"...I must have misheard you. Can you repeat that?"
"Let's rob a bank!" Kousuke said, his voice unusually cheerful than before.
"That's not what you said earlier!"
"Oh, sorry. I thought you were testing your hearing or sothing. Alright, alright—I'll say it again: let's open a business together. You and ."
He spread his arms theatrically. i stared at him for a few seconds, then sighed.
"Listen here. Starting a business isn't child's play. First of all, you need assets—money. A lot more than any normal high schooler could dream of. Then there's the entire operation. You'll need people to ensure everything runs smoothly, and that ans more money. In short, it's a bottomless money pit, and—"
"In short, you need a lot of cash," he cut in smoothly. "Because you can't hire anyone without paying them, right?"
He reached into his pocket and pulled out a necklace. A stunning one. At its center was a crystallized gem, shimring with an alluring glow that imdiately caught i's eyes. It looked even more expensive than the one he had given his mother.
"How much do you think I could get for this if I pawned it?"
"Where did you—no, wait, assuming it's real... that alone still wouldn't be enough. If it's real," she added, crossing her arms.
Kousuke smiled faintly. Then, once again, he reached into his pocket. i's heart skipped a beat. Don't tell …
To her horror, he did indeed have more. Necklaces, rings, bracelets, even earrings—he held them out in a glittering pile like so sort of RPG loot drop. i's eyes widened like saucers.
If he really could pawn all of that… starting a business wouldn't just be possible, but a reality.
"You… where did you steal these from?! Tell now before I call the cops!"
i panicked, grabbing him by the collar and shaking him. He simply grinned and said, "I'll tell you. But let go of first."
She complied, reluctantly. Instead of answering, he handed her the jewelry, then reached into his pocket again and pulled out a sheet of paper.
It was a contract. Specifically—a non-disclosure agreent.
"...An NDA? Really?"
"Yup. I'll explain everything, but first, you have to sign this."
He took the jewelry back, handing her the NDA and a pen in exchange.
She looked at him skeptically but signed anyway, assuming it was just for show. Unbeknownst to i, this wasn't a normal piece of paper.
It was enchanted with a powerful binding spell. Its effects were absolute. Kousuke had used these types of contracts many tis in the Other World.
"There." She handed it back, unaware of the faint aura that pulsed briefly around her before vanishing.
Kousuke smiled as he looked at the signature. "Alright then. Listen closely."
He leaned in.
"I made them."
"…Huh?"
"All of those? I made them. I've got an abundance of ore stockpiled. At so point, I got bored and decided to pick up a new skill."
He wasn't exaggerating. He had learned craftsmanship from the Dwarves themselves. It took years of training, but it paid off. And while diamonds were considered precious on Earth, they were common goods in the Other World—especially valuable for enchanting purposes.
As the only Enchanter, he had a lot of them stored in his inventory.
"…You're saying you made all those? Jewelry like that—the kind you only see in luxury boutiques?"
"Yes ma'am. I'm sothing of a master craftsman self," he said, doing a thick dwarven accent.
Unfortunately, i wasn't in the mood for jokes. She grabbed his collar again and leaned in close.
"I'd rather believe you did steal them."
"Hey, I'm an honest high schooler. I don't do cri!"
At least not on Earth. Other World on the other hands, it's better to not speak of it. He lost count of them after Demon God decided letting the Demon kinds loose, and the rest was history.
"No. Why did I even believe they were real to begin with? The pawn shop's gonna laugh in my face..." i mumbled, shaking her head.
"Co on, Sis i~ You should have more faith in your future CEO."
"Whatever. I'll know the truth soon enough."
...
The next day, in front of the Pawn Shop.
"…It's the real deal," i muttered, her voice flat.
Her bag felt heavier than before—now loaded with cash from pawning just a few of the jewelry pieces. She had stored the rest safely at ho, tucked away in her makeup cabinet.
If her math was correct, she didn't just have enough to open a business—she could start countless of them.
"That kid… just where the hell did he get all this?"
The image of Kousuke flashed through her mind. She still couldn't believe his explanation. Jewelry like that wasn't just pretty—it was flawlessly cut. Professionally made. Artisan-level quality. It wasn't the kind of thing a bored teenager learned to do on a whim.
Then she recalled sothing the pawn shop worker had said earlier:
"This isn't just luxury jewelry. When I wore one, I felt less tired… kinda like it has so special power, hahaha."
'Just what kind of person did I get involved with…?' i thought, staring at the cash-filled bag in her hands.
Later that evening.
i sat on the floor of her room, surrounded by open notebooks, her laptop, and a stack of real estate brochures. Her fingers tapped rapidly against the keyboard as she jumped between tabs. On her bed, several velvet boxes containing the rest of Kousuke's jewelry were carefully arranged, hidden under a folded blanket just in case her mother barged in.
"This is insane," she muttered, eyes narrowing at the screen.
But it was a good kind of insane.
She had already checked her math twice. The money from pawning just a few of those pieces was more than enough to lease a shop space, renovate the interior, and still have enough leftover for initial staffing, legal paperwork, and promotional costs. In short, it was enough to start a legitimate jewelry business—with plenty of room to grow.
Still, the sheer reality of it was just starting to hit her.
'I'm really doing this, huh?'
Except she wasn't. Not alone. It was Kousuke's plan. His resources. His jewelry. She would just be the public face of the operation. The legal na, the manager on record—the person people would talk to and see. Which ant she had to be careful. Professional. Competent.
And above all, discreet.
She glanced over at the NDA paper, now tucked in a plastic folder. There was sothing strange about it—like it glowed faintly under certain angles of light. But she wasn't going to question it anymore.
Instead, she focused on her task.
"Alright. First step: location."
Opening a physical store ant choosing the right place. She wasn't about to throw this opportunity away by setting up in so run-down alley or deserted shopping arcade. After browsing a few options, her eyes settled on a promising candidate: a boutique-sized comrcial unit inside a mid-range shopping mall not far from the train station. Moderate foot traffic, affordable rent, and—more importantly—it had an available corner lot, aning great visibility.
She marked it down on her shortlist, already imagining the store's sign glinting in the morning sun.
'Next...'
"Staffing."
There was no way she'd be working the counter 24/7, especially since she'd still have to keep appearances at ho. She needed two receptionists, preferably with so sales experience, and a part-ti accountant to help manage inventory and balance the books. She began drafting a job listing, trying to sound as legitimate as possible without making it seem like she was definitely working with a mysterious teenager who may or may not be a magical craftsman.
The whole thing felt like she was building a castle out of soone else's bricks. But instead of feeling burdened, it almost felt like… a challenge. A weird, exciting challenge.
She leaned back in her chair, stretching her arms overhead.
"…I need to talk to him."
Before anything went forward—before contracts were signed and staff recruited—she had to make sure they were on the sa page. She still didn't know how far Kousuke wanted to take this. Was it just a side project for him? A one-ti setup? Or was this sothing more long-term?
She texted him.
[I: Coffee shop near station, tomorrow after school. We need to talk business. Seriously.]
He responded almost imdiately.
[Sussy Brat: Roger that, Sis i~]
She rolled her eyes.
"…He's not taking this seriously, is he?"
And yet… she smiled.
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