Abel had planned to give all seven hundred and fifty gold coins to Shea.
But he reconsidered—deciding to tease her instead.
After all, her bite earlier hadn’t been gentle.
“How about two hundred? Will you forgive me then?”
Abel slid another hundred-gold coin toward Shea as she ate.
Shea’s face remained impassive, but her cat ears twitched excitedly. Muffled grumbles escaped her lips.
“I’m not that kind of person…”
Her protest wavered, lacking conviction.
Abel’s grin widened.
“Three hundred?”
“No, no—I have dignity! This is no better than selling myself!”
Shea straightened her posture, clinging to principle.
Yet she’d stopped eating, silently waiting for his next offer.
Bottom line: more gold.
“Five hundred?”
“Mmph!” The gloom vanished from Shea’s face. She nearly nodded but shook her head instead—maidenly pride holding firm.
*Still not enough.*
“Five hundred… is too little. Unacceptable.”
Her voice trembled. Abel watched her struggle, delight deepening in his chest. Time to strike hard.
“Seven hundred and fifty. Forgive me now?”
The demonic temptation shattered Shea’s resolve. She swept all seven hundred-gold coins and one fifty-gold coin into her arms, cradling them with blissful radiance.
*Gold. Who doesn’t love gold?*
Her tail swayed happily, betraying pure joy.
Abel finally burst out laughing.
“Pfft—HAHAHA!”
“What’s so funny, *mister pervert*?”
Gold in hand, Shea’s attitude toward Abel hadn’t softened.
*This hunter? Never met him.*
“I’m just remembering something happy.”
Shea looked up, catching Abel’s triumphant smirk. Realization struck—she’d been played.
He’d planned to give her all seven hundred and fifty from the start!
“You—!” Humiliation flared. Right or wrong, she didn’t care anymore.
*Bite first, think later!*
“OW! Owowow! Why are you biting me again?!”
Now Abel’s arms bore matching punctures—one on each side.
This bite stung worse.
Flushed and flustered, Shea snatched the coins and fled to school. *This time, I really was in the wrong.*
Watching her retreat, Abel chuckled. *This little cat… she’s actually cute. If only that annoying white cat were half as endearing.*
*Tch. Just thinking about Phantom Thief Lico makes me mad. Where’s she hiding? Good thing items in the Spatial Ring are hard to fence. Gotta catch her before she sells something critical. We’d be screwed.*
“So much food left… Eh, I’ll finish it. Call the seven hundred and fifty gold my meal fee.”
Truthfully, seven hundred and fifty gold was no small sum—a massive loss for a meal. But Abel didn’t mind.
At least it bought a cheerful morning.
*Though my arms ache like hell.*
Munching Shea’s leftovers, he grumbled inwardly.
---
In the office, Shea reluctantly handed over the coins still warm from her grasp.
One hundred from the human ATM—ahem, *Nina*. Seven hundred and fifty extorted from Abel. Two from the gatekeeper. Plus loose change scavenged from the fourth floor last night.
Barely enough for tuition and textbooks.
“No need to look so pained, Shea,” the clerk consoled her. “Your fees are actually the lowest here.”
Tuition at Magic Academy was steep. Shea was the only commoner admitted on merit. Normal fees neared two thousand gold—reserved for nobles and the wealthy.
“It’s fine… I’ll just earn more.”
Heart wrenching, Shea surrendered the coins. She strode out like a warrior severing his own arm.
“Morning, Shea! Paying tuition?”
At the door, she nearly collided with a white-haired loli—ahem, *girl*—of her height.
“G-Good morning, Miss Nai.”
Miss Nai—though adult and married—looked like a girl.
*Whoever married her deserves a prison sentence.*
“I’ve said it many times: I’m not ‘Miss Nai.’ Call me Nelly.”
Pushing her glasses up, the demon teacher displayed her horns and tail openly—a shocking sight in human society. Demons faced far worse prejudice than beastkin.
“Got it, Nelly. Bye!”
“Wait.” Nelly caught Shea’s tail. “Dark circles again. Pulling night shifts? There are nasty rumors about you. Stop taking night jobs. Ask me if you need help.”
Her concern flustered Shea. No one had ever cared for her—neither in this life nor her last.
*But free period naps? Absolutely.*
Three sleepless nights had worn down even her Nightshade Catfolk stamina.
“Mhm! Bye, Nelly!”
Shea bolted. Two steps out, Nelly sighed and snagged her tail again.
“Slow down. Others think ‘night jobs’ mean selling your body. With your money troubles, they’re convinced. But *I* know you’re a good kid.” She waved dismissively. “Ugh, you’ll call me naggy again. Go sleep.”
Released, Shea escaped amid repeated goodbyes.
*That white-haired teacher is impossible to handle.*
Curled on the infirmary’s white sheets, exhaustion seeped in. *Who wouldn’t want to laze around?*
She drifted into dreams before the thought fully formed.
