Gideon, City of Duels, Fourth District
“It takes a certain type to borrow that much, and a hell of a person to lend it out too...”
“Heavy are the chains forged in gold. (Being in debt seems pretty scary.)”
“Ngh...”
After getting saddled with enormous debt to acquire Sekiun, Max rushed to the Eighth Arena to test it—but on the way, she bumped into Chelsea and Juliet.
The looks she got when she told them about how much she owed Ray weren’t exactly heartening.
“Seriously, Maxie?” Chelsea said. “That much debt? At your age?”
“I know, I know...” Being called “Maxie” used to make her mad, but recently she’d been learning to just accept it. Even if she hadn’t been, though, she wasn’t in a state to argue right now.
“Well, thanks to his big bro, Ray’s sense for money needs to be seriously recalibrated,” said Chelsea. Shu was an even bigger spender than Ray, and Ray earned a lot of money here, so he rarely hesitated to open his wallet. Someone who did wouldn’t be spending a hundred thousand lir on gacha nearly every day. “Three hundred mil lir, though...”
That was a lot of money. If someone in real life got that deep in debt—the equivalent of three billion yen—it would be the shock of a lifetime.
However, lir was an in-game currency, and there was the anti-RMT law that functionally prevented any money flow between reality and Dendro, keeping the lir wholly separate.
And as a capable Master who’d made it into the rankings, Max could feasibly save that up in a short amount of time. Because of that, while she wasn’t thinking too hard about how she’d get the money to pay off this debt, she wasn’t overly concerned about it.
Well... Chelsea thought. As long as they’re not as unlucky as Leon—well, Eldridge—anyone who makes it close to the top probably won’t have many money problems... Thinking of her childhood friend and his recent financial issues, Chelsea gave Max a sympathetic look.
“If you want hundreds of millions, your best bet is probably goin’ to the deeper levels of the Tomb Labyrinth and prayin’ for good drops,” Max said. “It ain’t easy to make full use of Ipetam’s skills there, but this katana could change that.”
“An expedition such as dreams are built upon... (Going there together could be a lot of fun!)”
“Well, then let’s do that whenever our schedules line up!” And with that Chelsea concluded their future moneymaking plans and went on to talk about what they would do today.
Ultimately, they decided that they’d have a meal, then go sparring together.
“What should we get?” asked Chelsea.
“Why not just grab somethin’ from a random stall?”
“Well, then let’s split up, buy whatever we want, and bring it all to one place. I think the park in the Fifth District sounds good—the one with the tables and benches.”
“I acquiesce. (Okay.)”
“Sounds good.”
And so, having temporarily parted from her friends, Juliet began looking around for food stalls, wondering what to buy.
I guess it’s better if we don’t all get the same things... she thought. Chelsea insisted that it’d be more interesting if they didn’t plan what each of them would get, and while Juliet agreed, she wanted to avoid buying the same things.
That meant she had to go for something she thought the others wouldn’t, but nothing came to mind.
A big reason for that was the fact that Chelsea always got so much food that there was almost inevitably going to be some overlap no matter what Juliet got.
“I stand before a feast of the unknown... (What should I buy...?)” Unable to find anything that caught her eye, Juliet found herself at a loss. Just then...
“Not here. Not there. I can’t find it anywhere.”
...she heard a familiar voice saying something similar to herself.
“G?”
“Oh? Julie! I haven’t seen you since last night!”
When Juliet called out to her, G ran over with a spring in her step. It was daytime, so she was using her umbrella, but other than that, she looked the same as she had yesterday.
“What ails thee? (What’s wrong?)”
“I heard about King of Destruction’s popcorn. It’s like this new big thing here in Gideon, so I’ve been looking for it all over. Just seeing a Superior selling popcorn could totally go viral! It’ll do some big numbers no matter what!”
“Ohh...” Juliet was aware of the popcorn too. It was a snack being sold by none other than King of Destruction, Shu Starling—her friend’s older brother.
However...
“That very sovereign of devastation now feels the burden of these festivities weighing upon his shoulders. (He’s really busy during The Tournaments...)”
“Ohh. Right. He’s doing security at the arena. What a shame...” said G, dropping her shoulders and letting out a sigh.
“...Mine own coffers, though, contain what you desire. (I have some stocked up. Do you want it?)” said Juliet, unable to watch G pout like this.
“Seriously?! You’re sure?! That’s great! That’s really great!” G took Juliet’s hand and hopped up and down in glee.
It made Juliet glad she’d offered, but...
Huh? Since she was surrounded by so many passersby, Juliet realized she’d defaulted to using her affected manner of speech—“Julietese,” as some called it.
However, G didn’t seem to be bothered by that. She’d carried on a conversation like she’d understood every word. She seemed basically like Ray in this regard, and Juliet found it strange.
“Weren’t you also looking for something?” G asked, cutting short Juliet’s thought and bringing her back to the conversation.
“The path of a gourmand is endless, and I, too, tread upon its many twists and turns. (I’m also looking for a food stall...)” Juliet took the opportunity to tell G what she was doing, figuring that G might’ve seen something while walking around and looking for the popcorn.
“You too? We’re in the same boat! What stall are you looking for?”
“Culinary delights few have laid eyes upon. (Anything rare and interesting, basically.)” Juliet asked if she’d seen any unusual foods that were less likely to overlap with Chelsea’s haul.
“Well... How about a drink that goes through the colors of the rainbow as you drink it? They say the taste changes too.”
That was enough to make Juliet’s eyes widen and sparkle.
“Then I must make haste. Ah, and if thou art willing, a banquet with my companions and thy promised treasure awaiteth thee. (I think I’ll go get it right away. Oh, I’m eating with my friends. Do you wanna join? I gotta give you that popcorn too.)”
“Sure! Thanks a bunch! Don’t mind if I do!”
And so, the two went to buy the rainbow drink, along with some other food, and then headed to the park where their group was set to meet.
“Oh. You’re the first one here... Wait, who’s this with you?”
When the pair arrived at the park, they found Max sitting at one of the tables. Max immediately gave G a suspicious look.
“A companion brought to my side by the whim of fate, known to all as G. (She’s G, a friend I happened to run into.)”
“I’m G—Julie’s friend, G! I think we’re going to get along great!”
“Uh... I’m Max. A pleasure.”
So she’s the type who’s not at all bothered by how Juliet talks, just like Ray, Max thought. Then again, she’s kinda got her own weird way of talking.
She then noticed that G was looking right at her.
“What?”
“Your clothes are really nice. Looks great on you!”
“My design, then, has borne fruit... (I know, right?! I picked them out for her!)” Max had once challenged Juliet to a duel, lost, and been compelled to be her dress-up doll as punishment. These were the clothes Juliet had put her in, and for no particular reason, Max had just kept wearing them ever since.
“Julie! You really do have great taste in fashion! Can I take some photos of you?” G asked Max.
“Sure, I guess,” Max replied, prompting G to clap in glee and pull out a magic camera. Yeah, I can see why they’re friends, Max thought. She’s even got this whole devil thing goin’ with her horns and tail.
And thanks to her parents, Max was more than used to having her picture taken.
“So you understand all that Juliet’s sayin’, huh?” Max asked as she was being photographed. It was the same question Juliet had had on her mind earlier.
“I guess I’m just used to it. My brother’s novels are also full of those weird turns of phrase.”
“That so?” Max wondered if it was something anyone could actually get used to, but then she realized that she herself also had a better grasp of Julietese than she did when they first met.