"Please stop, Boss Lady!" Marco dropped to his knees, his hands raised high in surrender, eyes wide with panic. The restaurant fell silent except for the soft flutter of peacock feathers.
"Boss Lady?" Yumina blinked, tilting her head in confusion.
"Boss Lady!" Marco repeated, bowing so low that his forehead nearly hit the floor. "Remember how I told you about the Firecarp inflation? Please, you have to solve that problem for us! I'll do anything— anything —you say!"
"Inflation?" Tyla leaned back, her silver hair glinting in the faint lamplight. Her eyes gleamed with curiosity, the kind that usually preceded either a brilliant idea or chaos. "Explain."
"Well, it's not money inflation," Marco said quickly, rubbing his neck. "The value of Lydia hasn't changed much. It's the Firecarp inflation!"
"The what?" Yumina asked.
