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Join the ServerThree days had passed since Ephnel last updated her personal status.
She had received many new comments and reposts on it.
Ephnel randomly clicked on a few and replied, as this was also part of her job.
‘There’s really nothing left to do…’
Ephnel listlessly put down the tablet and glanced at the time.
Only about ten minutes had passed.
There was still over half an hour to go before she could see Yukina in an apron.
Ephnel sighed, feeling as if the day was exceptionally long.
The tip of the pen dotted the notebook, the ink bleeding slightly, leaving behind a small, black dandelion.
From an angle Ephnel couldn’t see, Yukina propped her cheek up with her left hand, her right hand slowly moving across the notebook, writing down two lines of words.
“–Wedding rings?”
“–Wedding photos?”
Engagement rings or wedding photos? That was the question.
In truth, Yukina hadn’t been studying much at all.
When she saw the ring on Ephnel’s finger, she suddenly felt as though she had found the answer she had been searching for all this time.
“When I come of age, will you marry me, Naoko?”
“I will.”
She had asked, and Naoko had given her the answer she had hoped for.
Even though Yukina could sense the helplessness in Naoko’s eyes, she could also feel the burning warmth of that promise from Naoko’s palm.
They were both serious.
Yukina had found the answer to her question—”What to get Naoko for her birthday?”
It would be an important promise that belonged solely to them, or rather, an aspiration for “that day” which she could see and touch right now.
Yukina wanted to get engaged to Naoko, to have beautiful wedding photos taken with Naoko.
But both of these options were somewhat unrealistic for Yukina—the Yanases weren’t short on money, and neither was Naoko, but Yukina was…
The amount of pocket money Yukina had at her disposal each month was actually quite a lot.
Among her peers, it was far and away above average, even more than what some people earned in a month’s salary.
But this didn’t mean Yukina had enough spare cash to order a pair of expensive diamond engagement rings, or to purchase the services of a fine wedding photographer.
Simple silver rings or a hastily done art photography session were certainly within her means, but that wasn’t what Yukina wanted.
What she wanted was a birthday gift that would leave an absolutely unforgettable impression on Naoko.
So, only two problems remained.
“–If I choose engagement rings, then I have to find a chance to get Naoko’s finger size, and prepare enough money.”
“–If I choose wedding photos, I need to prepare enough money.”
In short, money.
Yukina needed it right now, and she couldn’t ask Naoko for it, or it would lose all meaning.
There was still one month until Naoko’s birthday.
Her allowance was not small at all; compared to her peers, it could even be considered frighteningly large.
Calculating based on the monthly allowance Yukina received, she could afford a pair of custom diamond engagement rings of decent quality in just two or three months, and the same went for wedding photos.
But all this time, most of her money had been spent on things related to “Magical Girl Ephnel,” such as buying limited-edition support tapestries that she liked.
Sometimes she would also support crowdfunding projects for fan club activities.
Beyond that, the ticket price for a premium seat at every performance was also a considerable sum.
Because Ephnel’s performances were not in the traditional idol format, but more like a kind of “public welfare promotional performance,” a large portion of her performance tickets were free.
They were open to a large number of low and middle-income groups, who could enter a lottery for them by presenting proof of residence and getting a number.
The purpose of the premium seats and support merchandise, besides being a reward for core fans, was more to collect operating funds.
While paying the salaries of the relevant personnel, a portion would also be drawn to support welfare programs and the city’s construction fund.
Therefore, this portion of the expenses was relatively more costly.
To put it simply, the spending of a few supported the operating expenses of the entire enterprise, so the merchandise targeting this small group was consequently more expensive.
The result of Yukina wanting to get her hands on every limited-edition item was—she had a lot of pocket money, but she couldn’t save any of it.
And after deducting Yukina’s daily expenses from her allowance, there was even less left over.
The drawback of having no savings was now laid bare.
How could she get enough money to pay for a pair of engagement rings or a set of wedding photos in just one month?
Yukina calculated in her mind, carefully sneaking a glance at Naoko.
Seeing Naoko lying on the sofa hugging a cushion with a smile on her face, who knows what she was thinking, Yukina pulled out her phone from her pocket and sent a query to her friend, Hanasou Kotone.
[Hanasou-san, are you there? There’s something I’d like to ask you.]
Hanasou Kotone was the type who got along with people easily and had many friends in class.
She had a good relationship with many people.
Unlike Yukina, who was single-minded about her idol obsession, Hanasou Kotone knew a lot more about the students’ lifestyles and could offer more advice on many matters.
[Shiomi-san, good day.]
Before long, Hanasou Kotone sent a reply.
[Is something the matter?]
[I’ll be direct… are there any simple and fast ways to make money?]
[You’re kidding, right? Shiomi-san is short on money?]
[I want to buy a birthday present for my older sister, but I don’t have enough money.]
Yukina didn’t tell Hanasou Kotone the specifics of her plan.
It wasn’t that she didn’t trust Hanasou Kotone, it was just that this secret might be a bit too shocking for other people.
Besides, Yukina probably preferred for Naoko to be the first to know this secret.
So she just said, “I don’t have enough money.”
[Looks like you’ve set your sights on something very expensive… How nice.]
After a short pause, another reply from Hanasou Kotone popped up.
[By the way, how is Yanase-san’s recovery going?]
[It’s going pretty well right now. She just got discharged from the hospital and came home.]
[Eh? So soon?]
[That’s just how she is…]
These past few days, Hanasou Kotone seemed to be busy with something.
She would leave right after school, and every day seemed to have gotten much busier.
She didn’t have time to visit Ephnel, Shiratori-san, and Nishizaki Yuki-san at the hospital, so she wasn’t aware that Ephnel had been discharged.
The two chatted for a few more sentences before getting back to the main topic.
[If you want to make money simply and quickly, a part-time job is the obvious choice, right?]
Hanasou Kotone replied.
A part-time job.
Of course, Yukina had thought of this too, because it was the most simple and straightforward way.
However, the salary for a part-time job was generally less than half of the average wage.
One month was simply not enough time for Yukina to earn her desired amount of money.
Besides, it wasn’t like Yukina had time to go to a part-time job every day—her identity was no longer just that of a simple student.
If she could climb the ladder from a quasi-Agent to a full-fledged Agent, her life would surely undergo a world-shaking change.
In that case, let alone a part-time job, she probably wouldn’t even have time for school life.
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