Chapter 87

Many conflicts in the world can be resolved with money. Cases that appear to be exceptions are mostly due to a lack of funds.

Of course, due to the nature of markets and currency, the influence of capital has a clear limit. Even when a situation can be resolved with money, there are occasional cases where collecting all the money in the world still proves insufficient. If we overlook this, we might reach conclusions like, “Because global warming is bad, let’s sell Earth and buy Mars.” Therefore, caution was necessary.

Still, the current situation was one that money could resolve.

“Three meals of nothing but ramen is absurd!”

Yumina exclaimed.

Who is today’s meal duty officer?

Is it Laplace, who hasn’t touched the ramen and is instead looking for cookies in the refrigerator?

Or Doyugeon, who is using chopsticks but eating at a snail’s pace?

Or is it Yumina herself, who’s complaining that ramen isn’t acceptable even though she prepared it?

Of course, Yumina didn’t make the ramen this time.

Caught in the trap of amateur cooking that ruins meals without realizing it wasn’t the case. A certain talented young lady had meticulously followed the cooking instructions on the package and demonstrated proficient culinary skills to complete the ramen.

“This isn’t right.”

“If you disrespect the effort of someone who cooked for you, that’s rude. If you have a complaint, you can cook yourself. ‘If you don’t work, you shouldn’t eat’—an absolute truth of the 21st century.”

“We’re talking about common phrases here, but you, Ms. Yumina, are today’s meal duty officer!”

“So I prepared ramen. Since I didn’t know your taste preferences, I went with a universally accepted choice. Please enjoy.”

“You mean the most popular item.”

“Must you belittle it so much?”

It sounded hurt.

“This is an issue of sincerity. How can you provide only ramen for breakfast, lunch, and dinner?”

Yumina mumbled this while taking the cola offered by Laplace.

“But there’s no rule saying the meal duty officer can’t prepare ramen.”

“Are you trying to debate the principle of good faith with me or something?”

The young lady from a legal household seemed agitated.

“Am I supposed to enjoy eating ramen? It’s obviously something I had to do unavoidably.”

Upon hearing this, Yumina’s eyes sparkled as she pointed a finger at the food set on the side. It wasn’t ramen—it was an ordered mini cake. Why do you have a cake all to yourself when sometimes it happens, right?

No. Upon further thought, there was a legitimate reason.

Modern Korean cuisine has the advantage of high vegetable intake, but it concurrently has the disadvantage of high sodium consumption. For the sake of health, it was sometimes necessary to vary the diet. Though cake wasn’t the best choice…

But why did she prepare ramen specifically now, as the meal duty officer? It happens sometimes, right?

Come to think of it, is there even a necessity for a reason? One could eat cake if one desires. It’s delicious, after all. Though it might be too sweet for some, this cheesecake is quite acceptable.

But Yumina seemed dissatisfied with the cake. She had no choice but to accept it.

Bowing down, she asked the cake:

“Cake, would it be okay if I ate you all by myself?”

Leaning in to listen, of course, there was no reply. Silence has always equated to agreement.

“That’s right.”

Nodding, she relayed the cake’s response to Yumina.

“What do you mean by ‘that’s right’?”

Suddenly Yumina grabbed her shoulders and shook her vigorously. The world spun. She tried to wriggle free but couldn’t due to strength disparity, so she gently used magic to release herself.

She sorted her mussed hair.

“But cooking is such a hassle.”

“Young Lady, you’re on duty today!”

“That’s why I said I’d hire a maid. You were the one who opposed it strongly. It’s confusing now.”

This is a case that can be solved with money, and the money is ready.

“The role of a meal duty officer isn’t meant to be bought off!”

“It’s my money, so what’s the problem?”

Yumina flinched. Her casual remark was taken as a threat. Perhaps she feared that I might suddenly announce, “I’m not going to be the duty officer, so leave if you dislike it.” It seems like Yumina lacks trust in her friends. Or maybe she’s too mature.

Let’s stop the jokes here. The best solution would be to faithfully perform the duties as the officer, but since I don’t want to work, a secondary option seems ideal.

“Alright, alright. It might look bad if I keep slacking off all by myself. But upon careful consideration, it seems wasteful for a high school student to handle housework.”

She murmured this while cutting the cake into bite-sized pieces with a fork. Yumina looked at her with suspicion as if unsure what nonsense she might spout next. What terrible treatment.

“It’s such a waste to do housework during this important period for efficient learning. At least if you play during this time, you’ll learn at least to rest and enjoy life instead of becoming a workaholic who doesn’t know how to relax.”

She speared a piece of cake and passed it to Doyugeon, who was poking the ramen with chopsticks.

“Why are you eating this tasteless ramen? Have some cake.”

“You made it…”

Though perplexed, the boy took the fork with cake on it.

“Give me some, too.”

“Absolutely not.”

Rejecting Laplace’s brazen demand, she used magic. For ventilation, magic summoned a breeze causing the ramen to disappear through a magical circle. Surely, the bodyguards somewhere will take care of disposing of it properly. Using magic, she opened the refrigerator and filled the empty dining table with dessert. Despite already taking out cookies, Laplace kept it to herself and didn’t offer any.

“You might as well hire a maid or a professional service rather than dividing housework duties amongst us. The costs will be on me.”

“Are you hiring one for the entire week?”

Laplace’s eyes widened.

“Probably not for the entire week. This is my first time hiring, so it’s hard to explain.”

She’d used cleaning services in her previous life, so she knew they came at set times, though specifics were vague. It must be somewhat similar.

Occasionally, her mom would hire services when housework became tiresome. Perhaps to offer moral education, she tried to keep employees hidden as she never directly encountered them. Instead, she was dragged outside by her mom, and upon returning home, everything was cleaned or meals were prepared.

“Total agreement! Miss, you are truly smart!”

Laplace clapped her hands. It would be preferable if this one distinguished between compliments and sarcasm. The tone was off, making it unclear what she really meant. Living a cynical life must have stripped her ability to do anything but sarcasm.

While Laplace loved the idea, the other two responded tepidly.

“Not a good idea. It might seem like a waste of time, but when living independently, you will eventually have to do it all yourself. Practicing now would be beneficial.”

“A common misconception. One mistakes an adapted outcome for a rational one and hastily adds logical reasoning afterwards—a typical case of psychological defense mechanisms.”

Yumina blinked, catching Laplace’s gaze before they both smiled. It was unclear what they shared, but their laughter point was lost on me. They paused their conversation mid-chat to grin at each other.

“Alright. Miss will do as she pleases. Come to think of it, I’d prefer to not deal with the scheduling of duties. But if you were planning to discard the ramen, why serve dessert?”

She asked an obvious question.

“I just happened to want some cheesecake. But eating it alone during the meal would feel strange. Plus, it may ruin the appetite due to the smell of the food.”

“So you decided to replace your meal with dessert because your expectations were already low due to the ramen?”

“Yes.”

“Where do I even begin lecturing you?”

Yumina turned to Doyugeon. Doyugeon was finishing the offered cake and licking his lips.

After pondering, he said:

“First of all, was the cake delicious?”

“Is that so? We have to commend the staff who procured it.”

Yumina pressed her forehead.

“Hey, snap out of it. No matter how cute Miss is, you need to be firm now or you’ll regret it later.”

“Don’t teach children weird stuff.”

“Look who’s talking!”

She smoothly ignored their criticisms. Using magic, she conjured a plate and placed a portion of the mini cake on it. Handing it to Doyugeon, the boy took it, glanced at Yumina, and just smiled. Who were they looking at now? She subtly nudged him with magic.

The meal continued with casual chatter. It was peculiar that Doyugeon rarely initiated conversations with her, but everyone let it slide without comment.

Changes came when eating cake while considering having another cup of coffee.

After clearing his throat a few times, he made eye contact.

“I have something to say.”

Now? Here? While eating? As she pondered in confusion, an unusual statement followed.

“I’ve been avoiding you lately. Sorry. With high school and career plans, I’ve been quite worried.”

What kind of absurd excuse was that?

Seemingly, she wasn’t the only one thinking this as Laplace smirked and made a sound akin to a deflating balloon. Agreeing but feeling irked by others doing so.

“…I see. That makes sense, right?”

Seeking Yumina’s agreement, Yumina enthusiastically nodded. The desire to bury this topic was palpable. She’s surprisingly shy in these matters.

“Exactly! I’ve also been stressed recently! By the way, what’s tomorrow’s homework?”

“There’s none, remember?”

Either oblivious or ignoring Yumina’s attempt to redirect the mood, Doyugeon continued seriously:

“After some reflection, I realized that studying alone wouldn’t cut it. In times of global change, doing nothing is a recipe for future regret.”

“…Isn’t this the same thing you said in junior high?”

“No. Just hear me out.”

Doyugeon entered his room and returned with a collection of brochures. They appeared to be research reports organized by himself from national research institutions, large corporate economic research centers, or international organizations. His systematic approach was bewildering.

Having seen it before multiple times, his explanations flowed effortlessly.

Industrial structure.

Market size.

Future prospects.

“So, it’s a good time for a Blue Ocean!”

Ah…

How does one characterize this feeling?

Reflecting back on her past life, it felt like watching a childhood friend obsessed with short-term stock trading grow older and suddenly switch to real estate gap investment.

Even as his speech flowed smoothly and his knowledge grew more specialized, his mentality didn’t mature a bit, did it?

Couldn’t he just focus on studying? She could easily solve any future concerns if he did.

“After reviewing, I’ve decided that studying alone isn’t enough. Not acting in a period of global upheaval will surely bring regret.”

“…Isn’t that the same old argument you made in junior high?”

“No, wait and see.”

Doyugeon entered the room again, this time with a compilation of reports. They appeared to be analyses done by national research institutions, major corporate economic research organizations, and international organizations. The systematic method of investigation was startling.

Having gone through the reports multiple times before, his explanations flowed continuously:

Industrial structure.

Market size.

Future outlook.

“So, this is a promising Blue Ocean right now!”

Ah…

How does one define this sentiment?

Comparing it to her past life, it felt like watching a childhood friend with an interest in short-term stock trading suddenly shift attention to real estate gap investment after growing a bit older.

His words became smoother, and his knowledge more specialized, but his mindset hadn’t grown at all, had it?

Couldn’t he just focus on studying? She could easily resolve any future worries if he just did that.

“Thus, I’ve devised a plan. Since I’ve been so preoccupied with battles and level-ups that I neglected my secondary promotion and have stagnated afterward, it’s a good chance to resolve everything at once. What do you think?”

“…Okay, that’s fine.”

Her heart and words diverged.

I feel like I’m being dragged along too much.

“Great!”

The boy was happy about it.

Fine, then.

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