"Allia Torta became paired with Carlo Deneb?"
Inside a small cafe in the city, Gerhard Goldenheim asked as he swallowed a sip of cool coffee.
"Yes. After I refused, he asked a few more times before finally giving up."
Luina Berchef, who was munching on Pragia's specialty, Kraken ink chocolate, nodded.
"Is it delicious?"
"Yes."
"I thought you weren't going to accept it before?"
"Although I feel manipulated, a victory is a victory. There's no reason not to claim the deserved spoils."
She quickly brought another chocolate to her mouth.
"Allia Torta was ranked 4th in the Knight department, wasn't she?"
"Yes. She was originally 5th, but made remarkable progress in last year's second semester final exam."
Though somewhat lacking compared to the second-ranked Luina Berchef, she was by no means an inferior talent.
From Carlo Deneb's perspective, she was at least a decent alternative.
"...Things have changed for now. Let's see how far this butterfly effect goes."
Whether it would become a storm riding the wind, or remain just a small flutter of wings.
Gerhard hoped for a moderate storm. Not so much as to severely disrupt the predicted future, while still gaining hope that the future could be changed.
"What do you mean?"
"Nothing. But rumors will spread soon."
"They already have."
The Knight department, like the Magic department, had submitted their partner's names to determine pairs.
From that moment, the fact that Luina Berchef had chosen Gerhard Goldenheim as her partner was spreading discreetly but rapidly throughout the department.
"Are you alright with that?"
"I anticipated it all, and it's something I must deal with. Besides, there was nothing incorrect in what was said."
"Well, it's true that you became my pair for money. That's why money is good."
Hmm, Gerhard nodded.
"..."
As Luina gave him an expressionless stare, Gerhard turned his head and pulled something out from thin air.
"Take this."
"What is this?"
"Elixir and exchange vouchers."
"Elixir and exchange vouchers?"
Luina made a puzzled expression at these sudden words.
"The elixir is made from refined mandrake root. And the vouchers can be exchanged for top-grade equipment at our company's directly managed weapon shop."
"Why this...? I don't have the ability to repay you."
At the mention of mandrake, Luina's pupils trembled slightly.
"Have you forgotten our contract?"
"Are you really going to sponsor me?"
"I don't say things I don't mean. And I definitely keep my promises."
After all, credit is most precious to a merchant.
"Isn't mandrake worth whatever price you ask...? And the Golden Turtle Company's top-grade weapons..."
"It's not cheap, but that's not something you need to worry about."
It would be a lie to say it wasn't expensive, but it was extremely cheap as payment for preventing the future where he'd become broke.
His plan was to gain favor by supporting Luina in every way, preventing the gloomy future, and additionally enlisting her help in stopping the demons.
"...But this is too much. I cannot accept it."
"If you don't accept, the contract is void."
"What do you mean?"
"Have you forgotten the terms of our contract? The penalty fee if not fulfilled is..."
"...I'll take it!"
Luina abruptly grabbed the box and paper. Gerhard, smiling slightly, stood up from his seat.
"Take your time eating and come down."
He opened the secret room's door and disappeared. They were in a cafe operated by the Golden Turtle Company, in a secret room inside that only people connected to the company knew about.
Right after, Luina suddenly called out as she realized something.
"...Was there a penalty clause in the contract?"
There wasn't. Realizing she'd been tricked, she laughed wryly. She hadn't expected Gerhard to deceive himself disadvantageously and had momentarily fallen for it.
"...Ha. Why go this far?"
It was hard to believe he would do this just for seeing her swordsmanship.
"...Whatever you're aiming for, you won't get it."
Having grown up feeling deeply that there's no kindness without a price, especially as her family fortunes declined, Gerhard's kindness felt like a thorn stuck in her throat.
"..."
Luina's determined gaze turned downward. She could see the elixir and exchange vouchers placed on the table.
"...If I leave them, they'll just stay here abandoned?"
...There was no issue with the contract.
Gulp
It would be a lie to say she wasn't tempted.
***
"I heard Almon became paired with Lord Rudger."
"As expected. So those two are the top of the year?"
"The only one who could face Almon was Luina, but she paired with Gerhard instead of Carlo..."
At one student's words, another student widened his eyes.
"What? Luina with Gerhard?"
"What, you didn't know? Luina is..."
Gerhard, who arrived at the common lecture hall for the cooperative classes between the Magic and Knight departments, briefly looked around before approaching the familiar brown head he had met a few times recently.
"You're already here."
"You've arrived."
As Gerhard sat next to Luina, the hall, which had gone quiet the moment he entered, started to become noisy again.
"So it's true."
"What could Luina possibly need from him?"
"Luina, doesn't your equipment look different?"
"Is it really for money...?"
Confirming a rumor in person was different from just hearing it. The pairing of the second-ranked and the tenth-ranked, who previously had no notable interactions, created an unexpected picture for everyone.
"Your equipment has changed."
"...It would be a waste to leave it untouched."
"I wasn't going to throw it away though."
"If I left it behind, it might have blown away and disappeared in the wind."
Gerhard curled up the corners of his mouth at her unexpected response.
"It looks like medium-grade. Why not go with top-grade?"
"How could I walk around openly wearing something engraved with the Golden Turtle Company's emblem?"
Gerhard turned his gaze away with a smirk at Luina's wariness. Among the people looking at them with curiosity, three stood out particularly.
One was the pair of Rudger Schwaben and Almon Donertz, who were sending looks that seemed to ask if it was real and found it amusing.
"..."
The other was Carlo Deneb, who was looking at Gerhard with subtle hostility.
"The aftermath isn't clean."
"What do you mean?"
"Look over there. Doesn't he seem quite displeased about losing you?"
"That's ridiculous. I don't belong to anyone."
"Of course that's obvious."
Gerhard raised his voice.
"Carlo Deneb."
His voice, subtly mixed with mana, immediately silenced the noisy hall.
"Do you have something to say to me?"
"...No."