"What are we going to do? What are we going to do? What are we going to do…?" Ronald repeated like a broken wind-up toy stuck on panic mode.
"Chill," I said, waving a hand like it could dismiss reality. "We just need to earn it back. How hard can it be?"
"That depends entirely on the amount," Isaac muttered, already bracing for the worst.
"How much was it?" Ronald asked, his voice tight.
We all turned to Rona.
She held up one finger.
"One thousand?" I guessed.
Rona shook her head.
Isaac squinted. "One million?"
Another shake.
"More?!" Ronald squeaked.
"One billion," Rona said cheerfully, as if we'd just asked what her favorite flavor of ice cream was.
A long, terrible silence followed.
"We spent one billion… on food," I said slowly, nodding in solemn awe. "What a champ we are."
"And now," Isaac said grimly, rubbing the back of his neck like he could already feel the noose tightening, "we somehow have to earn it back. Or else…"
Ronald was already gone—spiritually, anyway. He stood frozen in place, eyes wide and lifeless, as if he'd just seen his entire afterlife flash before him on repeat.
Isaac groaned and raked a hand through his hair. "How on earth are we supposed to scrape together one billion in time?"
"Did… she say when she needed the money?" I asked hopefully.
Isaac gave me a long, withering stare. "Isn't it obvious? It's today."
"…Just checking," I mumbled, quickly looking away.
We stood there in a collective silence, each of us waiting for someone—anyone—to come up with a miracle plan.
Slowly, I turned to Isaac. "Go hack, nerd boy."
Isaac blinked. "What?"
"That's your thing, isn't it?" I jabbed a finger at him. "You're always bragging about stealing money from the rich."
Isaac threw his hands up. "I can't hack The System. It's unhackable!"
"Have you actually tried?" I raised an eyebrow.
"Yeah. On the first day." He scowled. "I was caught immediately. Got reprimanded by the Vice… while the Master just stood there and laughed."
"So hacking's a no," I said with a sigh, pouting.
"What about… selling flowers?" Ronald offered hesitantly.
"Sure," Isaac said dryly, "and how long would it take to earn one billion that way?"
Ronald visibly deflated.
Then, like a lightbulb popped on over his head, he perked up. "Wait! What if we ask Llyne's Master for help?"
"Ha!" I barked out a laugh. "That cheapskate old hag wouldn't lend us a crumb."
"It's worth a try," Isaac said, ignoring my dramatics.
"She's really kind," Ronald added, all innocent and sincere.
"That's like calling a demon an angel," I said, staring at them in disbelief. "Do you even know her?"
"Come on. Let's head to the House of Aum. No detours this time," Isaac said firmly, throwing me a side-eye as he took the lead.
"Fine, fine. Lead the way already, Shorty," I muttered, sticking out my tongue behind his back.
With Isaac leading the way, we reached the House of Aum just before sundown.
I threw open the main door with the dramatic flair of a returning hero. "Maste~ I'm back! Did you miss m—hiik!!"
I froze mid-step.
Standing at the entrance were Master Sylph and the ever-lazy Lady Nozomi. Only one of them looked happy to see me.
Purple fumes of barely contained rage swirled around Master like a thundercloud in a teacup.
"Oh my, look here," she said sweetly, her voice edged with venom. "Our little shrew has returned. For a moment, I thought you'd died of starvation somewhere, so I even planned a tiny funeral. Only to realize—tragically—I couldn't bury you without a body."
I blinked, then asked, without thinking, "Are you on menopause?"
Beside her, Lady Nozomi stifled a chuckle. "Master is just glad you're back," she said lazily.
"Really?" I squinted at her. "Then why does she want to bury me?"
"It's her way of expressing how much she wants to keep you all to herself," Nozomi said, not missing a beat.
"You're enjoying watching me believe every word, aren't you?"
"Are you believing them?"
"No."
"What a pity," she sighed, stretching. "I suppose playtime is over. Ciao~"
And with a flick of her wrist and a blink of an eye, she vanished—just like that—leaving me alone in the path of a furious Master.
"Sheesh," I muttered under my breath. "There's no normal people here except me."
Isaac, Ronald, and Rona stepped forward and bowed respectfully before Master Sylph, who stood at the entrance with her usual aura of composed menace.
"Good evening, Master Sylph," Isaac began carefully. "I—"
"I know who you all are," Master Sylph interrupted, her eyes narrowing just a touch. "But tell me—what brings you here? Surely it's not to engage in polite conversation with my slave?"
All three of them turned to look at me at once.
"Slave?" Their faces screamed the question.
I looked away, pretending to be suddenly fascinated with a crack in the floor tiles.
Isaac cleared his throat and soldiered on. "Well, we were wondering if you could lend us one billion. We promise to repay you someday. We'll even write a contract—"
"Alright," Master Sylph said simply.
"Hah! I knew you wouldn't—" I started smugly, then blinked. My brain finally caught up with her words. "Wait. What?!"
I turned to her, dumbfounded. "You… agree?"
"Of course," she said, serene as ever. "They are your friends, aren't they?"
"Are you high on poison or took a bet with Lady Nozomi?" I narrowed my eyes at Master Sylph.
Master Sylph just ignored me.
"Really?" Ronald's eyes lit up like twin suns. "Thank you, Master Sylph! I thought you wouldn't, since Llyne said you, the cheapskate old hag, wouldn't even lend us a crumb—"
Silence.
My soul left my body.
Isaac stared at the floor like it had suddenly become very interesting.
Rona gave a long, dramatic whistle.
Then, as if the horror of his words had just registered, Ronald clapped a hand over his mouth. "Hick! I mean… uh…"
He leaned over to Isaac and whispered frantically, "What should I do? I said one sentence too many. What if Llyne dies?"
Isaac smirked, not even bothering to lower his voice. "She deserves it."
Ronald squeaked, already mourning me in advance.
I glanced around nervously, half-expecting Master Sylph to have planted traps somewhere, just waiting to be triggered by my guilt. Slowly, I turned and tiptoed toward the house.
"Well then, I'll get going now," I said, inching away. "I'll leave you guys to handle your billion-coin problem."
"Wait," Master Sylph's voice rang out, sharp and commanding.
I froze mid-step, a cold sweat breaking across my back.
'Oh no. This is it. I better start groveling… fast.'
I spun around, skidded across the floor, and dropped to my knees in front of her. "You know what Ronald said wasn't me, right? I would never call you a cheapskate old hag! I mean—seriously—that's just absurd!"
I rubbed my head against her feet with the most pitiful puppy eyes I could muster.
Master Sylph bent down, and I immediately braced myself for a full-force whooping. I clenched my eyes shut and held my breath.
But instead of the expected smackdown, she took my arm and pulled me gently to my feet.
"Oh, I know you wouldn't say that," she said calmly.
I blinked. My face lit up with cautious hope.
"In fact," she continued, "I'm not worried about that at all."
Relief flooded my chest. For a fleeting moment, I thought maybe—just maybe—this day wouldn't end with my soul permanently relocated to the spirit realm—until she added with a smile too sweet to be genuine:
"But… do you really think I'd let you off the hook for being missing for a few months?"
I felt the color drain from my face.
"Eh? You won't?" I asked, voice rising in panic.
Master's glare cut through me like a blade.
"I-it wasn't on purpose," I stammered. "I was kidnapped!"
"No excuse," she said, voice as smooth and cold as iced poison. "Your punishment will be six months in your room, grinding pills until your fingers fall off."
"S-six months?!" I gasped, color vanishing from my face. My soul was halfway out the door, waving goodbye to the physical realm.
"Now go to your room," she ordered calmly.
"Okies, Master…" I muttered in defeat, turning to flee like a whipped puppy.
'Whew! At least she didn't ask about her books…' I sighed internally.
"Lil." Master's voice rang like a bell behind me. "What about my books?"
My feet froze. 'EEEK! Did she just read my mind?!'
"You do realize," she continued coolly, "if even one of my books is missing… I'll make every single cell in your body wish it could die."
I gulped. "What if I… uh… lost more than one book?"
Her expression darkened. "Do you really want to know?"
"Nope!" I shot upright with nervous energy. "Got six months worth of grinding to do! Don't you worry about your books, Master—they're definitely, absolutely, probably safe! Ciao~!"
Master narrowed her eyes, clearly suspicious, but let it go—for now. She turned toward Isaac, Ronald, and Rona and beckoned them inside.
They followed, glancing over their shoulders at me as if I were marching toward the guillotine.
But of course… it didn't end there.
Later that very night, word somehow reached Master Sylph about that little incident I caused at the Crimson Veil Bureau. And just like that, my sentence was extended. Extra punishments, extra grinding, and possibly an extra soul leaving my body.
At this point, even the rats in the House of Aum were probably better off than me.