Simon had exactly 20 gold on him.
It wasn't a small amount — Richard had practically bled their savings dry to gather it — but if it wasn't enough…
"Since you're none other than Miss Lorain's and Mr. Knox's guest," Stephanie said politely, "I'll speak frankly without bargaining."
She clasped her hands together.
"It's 5,000 gold."
"...What?" Simon felt the sky collapse on top of him.
That amount was several years of Leshill's entire living budget.
Knox gently tapped Simon's shoulder.
"Relax, Simon. Don't worry about it."
Before Simon could ask what he meant, Lorain added: "I'll pay for it."
She casually took out her purse.
Stephanie lit up like a festival lantern. "Right this way, VVIPs!"
The two began moving toward the counter—
"W-Wait a minute!!"
Simon's frantic shout echoed through the showroom.
Lorain turned back, tilting her head. Knox remained still, hands in his pockets, watching with a faint smile.
"You—you really don't have to do this! It's 5,000 gold! I can't accept something that expensive!" Simon said, flustered.
Lorain tilted her head again.
Knox stared at her, mildly concerned. Then he walked behind her, placed both hands gently on her head, and slowly guided her tilting head back to a normal position — even though nothing was actually wrong.
The warmth of his hands made her freeze in place for a moment.
When her head was straightened (for absolutely no reason), Lorain turned and glared up at Knox.
But to Knox, the glare looked more like a kitten puffing up in annoyance.
Stephanie, watching this, smiled like an indulgent aunt.
Simon, meanwhile, suffered another wave of secondhand sweetness — he was starting to fear he'd develop diabetes at this rate.
"C-cough," Lorain said, trying to regain composure. "Didn't you hear what my mom said? She's the one buying this."
"…Lady Nefthis?" Simon blinked.
"Yeah. Let me think…" Lorain tapped a finger against her lips.
"I don't know the full story, but she said she owes your parents a huge debt. Something between adults, so you don't need to worry about it."
"Ah…" Simon murmured.
Knox only smiled — he already knew the truth about Simon's parents.
And Lorain, catching that familiar smile, immediately understood that Knox definitely knew something she didn't.
Her instincts — sharpened from years of living with him — told her so.
Feeling proud of herself for noticing, Lorain secretly resolved to ask Knox about it later.
After several rounds of Simon refusing and Lorain insisting, he finally accepted the subspace pouch.
Stephanie bowed deeply, glowing with satisfaction.
"Thank you, dear customer! Miss Lorain! Mr. Knox! Please visit us again next time!"
As Knox, Lorain, and Simon stepped out of the shop, Stephanie and the clerks bowed deeply behind them.
Outside, warm sunlight poured over the street.
Simon stared at the ring on his finger — the subspace ring — watching the subtle shimmer dance across its surface.
'This… is really mine?'
His expression made it obvious he was on the verge of grinning like an idiot.
"You like it that much?" Lorain teased, nudging him lightly.
"…Haha." Simon tried to laugh it off, but his happiness was impossible to hide.
"I feel like I owe too much. I really don't know how to repay Lady Nefthis…"
"It's fine," Lorain said. "But if there's anything my mom wants, it's for you to survive Kizen properly."
Knox followed up immediately, voice dead serious.
"You really need to give it your best, Simon. Trust me — life in Kizen is worse than being a corporate slave."
Lorain froze.
First, she hurriedly forced her brain (which she rarely used, according to Knox) to memorize Knox's rare serious expression.
Second, she shot him a look. "Why do you say that like you've actually experienced it?"
Third, she turned to Simon. "I don't really know what corporate life is like… but Kizen is absolutely harsh. So you need to prepare — mentally and physically."
Hearing both of them say this, Simon suddenly felt the weight of reality press down on him.
He inhaled deeply. Exhaled. Then clenched his fists.
"Yes! I'll really do my best!"
Seeing his determination, Knox and Lorain both nodded in satisfaction.
The shopping trip continued afterward.
They bought daily essentials — pens, notebooks, lamps — and also skeleton sets and potion materials, all of which Simon stored neatly using the subspace ring.
Knox even asked the shop owner at the skeleton and corpse store if he had any rare-grade materials.
(Though Knox couldn't openly use his Shadow Monarch authority inside Kizen, he could still freely summon undead from physical skeletons and corpses.)
According to Lorain, supplies could also be purchased in the city outside Kizen, but everything there was much more expensive.
"Simon! Knox! Let's go do that!" Lorain suddenly pointed at a dart game booth.
"…Is dart throwing part of the entrance preparation too?" Simon asked, completely serious.
"It's just for fun!" Lorain shot back.
Knox walked up beside them, already chuckling. "Simon, there's no way dart throwing is part of Kizen's entrance prep," he said, shaking his head with a grin. "If Kizen ever makes this a test, you wouldn't be throwing darts at a board—you'd be throwing them at an undead or a priest. C'mon, let's just play first. Today's gonna be long enough as it is."
With that little jab, he nudged Simon toward the booth.
Even though Knox and Lorain kept getting sidetracked by random things that caught their attention… they were still reliable guides.
"Now, we light it," Lorain said.
"Yeah. Now," Knox echoed.
At the Langerstine Observatory, the three of them released their lanterns at the same time. The lights drifted upward, joining hundreds of others climbing toward the night sky.
Around them, more lanterns floated up, painting the darkness with warm crimson glows. Cheers erupted, hands clapped, and couples leaned in to kiss as though someone had cued them.
Lorain's cheeks flushed. For a moment, she imagined herself in that scene—with a certain childhood friend beside her. The thought hit too hard, so she snapped herself out of it and quickly said:
"This is Langerstine's must-see attraction—A Thousand Lights!"
She planted her hands on her hips, smiling proudly. "Well? What do you think, Simon?"
"Can I be honest?"
"Of course."
Without looking away from the glowing sky, Simon replied, "I'm just amazed there are a thousand suckers willing to spend 200 silver on a flaming sheet of oily paper. That thought kind of crossed my mind…"
"..."
Lorain stared at him, utterly done.
Then Knox chimed in, deadpan: "With 200 silver, you can buy a lot of food…"
She turned her glare to him next—but because it was Knox, and because she knew exactly how much of a foodie he was, all she could do was sigh and mutter,
"Both of you are really gonna fit in at Kizen."
"Thank you. I'll do my best…" Simon answered earnestly.
"That wasn't a compliment!" Lorain snapped.
"She's right, Simon," Knox added with a solemn nod.
Lorain whipped around. "I said that to you as well!"
The three of them headed toward their final stop of the day—a fancy restaurant overlooking the sea.
A crystal chandelier hung overhead, scattering soft light across polished tables. Silverware gleamed, the napkins were folded like art pieces, and the waiters looked like they'd walked straight out of a formal banquet painting.
Knox glanced at Simon's face and instantly knew—yep, first time in a place like this. He didn't even need the novel's story to confirm it.
They started with the restaurant's signature glossy steak. The moment Simon took his first bite, an indescribable wave of bliss washed through him. Meanwhile, Knox—who ate with impeccable grace—was already on his third portion. Lorain didn't even blink; the moment she saw the steak on Knox's plate disappearing, she automatically signaled a waiter for another serving. It was muscle memory at this point.
Years of living together had taught her every single one of Knox's food habits. Watching him eat—peaceful, focused, happy—always made her meals taste a little better. Even her mother agreed: Knox eating something made the food look more delicious than normal.
After savoring both her actual food and the pleasant bonus scenery (Knox enjoying himself), Lorain finally noticed Simon's surprisingly proper posture at the table.
"You're good with fancy cutlery too? Guess a noble's still a noble," Lorain teased, resting her chin on her hand, still half-focused on Knox.
"My father was strict about etiquette," Simon replied quietly.
"You were trained well. Oh! And just so you know—around 30% of Kizen's students are commoners."
She dabbed her lips with a napkin as she continued, tone turning a bit more instructional.
"You can't look down on others because of status. Kizen's all meritocracy. Even the daughter of a duke bows her head to upperclassmen commoners. Basically, think of everyone as equal first-years."
Simon nodded. Growing up in Leshill, he'd gotten along with everyone regardless of rank anyway, so it didn't worry him much.
"Of course," Lorain added, "there are exceptions. Like… status stops mattering when you're in front of someone strong enough to crush it. Even the arrogant nobles end up acting like well-trained guard dogs in front of him."
She tapped Knox's shoulder proudly, wearing an expression that practically screamed look at my genius childhood friend.
Knox glanced at her face and couldn't help smiling. He reached over and gently pinched her cheek.
"If they act like trained guard dogs around me," he said, "then they're basically kittens under a dragon's jaw when they stand in front of you."
Lorain's face flushed at the sudden pinch, and she swatted lightly at his hand. She cleared her throat with a tiny cough—trying, and failing, not to look flustered.
She quickly turned to Simon.
"Anyway! Tomorrow's the entrance ceremony. If you're curious about anything, go ahead and ask."
"Hm… I actually had a few questions," Simon said, scratching his cheek. "But… I forgot one of them. I swear it came up earlier today… but it's gone now. So—uh—another one. I heard something from that girl who 'exchanged wallets' with me earlier. About majors."
"Majors? Good question." Lorain brightened immediately.
"In the first semester, you take nine classes. After that, you get to choose what you want to focus on. By second year, you have to pick an official major."
Knox, just finishing his newest steak, wiped his mouth and chimed in,
"It's better if you find your major early. At least you'll have some direction for the road ahead."
"I see… So I need to figure out which subjects suit me," Simon said, nodding seriously.
"Exactly!" Lorain's eyes sparkled in that strategist mode way she got sometimes. She twirled her fork like she was plotting a long-term academic empire.
"Even in first semester, having a main area to focus on helps. In group projects, students with a specialty get snatched up fast."
At the words group projects, Knox froze for a second.
"Ugh. Group projects…" he muttered, grimacing like someone who'd just tasted trauma.
Lorain blinked at him. "What's wrong with you?"
Knox just looked away dramatically.
Oblivious to their little exchange, Simon nodded with determination.
"I'll definitely keep that in mind."
"Do you have anything in mind already?" Lorain asked.
Simon thought back to the morning—the bones rising, the undead assembling. The image was burned into his brain.
"…I think I'm a bit interested in summoning."
"Summoning? Nice! Going down the traditional path, huh," Lorain said.
Then he glanced at both Knox and Lorain.
"How about you two?"
Knox spoke first. "I'm leaning toward Jet-Black Mechanics, Summoning, or Matou. Depends on how things go, but… I'll probably end up on the Summoning path."
Hearing that, Simon immediately recalled how Knox had casually summoned a whole arsenal of swords to take down those gang members earlier. Honestly… with that kind of display, "Summoning path" felt like an understatement.
Lorain nodded knowingly—of course she understood what 'depends on the situation' meant.
"I'm the same. I'm torn between those three too." said Lorain.
Simon quietly took another bite of dessert, suddenly tasting more dog food than sugar.
From there, Lorain went through the different fields, Knox adding bits here and there. Simon listened like someone hearing the secrets of the universe for the first time.
By the time they finished dinner, the night had barely begun. They drifted to a nearby tavern for a second round… then a third. It was Simon's first time drinking; Knox and Lorain, meanwhile, handled their drinks like seasoned city people.
By the time the three arrived at Simon's lodging, it was already past midnight.
"Thanks for walking me home, Knox, Lorain," Simon said.
"Don't mention it," Lorain replied.
"No problem," Knox added.
"Um…"
Simon hesitated, cheeks flushed from the drink.
"Technically, men should be the ones walking girls home…"
"Hm?" Lorain blinked, then smiled teasingly. "Oh? So you were aware of that?"
"Ahem," Simon coughed.
"I appreciate the thought. But Langerstine's complicated. Forget walking me home—you wouldn't even find your own way back tonight since it's your first day here."
Then she grabbed Knox's shoulder. "Besides… I have him with me."
Her expression said I trust him more than anything.
Knox nodded like an over-enthusiastic anime character.
"Mmh mmh! Don't worry, Simon. Even a mad stray dog would think twice about tailing Lorain."
"Hey—!" Lorain immediately threw a kick at him, but Knox casually dodged it, already prepared.
Simon, meanwhile, couldn't deny the logic.
After a few more failed kicks, Lorain sighed and turned back to Simon.
"Get some rest, okay? If I hear you woke up late because of drinking, I'll be dead when my mom finds out."
Knox added, "Yeah. And don't act like an excited kid before a field trip—too hyped to sleep, then oversleeping anyway."
Lorain narrowed her eyes. "Oh? Why do you sound like you've experienced that~?"
Knox immediately looked up at the sky and whistled innocently.
Simon laughed. "Yes, yes. I'll sleep properly. And… thank you both for today. I had a great time."
He bowed deeply.
Honestly, it wasn't just a great time. He knew he'd remember this day forever.
Just as he turned to walk into the dorms, Knox and Lorain exchanged a small smile. Then—
"Oh! Simon!" Lorain called out.
"Actually, we have a confession."
Simon turned back, confused.
"Yes?"
Lorain tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, suddenly shy.
"I wasn't trying to hide it… I just—missed the right moment. So…"
Knox added with a playful grin, "And when I realized keeping it secret was kinda fun, I didn't say anything~ ehehe."
"...?" Simon blinked.
Then Lorain winked. "Actually—I'm a first-year too!"
"...Ye-yeah?" Simon stammered.
Knox raised a hand.
"Same here, Simon. In case you didn't catch it earlier, I'll spell it out: I'm a first-year too."
Lorain waved as she grabbed Knox's hand.
"So next time we meet at school, talk casually. Bye!"
Knox gave his own wave before they disappeared into the dim street.
"..."
Simon stared at the spot they vanished from.
Then a small laugh escaped him.
"…Maybe school life will be more fun than I expected."
He finally headed inside, feeling strangely warm.
————————————
Character Voicelines · Simon: About Eating 'Dog Food'
Simon:sighs …I thought leaving home would finally free me from watching my parents feed me dog food.
Simon (looking at a certain white-haired boy and black-haired girl spreading diabetes in front of him): …
Simon: …Should I see a doctor?