Fortunately, Lucia was a sensible little sister.
She could tell that Clara wasn’t wealthy, so to help her save money, Lucia finally led her into a chain fast-food restaurant.
Although the prices in city fast-food joints weren’t exactly cheap, compared to those luxurious Western restaurants charging four-digit bills, fast food was still affordable enough to not break the bank.
“Thanks so much~ Miss Lucia. When I have money, I’ll treat you to a proper feast—I promise!”
Having temporarily avoided a financial crisis, Clara contentedly took a bite of the sweet corn cup.
“Big brother…”
“Pft—cough cough cough!!”
Lucia’s sudden remark in the shop caused Clara to snort out chewed-up corn kernels through her nose. Just as she wondered when her identity had been discovered, Lucia continued:
“He really likes corn cups too~”
Relieved that it was a false alarm, Clara forced herself to stay calm and replied, “R-Really? Looks like your brother and I will get along very well~”
They would indeed get along perfectly, because they were exactly the same person.
Perhaps going out to eat with her little sister was yet another bad decision…
To avoid raising suspicions about her eating habits, Clara had to be ruthless with herself.
Like with the spicy chicken burger.
Heavily oily, salty, and overloaded with chili flakes, just one bite of this burger would drain Clara’s maximum HP—it was unbearable both physically and mentally. After just two bites, she had to gulp down a whole cup of cola.
Lucia said, “Miss Clara, you look so serious when you eat?”
“I can’t handle strong flavors very well…”
Clara couldn’t say this outright—after all, that would become a shared trait between her and “Squirrel,” inviting her sister’s suspicion.
She just vaguely replied, “Sorry, I was just thinking about something else.”
“Miss Clara, aren’t you going to move into the dormitory later? I heard from Miss Fran that the place you rent is far from the company. Wouldn’t it be better to live closer?”
The more she lived with Lucia, the more dangerous it was. But Clara naturally shook her head.
“No, the cost of living downtown is too high. The money I spend daily could cover rent in the suburbs. Even the price of this fast food could feed me for a week in Blue Garden.”
Actually, that was the truth.
The Grand Leader’s upscale apartment was in the city center’s wealthy district, where it was hard to find cheap cafeterias nearby, and prices were just as high. Even without rent, monthly expenses wouldn’t be low.
“Is that so?”
Lucia rested her chin on her hand, hesitating as she muttered:
“Should I move out too? My brother rents a cheap apartment in the suburbs; maybe I could live there with him? He’s away on a business trip recently, so it’d be free to use.”
Clara broke out in a cold sweat and quickly rejected the idea.
“N-No, that’s not a good idea! I know those cheap apartments in the suburbs—they’re cramped and have poor facilities, definitely not as comfortable as the dorms. Even if you’re siblings, a young man and woman living together alone is inappropriate…”
“Then could I live with Miss Clara?”
Lucia pressed on, “If we share a place in the suburbs, splitting the cost between two people, it’d be much cheaper, right?”
Good grief, why did this topic keep circling back?
Lucia seemed very reliant on her. Even though the fast-food table had four seats, she insisted on sitting right next to Clara. As her brother, Clara was happy but also felt uneasy.
“Ahem, like I said earlier, I’m actually a manga artist.”
Clara refused again, “I need a quiet environment to create. The suburban apartments are too small; if there’s another person at home, I won’t be able to immerse myself in drawing.”
“Aw, that’s too bad~”
Clara had made her position clear, and Lucia didn’t press further, lowering her head to finish her dinner.
Clara gritted her teeth and took another bite of the spicy chicken burger before asking:
“Tomorrow, is there anywhere you want to go?”
Lucia, with mayonnaise still on her lips, looked up and rolled her eyes.
“Hmm, not really.”
“Huh? You must have looked up sightseeing spots in Central City before coming, like Monument Park or the Heroes Museum?”
“No, I’m not interested in tourist spots, and I didn’t look them up. After all, sightseeing means spending money~ I don’t like anything that costs money~”
“Avoiding spending like that, you’ve really broken free from the consumerist trap, huh?”
“Hehe, it’s simply because I don’t have money~”
Clara wasn’t sure if her sister was stingy or thrifty, but if she, as the older brother, could earn more, Lucia wouldn’t need to live so frugally.
“I don’t have places to go, but there are events I want to attend.”
Lucia said this as she fumbled with her phone, searching for something, then held the screen up in front of Clara’s eyes.
“This one—the Radiant Heroes Festival!”
“What’s that?”
“It’s a week-long hero exhibition. As ‘Magical Girl Clara,’ you’ll want to become famous, so you need to attend events like this… Plus, there’s an autograph session at the exhibition. I’m going to get signatures from every hero on the ranking list—from top to bottom!!”
As an oddball, Clara had never participated in such events. But recalling the painful experience of the “Sigma Series Fan Meeting,” she furrowed her willow-shaped brows.
“So, I guess tomorrow we’ll be spending the whole day in line?”
Lucia wiped her mouth and sipped her cola.
“Waiting in line together won’t be boring. Autographs from famous heroes are valuable! Calculating the returns, it’s not a loss to queue all day. Besides, you’ll attend exhibitions in the future too; visiting this one is good practice.”
In the end, this girl just wanted to get hero signatures to make money…
Her love of money was her own fault.
Clara finished the spicy chicken burger, but her cola was gone, so she dug out an ice cube to soothe the burn on her tongue.
She said, “The truly famous heroes wouldn’t bother attending group exhibitions like this, right? Even if they sign, it’s for a very short time—you might not be able to get their signatures…”
“This is an investment. Every hero at the exhibition is a potential star. Who knows if they’ll become top-tier popular in the future? Miss Clara, it’s the same for you. Although you haven’t debuted yet, you’ll be famous eventually! How about signing for me first?”
“No, not now.”
Clara firmly refused—her handwriting might give her away to her sister.
Thus, their dinner was simply finished. At the subway station, Clara and Lucia agreed on a meeting spot for tomorrow.
Lucia stood at the stairs, watching Clara step onto the escalator down into the subway.
She took out her phone and sent an emoji to her brother.
Then, she glanced at Clara’s reaction…
There was no sign of her pulling out her own phone.
“Maybe I’m just overthinking it?”
Lucia muttered as she turned and walked toward the dormitory.