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The day after they were done helping at the Tone Shrine…
Before leaving, they all did their own shrine visit, and headed out to the parking lot.

“Once again, thank you so much for helping us the last three days.”
“And we’ll see each other again inside of DUO soon!”

Most of the people at the shrine still had a lot of work to do, so only Kikyo and Hinagiku went down to see them off… And then Kou, Hijiri, Subaru, and Kasumi all went in Sora’s car, who had come to pick them up, while Miyuki went in her father Ryunosuke’s car, each going their own way.

In the car, they reminisced about the week for a few minutes…and then fell silent.
Kou looked back from the front seat, and saw…Hijiri, Subaru, and Kasumi, all sound asleep.

“They’re all asleep. I guess you’re still tired too?”
“Oh, the fact that you realize that alone means it was worth it letting you work there.”
“I guess so, it was a good experience too. And that reminds me, thank you for always working hard too, dad. But I think you should definitely take breaks more often.”
“Whoops, that backfired way too quickly.”

The two exchanged a quick awkward glance.

She had learned the weight of responsibility and work.
The joy of doing work for someone else.
And…the true value of money.
Right now there was a small pouch with the money she had made over the last few days, stashed deep in her coat’s pocket. Somehow…it felt much heavier than any money she had ever held before.

“Well, have you thought of what to do with that money yet?”
“Hmmm…”

Realistically speaking, her parents gave her large allowances rather often.
But instead of spending them blindly, she made sure to keep a good amount in savings, which were starting to become a considerable sum.
That was in part because she did not want to waste money on things that did not warrant it, but also because of her personality.
Compared to her peers of the same age, she was hardly materialistic.
Lately, with pressure from Hijiri and Kasumi, she had started spending money on things like basic cosmetics and various hygiene products, so her expenses had increased compared to her time in middle school.

Amari was also aware that Kou would be spending more as a girl, so she had increased the amount of her allowances, which covered and surpassed her new expenses.

But…the money she got this time did not come for free from her parents, it was something she had worked and earned entirely by herself.
So she did not want to just go on a reckless spending spree just because it was bonus money on top of what she already had. She wanted to keep it safe until she really needed to use it.

“…I’ll probably save it for now. Not because of my usual habit of saving, but so I can use it when I know what to do with it.”
“I see… That does sound like something you’d say, but that’s a good idea.”
“Mhm, thank you, dad…*yawn*”

Just as she was done…Kou let out a lengthy yawn, and she felt like her eyelids suddenly turned far heavier.

“You can sleep too if you want, you don’t have to force yourself to stay awake. I’m sure you need it just as much as Subaru and the rest.”
“Okay…I’ll do…that…”

Kou was already overcome by drowsiness, and even her words were becoming slurred.
At first she had tried to keep herself awake, out of consideration for her father who was driving, but realizing she could not resist it, she leaned into her seat and covered herself with a blanket.
As her consciousness plunged into dreams…the last thoughts she had were about Destiny Unchain Online, the game she had not visited in around a week.

Once she was back home, she would become busy in that game too, getting ready to explore the old imperial capital that would unlock in two months.
But before that…there was a certain matter she needed to settle, something she had constantly avoided and delayed time and time again, due to certain issues involving her species.

*…I still need to have a proper conversation with him, he’s the biggest unknown variable there.*

A roadmap for the future unfolded in her mind, deciding how to do everything, but before long her eyes closed and her exhausted body was entirely at the mercy of the blanket…