“I just feel like if you didn't have to work a part-time job, we'd have more time to spend together. I can support you.”
Yuki hid her entire face behind the books, leaving only her bright red ears visible.
Qiluo stopped and turned around to look at Yuki.
The hallway was empty. “Support me?” Qiluo took a step forward and tilted her head at Yuki. “And how exactly would you do that?”
The distance between them wasn't far to begin with. With this step, Yuki could almost feel the gentle breeze of Qiluo's breath brushing against her forehead as she spoke.
“Supporting me takes a lot of money, you know.” Qiluo tilted her head, a smile playing at the corners of her lips. “Not only would you have to cover my rent, but you'd also have to buy me a pineapple bun every day and pay for all my desserts. Adding all that up, is your allowance really enough?”
Yuki's expression softened slightly upon hearing “pineapple bun,” and she began to do the math seriously in her head.
She knew how much a pineapple bun cost. The last time she accompanied Qiluo to the convenience store, she had specifically checked the price tag; it was about a hundred yen.
She didn't know how much rent Qiluo paid for her apartment, but she should be able to scrape it together with her allowance.
“...It's enough.” Yuki lowered the books, revealing her face. The flush on her ears hadn't fully faded, but her expression had returned to its usual serious self.
“Wait, hold on—I was just joking.” Qiluo waved a hand in front of Yuki's face. “Friends don't talk about supporting each other like that.”
Huh?
Yuki blinked. She had genuinely been calculating the costs just now.
Listing them one by one in her mind, then comparing them to her allowance.
After calculating, she realized her savings were more than enough to cover everything. She was even wondering if she should prepay three months of Qiluo's rent once next month's allowance arrived so Qiluo wouldn't have to rush to find another part-time job.
“But you just said—”
“I was just talking casually, and you actually took it seriously.” She tilted her head at Yuki. “If I really let you support me, were you planning to hand over your bank card to me?”
“...I could.” Yuki's voice was very soft, but her absolute sincerity caused Qiluo's smile to falter slightly.
“I'm joking, really.” Qiluo waved her hands. “I can support myself, so don't worry.” She readjusted the books in her arms, took a few steps toward the library, and then looked back at Yuki. “But if I ever do run out of money, you'll be the first person I go to, okay?”
Qiluo walked ahead. Hearing the footsteps following behind her, she didn't look back.
How could she actually let Yuki support her? Ever since her first night transmigrating into this world, she had relied solely on herself. Even the money to buy pineapple buns had been exchanged using magic crystals.
She had carried every single burden on her own.
Now, accepting Yuki's allowance to support her without a care in the world? She couldn't do it.
“By the way,” Yuki quickly caught up, trying her best to make her tone sound casual, “do you have any plans for the weekend? If not, I was hoping to ask you out—”
“This weekend? I can't this weekend.” Qiluo shook her head. “I'm going to Meruru's concert. Kizuna gave me a ticket last time. I wanted to tell you sooner, but I've been so busy lately that I couldn't find the chance.”
Yuki's movements visibly stiffened.
“Meruru's concert... Is it the one this Saturday?”
“Yeah, I heard Seina is performing too. Kizuna's been excited about it for days.”
“So you're going?”
“Yeah, I promised.”
Yuki fell silent for a moment, then said softly, “I see. Meruru's concerts are hard to get into. Go ahead and have fun.”
“Do you want to come along?” Qiluo tilted her head to look at her, noticing the slight stiffness in her tone. “The ticket Kizuna gave me is for the VIP section, so there should be empty seats nearby. If you want to go, I can ask her if there are any extra tickets.”
Yuki shook her head. “Since Kizuna only gave you one, it means she only wanted to invite you. I don't want to make things difficult for you, and besides, I really do have some family things to take care of this weekend.”
“Alright.” Qiluo's tone softened a bit. She didn't press further about what it was, only nodding once she was sure Yuki's expression looked normal.
“If there's another concert in the future, I'll ask you out in advance.”
“That Meruru girl,” Yuki looked up at Qiluo, her expression carrying a hint of unnatural seriousness. “I heard she occasionally interacts with fans during her concerts and is really good at playing pranks. Since you'll be sitting in the VIP section, she might target you.”
“How do you know that?”
“...I've watched recordings of her past concerts. In any case, just be careful. She doesn't have good intentions.”
“Be careful of what? Meruru doesn't even know me.”
You have no idea, Qiluo.
Yuki replied silently in her mind. Qiluo hadn't seen how Meruru had dragged Lightweaver onto the stage from the side door during the school festival.
Holding her hand, dancing with her, and even pinning an emblem on her, smiling the entire time like a cat that had just stolen a fish.
So from that day on, Yuki felt that Meruru was the type of person who would latch onto anyone she found interesting, regardless of whether they were a Magical Girl or not.
“Anyway, just be careful,” Yuki said, tucking her long hair behind her ear, her tone slightly awkward. “She doesn't have good intentions.”
“Meruru doesn't even know me.”
Qiluo chuckled. Of course she knew Meruru wasn't exactly a saint.
Qiluo had already been on guard against Meruru every single day.
Following behind, Yuki quietly held the two books for her, silently changing her weekend plans from “asking Qiluo out to the newly opened dessert shop” to “going to Meruru's concert to keep watch.”
Returning the books was a quick process. She placed them on the return counter, watching Qiluo's back temporarily disappear among the bookshelves, though her mind was still lingering on the concert Qiluo had mentioned.
She pulled out her phone, opened her browser, and typed “Meruru concert ticket” into the search bar.
The results that popped up were all “sold out.” A few resale platforms did have a couple of tickets, but the prices were followed by a long string of zeros. Besides, Meruru's concerts usually required mana verification, so it wasn't even certain if tickets from unofficial channels would let her in.
The prices on the resale platforms had already soared to the equivalent of her two months' allowance, and the link labeled “Only 1 Left” changed to “Listing Removed” the moment she clicked on it.
How on earth am I going to get a ticket...
Rate on N.U.
