General 114

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Chapter 114. The Overwhelming Despair Of A Household In Deficit

"This is bad… What should I do…"

"Is something wrong, Yuu-sama?"

"Are you troubled by something, Yuu-kun?"

From the early hours of the weekend, while I sat at the dining table with my head in my hands, Hayami-san, who lives with me, and Mina, the usual uninvited childhood friend, peeked into my face.

"I might have to sell this house…"

""What did you just say––!?""

At my sorrowful confession, both of them raised their voices in surprise.

"Which real estate agent, Yuu-kun? Just tell me the company name. I'll throw a guerrilla concert in front of their office and blow them away with sheer volume."

"Which financial institution, Yuu-sama? I'll break into their vault and steal everything."

"Both of you, stop using your soul armor abilities for personal gain, or you'll be charged with a major crime. We haven’t taken out a loan yet."

"Yet, meaning you're on the verge of borrowing money, aren't you!?"

Hayami-san, is as sharp as ever.

"Yeah, I hate borrowing money on principle, so I thought about selling the house to raise funds."

"Does that mean you won't be our neighbor anymore, Yuu-kun!? That's absolutely unacceptable! If it's about money, I'll cover it! I've got an extra allowance!"

Why do you look so happy while pulling out your wallet, Mina? Mina might just have a talent for spoiling guys.

"But this is a problem I need to solve myself. And delaying it won't help. In this case, time is not on my side."

"What kind of problem is it, Yuu-sama?"

With a serious expression, Hayami-san waited for my answer. Mina, tugging at her apron, looked at me with concern as well.

I should probably tell these two, who are genuinely worried about me.

"Our household is in the red… because of food expenses…"

"…What?"

"Misuzu's food costs run up to several hundred thousand yen a month. After calculating, it turns out even the biannual bonuses can't cover it."

It's a pitiful situation, but this is the harsh reality.

The dread I felt when I realized this through my calculations was indescribable, like the Grim Reaper's scythe was closing in on me.

"I understand. I will immediately send that brat No. 2 off to the Eastern United Alliance."

"Wait, Hayami-san! I told you before, doing that would be aiding the enemy, and you'd face a court martial!"

I quickly stopped Hayami-san from heading toward the room where Misuzu was sleeping, holding her in a headlock from behind.

"With that amount, it’s no surprise."

Mina, who helps with cooking, glanced at the kitchen where today’s preparations were finished.

The kitchen was lined with oversized pots, earthenware, banquet dishes, and even a mortar and pestle, all too large for a typical household.

"When I first saw it, I thought Yuu-sama was opening a sumo stable."

"When I cook, I feel like the wife of a sumo stable master or the dorm mother of a powerhouse baseball team."

"Thanks a lot for helping, Mina."

Misuzu eats an enormous amount.

So, I had to buy professional-grade kitchen equipment and containers usually found in restaurants to boost efficiency.

Because if we don’t cook at home, we'd go bankrupt in no time.

"For now, I’ve brought the root of all evil."

Misuzu, still half-asleep, was dragged over by Hayami-san like a kitten scruffed by the neck, wearing child-sized pajamas due to her small frame.

"Sleepy…"

Rubbing her eyes which were barely open, Misuzu protested.

But this was an important issue in this household, so she needed to participate.

"I have a question. This brat No. 2 also receives a salary, correct? Can’t that cover her food expenses?"

"Of course, it’s being used. Misuzu's salary mainly covers her lunch expenses."

At first, I made her bring a lunch box, but she complained that the portions were entirely insufficient. So now, as part of her social education, she buys bread at the school store or eats in the cafeteria with her own money.

"But last time, I got scolded for buying out all the cheap bread at the school store."

The Soul Armor Academy isn’t like a regular high school, with many physical activities like field exercises. So, it's not just Misuzu who needs the calories.

"Don’t you use the school cafeteria much?"

"It’s annoying to order too many dishes at once. Oh, but there’s one way to avoid hurting my wallet."

"Seriously!? What is it, Misuzu?"

Could this be a breakthrough?

"When I’m in the cafeteria, some male students come up and say, ‘I’ll treat you,’ so I just go along with it."

"Rejected!"

Those guys are problematic for multiple reasons.

They’re either probing a young academy transfer student or just into petite girls.

Either way, they're bad news.

"How about dining out, then? What if you took her to an all-you-can-eat yakiniku restaurant every meal?"

"All the all-you-can-eat places nearby banned us after just one visit…"

I reported the unfortunate truth, pinching the bridge of my nose at Mina’s suggestion.

"Ah… well, yeah, that makes sense."

One restaurant owner even pleaded with us in tears to stop eating anymore.

Misuzu eats so much despite her tiny frame that she’s instantly recognizable, so sneaking in with a disguise is also out of the question.

"If we can’t reduce expenses, how about increasing income?"

"We’re special government employees, so our side job options are very limited. At best, we could do farming or write novels."

But even if I started farming or writing novels, it’d take a long time before they generated income. Before any side gig took off, we'd already be bankrupt.

"We’re really stuck, aren’t we?"

At Mina’s resigned words, I buried my head in my hands again.

We can’t cut expenses, and we can’t increase income. That leaves us running on fumes until we eventually fall off the cliff.

(Ding-dong)

"Coming!"

Amid the heavy, suffocating atmosphere, the doorbell rang. Who could it be? Is someone doing door-to-door sales on a weekend morning?

Thinking that, I opened the door.

Looking back, it was careless of me to open the door without checking who it was.

"Good morning, Kamiya-dono~ It's meee~! Sorry for the sudden visit!"

Standing there was an unexpected figure—Doctor Kirigaya, head of the National Soul Armor Research Institute in Okinawa, and a familiar airheaded woman who always ignores the mood of the room.