaking, what she said amounted to: "We have no more money to lend you. Prove you have the ability to repay."
But the careful way she put it actually made the listener feel better, if anything. She had excellent interpersonal skills.
'I'll have to keep using this bank.'
I smiled lightly and spoke to the troubled employee.
"No. I didn't come to borrow money today."
"...What?"
"I came to repay my loan."
"R-Repay?"
The employee's eyes went round.
"H-How much?"
"In full."
"Th-The entire amount?!"
- Bang!
The employee leaped up from her seat, making a loud noise.
She then hurriedly bowed her head to those around her in apology.
Still questioning me with eyes full of shock.
"All that enormous loan? H-How?"
She was already past the point of believing words alone.
I silently held out the check.
A blank check with the amount from selling my Eco Mana shares written on it.
"...Huh? For real?"
The employee's eyes trembled as she looked at the check.
"After repaying the loan, please convert the remainder into cash."
"T-There's leftover?... Whaaaaaaaaat?!"
After checking the amount, she froze as if letting out a death rattle.
The employee's reaction was so flustered that I myself grew flustered.
"......"
Was this really that surprising?
It wasn't a small amount, but surely a bank normally handled even larger sums?
— Trickle...
Eventually, a single tear rolled down the employee's cheek.
No, really, what is with her!
Her mouth opened.
"You used to pay your interest with crumpled-up money..."
"......"
"I was silently rooting for you. I couldn't ask, but I figured you must have had your reasons."
Ah. So that was it.
She'd been thinking of me rather pityingly.
"......"
I shut my mouth.
The atmosphere was definitely not right to say that the damn Pongpongi had started borrowing money to act like a sucker.
Wipe. Wipe.
The employee wiped her tears with her sleeve and asked.
"I-I'm really sorry. It's not that I'm suspicious of you... but may I ask the source of the funds? It's not from drugs, gambling, fraud, illegal human trafficking... right?"
I silently pointed to the check's issuer.
"Oh right, the issuer... It's the S-Securities Association."
After that.
Repayment of principal and interest, processing documents, and so on.
Everything proceeded smoothly.
"The remaining amount is 55 gold coins and 17 silver coins."
The employee handed over a heavy pouch with a bright smile.
"Congratulations, Mr. Ian!"
"Thank you."
"Um, but..."
Pitter-patter.
The employee rushed forward and looked up at me.
"You... you will take out loans with us again, won't you?"
Beyond her swaying brown hair, a name tag caught my eye.
[ Beryl ]
"Of course, Beryl."
Friendliness is always welcome.
◆
I returned to Sylvia's office.
The pouch of gold coins was now much thicker than when we first left.
"...Fifty-five gold coins."
Muttering that, Sylvia stared at the gold coin pouch on the table with a dazed expression.
"Are you okay, Sylvia?"
Sylvia didn't react to the question.
"......"
She just stared blankly at the pouch with a flustered expression.
"Hey, Sylvia!"
"Eek!"
Startled, Sylvia finally turned to look at me.
"Wh-What!"
"Just snap out of it."
"Was I acting strange?"
"Yeah. You were just staring blankly at the gold coin pouch."
Blink, blink.
Sylvia blinked and then waved her hands in a fluster.
"I-I absolutely never thought about sneaking away with your gold coins!"
As she said that, the corners of her mouth glistened with drool.
Under my narrowing gaze, she waved her hands even more desperately.
"I-I definitely didn't think things like 'if only I had that money, I could somehow scrape by this month.' There's no way I'd have such a shameless thought! I'm desperate, but I can confidently say that! Yes!"
Sylvia raised her voice as if giving a speech.
This was a new side to the noble young lady who always seemed so refined. Had she been inspired by this side of herself?
- Clench!
Sylvia clenched her fist and stood up.
"I, Sylvia Laurent of the Laurent Trading Company! Can splendidly overcome this liquidity crisis!!"
"Woooow."
Clap, clap, clap—
I reflexively cheered and applauded.
"Hmph!"
Sylvia, now emboldened, pointed at the pouch of gold coins.
"Therefore, I have never coveted your gold coins!"
"...Wipe the drool from your mouth before you say that, Sylvia."
"Slurp."
Sylvia swallowed and sat back down, her face turning bright red.
"How embarrassing..."
Thump, thump, thump.
She rapped her forehead against the desk.
After doing that for a while, she raised her head.
"What are you going to do with that money?"
Sylvia asked, her forehead bright red.
I let out a chuckle.
"Why are you laughing? I was asking purely out of curiosity! Hmph!"
She crossed her arms and pouted.
"To invest."
"More investing?"
"Yeah."
I had a simple reason for withdrawing the money now.
"Because I found a better place to invest than where I originally put my money."
In fact, it was an investment opportunity of considerable value that wouldn't even present a chance to buy under normal circumstances without such an urgent event.
"...Where is that?"
"You."
"...Huh?"
"The Laurent Trading Company. I want to invest in the Lichten branch managed by Sylvia Laurent."
Sylvia slowly blinked several times.
As if she might laugh, or cry.
She couldn't seem to process it.
After mumbling a few times, her pink lips parted softly.
"...Ian."
"Hm?"
"Why do you go this far for me? From our first meeting, you helped me, gave me information, prepared medicine, saved me... What am I to you?"
Well.
To me, she was...
"Sylvia Laurent herself."
"...What?"
A girl who, beneath her haughty exterior, knows how to be grateful when given something.
A girl who always strives to repay what she receives.
A girl who possesses considerable talent, yet also has loyalty and trustworthiness.
That was who Sylvia Laurent was.
That is why.
"Someone I want to do many things together with. That's what you are to me, Sylvia."
Sylvia's pale purple eyes trembled slightly.
Gently.
She immediately lowered her head and muttered.
"I know."
"?"
"I know it's not... what I think it means."
"What exactly do you mean by that?"
"...It's a secret."
Clearing her throat, Sylvia composed herself and raised her head again.
Her face was flushed, perhaps from the rush of blood.
But her voice was full of strength.
"Can I consider this a partnership proposal? You want to join me in building the trading company moving forward?"
"Exactly."
I extended my hand to her.
Sylvia took my hand.
"I'll be in your care, Ian."
With the brightest smile yet.
◆
Back at the lodging, I flopped onto my bed for the first time in a while.
"Ah, I missed you, bed."
It wasn't cozy, as expected from a budget lodging, but there was a comfort that came from familiarity.
As I lay buried for a while, my mind naturally began to turn.
"Only two left now."
After completing the second chapter of the scenario, only two heroines remained: Aria and Emilia.
"I keep getting tangled up in the scenario."
No, to be precise.
The main storyline is driven by the heroines.
After all, Fanta X Aca is a heroine collection and raising game.
Just as the "Northern Duke" episode was designed around Sharon Pierce's activities, there are episodes tailored for Aria and Emilia.
This meant I would inevitably get involved with the Church and the trading company.
"Aria Lumines Bell is naturally with the Church."
Aria is a Saintess Candidate of the Deus Order, commonly referred to simply as "the Order."
The Deus Order.
It is the state religion of most nations on the continent, including the Empire, and thus wields significant influence.
Considering Aria's title as a Saintess Candidate, her influence reaches not only the Lichten branch of the Deus Order but all the way to the Pope.
The Pope of the Deus Order is both the head of the religion and the leader of the Holy Constantine, a nation in the southern part of the continent.
"It won't be easy."
And it wasn't like Emilia Raymond's side would be easy either.
The Raymond Trading Company is one of the largest in the Empire.
Their influence, rooted not just in the Empire but across the entire continent, is by no means weak compared to the Order.
"Sigh. Out of the frying pan, into the fire."
In the end, having turned against the heroines, I had to assume the scenario's difficulty would multiply several times over.
It wasn't impossible to overcome without them.
After all, hadn't Sharon Pierce, whom I thought had completely broken ties with me, ultimately proven useful in the end?
For now, I would observe the situation a little longer.
Aria Lumines Bell was said to be in poor condition, and Emilia seemed to be making aggressive moves with her trading company.
I needed to gather information on both of them until the next main scenario began.
"Ugh—!"
With a stretch, I shook off my useless worries.
It was frightening that the scale had suddenly grown so large.
But the larger the scale, the more things there were to take advantage of.
That was why I had kept 10 gold coins aside after the emergency injection of funds into Sylvia's company.
The essence of this game was originally a "pay-to-win pretty girl gacha game."
"Skill is important, but money is just as important in this game."
The more wealth you have, the more your access to information, equipment, hidden pieces, and so on changes, altering the level of opportunities you can seize.
"Shall I spend some money properly for once?"
Grin.
The corners of my lips rose.