Chapter 58
The days when I couldn't rely on my mother or Illumi were surprisingly easy.
In the past, I was always unconsciously influenced by the attitudes of those around me, the way my mother looked down on me, and Illumi's "pity" for me, and I gave up and thought that I was just a "fool who is nothing without Adrian".
That was not the case.
At first, I still relied on others for my living expenses, and those others were Kurapika's friend, Leorio.
"I'm not available to withdraw money right now, sorry to bother you." The blond young man, who always seemed aloof, would sometimes relax too much in front of his friends, leaning against the hotel bed with his eyes slightly closed, and say this as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
Leorio protested, waving his fist:
"You idiot—I told you to rely on your friends a little, and you've gone way too far! You've been working in those places for so many years, your rewards must be far more than what I, a student, am getting! My basic living expenses are entirely covered by subsidies from the school and the association!"
Kurapika opened his eyes, turned his face, and said in an innocent tone:
"That being said, you must have extra savings, right? You didn't get your hunter's license for nothing, did you?"
Leorio: "...You brat!"
I looked at Leorio, then at Kurapika, and finally couldn't help but raise my hand and ask:
"Excuse me, is Mr. Leorio still enrolled in school?"
Leorio looked hurt and asked me incredulously, "Isn't it obvious? I look like a student!"
Kurapika: "..."
I:"……"
There was no reply, but this awkward silence silently proved that our thoughts were in agreement at this moment.
Needless to say, Leorio has already grasped the profound meaning of it all.
He angrily moved closer to Kurapika, insisting on comparing his prematurely aged face with Kurapika's youthful, delicate face, no matter how cool he tried to look, and started yelling at me:
"Look closely, I'm clearly not that much different from this guy! We're the same age!"
Me: "...Hehe."
My good manners prevented me from making an inappropriate response.
This topic is too dangerous, I dare not continue, so I simply steered the conversation back to where we left off.
"How much usable savings does Mr. Leorio currently have?" I asked.
Leorio looked surprised and wary: "Why are you suddenly asking about this?"
I honestly replied, "Because I don't want to go home for the time being."
Leorio: "...So you mean..."
I naturally followed up with, "Please take care of me while you're taking care of Mr. Kurapika."
The room fell silent the moment the words left his mouth.
This state lasted for less than two seconds before being ended by Leorio.
He exaggerated to the point that his tone was filled with despair.
"What's wrong with this world... Please, I'm the only genuinely poor person in this room! Can't you two respect yourselves?" Leorio protested.
...I've been very respectful, but now I'm running away from home.
I blinked innocently at him.
In the end, Leorio generously took over my and Kurapika's daily expenses for the time being, but only three days later, he came to me alone with his account book.
“Miss Adrian,” he began, his tone serious, “I think we need to talk.”
I pressed the button on the game console, stared at the character on the screen, and asked:
What to talk about?
Leorio: "...Who runs away from home and still remembers to take their game console out to play?"
I said, "But I'm so bored in the hotel, and Kurapika doesn't like to talk to me."
Leorio tried to lower his voice: "He is a patient. Don't be fooled by his normal movements; his physical condition is actually not good."
I nodded, looking even more innocent: "So I didn't bother him, I just played games by myself... Do you think playing games on silent isn't enough? Then I'll go book another room."
Leorio became even more enraged: "That's why you should have switched rooms with me from the start! You're a girl!"
"It's okay, Kurapika is sleeping over there anyway." I continued my struggle with the game console. "I'm being nice by not molesting him."
Leorio: "..."
"Is there anything else?" I asked without looking up.
He said, "Of course, girls are at a disadvantage in these situations... Ugh, whatever! I don't know what you guys are thinking! I can't argue with you. Anyway, let's change rooms! It must be inconvenient for you to stay here!"
Hmph. I don't want to.
"Your room is too small and in a bad location; it will affect my sleep," I refused, giving a valid reason. "I've already lowered my requirements for food and clothing; please don't adjust my living conditions any further regarding accommodation!"
The ledger in Leorio's hands finally came in handy at this moment.
Just as I jumped over the bushes blocking the hero's party, Leorio slammed his ledger onto my game console with a "thud":
"—So, Miss, please take a closer look. Your spending far exceeds the combined spending of Kurapika and me. Putting aside what you bought, do you never haggle when you buy things?"
I:"……"
After calmly and temporarily removing his ledger, I unsurprisingly discovered that the Hero Squad had been completely wiped out because I had lost control of the team.
game over.
I put down the game console, thinking I should have just paused it... Then I answered his question:
“My mother usually doesn’t entrust me with business that requires me to negotiate prices. No, let alone negotiating prices, I don’t usually need to pay attention to prices or my own balance. Even Illumi has never asked me to do that.”
Leorio: "..."
Information brokers make a fortune from their business, and the Adrian family is practically a huge gold trading center. For this reason, Illumi always raises the price significantly when accepting missions from his mother, and then offers discounts to regular customers.
—Anyway, Madam doesn't care about this little bit of nunning, I will provide service efficiency and quality commensurate with the price.
That's what he told my mother.
My mother never raised any objections. She always acted very tolerant and generous in front of Illumi. Sometimes I would suspect that she chose to arrange my marriage with Illumi because she liked Illumi more than she liked me.
I can't understand it.
But now is not a good time to understand this kind of thing.
Leorio, with a stern face, continued to speak to me with a serious expression:
"I know you've been trying your best to accommodate us; the only extra expense these past few days has been this rented game console. But I'm sorry, my savings are far less than you think!"
I tried to decipher the meaning behind his words: "...so..."
“So,” Leorio said, “please take me with you next time you go out on an operation.”
He pushed up his sunglasses and said confidently, "Whatever you want to buy, I can definitely bargain it down to the absolute lowest possible price!"
I suddenly realized: "...Oh."
So that's what it was all about.
"Okay." I nodded cooperatively.
“And also,” he added, “Kurapika is a patient, so he needs to rest for the time being, but your body is absolutely healthy—”
What's going on now?
I gave him a questioning look.
Leorio said, "So please try being self-reliant and earning your own money to spend! That's the right way to live in this world!"
...
all in all.
Just like that, in a daze, I was forcibly taken out of the hotel by a young man named Leorio and set off on a journey to find money.
"I can't do anything..." I said weakly to him on the way, my mind preoccupied with the game console I was about to return. "Although I received what's called 'aristocratic education,' I'm actually not good at playing the piano, not good at the violin, and my skills in everything from horseback riding, archery, shooting, and combat to learning a third language are just average, only above average among amateurs..."
A parasitic plant that will weaken and die if it leaves the protection of the Adrian family and my mother... That's how everyone sees me.
“After you get married, I won’t hand over the family business to you, but I will give you a few companies and some commercial streets,” my mother once said. “That way, even if you quarrel with your husband for a while, you won’t be in too much trouble.”
Looking back now, I realize that I was quite happy, at least materially.
It's strange that I'm only realizing now that there were satisfying aspects to my life before. Is it because I escaped that kind of life that I can now view it more objectively and comprehensively?
Before I could reach a conclusion, I heard Leorio ask in a surprised tone:
"Musical instruments, martial arts, languages... you've studied all of these."
“Of course,” I reiterated, “but it was very amateurish. The teachers who tutored me were clearly just doing it to get paid.”
I am not any teacher's favorite student, and from this I can clearly sense my own talent.
Sigh, I really don't know what to do now that I'm no longer living the life of slacking off in Adrian.
Leorio, however, seriously inquired about my skill level: "Can you play a complete piece of music?"
I can."
He asked, "Can you explain music theory to beginners?"
Me: "Of course!"
He then asked, "What level are you at? Do you have any certificates?"
I found the question a bit strange, but I still went through the skills I had learned and the certificates I had obtained... I didn't take those certificates because I wanted to; they were just certificates that my teachers took me to get, to prove that they were indeed working diligently and tutoring me wholeheartedly.
Leorio's mouth dropped open into a wide circle after hearing this: "You can do everything!"
Me: "...I clearly don't know any of them. The teachers who taught me all had other gifted students. For example, when it came to playing the piano, a piece that took me a week to master, he said that another student of his only needed to listen to it twice to play it."
“That’s because your teachers are all famous people, so they’ve taught many geniuses,” Leorio asked.
I thought about it and said, "It seems so..."
Leorio exclaimed excitedly, "So you're already quite remarkable among ordinary people! ...The God of Part-Time Jobs! Yes, once you make your move, you'll definitely become a god-like figure in our part-time job industry. You can meet the employer's requirements for any part-time job!"
"...Is he really that good?" I wondered. "Who would need me?"
He, however, was lost in his own excitement and urged me to hurry up so we could go to the job placement agency together.
So, in the next two days, I played the piano at a restaurant, trained horses, and acted as a simultaneous interpreter for two hours. Leorio even asked me if I could be a stunt double for an actress in a film crew, but I refused because I didn't want my family to find out.
On the morning of the third day, I had just finished breakfast and was sitting cross-legged on the hotel bed when Leorio came in.
I asked, "Have you found a suitable job yet? What time are you leaving?"
He held his phone, his face full of gratitude: "That... we don't need it for now! You've already earned enough for the three of us to live on for half a month!"
I blinked and looked up from the game: "Really? But I don't feel like I put in much effort... Aren't you saying that surviving out here is a very difficult thing?"
Leorio said, "Yes, to survive in today's society, you have to be prepared for the survival of the fittest and for bloodshed and sacrifice at any time... But that's nothing for you! Because you can do difficult tasks that others can't! Lei, you're amazing!"
I tilted my head, feeling like it was all too unreal.
"Are you sure you're talking about me?" I asked again to confirm. "I really helped you guys make this much money."
“While it might be a drop in the ocean compared to your previous life,” Leorio gave a thumbs-up and smiled, “it’s a huge sum of money for us! Yes, I’m genuinely praising you, Ray, you’re really—amazing!”
I:"……"
I can't quite remember how far the game has progressed, and I'm not really concerned about it anymore.
I put the machine down, turned around, and collapsed onto the bed, burying my face in the pillow.
Kurapika finally looked up from his newspaper, and I could feel his gaze and his silent doubt.
"What's wrong?" he asked. "What happened?"
Leorio rushed forward and explained our actions over the past two days to him, finally emphasizing my contribution once again:
"She really made a lot of money in one go with such ease!"
Kurapika sighed and said, "...Give her the reward. This should be the first time she's earned money with her own hands. My injuries are almost healed, so I can use my savings then."
Before Leorio could speak, I raised my right hand in protest, my voice muffled and indistinct beneath the pillow:
"I'm not unhappy because I didn't get the money. I'm not going to fight you for this little bit of money."
After a moment of silence, I climbed out of the pillow, my head drooping, looking down at the pillow mark in front of me, my long hair blocking my view of the surroundings.
"I just... realized for the first time that I have the ability to support myself."
Tilting my head, I finally looked at Kurapika and Leorio on the other side and forced a smile:
"I don't need to be the best, I don't need to be a genius like Illumi and the others. It turns out that as long as I know something, am willing to find a job and work for a little while, I can earn money."
“You guys are so strange,” I said. “Everyone else is against me working, not to mention at home. Illumi is very generous to me, and Killua will pay for me... but you guys are making me work and even giving me money. I really don’t understand what’s going on with you guys.”
“That’s how it is,” Kurapika said calmly. “Welcome to the world of ordinary people, young lady.”
—This is how we've always lived.
It was as if he was saying this to me.
Everyone has always told me that being able to receive without effort and be unconditionally pampered and indulged is a very happy thing.
I've heard similar things many times:
Of course I'll buy Rye whatever she wants; she can have anything she desires.
Just tell me what you want, and I'll buy it for you.
I will definitely bring back anything that Ray likes.
...
Such numerous and seemingly heavy acts of "sacrifice" are, in theory, expressions of love, and can be moving and bring happiness.
But for some reason, those "gifts" and "gifts" that came crashing down like a tidal wave seemed particularly bleak and repulsive at this moment.
I prefer the rewards I receive from ordinary people through hard work to gifts I receive from being pampered.
“I see…” So I replied to Kurapika, “Then I’ll continue to experience the world of ordinary people. Please take care of me from now on, tour guide.”
--------------------
Thank you so much for your support! I will continue to work hard!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
