Fortunately, although rich-girl Kanata plays hard, is bold, and loves chasing thrills, her personality is actually quite conservative. She had no intention of crossing that line with Ryoji beforehand. As long as she could go out on a date for a day, she was satisfied. She didn't force Ryoji to expose his tough-on-the-outside, weak-on-the-inside nature.
"So in the end, you only spent three hundred thousand?"
"I passed on anyone who asked for too much. Anyway, the opponent can be changed at will. People who don't know their own limits are really annoying."
The two put on their disguises, boarded a train, and arrived in a city completely different from the one they visited last time. They left their footprints in the cinema and the amusement park.
Because of her strict upbringing, rich-girl Kanata is usually a very serious person. She deeply respects chivalry and believes that luck is also a part of skill, so she would never casually change battle opponents.
But for Ryoji's sake, she broke her own principles and set aside the chivalry she held so dearly.
And thanks to this, Ryoji wasn't eliminated from the selection matches.
What? A losers' bracket?
What does that have to do with me!
Ryoji was extremely moved, and when they passed by a haunted house, he hugged rich-girl Kanata and kissed her wildly. Only when he was nearly out of breath did he run out from inside.
It was clear that rich-girl Kanata was very nervous about this kind of behavior, but her clear eyes were also filled with desire for excitement, she looked like she wanted to do it again.
"Speaking of which, you gave Touka a gift yesterday, right?"
While passing an arcade, rich-girl Kanata suddenly remembered something and looked at Ryoji with a smiling gaze.
"You mean the potion? I'll give you a few bottles later too."
Ryoji answered casually without even turning his head.
Although recovery potions aren't as effective as healing capsules, mind/energy recovery potions are extremely rare. They can directly restore one's mind or energy, that is, magic power and such. In this world of F-Rank Knights, they're virtually unheard of.
If someone were to put such a potion on the market, it would sell for a sky-high price.
If someone could analyze the formula and apply for a patent, they would make a fortune. Unfortunately, Ryoji didn't have that kind of talent.
"That's all?"
A slightly displeased voice came from behind him.
Ryoji turned around.
He happened to see rich-girl Kanata's pouting pink lips, clearly very unsatisfied.
"…How could it just be that?!"
Ryoji instantly understood and confidently thumped his chest.
"Of course I'll prepare something even more special for you, Ma. Come on, tell me, what do you like? I'll get it for you!"
Rich-girl Kanata's eyes instantly brightened with a smile.
How could she lose to Touka?
They might be best friends, but when it comes to stealing a man, she will never back down!
"If you ask what I like… I'm not exactly sure. If it were some of Leonardo da Vinci's manuscripts, or a sculpture by Michelangelo, then I'd probably be interested."
"Eh… can we talk about something a little more down-to-earth?"
Michelangelo was a famous historical sculptor and painter, his surviving works are extremely few and all priceless.
Da Vinci was a genius of the Renaissance, one of the three great masters, leaving achievements in countless fields. His surviving manuscripts are kept mostly in museums.
Either one is something the current Ryoji absolutely cannot obtain.
…Hold on.
If Kanata wants a da Vinci manuscript, Ryoji might be able to get her some in the future, if he goes to ask that big TYPE-MOON b*tch for help.
"Hmm… then I really can't think of anything."
Rich-girl Kanata tilted her head, still unable to give an answer.
It was obvious that Kanata was letting Ryoji decide freely.
And that made things difficult.
As everyone knows, the most expensive things in the world are the ones that are supposedly "free," and the hardest things to deal with are the ones labeled "whatever you want."
Ryoji racked his brains for a long while, then took out his student handbook and started searching for information.
Rich-girl Kanata kept staring at him eagerly.
Most of the time, when a girl asks you to choose a gift for her, she doesn't actually want your opinion on which gift looks nicer. What she really wants is the attitude you show when you seriously think about her request.
Seeing Ryoji choosing a gift with such a serious expression, Kanata felt deeply satisfied.
"If he bought me a stuffed doll right now, I'd probably already be happy…"
Kanata secretly thought.
After all, she had lived in luxury all her life and never expected to receive anything expensive from a boyfriend. No matter how precious something is, it means nothing to her, what she really values is the sincerity behind it.
"I've got it! What do you think of this?"
Ryoji tapped a series of commands on his handbook, then pointed at the screen with a joyful expression.
"This is…?"
Kanata looked at the screen.
She hadn't expected much to begin with, but the moment her gaze fell upon it, her eyes were glued to the screen.
"The Mario Rosso art exhibition?!"
Kanata's eyes instantly lit up, her expression clearly full of excitement.
"Let's go! Right now!"
Success!
Seeing Kanata's excited little expression, Ryoji finally let out a sigh of relief.
He even opened the friends list in his student handbook and sent a thank-you message to that girl who remained vivid in the memories tied to his destiny, Kusakabe Kagami.
Having a journalist friend really was a good thing!
...
Mario Rosso.
A modern world-famous painter who had only risen to fame a few years ago. No one knew whether they were male or female, nor their true identity.
Although they had just recently debuted, their skill was already at top world-class level. In just a few years, they stood at the pinnacle of the global art world, adored by fans everywhere. Rumor had it that their most expensive painting once sold for 1.4 billion USD.
Someone whose brush could turn anything into gold, such people do exist.
From Kusakabe Kagami, Ryoji learned that this global top-tier painter was currently holding an exhibition in Japan. Servants flocked to it like migratory birds, and ordinary people couldn't even get a ticket.
But once rich-girl Kanata activated the power of capital, tickets multiplied like toilet paper.
Escorted by a private jet, the two arrived at the exhibition hall before dusk, barely an hour later.
"This is amazing! Truly worthy of being a world-class painter. You can feel the violent surge of emotion in every brushstroke, that resentment toward the mundane world practically leaps off the canvas…!"
Inside the long gallery of the exhibition hall,
Rich-girl Kanata was entranced, admiring the world-famous paintings one by one, praising them nonstop with astonishing passion.
"Yes! Yes, exactly! I feel the same way!"
Ryoji nodded vigorously.
Even though he completely couldn't understand what Kanata was talking about, Mario Rosso's paintings really were astonishingly realistic. Even a total amateur like him felt drawn in.
And that didn't stop him from raising Kanata's favorability, either.
"Hmph. Covering a sacred sky with a pitch-black abyss… A painting like a rotten tangerine. I truly don't understand what's supposed to be so great about it. Makes me wonder if modern people's sense of aesthetics is broken."
A voice full of disdain came from the side, dripping with contempt for the artworks.
Kanata's smile instantly froze. Her eyebrows lowered ever so slightly.
(End of Chapter)
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