After logging out from VR, Max took a shower and did his night routine as usual. Then, with a nervous expression, he sat on the bed and looked at the email. It was a rather important moment for him.
His heart was beating faster than ever, more than when he ended his villain arc earlier.
Gulp!
Taking a big gulp, he moved his trembling finger to open the email. And when it opened, his eyes widened.
"Seriously?" He was dumbfounded, not believing what he saw. Refreshing the page, what was written on it was still the same.
[Donations: $4,731
Ads: $541]
[Income: $5,272]
He triple-checked, and it wasn't a dream. He even pinched his cheek.
"Holy shit!" He shouted and jumped from the bed, raising his hands above his head. "I am freaking rich!!"
Getting $5,000 in 10 days was massive. For Max, who had lived in poverty before, it was an achievement of his lifetime.
"Yahooo!! It's beef! Tomorrow's meal is beef. I am going to get a steak!"
The total money in his bank, including the payout from Punch, was 27 grands. That would be enough to rent a nice apartment for 6 months, which was usually the minimum amount of rent in Lime City.
'I will find a good apartment tomorrow. I can't stay here forever, not like I can. Now that I have more than enough income, the government will probably ask me to move. After all, I can only stay here because of the government's support. Many people deserve this place more than me.'
Thinking back, he was lucky to be able to stay here. But that would be over soon.
Still, there was one problem.
'I don't know the nice place around here. Should I bring someone with me?'
He hummed in trouble. After a while, he decided to stop thinking and exercise before sleeping.
***
The next morning, Max had breakfast in Nina's restaurant. The waitress was unexpectedly new, a college girl who worked part-time. She didn't recognize him and treated him like a normal customer, bringing him to an empty table.
'Huh... It feels a little bit... strange?' He thought as he sat down. 'No, that should be the normal way a waitress welcomes a customer like me. Why did I think it was strange? Is it because I was too frequent in this place?'
'Chop chop?' He thought as cold sweat formed on his back.
"You told me that boy landed a nice job. That meant he couldn't stay in that apartment any longer. He will be kicked out soon." He said, grabbing a chicken from the next counter and putting it on the cutting board.
Taking the cleaver, Chef Rush immediately brought it down and split the chicken in half.
Tak!
"So take that boy to your uncle, Sam. He knows a good place to live around here."
"Ah!!" Nina clapped her hands in realization. Her face reddened more from an embarrassment. How could she think something... unsightly like that?
'Bad Nina!' She scolded herself.
"W-Well, what do you say, Max? Or are you still staying in your current apartment until the notice from the government arrives?"
"I actually planned to look for some property today."
"That's perfect then." Nina exclaimed happily, "My uncle deals with real estate. He definitely will give you a discounted price if I introduce you to him!"
That would indeed be perfect, Max thought. If he could get a good place with a discounted price, there was nothing more that he could ask for.
"Thank you. Should we go now?"
"Sure!" Nina answered excitedly. But then, she froze when she realized what she had been wearing.
It was just simple clothes composed of a navy blue shirt and white shorts that reached her knees. Without a doubt, it wasn't something that she should use when going out with someone else.
"On second thought, wait here. Let me change for a minute!"
She turned around and ran to the second floor with a panicked face, leaving Max in the kitchen. He chuckled at the sight, thinking that it was pretty cute. No girls wanted to look bad in front of other people.
Then he also looked at his clothes. Nothing was wrong with it—a black jacket with a blue accent and black pants. Pretty simple, but it looked good on him.
'I guess I don't need to change my clothes.'
At that moment, Chef Rush called out to him.
"Boy." His voice was heavy and sounded serious. A cleaver in his hand made him scarier, like a demon searching for a human sacrifice. "Don't disappoint me."
Max couldn't really understand what Chef Rush said to him, but he could only nod in this situation. He could think of a few things but chose to keep it for himself. A few things were better left unsaid.
'God of RNG, I am praying to you. Please don't add any chance of Chef Rush getting angry at me.' He sincerely prayed.