Unless you have a money duplicator, you ultimately have to work to earn money, right?
But how likely is it that one has something like that?
In other words, I, who am practically penniless, have no choice but to work.
However, I am currently a student at the Academy. Of course, abilities or status are not significant issues.
Bluntly speaking, even just carrying bricks at a construction site would suffice. But the real issue, as always, is time.
The Academy’s daily schedule doesn’t finish until at least 4 PM. If you also consider personal training, that gets delayed even further, and for students involved in club activities, it takes even longer.
The dormitory curfew begins at 10 PM. Naturally, it’s quite difficult to find someone who can assign work that fits into my schedule.
“Maybe I should look for a part-time job that I could do on the weekends.”
I muttered to myself while stroking the “meow” resting on my knees.
Ah! That meow is the elegant black cat I saw the other day. I hadn’t paid much attention before, but after wandering around looking for it, I roughly figured out the places it likes.
Places where the sunlight warms gently, where the wind blows softly, where the sound of rain is clearly heard, and where there are few people moving about.
Simply put, these are ideal spots for a nap. I heard that cats sleep more than they are active, and it wasn’t for no reason that I met this one while it was asleep.
“Isn’t there really a money duplicator somewhere?”
The meow tilted its ears once, as if finding my words absurd, and then stared at me with green eyes.
The meow gently wriggled away from my embrace, stretched fully as if having woken up completely, and then started walking gracefully.
Ah, I was about to attempt a slightly toned-down version of the “palace bottom pat” today, but I forgot. There’s nothing I can do. I’ll have to give up today.
However, the meow stopped mid-stride and turned its head to look at me. It was as if…
“Are you telling me to follow?”
Whether it understood my words or it was just a coincidence, the meow meowed again and resumed its leisurely stroll.
Since I have nothing urgent to do right now, and the other guys won’t be back to the dormitory for a bit, it should be fine to leave my seat for a moment.
With that in mind, I got up to follow the meow. It walked ahead, maintaining a proper distance from me and occasionally turning back to check if I was following properly.
Are pricey cats smarter?
The meow stopped in front of the main bulletin board within the Academy.
Unlike the department bulletin board, since this is the main Academy bulletin board, it’s filled with various postings. Notices advising not to go into the old school, promotions for clubs people have joined, and announcements about boundary maintenance around the academy—all sorts of papers are crammed together.
Still, the fact that all these numerous notices manage to not overlap and have been neatly attached shows a remarkable level of consideration.
While idly scanning the bulletin board to see if there were any new announcements, the meow suddenly leapt onto my shoulder and tore off one of the notices from the board.
“You little…”
The owner of that announcement might blame me for tearing it down. I immediately grabbed the meow and snatched the paper from its mouth.
Did this little creature bring me here to assassinate me socially?
Upon inspecting the paper more closely, thankfully, the paper only had a small tooth mark in the corner and wasn’t otherwise significantly damaged.
As I flattened the paper on the board to return it to its original position, the content caught my eye naturally.
“Magic Research Assistant Wanted”
I recalled hearing that wealthy magic students sometimes hire part-time workers for their personal research.
Instead of helping with the research directly, the assistant could handle chores like cleaning or errands, and in some cases, even volunteer as an experimental subject for the research. Indeed, it’s a world where money can solve everything. Of course, I have none of that.
Curious, I perused the content and found it to be surprisingly brief compared to other part-time job postings.
– Seeking a student to serve as the subject of a magic experiment. Safety guaranteed. Temporary side effects may occur. For inquiries, please visit the research lab at Magic Building 707.
So, it’s bluntly just asking for experimental subjects. Though they mention safety, it does make me a bit hesitant. Perhaps I should look at other job postings—
– Allowance: 3 gold coins per week, additional payment given for each experiment.
!!?
I looked through other job postings, but none had such a high pay rate as this one. Even the highest-paying job offer was significantly lower than this.
I double-checked the paper I had in my hand to make sure I wasn’t mistaken. Sure enough, it clearly stated “3 gold coins per week with additional allowance.”
And at the bottom was an extra note.
– Recruitment Limit: 1 person.
I quickly shoved the paper I was about to return to the bulletin board into my pocket.
I glanced around, but luckily, no students were watching me. Perfect crime accomplished.
So, you brought me here to show me this!
I rushed to catch the meow that had already wandered off, grabbed it, and it looked back at me with an expression that seemed to ask, “What’s wrong with you?” It’s truly amazing how expressive this cat is. It even acts like it understands what I’m saying.
But that’s not the main point. This meow is truly a bundle of fortune for me! The already cute meow now seems even more beautiful to me. I held the meow tightly in an embrace and rubbed my face against its soft fur as an expression of my affection.
Elysia Frentz got a cat-punch to the face that day.
*
After apologizing to my friends and hastily finishing lunch, I now stand in front of the lab at Magic Building 707, taking the paper out of my pocket for another double-check. Yes, it’s 707.
Knock knock.
I tapped lightly on the door, but there was no response from inside. I was contemplating coming back later, thinking the person might be out, when the squeaky sound of a door turning slowly opened.
Though it’s still midday with the sun shining brightly, the interior of the lab is dim because the curtains are drawn. Barely lighting the room is a small lamp, insufficient to illuminate the entire space.
I turned around to greet the person who opened the door but found no one. Was the door opened via magic? That is a truly useful bit of magic, albeit small.
“This way.”
From inside the room, a voice came from behind a slightly ajar door. It seems the room is connected to another.
Following the voice into the adjacent room, it was similarly dim, relying only on a small light to illuminate the space.
Amidst the faint light, I could just make out a long couch, and on it, a girl who was not as small as Anne but still rather delicate was lounging with her head resting on the armrest, looking at me.
Her long black hair spilled across the couch, unlike my previous drab black hair, hers was strikingly gorgeous and elegant.
Her eyes, piercing through the dimness, were a vivid green, almost like emeralds.
Even though the room was dark, her inborn beauty wasn’t something that could be concealed by such conditions. She was a genuinely beautiful young girl. Despite her youthful looks making her appear more cute than beautiful, there was a mysterious air about her, likely due to her appearance or her being a mage. Strangely, despite being complete strangers, she gave me a sense of familiarity.
“Um, I’m here about the recruitment notice for the research assistant!”
I offered the paper in my hand and announced myself. Her emerald eyes glanced briefly at the paper in my hand and then shifted to me.
Oops! This paper, taken from the bulletin board without permission, will she reprimand me?
Contrary to my fears, there was no sign of reproach on her face; she maintained a languid expression from the start.
“Hmm, alright then, let’s sign the contract…”
The reclining girl lifted a finger and made a snapping motion, prompting a piece of paper from the corner of the room to float and land in front of me.
She continued to observe me with a relaxed expression while lying down.
Figuring detailed explanations were unnecessary, I grabbed the paper in front of my eyes.
The contract had various terms detailed.
I first confirmed whether the promise of 3 gold coins per week plus additional allowances was true—not that I doubted it, but just to be sure. Luckily, the contract clearly mentioned the 3 gold coins and additional bonuses.
There were also a few general clauses stating that neither party can arbitrarily nullify the contract, and that the hired personnel must give their all to assist the research experiments. Given my financial situation, there’s no reason for me to break the contract early or perform poorly and get fired.
I didn’t want to hesitate here and give her a reason to look for someone else, so I quickly signed the contract.
The signed contract immediately flew back to the lying girl.
Seeing her satisfied smile as she reviewed the contract, it became clear that expression changes were less frequent with her, not absent.
Getting up from her seat, she spoke.
“So… your name?”
“My name is Elysia Frentz!”
A composed demeanor—despite her youthful appearance, this short girl is now my master, employer, savior, and boss. It is natural to address her with such respect.
“My name is Presia Gatina. Since lunchtime is almost over, let’s start right away?”
Look at that—hasn’t our boss just smiled slightly because she’s pleased with my attitude?
…However, why does it feel so chilly in this room where sunlight doesn’t seem to reach?
