Why did I just say that?

  Nevis was confused and dumbfounded, trying to find out why. Those words seemed to have just come out of her mouth without knowing. And what the hell is this hand pcement? Take deep breaths, maintain a calm face, steadily pull yourself out. She pulled her hand that was holding Jeanne, then turned and left the booth, leaving a sentence.

  "I agree to being teammates, you can decide for the other three members, but, they must be females."

  Jeanne nodded, barely understanding the words she heard. Gasping, face flushed, she supported her body on the table, she tried to calm down by taking deep breaths, but her heart just won't stop racing.

  Huff... Puff... Huff... Puff...

  Nevis, can't you see the woman that you are? So high and mighty, such temperament, matched with those eyes. It's... It's simply beautiful... I really like that look just now.

  After a few moments, Jeanne calmed down and fixed her appearance. Making it look more presentable before exiting the booth and heading into the back of the store. She walked for a few minutes before reaching her area inside the store, consisting of a work area, bedroom, living room, kitchen, and bathroom. She entered her room and pressed a button at the side of the door, activating the privacy measures surrounding the room. Now, no information from inside will be leaked to the outside world.

  Opening a program, the six screens dispyed different pictures at multiple angles. All five screens dispyed the same person, Nevis, the sixth one dispyed her location inside Glohstead city. Jeanne sat there for an hour, watching Nevis' every movement, putting her palm on the screen from time to time, as if doing this will make her Jeanne's.

  "I need to practice harder, else Nevis abandons me for being too weak." She said, before turning of the computer and leaving the room.

  Nevis is on the way to her final destination, Arcane Inc. They're an international company that's specializes in selling anything css reted, from monsters to materials, to different css equipment, and even secret techniques. After arriving there, a specialized shopping clerk came to guide her.

  "What equipment would you like to purchase, ma'am?"

  "Spell Book and a mana engine, the manual one."

  The clerk nodded and led her to an aisle with five shelfs sealed in gss, inside are spell books and their effects on spell casting. There were multiple spell books for ice magic, with different effects.

  [Snowfke

  Effect: Improves casting speed and spell power by 10%, every spell is accompanied by sharp ice fkes that will cut into enemies.

  Price: 30,000 Verres]

  [Snow Artisan

  Effect: Increase the toughness of ice by 15% and spell power by 5% , increased ability to manipute ice after casting spells.

  Price: 40,000 Verres]

  [Absolute Zero

  Effect: Increases the freezing effect of ice and every ice spell has an increased effect of stage two frostbite.

  Price: 60,000 Verres]

  Expensive!!

  That's the first thought that came to Nevis' mind when she saw the price, these three are the only ones worth paying attention to. The others either have too low of an effect on spells, or just pin too expensive for her to buy. Though she's leaning more into the Snow Artisan spell book, since the first one have the same effects as a skill of a Wramoth. While the st one can be learned or modified through the book she got from the library.

  Still, it's so expensive, she only have 100,000 Verres left after buying rations for two weeks for the Wramoth. Not to mention that she still had to buy a good mana engine, which is gonna cost her a fortune again. The money she had prepared is really not enough, not that she didn't want to earn more money. But, this is all that she can do, there's not much jobs for a student that offers great money. Especially if she had to bance getting good grades at school to get a schorship that pays for her tuition and a job.

  Sighing, Nevis' couldn't help but go out of the store first and get into a bathroom stall. Looking at her reflection in the mirror, is this really my limit? Is my ability limited after all? Is my resistance a joke? No, my resistance and pride is a joke to the cruel reality of society. One person can't make a spsh, genius or not, that's reality.

  Taking out her phone, then going to a social media ptform, scrolling down the contacts, before finally nding on one. Jeanne Lamorac, her thumb hovered over the call button, do I really want to do this? If I went through this, then, I wouldn't be able to turn back anymore.

  Why is living a life so hard? No, it's not that living a life is hard, living a good life, that is what is hard. When did I... Become like this? Nevis stretched out her hand, gently touching the surface of the mirror, wondering why. Is this really me? Is this beauty just a disguise for all of the ugliness hidden underneath?

  Suddenly, a few tears dripped onto the phone, Nevis quickly wiped it in her uniform. Tears? Why am I crying? She wiped her eyes, but, it just kept raining down. Slipping down her face, as she gasp for more air, her nose runny from the tears.

  [Crying again, Nevis?]

  I'm not crying.

  [Nevis is such a crybaby.]

  I'm not!

  [Right, right, Nevis is a strong girl. Remember what I always say?]

  Um. If opportunity presents itself in front of you, what do you do?

  [Grab it with all your might and never let it go!! ]

  [We do this because?!]

  Because we are not throwing away our shot!! I'm not throwing away my shot!

  Huff... Puff...

  Taking a deep breath, Nevis pressed the button and called Jeanne.

  Ring! Ring!

  Jeanne stopped her hands for a bit and looked up from her workstation and walked towards her desk. Her phone was on silent, and the only one that could call her phone and still ring are her parents and Nevis. Hoping that it was the tter, she picked it up and smiled when she saw who the caller was.

  Nevis.

  "Nevis! Rare to see you call."

  She answered and greeted with a cheerful voice. But, frowned when she heard a faint sobbing from the phone.

  "What's wrong? Why are you crying?"

  Then she heard a loud gulp, before she heard Nevis talk.

  "Can I ask for a favor, Jeanne?" Her voice was weak, yet it's firm.

  Jeanne raised an eyebrow to that question, Nevis, actually wanting a favor from someone? Usually, it's the other way around, but, this time, she's somewhat different.

  "What favor?"

  "I... I need a loan from you. I'll promise I'll pay you back as soon as possible." Nevis promised, her voice firm, trusting in herself to be able to repay it as soon as possible.

  Jeanne didn't answer, put the equipment she's making into her storage belt and went to her room. There, she opened the computer again, then checked Nevis' location. Finding that it was in a bathroom stall near the Aracane Inc. store, she already knew what happened.

  "Hey Jeanne! Why are you not answering!" Nevis shouted.

  "I just changed clothes, where are you right now, I'll go there." Jeanne replied, changing from her working clothes, to a more casual outfit, a white polo, jeans, and a bck coat that hang on her shoulders. Walking out of the store, she headed for the Arcane Inc. store, not before buying two strawberry crepes at a stall on the way.

  She knew that Nevis favorite is strawberry fvored things, as well as sour fruits. Jeanne bought them to console her broken heart, facing reality is not an easy hurdle. It took a while, but, Nevis finally replied to her question.

  "I'm near the Arcane Inc. store, tell me when you get there, I'll look for you."

  Jeanne smiled when she heard that, that voice is now firm like it used to, but, now with new found conviction. Seeing that she was about to reach the store, she told Nevis her location.

  "I'm in front of the store now, where are you?"

  "I'm here." Nevis popped up from the left of Jeanne's peripheral vision, her demeanor back to normal. Though, one could see that the corner of her eyes were still red from crying.

  Jeanne didn't mention the redness, just offered Nevis the crepe in her hand. "Want some?"

  Nevis nodded and took it, before taking a small chomp at it. Her mouth curled slightly, and her eyes narrowed upon the sweet taste.

  "So cute."

  Nevis quickly looked up to see Jeanne's teasing eyes, her face flushed and she quickly looked away. Taking a deep breath, she pretended that she didn't heard that just now. She still needs Jeanne's money to get started on her journey and to get the best possible equipment that is avaible to her.

  In other words, Jeanne's currently her sugar momma, and Nevis needs to get on her good book to get what she want. It's utilitarian, but what isn't in this world? Every move has some sort of ulterior motive hidden in it.

  Jeanne leaned over and whispered in her ear —very softly, "How much does the princess need?"

  "I don't know yet, I haven't seen the mana engines. That's the loan I need for." Nevis whispered back.

  "Don't worry, let me pay for everything. You can't let your pet have no equipment, right?" Jeanne insisted.

  Nevis stopped, thinking for a moment, before nodding.

  "But, you have to accompany me to do missions from Awakener Association, until you paid of your debt."

  The reason why Jeanne proposed this is because this will lead to her and Nevis having more time to be together, equivaling to more time to cultivate feelings. Not only that, it could also increase their tacit understanding with one another, making cooperating the best choice for the both.

  They walked into the store and first went to the spell book case and bought the [Snow Artisan] spell book. Then they proceeded to the mana engines section which occupied a whole side of the store. The one guarding there was not a clerk, but, a burly man two meters in height, bulging muscles, arms thicker than their thighs, and sharp eyes that observed every customer that passed in front of this section of the store.

  "The little princess of Lamorac family is here, doesn't your family already have its own mana engine? So, it's for this girl then, right?" The man asked.

  Jeanne nodded, then asked, "Does your store have a mana engine made of Winter's Ice? One that has bonus on ice manipution, ice toughness and grants a winter's grace buff?"