CH 27

27 - No Money

“I’ve got no money…” Lulurun moaned.

She was laying down at a table in a stylish cafe in the Holy City of Magilia, the city where Lulurun and her friends live.

“Did you seriously bother to call me just to say that?” Cain asked.

The 3rd ranked Knight of the Holy Empire looked disappointed. He was here after being summoned by Lulurun for vague reasons. He was a dependable senior colleague (though Lulurun was not part of the organization herself), who she had been consulting since she was job hunting.

“That’s not it,” Lulurun said.

“It’s not? Then what did you call me for!?”

“Can’t I just have tea with you, Big Bro Cain?” Lulurun asked. 1

“I keep telling you, don’t call me that!” Cain yelled.

“It’s a nickname because you feel like a reliable older brother to me, Cain,” Lulurun said.

“I don’t know what you’re saying!”

With Lulurun’s smiling, sparkling face, Cain’s momentum is stopped, he was resigned and decided to just let it slide.

“So why did you call me here?” Cain asked.

“Tea ☆,” Lulurun said.

“I’m going home!” Cain said as he stood up to leave.

“You’re able to have a date with a beautiful girl at a cafe, this should be okay, right?” Lulurun said.

“I have my heart set on Lady Rhynes!” Cain said. “What’s the use of being with a tramp with a pretty face like you?!”

“It hurts me when you say that with a straight face,” Lulurun said.

“Ah, sorry, I was just being frank,” Cain said, reluctantly sitting back down.

“You’re off duty today, right?” Lulurun asked. I’ve heard from Rhynes, so go out with me.”

“Did you hear that from Lady Rhynes?” Cain said.

“Yeah,” Lulurun replied.

“Does that mean that Lady Rhynes is checking on me while off-duty?” Cain asked.

“I asked her to check on you,” Lulurun said.

“Lady Rhynes, you could have told me and I could have taken a break with you!!”

“Ah, yeah, she could have,” Lulurun said.

She ignores Cain’s delusions and moves on to the main subject.

“So, here’s the thing,” Lulurun said.

“The thing?”

“I don’t have any money,” Lulurun said.

“Can’t help you there,” Cain

“I thought you were going to say you can’t help me!” Lulurun said.

“Then with the thing done, I’m going home,” Lulurun said.

“Waaaiitttt!” Lulurun screamed.

“What is it?!” Cain says as he begins to leave.

“Isn’t it rude to say you’re going home this fast!? It’s so rude!” Lulurun claimed, clinging to Cain’s arm.

“Stupid!!” Cain yelled. “You-you-you’re chest, you’re chest is pressing against my arm!”

“I was hoping for that,” Lulurun said.

“You were hoping!? This was on purpose?!” Cain yelled.

“I need money,” Lulurun said.

“Is that what you want me to do?! Press your chest against me and make me give you money?!!” Cain yelled.

“Huh?” Lulurun said. “That’s not right… what are you talking about, Big Bro?”

At Lulurun’s straight face, Cain calms down.

“You are right, Big Bro, I want money, part-time work isn’t enough, I’m stuck in a dead-end job as the Magilia Dining Hall’s cute poster girl, I’m not even close to my dream of starting a business,” Lulurun said.

“Are you dissatisfied?”

“I’m dissatisfied!”

“Isn’t the part-time job enough?”

“The rent is high for a good location in the capital,” Lulurun said.

“If you’re not picky, you can get by, can’t you?”

“I don’t want to compromise there, and I don’t have enough working capital at all, oh, and here, this is a chart for realizing my dreams.”

Lulurun presented a rough plan for the estimated start-up and working capital for her company. Since most of MHG’s startup plans were outsourced, Lulurun itself has little know-how, and the plan is incredibly spotty. It was like a fanciful, dream-like idea.

The long-and-short of it was there wasn’t enough money to do anything. At the moment, Lulurun reaffirmed that she was only able to start a company then because she had so much support.

“This is my current hourly wage, and when I calculate it, this is only how much I’d make in a year…” Lulurun said.

“I see,” Cain said.

“You understand?” Lulurun said.

“I realize now that your dream wouldn’t come true,” Cain said.

“That’s it! That’s the thing!” Lulurun cried, banging both hands on the desk, fired up now.

“The thing?” Cain asked. “Wasn’t there a different thing just now?”

“It’s the thing about the thing!!” Lulurun said.

Cain listens to Lulurun with an expression that reads, “Huh?”

“I don’t have any money!” Lulurun cried.

“I get that,” Cain said.

“So, I’m asking you for help, Big Bro Cain.”

“I’m not lending money!”

Lulurun takes Cain’s hand and starts begging.

“Please introduce me to a job that can earn more!! I’ll do anything!!”

It was an earnest request.

“Don’t you have any pride or something like that?”

“None to speak of, I want money, I’ll do anything for my dreams,” Lulurun said.

She was being honest.

“What about the Magilia Dining Hall? Will you quit?” Cain asked.

“I can’t stop because the employee meals are delicious,” Lulurun said.

“So you want a job where you can earn more money than you spend?” Cain asked.

“At night, if possible,” Lulurun said.

“Seriously, you…” Cain muttered.

“The Magilia Dining Hall you recommended for me is a great place to work, except that I’m afraid of the manager, so please help me! I want a recommendation to great workplaces!”

“I see, well, that’s good,” Cain said.

“That’s why, I need your help, Big Bro Cain!”

“I understand,” Cain said as he nodded to Lulurun, seeing as her ulterior motives were none. “Can I ask you one thing?”

“Yes,” Lulurun said.

“Why me?” Cain asked.

In response to this earnest, urgent request, Can’t understand why. Why would Lulurun ask him specifically?

“That’s because you’re the most dependable person I know,” Lulurun said.

The honest, unclouded words struck a chord with Cain, who values his pride as a member of the Order of the Holy Empire.

“You’re so cute!”

“It feels gross when you call me cute, Big Bro Cain,” Lulurun said.

“I’m going home,” Cain said.

And by repeating this kind of exchange over and over again, Cain looked bitter, but he was able to get Lulurun another recommendation.