As the bustling crowd gradually thinned out, the peak hours at the butler café had come to an end. The butlers had achieved a glorious victory.
"So, what made you decide to come after all?"
Standing at the entrance of the café, Symboli Rudolf watched Platinum, who was visibly exhausted and on the verge of dozing off, with an unexpectedly cheerful mood.
She found herself viewing Platinum in a much more favorable light.
Well, well, it seems she can listen to reason after all!
Platinum let out a slow yawn and rubbed her eyes, answering Symboli Rudolf with complete honesty. "To be honest, I really didn't want to come at first."
"But then I suddenly realized a horrifying truth."
"And that is... I've run out of money."
At this point, Platinum suddenly grew hesitant, her lips moving timidly.
"I remember you said... working here comes with a wage, and there's a commission for every cup of coffee sold, right?"
"Uh... yes, that's correct..." Symboli Rudolf's mind was still processing this, barely keeping up as she watched Platinum step inside the café.
"Sigh, even a hero can be brought low by a single coin... Who'd have thought I'd one day resort to selling my charms..." Platinum muttered, shaking her head as she spoke.
No, this was not the answer she had been hoping for.
Shouldn't it have been for friendship and responsibility? How did it turn into money right from the start?
"Wait just a moment," Symboli Rudolf grabbed Platinum, who was heading further inside. "You said you've run out of money?"
"What about the prize money from your debut race? That's no small sum for a student."
Symboli Rudolf had, without a doubt, handed Platinum the bank card with the exact prize amount.
In fact, it was Ms. Hayakawa Tazuna who had temporarily advanced the money herself. Race prize money never comes through that quickly—it usually takes three to five business days, sometimes even up to half a month.
They just didn't want Platinum to end up sleeping under a bridge because she had no money.
With that prize money, if Platinum budgeted carefully, it could have lasted her until next year. After all, neither Tracen Academy nor the nearby shopping district were particularly expensive.
"Well... it's just... how do I put it..." Platinum covered her cheeks in embarrassment.
A bad feeling stirred in Symboli Rudolf's heart. She glared at Platinum and demanded, "Out with it!"
"I... spent it all, okay?"
Platinum said in a sickly sweet tone, batting her large, wide eyes at Symboli Rudolf.
Spent it all, okay—
Spent it all—
All—
As that cloyingly sweet voice echoed relentlessly in Symboli Rudolf's mind, she felt her head spin.
In all her years, this was a first.
Symboli Rudolf clenched her fists.
This was the first time she'd ever wanted to perform a skull-cracking headlock on a young filly.
Calm down, Symboli Rudolf, calm down. This is just a cultural difference...
She gripped her right arm with her left hand, afraid her right arm might act on reflex without consulting her brain.
Platinum is a good kid. You need to be patient with her, treat her with kindness...
Dammit, I can't take it anymore!
As if moving on its own, Symboli Rudolf's right hand clamped onto Platinum's skull and began shaking her violently.
"P-p-p-p-p-p-president...!"
Platinum's head was shaken into a blur.
"Staying up all night, huh?!"
"Sleeping in class, huh?!"
"Spent all your money, huh?!"
"A disobedient foal like you deserves to be shot for a full hour—"
Good kid my foot. This is a brat who'll tear the roof off if you let her go unchecked for three days.
Time to straighten her out!
Did she really think Symboli Rudolf was just for show?
Look at others, like Tamamo Cross—she runs to support her family, doesn't even spend her prize money, and sends it all back home.
Even someone like Gold Ship has a clear grasp of her own finances.
And you're telling me you blew through all your prize money in just one week?
Did you go gamble on Uma Musume races?
"My b-b-b-brain is g-g-g-getting scrambled—!"
Platinum wailed as Symboli Rudolf shook her at high speed.
Once she'd vented her anger, Symboli Rudolf finally let go. Platinum, dizzy and unsteady, slumped into a nearby chair, feeling as though heaven and earth were spinning around her.
"So? How did you spend it all?" Symboli Rudolf sat down opposite Platinum, breathing heavily and speaking irritably. "If you were scammed or something, don't keep it to yourself. Talk to me about it—maybe I can help."
"Fortunately, you were sensible enough to know you should earn money instead of taking out loans when you ran out. If you'd gotten involved with loan sharks, the consequences would be hard to predict."
"It's hard to explain in words, so just take a look." Thoroughly chastised, Platinum became quite docile and slid her phone over to Symboli Rudolf.
Taking the phone, Symboli Rudolf saw Platinum's purchase history.
As she scrolled through the list, her expression grew darker and darker, teetering on the verge of furious rage.
"This MacBook and iPad mini are..."
"For studying, they're for studying," Platinum hurriedly explained.
"This Switch and PS4 are..."
"For studying... ah, no, for leisure." Platinum quickly corrected herself.
Symboli Rudolf closed her eyes, gathered her emotions, and opened them again.
"I can understand the earlier items. How you use your own prize money isn't really my place to interfere, so I won't question the long list of game cartridges and the Ring Fit Adventure either..."
She pointed sharply at the screen. "But what is this about a refrigerator?"
"Why are you buying home appliances?!"
Platinum scratched her head. "Well... it's just... don't you think being able to drink ice-cold cola anytime is just really cool?"
"And I always oversleep in the morning, but I don't want to miss breakfast. So I thought about buying the next day's breakfast the night before, but it doesn't keep well..."
"So I thought, buying a fridge would keep it fresh."
"I suppose that also explains why you bought an induction cooktop next, right?" Symboli Rudolf nearly laughed in exasperation. "So you could eat warmed-up leftovers in the morning, is that it?"
"And then this range hood is to suck up the smoke when you're heating food, right?"
"President, you really get me. You're like the worm in my gut..." Platinum said with an ingratiating smile.
Symboli Rudolf smacked Platinum on the head again.
She was starting to realize that Platinum wasn't genuinely bad-natured—she was just a bit dim, possessed of a certain... pristine stupidity.
It wasn't that she lacked self-control or had weak willpower, nor was it a case of "let them eat cake."
She was simply, utterly lacking in common sense.
"You... what kind of life were you living before? Don't tell me you really were the Princess and the Pea?"
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T/N: Gacha x Multiverse Fic Up!
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T/N: While I am an inexperienced Translator, I have a Patreon! While it may seem empty as of now, webnovel will get 3 Chapters Every Day, and advanced chapters will be uploaded on Patreon.
It may not seem worth it now, but maybe in the future. Who knows!
[email protected]/AspenTL
If you guys wanna check it out.