After lunch break, a few more boring theory classes followed.

In simple terms, it was time to admire Sylvia’s lovely face.

Those four hours of enriching moments flew by in no time, and soon it was time for announcements to wrap up the day.

“Great job today, everyone! Many of you were probably surprised by the monster attack this morning, so make sure to rest well when you get home. Starting tomorrow, be on your toes! You never know when or where I might spring a surprise test on you, just like today.”

Eve’s announcement set off a murmur among the kids.

After all, for those experiencing something like today for the first time—even if it was just an illusion—it’s tough to accept that monsters can pop up anywhere at any time.

But that was the  educational policy of Aegis Academy.

Training them to maintain calm in any situation from the very start.

The moment they entered this school, even as students, they were each one a hero, and heroes must step up in life-or-death battlefields.

“Oh, one last thing. We need someone to temporarily take the position of class president. Is there anyone interested?”

It was obvious—someone would already have been decided as class president.

I doubt anyone else is serious enough and duty-bound enough to take on such a tedious role as temporary class president other than that one particular kid.

Soon, I would see the class president springing up and saying, “I will do it.”

But the classroom, which had been buzzing just a moment ago, suddenly fell into a chilling silence.

…Huh? Is it a ghost?

Wondering what was wrong, I looked toward the class president and saw her sitting quietly with her head lowered for some reason.

Did she just glance at me for a moment, or was it just my imagination?

As no one stepped forward, Eve wore a troubled expression.

“If no one wants to volunteer, I’ll just designate someone myself. Are you all okay with that?”

Even with her words, the classroom remained quiet.

She started tapping her fingers on the desk before finally pointing to someone.

“Then the class president will be Mei.”

Was it the coercive force of the world at play or just a simple coincidence?

Oddly enough, the one Eve pointed at was the class president herself.

“Wha-?! B-but I…”

The class president, flustered, glanced around for help.

Everyone seemed to silently agree that anyone but them could take the position, with a tacit understanding in the looks directed at her.

She seemed to glance at me longer than the others, but surely that was just my imagination.

With no other options, she squeezed her eyes shut before finally saying,

“…Alright. It doesn’t look like there’s anyone else, so I’ll do it.”

What a relief!

I almost fell into a situation where the class president was not the class president.

Anyway, now that classes have ended, should I head home?

“Evande, I need to talk to you for a moment, so come to the teacher’s office.”

And just as I stood up, Eve grabbed my arm.

As I quietly followed her out of the classroom, I felt the curious gazes of the other students on my back, wondering what kind of trouble I had caused to be summoned to the teacher’s office on my first day.

I’m curious too!

However, contrary to my concerns, it was nothing particularly troublesome.

“Well, it’s about your uniform. The one you were wearing burned up, so you need to get a new one. Uniform prices being what they are, it might be a burden to buy one new, so I plan to sell you the one you currently have for a lower price. Hmm, let’s see. Evande, just give me 200,000 gold. I’ll cover the rest!”

It was about purchasing a uniform.

200,000… Uniforms did tend to be quite pricey in the real world too.

If they were really expensive, some could even go up to 400,000, so 200,000 must mean Eve was covering at least half the price.

Regardless, it was a generous offer, so I thanked Eve and paid 200,000 gold before heading home.

Upon returning home and searching up uniform prices, I found they were even more expensive than I’d imagined.

I never thought the price of an uniform could exceed three digits…

So, how much did Eve actually cover?

I should remember to thank her again tomorrow.

By the way, was Aegis Academy a school only for the bourgeoisie?

Just then, I thought, maybe I’m one of them too? I checked my account, but to my dismay, my balance was only 100,000 gold.

I was not a bourgeois; I was a pauper.

I had a moment of panic, worrying I might become the academy’s homeless person, but thankfully there was the monthly allowance to rely on.

After paying the rent, I was left with around 300,000 gold each month.

That would have been fine normally, but with the added expense of the uniform, I would have to live off approximately 3,000 gold a day for a month.

Huh? 3,000 gold?

Seeing that delicate amount snapped me back to reality.

I almost forgot there were other expenses yet to be calculated.

I needed to pay 3,000 gold a day as ‘friend fees’ to Sylvia.

That means I would have only 10,000 gold left for the month.

So, my remaining daily budget was roughly 300 gold?

I couldn’t even buy one ramen!

At that moment, a balance game began to unfurl in my head.

Skip breakfast and dinner for the sake of befriending a pretty girl VS live as a loner but enjoy three meals a day.

…What’s there even to think about? The choice is a no-brainer!

A person could endure three weeks without food, but there’s no way I’d survive three weeks without being friends with Sylvia!

Besides, now that I’ve turned into a girl, would it really be so bad to just eat one meal a day?

I didn’t have any weight to lose, but it could feel like dieting, right?

Either way, what was of more immediate importance than living expenses was controlling my abilities.

I had figured out how to utilize flames that could actually burn something, but if I couldn’t learn how to ignite them where I wanted, that would be troublesome.

How could I ignite only the specific areas I wanted?

It wasn’t like I could be angry selectively on parts of my body.

Sadly, the only body part that I could get mad at had disappeared the moment I became a girl.

I tried to get mad and ignite my body briefly while tensing my arm, but the flames didn’t budge either.

…I was exhausted.

I needed to find a solution to my money troubles and my abilities.

Somehow, it would work out.

With that thought, I buried my face into the pillow.

*

[The world was so cruel.]

*

[Ding ding ding~ Good morning-]

I reached out to turn off the alarm.

Having skipped dinner and now also breakfast, it was time for a new day.

Normally, one should feel weak from not eating, but for some reason, I felt lighter than usual.

Could this be the effect of intermittent fasting or something?

I might be doing pure fasting rather than intermittent fasting.

Regardless, since I was late yesterday, I decided to head to school early.

Arriving thirty minutes earlier than the morning assembly, I noticed someone had already beaten me there.

The class president was naturally cleaning the classroom as if it were her duty.

What a diligent child…

As I was touched by the scene, when I locked eyes with the class president, she startled and quickly looked down.

Ah, maybe she’s the type to feel embarrassed if caught doing good deeds?

To spare her embarrassment, I quietly turned and headed towards the teacher’s office.

In the office, I found Eve leaning back in her chair, humming a little tune.

“Teacher.”

“Oh? Ah, Evande, what brings you here so early?”

Eve peeked her head back over the chair’s backrest, straightening up upon seeing me.

“I checked the price of the uniform when I got home, and it seems I might have burdened you more than expected…”

“Worried about that? Hmph, you’re such a good girl, Evande. Don’t stress over the price. I’m incredibly wealthy. Honestly, I’d love to simply buy the uniform for you, but I asked for you to pay as a reminder of responsibility since I was worried you might burn it down again.”

“Regardless, thank you.”

“Of course, of course. Evande, you have a cuter side than I thought!”

Avoiding Eve’s sly grin, I hurriedly dashed back to class.

By the way, is Eve really that rich?

Well, if she is the world’s greatest illusionist, she must have plenty of opportunities to earn money.

Just thinking about it a little makes it clear she has an easy way to make money.

If I could use illusion magic instead of fire, I wouldn’t be struggling financially.

I just hope there are no classes involving abilities today…