"O-Okay. I got the point. You said you were a designer, right?"
"Avina. I'm the lead designer and owner." Ophi nodded with an exaggerated pout, the corner of her lips jutting out in a way that made her look more like a stubborn kid than a business owner.
"How are the numbers? Units sold, income, etc.? If you don't mind me asking."
She shook her head, her dark hair brushing against her shoulders, and shrugged. "I just started three months ago, so nothing too grand. Income's been variable, but it's gone up, not down. As for how much I've sold..." She grabbed her phone, the faint click of her nails tapping against the screen filling the brief silence, then continued, "In total, 20,000 units of clothing."
My mouth fell open slightly, and a cool draft from the café's air conditioning brushed against my tongue. She definitely came from a high-end family too, so it would make sense. I probably should've just asked instead of assuming.
"Did your family help, or did you use an allowance on this project?"
Ophi smiled, but the brightness didn't quite reach her eyes. A shadow flickered there, thin but unmistakable.
"I don't have a family, nor were we rich. They died in a car accident five years ago," she said, her voice steady but a little too rehearsed, like it had been said far too many times before.
I softened my expression, offering her a gentle smile. An apology, not just for the loss, but for thinking she needed anyone's help to stand on her own.
"But hey~, I have Kate, so it evens out somewhat!"
"Haha~, she does have that feeling to her."
The conversation shifted from the depressing mood back to the happy hangout atmosphere! Ophi really had a talent for talking. I couldn't help but think that it was because she had been alone for so long, needing an outlet, but I wasn't her, nor did I truly understand the pain of losing your loved ones.
[Quest: Make a Decision!]
- Help Ophi: Positive Karma
- Neutral stance: Bad Karma
'You know, Ezryn, you said that I should look past the initial reward, but positive karma is way better than bad karma!'
[I just said that you shouldn't always go for the initial reward. Stupid mortal!]
'Oh yeah, now that I think back.'
[Tch.]
Putting my momentary forgetfulness behind me, I focused back on the situation at hand. Losing her family to death is truly tragic. Unlike her, I knew mine were alive, but probably not doing well after my passing. I couldn't sympathize or truly understand her feelings, which made me feel even worse.
I took the last sip of my coffee and continued our conversation! She had put in effort to bring back the positivity, and it would be wrong if I brought it back down.
"What kind of clothes do you make? Oh, do you do shoes too?" I asked with the eagerness of a child. It wasn't every day you got to know a designer personally. Speaking of Ophi...
'I choose to help Ophi.'
[Understood.]
Getting the quest out of the way, I waited for her response. It took a couple of seconds, but she nodded her head, a small smile tugging at her lips. She maneuvered around on her phone for a moment before turning it toward me.
On the screen was a beautiful homepage for her clothing website, a sleek green, gold, and black logo shining at the top. Different categories of clothes were laid out — ranging across age groups and genders. Shoes and accessories were even included!
The logo was the most attention-grabbing part. It was simply the letter A, but with the connecting line in green coloring. The two lines — the right one was black, and the left was golden. The colors didn't simply stop but fused into each other, giving it the illusion that the colors were moving. It really was beautiful.
I couldn't understand the meaning of the name nor the symbol, but I had an inkling it had to do with her family. Obviously, I didn't ask or even hint that I was curious.
"This is cool! You've really done a good job, and from the look of it, it's consumer-friendly."
"T-Thanks!" she squeaked, her fingers fidgeting with the edge of her sleeve.
"Hm? You alright?" I asked, catching the faint flush creeping up her neck.
"Yep!"
'Maybe me, just imagining things.'
She sounded shy for a moment there, but I was definitely just imagining it.
"If I could just afford having employees to ship it instead of using third-party sources, that would be even more amazing." She grumbled while stirring her tea, the spoon clinking softly against the ceramic.
"It's expensive?"
"GOD! You have no clue—those greedy bastards charge so much for shipping." Her hands flew up in exasperation, nearly knocking over the tiny sugar jar on the table. "I'll have you know that my clothes would sell more if I didn't have to charge for shipping costs. I take home barely anything because of this fucking cost. I also have to buy more materials, but thankfully that's stable."
"How much would you need to kickstart it?"
"Approx. $33,489.02."
"...such a specific number."
"I want to succeed, so you best believe I know that number by heart!" The conviction practically buzzed off her, bright and stubborn as ever.
"Then, I'll help. Want $100,000?"
"Hell, I'd love $100k... Wait. Could you say that again?" She leaned in slightly, her green eyes wide with disbelief.
"I'll help. Want $100,000?"
"Are you being serious?"
"Well, I'm not joking. Can I ask if Kate's helped at all?"
"Oh! Kate has helped so much. She helped me procure a material supplier." She tapped the table lightly, punctuating each word. "Technically, it was her father, but Kate asked for me and pleaded. I should let you know, Kate isn't really good with money, so I'd watch out for that."
"Doesn't she have a lot of it?"
"She would have, but her mom made sure to take control of it."
"W-What did she do?"
"Kate... she bought a $500,000 statue of her favorite anime character."
"But $500,000 shouldn't be that much to her, right?"
"W-What the fuck, Eiz?! Her family does not have that much money!" Ophi smacked the table with the flat of her hand, rattling the silverware.
"Seriously? I thought she was loaded."
"Yes, but not that loaded!"
"Oh."
"Your sense of money is warped as well. God, what's going to happen to you two?"
"Ahem. I'm doing quite well in terms of money, so I wouldn't compare us. I could buy that statue 10x over and still be good."
"That's so unfair."
"You don't think I'm lying?"
"Bhehe~, no, I know you aren't." She giggled behind her hand, her shoulders shaking a little.
I was curious as to why she thought that, but knowing Kate she probably said something. Actually, she doesn't even know how much money I have.
"Kate told you?"
"No, what?"
"What I do?"
"Ohhh, yeah she didn't. I asked, but she said I wouldn't believe it."
"A pretty good actor apparently, not as good as my mom though."
"I see. Hmm. An actor?" She tilted her head slightly, scrutinizing me with a narrow gaze. "Maybe before..." she whispered, but I could hear it clear as day.
I didn't feel anything about it because it was the truth.
She caught the flicker of recognition in my eyes and immediately stuck her tongue out at me, her energy snapping back like a rubber band. She really wasn't the type where negativity could stick for long.
Getting back on track.
"More importantly, you want the $100,000?"
She hesitated, her fingers tapping an uneven rhythm on the table, before suddenly jumping up. "I can't take that much without doing something in return."
"Fine. I want two things."
Her ears practically perked up like a cat catching the scent of food.
"I want you to continue being close, best, damn near sisters with Kate. Secondly, I want some clothes — I wear large sizes, my shoe size is 12 men's, and my pants size... I actually don't know that size, but I trust you know. Throw in some accessories too!"
I raised my hand for a handshake, and she stared at me stunned. Shaking her head with a smile, she took my hand.
"Deal."
A radiant smile broke out on her face.
'This will definitely make Kate happy!' My Kate was 80% the reason why I even offered so much. The happier Kate is, the better, and what's better than helping her best friend?
Exactly, nothing!