Seeing the money hit his account, Ren Isana felt a wave of pure joy. "Thank you, boss! May you strike it rich!"
Standing nearby, Yukino Yukinoshita and Megumi Kato watched him with a mix of amusement and exasperation. Yukino glanced at the sky outside the window and decided it was time to leave.
"I'm going to head back first. Ren-kun, if you have time tomorrow, please come help me set mine up," she said. Remembering something, she immediately pulled out her phone and transferred 10,000 Valis to him in advance.
Seeing the notification, Ren looked at her in surprise. Yukino explained, "I'm paying you upfront so you don't raise the price on me later!"
She was joking, of course. In reality, she guessed that Ren probably needed the money urgently; otherwise, he wouldn't have sought out Asuna at this hour and rushed over to build the Magic Array.
Seeing Yukino's actions, Megumi also took out her phone and transferred her payment to Ren.
Ren was a bit taken aback that Megumi was joining in, but he happily accepted the funds.
"Thank you for the tips, my two generous bosses. You can give me the materials first. I'll process them tonight, and tomorrow I can just head over and draw the Magic Arrays for you." Ren was in an incredibly good mood.
With 30,000 Valis in his pocket, he wouldn't have to worry about money for a while. This would last him quite some time, and when he ran low, he could just take on a few more commissions.
Surely the other students in their class would need this too, right? This was a golden opportunity to make a fortune.
However, the price for the rest of the class definitely wouldn't be the same. He had to raise the price. A price hike was absolutely necessary to sustain his livelihood.
"Then I'll give you these materials now. How about you come over tomorrow after school?" Yukino naturally had no objections. She handed her bags of materials straight to him, and Megumi followed suit.
Ren accepted both bags and nodded. "Alright, I'll head to your places tomorrow afternoon and get your Magic Arrays set up."
Taking money to do a job was perfectly fair. After collecting the materials, Ren finalized the schedule with the two girls.
"Let's help Asuna put her room back together before we head out. It's getting late," Yukino suggested, glancing around the empty room.
Everyone agreed to the proposal. They all pitched in, moving Asuna's belongings back inside from the hallway and restoring the room to its original state.
Once they finished, the group said their goodbyes. Asuna walked the three of them to the elevator, watching them leave before returning to her room to prepare dinner.
Ren, Yukino, and Megumi rode the elevator down together. Once they reached the ground floor, Ren parted ways with them. "You guys head back first. I need to go sign my lease."
The two girls nodded. Megumi raised her right hand and gave him a small wave. "See you at school tomorrow."
"See you tomorrow!" Yukino nodded as well. After waving goodbye to Ren, the two girls walked back toward their own apartments together.
After seeing them off, Ren headed straight to the property management office. He quickly signed the rental agreement and paid half a year's rent upfront.
Since he had the money now, he figured he might as well pay a larger chunk in advance, leaving just enough for his daily expenses. By the time he finished the paperwork, the office was just closing up for the day.
Keys in hand, Ren hurried back to his old apartment, packed up his belongings, and began moving into his new home.
After two or three trips back and forth, he finally managed to move everything over. Fortunately, he didn't have that much stuff—mostly just clothes, some kitchenware, and a few personal items.
The larger pieces of furniture belonged to his previous landlord, and he obviously had no right to take someone else's property.
Having moved everything into the new apartment, Ren breathed a sigh of relief. His stomach suddenly rumbled. Since he hadn't bought any groceries today, his only option was to order takeout.
The new place came with a refrigerator, which meant he could stock up on ingredients in the future and avoid running to the market every single day.
Just as Ren was about to pull out his phone to order food, a knock came at his door. He paused, a bit surprised.
"Coming! Who is it?" Puzzled, Ren walked over and opened the door, only to find Asuna standing there.
"Ren-kun, are you done moving?" she asked. While cooking, she had noticed him walking back and forth moving his things. Since it had gone quiet, she came down to check on him.
"Oh, Asuna. Yeah, I'm all done. I was just about to order some takeout." Ren had wondered who it could be.
"Don't order takeout. I figured you wouldn't have time to cook, so come eat at my place. I've already prepared dinner," Asuna invited him with a warm smile.
He had to admit, Asuna was truly beautiful inside and out. She was so considerate that Ren almost felt a twinge of guilt for taking her money earlier.
But that feeling vanished in a flash. Why should he feel bad about money he earned through his own hard work? Just as he was about to politely decline, Asuna continued.
"If you don't come, the food will go to waste. I can't possibly eat that much by myself."
Wasting food? That was a crime. Since she put it that way, Ren couldn't refuse. "Alright then. But tomorrow, dinner is on me. I'm actually quite confident in my cooking skills."
She treats him today, he treats her tomorrow—perfectly fair. Asuna completely trusted his claim and even felt a bit of anticipation.
"I'll be looking forward to it, then. With your incredible talent for learning, your cooking must be absolutely amazing, right?" Asuna's hobby was cooking, after all.
Perhaps she could even ask him for some culinary advice. Given his abilities, he had surely learned more than she had, otherwise he wouldn't have made such a confident claim.
Having agreed, Ren grabbed his keys, followed Asuna upstairs, and entered her apartment once again.
Two bowls of rice and several dishes were already set out on the dining table. Asuna had prepared them with care. Though they were simple home-cooked meals, they looked, smelled, and tasted exquisite.
"This is really impressive, Asuna. I didn't know you were such a good cook." Even before taking a bite, the aroma alone told Ren it was going to be fantastic.
At his praise, a bright smile bloomed on Asuna's face. "Hurry up and try it! Tell me how it tastes!"
She urged him to sit down, then took the seat opposite him. At her invitation, Ren didn't hold back. He picked up his chopsticks, grabbed a bite of food, and started eating.
After just one bite, he gave her a thumbs up. "It's delicious! Asuna, you're definitely going to be an amazing wife and mother someday. Women who can cook like this are way too rare nowadays!"
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