Hmmm, what shall I do now? We're going to be in a lot of trouble without money, aren't we?

　Ende twisted his head around as he crunched into the rest of the crepes. I, too, chewed on my crepe and watched the people pass by the fountain in the square where we both sat.

'Oh well. I guess we'll just have to do some work and earn some money.
What do you do for a living in the winter night?
Me?

　Money....money. I never really thought about it, but I'm not sure what I'm supposed to do. Adventurer, huh? I'm mainly paid by the guild for my work.

I'm not sure if I'm getting paid for doing the guild's work. I'm not sure I've ever seen such a thing.
Oh, I see. Then maybe I can do it too.

　That's easy for you to say. Well, if you're on a beginner's quest, you can get by if you're careful enough.

"Are you going to sign up for the guild? But you're okay with no weapons? In the meantime, I'm sure there are some requests for the collection system.
I don't need a weapon. We're not slaying a dragon.

　You're gonna do this bare-handed? Is he a martial artist like Else? Or is he a magician? I mean, you talk like you can beat a dragon with a weapon, but you have great confidence.

Well, I'll show you to the guild anyway. I've got something to do with the guild too.
Sorry.

　We put the finished crepe wrappers in the kuzakago and we walked off to the guild. I'll have to drop off the money for the ring.
　Ende is a little taller than I am, maybe 5'3". His face is neutral and well-groomed, and he's what I call a handsome man. d*mn, I'm not regretting it....
　I'm not sure if the white scarf will touch the ground or not. But why is he wearing such a scarf when it's not even winter?

''This was a gift from a friend.

　I asked, and he smiled back at me. That's not what I wanted to ask, but is there a reason for it? Well, you don't want someone else to get into your privacy and policies.
　Eventually, the guild's sign came into view. Once inside, the front of the board was bustling with activity as usual.
　I pulled Ende in front of the sister at the reception desk and asked her to go through the registration process. While Ende was being briefed on the registration, I dropped my money off at the next counter. It's a once-in-a-lifetime (I'd like to think it's a once-in-a-lifetime thing), so I have to get excited.
　When I received the money I unloaded, Ende next to me was given a black guild card.

'Did you get it registered?'
Yes, thanks to you. Now we just need to do some more work. It's nice to know that there seem to be guilds all over the world. I don't stay in one place much.

　Really? I'm dressed pretty lightly for a trip. I mean, how could you travel so far without money? Somehow, I feel like a naive person, and I'm sure he's a prince from some country or another...
　...I have a lot of questions, but it's none of my business. Everyone has their own reasons.

I'm going to take this one. Just make it a simple request at first. Take it easy, okay?
Yeah, okay. Thank you, Winter Night. I hope we can meet again somewhere.
Yeah, I'll see you around.

　I left Ende and left the guild. He was a weird one.
　Now, shall we go to the jewelry store, which was our original goal?



　The four of us sitting in front were each looking at the ring shining on the ring finger of our left hand with happiness. It was a simple platinum ring and diamond ring, but it was quite expensive. To be honest, I didn't know the price, so I left it up to the lady at the store, but I wondered if she might have been influenced. After we decided on a design, though, I said, "Well, that's four of them," and she rolled her eyes.
　It seems to have a magical effect on it, so the size fits naturally on the finger. Then I added some more magic to it.

Because I gave that ring Accel, Transfer, and Storage with Enchantment and Programmed.

　Axel" can be used in battle, and "Transfer" can be used as a spare magic tank, so that even if the magic power runs out, you can draw more from it. 'Storage' could be used as a personal storage unit.

''Thank you, Fuyao-san.''

　Yumina gently wrapped her left hand with the ring in her right and smiled at me.
　I then pulled out a thin chain of mithril accessories from my pocket.

'So, this is for Else.'
For me?

　Else takes it curiously.

'You can't wear the gauntlet with the ring on, can you? And I thought it would be nice to put a ring through it and wear it around my neck.
I see. Thanks, Winter Night. That's nice.

　Else shows the ring through the chain and around her neck. Yeah, this one looks good too. It's a mithril, so it's unlikely to break, and as long as you wear it, you can use the magic you've granted it.
　Suddenly, I remembered the silver coin Ende gave me in my pocket and placed it on the table with a jerk.

''What's that?''
A guy I met today, Ende, gave it to me. Do you know what kind of money that is?

　Linse picked up one of the pieces on the table with interest and began to look at it in front of her.

''...I've never seen it before, right........ It has a very elaborate engraving. It's quite valuable........

　Hmmm, if that's the case, I feel bad that I ripped you off. Maybe I should have taken it to a currency exchange place. Or maybe I should have taken them to a pawn shop, where they could have been worth at least some silver.
　I picked up one of the pieces of the table, turned it upside down and was scrutinizing it, when there was a knock on the door and Renee came into the living room. I hold the door open and Shesca comes into the room with a cup and pot of tea.

''I've brought you some tea.''

　Sheska lays out the cups and pours the tea from the pot. As I was watching it without any kind of a plan, Rene came to my side. I don't know why she's squirming. What is it?

Listen, Fuyao-chan... sir. I have a favor to ask you... but...
'Mr. Lime is gone, and you can talk to him normally, Renee. What's going on?
Hey, you know, I need to ride my bike, too, and...

　On a bike? Well, if you're old enough to start practicing riding, Rene, it's not a problem. I'm a little nervous about riding in the city, but I think I can handle it if I have someone to chaperone me.

I'd like to practice, but I can't reach the ones at the mansion. I heard that Brother Fuyao made a small bike for Sister Su before...

　Oh, yeah. The one we have at home is adult size. That's too big for Rene to ride. I didn't think about that.

Okay, I'll make one for Renee. What color do you want it in?
Really? Then I'll take the red one then!
No problem.
'Wow! Thank you!

　Over the couch, Rene hugged me. Oh come on, if Lime was here, he'd be pissed. Well, I don't feel bad about being pleased.
　As I chuckled at Rene's hug, my eyes met with Sheska in front of me.

''........Loriko.
'Ooh! Let's wait a minute!

　Don't say another word, Roboko! This one is just bothering me about Yumina, so don't say anything else!
　Sheska looked at him strangely for a while, but eventually she finished pouring the tea into her cup as if nothing had happened. Then he looked at the silver coins on the table and gave a small tilt of his head.

Is our currency used in this country now?
Even now....Sheska, do you know about this money?
Yes, this is a Partheno silver coin. The Parthenos were first minted 5284 years ago and were used in this area. It's amazing that it still exists.

　5284 years ago! I stare at the silver coin in my hand at Sheska's words. It doesn't look like it's been that long. It's as good as new. Why did Ende have such old money?
　... wait? What was that guy saying when he said that?

'I used to be able to shop with it.

　What happened before? What do you mean "before"? Is there a place where the currency used in the ancient kingdoms can be used?
　No way..... It's a ridiculous idea, but I've been thinking that Ende might be a person from the past. Or maybe he's the same as Sheska, who was created by Dr. Babylon.

'Sheska, are there any boys like you that Dr. Babylon has created?
'The boy...? No, he's not. He didn't create any man types. I've seen a few "masculine" personality types.

　'Masculine'? Ende had a neutral face. I wasn't checking to see if it was a boy. I don't think it's possible, but....
　When I was thinking about it, Sheska gave me a strange look with her eyes. What do you want?

.....
'Ooh! So let's wait a minute, Roboko!

　That's not what I meant! I'm not that kind of guy. Because I'm normal! I love girls!

I don't care what kind of taste he has, I just follow him. Do you want to wear short pants or something?
"Don't wear them!

　God, how does this guy have such a wealth of knowledge to waste? Is this what parents are supposed to do? Look at them. Everyone looks puzzled.
　.........Oh, why is Linse the only one with a red face...?