The four girls found an arcade. When they entered the store with its blaring machines, Hazuki’s eyes widened into saucers, and she gazed around with fascination. She was venturing into the unknown.
“Let’s go try the claw machines, Hazuki,” Hana suggested. “They’re geared toward beginners, so you shouldn’t have any problems.”
“Okay,” Hazuki said.
After a bit of indecision, she picked a prize to target.
“Put your coins in here,” Hana instructed.
As soon as the words were out of her mouth, she was struck by a realization.
If Hazuki had never spent time with friends before, had she received any allowance from their parents?
There was a real possibility that they hadn’t given her a cent, deeming it unnecessary.
Back when Hana had lived in the Ichise house, she hadn’t worked a part-time job. Their parents had left her to her own devices, and she had received the money for her living expenses through Sae.
Their parents must have thought that as long as they gave her money, they were fulfilling their parental obligations.
However, it hadn’t been rare for them to forget, and Sae had ended up scrambling to requisition the funds from them.
Presently, Hana received a fixed allowance from Saku. It was a relief not to have to worry about money anymore.
Hazuki, on the other hand, was basically a freeloader in the Ichinomiya household. It was hard to imagine she would go begging to Saku for pocket change.
If Hazuki didn’t have any money, Hana might have just shamed her by accident.
She fumbled for her own wallet. “It’s on me!”
But Hazuki stopped her. “It’s okay. You don’t have to do that. I have enough to pay for myself.”
“What? You have money? Dumb and dumber gave you an allowance?”
Hazuki wouldn’t have had time for a job, so any money she had must have come from their parents, Hana assumed. But…
“That’s not it.” Hazuki let out a disappointed sigh. “You really don’t care at all about practitioners or your classes, do you?”
She wasn’t the only one. Kikyou was wearing an identical tired expression. “There’s a lot Hana doesn’t know.”
“If she’s not skipping class, she’s sleeping,” Suzu added.
Both Kikyou and Suzu had just casually dissed Hana, but they weren’t wrong, so she couldn’t argue.
“Class A is given a bit of compensation whenever we’re dispatched to deal with shades. Since we’re tied up fighting until late at night for these so-called field classes, it’s hard for most of us to find any part-time work. Apparently, that’s why we’re paid,” Hazuki explained. “I didn’t have any use for the money before now, so I have more saved than you’re probably imagining. Don’t worry about me.”
Hana was relieved. “Good. I was going to ask Saku for money if you needed it, but it looks like I won’t have to.”
“They’ve already taken me into their home. I couldn’t possibly ask Lord Ichinomiya for money on top of that.”
“It’s fine. He’s the lord of the Ichinomiya clan. He has money in spades. Even Kikyou is well-off enough to have offered me three billion yen to break up with Saku.”
Hana’s revelation sent Kikyou into a tizzy. Hana snickered.
Reminiscing, she found herself lamenting the choice she had made. Had Saku not stopped her right as she had been about to sign the papers, she would have gotten her hands on three billion yen.
“Did you really?” Hazuki asked Kikyou with surprise in her eyes.
“Don’t tell them that, Hanaaa,” Kikyou whined. “I’m sorry for what I did.”
“Nothing for you to be sorry about. I’m happy to sign the divorce papers right here and now if you’ll give me the three billion,” Hana said, teasing.
Kikyou’s expression turned serious. “I think it would be better for you to stop joking about that.”
“Why?”
“If you hand divorce papers to Lord Ichinomiya, he won’t hesitate to use the entire might of the clan to shackle you. You shouldn’t give up your life of freedom so lightly!” Kikyou seized Hana’s shoulder and shook her roughly. “It’s suicide to make him your enemy.”
“Not even Saku would stoop so low.”
“You’re wrong! You’re underestimating him! Believe me! He’ll take you by force before you can declare a divorce!” Kikyou shouted. She delivered the terrifying threat without a trace of humor in her tone.
“No, no, no, no, no,” Hana protested.
“Yes,” Kikyou said. “You’re too naive. Such a feat would be trivial for Lord Ichinomiya. If only you could see the way he looks at you. It’s as if he’s holding on to the last thread of his reason. He’s dangerous! Kiriya said as much, too, that he worries about you.”
How like Kiriya to say that.
“I don’t want you to pity me behind my back…,” Hana mumbled.
“He said watching the two of you is like watching a rabbit being hunted by a wolf.”
Hana didn’t know how to respond.
Hazuki added insult to injury, saying, “Lord Ichinomiya did say that he refused to get divorced. When I walked in, he had you pinned underneath him, too…”
“Not you, too, Hazuki…”
“Eek! You’re already falling prey to his advances! Watch out, Hana. The moment you’re separated from your shikigami, you’re going to be gobbled up in an instant.”
Oddly, it seemed that Kikyou was panicking more than Hana herself.
“Especially never let your inugami leave your side,” Kikyou advised. “Not even Saku would dare to confront a god. Understood?!”
“Y-yeah. I got it…,” Hana mumbled, buckling under the immense pressure Kikyou was exerting.
“As your best friend, I’ll protect your chastity!”
“Nuh-uh, that won’t be needed…,” Hana said.
Kikyou had worked herself up into a frenzy, but that was when a new challenger stepped into the ring.