Simon stared blankly at the wall Cindy had vanished through, then flipped open her wallet.
Only a few lonely coins clinked inside.
Show-off. He let out a low snort.
Knox walked over, peeked into the wallet—and immediately burst into laughter.
"With this amount? The only thing she can do is donate to beggars. She can't even buy candy."
"Simon! Knox!"
Lorain came sprinting back, black hair fluttering behind her.
"They said Introduction to Darkness Dynamics is sold out! But more stock's coming in two hours, so I arranged for everything to be delivered straight to our dorm later."
"Oh, that's great!" said Simon.
"Well, at least we don't need to wait around here." added Knox casually.
Lorain leaned in and nudged Simon's arm with her elbow, giving him a teasing, playful look.
"But hey—who was that girl earlier? You already made a friend?"
Simon's eyes darted away, a nervous bead of sweat forming.
"L-Let's just say… something like that."
"Oho? Why are you stammering? Don't tell me you two already exchanged hearts?"
"Well, technically, they almost exchanged wallets," Knox chimed in.
"Exchanged wallets? That's such a weird thing to do." Lorain raised a brow… then slowly turned her gaze toward Knox.
"And how about you, Knox? Did you exchange anything with that girl?"
This time, her arms crossed over her chest. She was smiling—but Knox's Newtype senses were screaming. Her eyes weren't smiling at all.
…Danger.
Even though no sweat formed, Knox felt like he was drenched.
"I didn't exchange anything with her," he said quickly. "But I did counter her 'pickpocket' with a 'pickpocket'. She stole Simon's wallet, Simon accidentally took her backup wallet, and I—"
He lifted a finger, grinning.
"—took her main wallet~."
Lorain stared at him for a moment.
"…Knox."
"Yes?"
"That's not called countering. That's called stealing."
Knox raised a finger confidently, as if presenting an airtight legal argument.
"First," he began with a bright smile, "if you don't get caught, it's not stealing."
Lorain's eye twitched.
"And second," Knox continued cheerfully, "if you return it immediately to the person, then it's also not stealing."
He finished with a proud nod, like he had just delivered universal truth.
Hearing Knox's excuse, Lorain could only smile sheepishly while shaking her head.
Ever since Knox joined Kizen and ended up living in the same house as her, she'd long grown used to his shenanigans. Honestly, with the 'current' Lorain, even if Knox blew up Kizen tomorrow or wrote another tear-jerking, heart-stabbing novel, she was pretty sure she'd only grumble for a moment… then smile at him again.
"Alright, alright, Mr. Phantom Thief," Lorain sighed, waving her hand. "Let's put an end to your thievery for today. Let's go to the next place."
"Too bad I didn't ask Cindy for compensation," Knox said, clicking his tongue dramatically. "With that money, I could've bought you some cake or ice cream."
Lorain paused. Then she smiled—sweetly, knowingly.
"Oh? And how about now?" she teased. "You're not planning to buy me cake and ice cream?"
Seeing her smile, Knox felt the earlier sense of danger finally disappear. He let out a small breath, then flashed her a warm smile.
"Of course. Let's go. I'll buy every cake and ice cream you want. And if nothing catches your eye, I'll just make something myself."
Lorain's eyes immediately lit up. She practically bounced in place.
"You promise, okay?!"
Meanwhile, off to the side, Simon felt like he'd been quietly pushed out of the frame. For some reason, he felt like he'd just eaten a whole bowl of dog food.
And this pink, floaty atmosphere around Knox and Lorain… it weirdly reminded him of how his parents acted at home.
Then Lorain noticed Simon staring at them. Her face flushed instantly.
Right—there were three people here, not just her and Knox.
She quickly tore her gaze away from Knox, internally blaming him for everything.
This is your fault, she grumbled in her mind.
If he hadn't casually offered to personally make her cakes and ice cream, she wouldn't have gotten so focused on him that she forgot Simon existed.
And honestly… after years of living together, Knox had already conquered her stomach completely. No wonder her brain shut down the moment he mentioned food.
Lorain sighed at herself.
Great. And now I'm thinking I should've asked him to make even more later…
She puffed her cheeks out in embarrassment, trying to act normal—while Knox and Simon both looked at her in confusion.
But then, something clicked in Simon's mind.
Cakes? Ice cream? Knox making them himself??
Simon blinked.
That… wasn't normal friend behavior, was it?
He shifted his gaze between the two—Lorain still red-faced and flustered, Knox casually smiling like nothing was out of the ordinary.
The more Simon thought about it, the more suspicious it felt.
Knox cooking for her, Lorain lighting up like a festival lantern at the offer…
Simon slowly nodded to himself.
At the very least, they're insanely close.
And with that realization, Simon felt even more like he'd been force-fed a fresh plate of dog food again.
Lorain cleared her throat. "Ahem—right, we got sidetracked. Anyway, the books are taken care of, so let's head out. We've still got plenty of places to visit."
"Where are we going next?" Simon asked.
"Bag shop," Lorain replied.
Simon looked back at the backpack slung over his shoulder.
"The one I'm using now isn't that bad though."
"Hm?" Lorain blinked.
"Huh?" Knox echoed.
Lorain stared at Simon, not getting it at first, while Knox shot him a side-glance. (Knox already knew this line would come up in the novel… but seeing Simon say it in person was a whole different experience.)
Then the two of them—Knox and Lorain—looked at each other… and burst into laughter.
"Ah, too cute. You really are a country bumpkin," Lorain giggled.
Knox chimed in, grinning, "Simon, if you'd just stayed quiet, people might've actually thought you were from some famous noble family."
"Ahem." Simon flushed bright red.
"When necromancers say 'bag,' they mean a magical inventory. Or more simply, a subspace," Lorain explained.
Simon's eyes flew wide open.
"So we're going to buy… a subspace right now?"
Knox smiled at him. "To be precise, you're going to buy a subspace."
A few blocks away from the bookstore stood a large, elegant building.
Knox, Lorain, and Simon were guided down to the basement level. Only after passing through several layers of black-magic security did they finally step into a softly lit underground showroom.
"…Wow," Simon breathed.
The entire space was filled with displays—backpacks, pouches, briefcases, and more.
Long coats, pocket watches, even carriage-sized carts and living, moving lizards.
Strange objects of unknown function hung on the walls or floated lazily in the air under various enchantments.
"Welcome, Miss Lorain, Mr. Knox!"
An elderly woman in a luxurious mink coat descended the stairs.
She was thin, sharp-eyed, and adorned with enough gold jewelry to blind someone at close range.
Lorain waved cheerfully. Knox also lifted a gentle hand in greeting.
"How've you been, Stephanie?" Lorain asked.
Knox added with an easy smile, "Ms. Stephanie, how are you? And if your granddaughter wants more of those cookies I made for her last time, just tell me—I'll bake another batch for her."
Stephanie's face brightened immediately as she rubbed her hands together.
"Really? Then I'll gladly take you up on that. My granddaughter will be thrilled."
She paused, her eyes narrowing curiously. "But what brings two VVIPs here without notice? If I recall correctly, Miss Lorain still has that new bag Mr. Knox bought for you last month. And Mr. Knox certainly doesn't need a subspace bag, considering your… unique storage abilities."
Lorain, with blushed face, casually placed a hand on Simon's shoulder.
"Cough, today, we're here to look at bags for this friend."
"Ah!"
With surprising speed, Stephanie appeared right in front of Simon, her hooked nose hovering way too close. Simon instinctively leaned back.
"A Kizen entrant! Wonderful! Necromancers are always our best customers!"
"Th-Thank you…" Simon stammered.
"Now then, what kind of product shall I show you?"
Lorain answered before Simon could even open his mouth.
"The best. And the most expensive one."
"Unbelievable!"
Stephanie practically shrieked.
"VVIPs, right this way, please!"
She ushered them into another room. Unlike the previous showroom, nothing here floated or hung on walls—every item was locked inside pristine glass display cases.
With a tap of her finger, the glass on one case dissolved silently, like mist disappearing.
"Please try this on, dear customer."
She handed Simon a dark blue glove adorned with a delicate, luxurious pattern.
The moment Simon slipped it onto his right hand, he felt a soft, cushion-like pressure—high-end to the point of intimidation.
"This is the work of the century's greatest subspace master, Ellen Bator. Please touch any wall and draw a rectangle."
Simon nodded nervously. He reached out, traced a rectangle—
Shrrk!
A clean, rectangular hole opened in the wall.
Startled, Simon leaned forward. Inside was… an enormous empty space, large enough to fit an entire house.
So this is subspace…!
As Simon stared in awe, Stephanie continued proudly, her voice swelling.
"As expected of Ellen Bator's masterpiece! It boasts 8,000UB of storage capacity! And as long as you're wearing the glove, you may summon the subspace at any time! Truly a revolution in inventory magic!"
"…Hmm."
Lorain and Knox, however, looked utterly unfazed.
Lorain folded her arms. "It's convenient, sure… but needing a wall to open it? That's a huge limitation. In real combat, you're often out on open plains with nothing around. And Simon's still a beginner—he doesn't need that much storage yet."
Knox nodded lightly and added, "And realistically, no enemy will just let you move freely. If they know your subspace requires a specific gesture, they'll exploit that weakness and shut you down instantly."
"That makes sense," Simon muttered, nodding quickly.
"Do you have anything more compact and simple, even if it holds less?" Lorain asked.
Stephanie's eyes gleamed. She walked to the very end of the displays and dispelled another glass case with a tap.
"This product hasn't even been released yet. It's the newest creation of Gellen Eclipse, a young but brilliant craftsman—many say he'll surpass the previous generation."
What she lifted was a ring. Silver at its base, but depending on the angle, it shimmered faintly in purple and green.
"Please try it on."
"Ah—yes." Simon slipped on the ring carefully. The prismatic sheen reflected across his skin.
"Now, channel your Darkness into the ring, please."
Simon guided his Darkness into it. The silver metal drank in the energy, shifting into a deep navy blue.
"How does it feel?"
"…Like there's… some kind of handle forming under the ring."
"That means it's working perfectly! Now imagine that handle as a lever, and pull."
Simon visualized it, grasped the "handle," and pulled—
Clackkk!
A vertical tear opened in the floor, like stone plates sliding apart. A soft white mist seeped upward from the rift.
"…Wow…"
Simon's heart pounded. Lorain looked mildly impressed. Knox only watched calmly, arms crossed.
"With a 4,000UB capacity—half of the previous one—it's far more practical. It opens on the ground, so slopes or rough terrain don't matter. And the interior contains seven spells, including high-grade preservation and temperature control magic."
"What about launch functionality?" Lorain asked.
"Of course! I'll demonstrate."
Stephanie scanned the room and spotted a worn plush rabbit in the corner.
"Hm? Why is that here?"
"My granddaughter likes sneaking her toys in."
Before she could continue, Knox leaned toward Lorain with a teasing smile.
"What's wrong, Lorain? Do you want a plushie like that?"
Lorain's cheeks reddened slightly. "Hmph. I don't know what you're talking about."
Stephanie let out a small, helpless smile and tossed the plush rabbit into the subspace.
"You're a new student, yes? You'll need practice before using the launch spell in real combat. Now—wrap the object with the subspace mana."
Simon followed her guidance. The mana moved easily, as if the ring were a natural extension of him.
"Good. Just wrapping the object activates the internal launch spell. Now—release it with a flick!"
Pwhoomp!
The rabbit shot out in a clean arc and landed upright.
Lorain and Stephanie both gasped admiringly. Knox clapped loudly, making it sound even grander.
"Amazing, dear customer! You're a natural! Are you sure this is your first time?"
Simon barely heard them—his pulse was racing. This… this is why necromancers need subspaces.
He imagined himself in the future, opening this ring's subspace and summoning undead like a true necromancer.
"Simon, do you like it?" Lorain asked softly, stepping over.
Simon snapped out of it and nodded again and again.
Knox tapped his shoulder with a grin.
"I'm guessing you just imagined opening this subspace dramatically and summoning your undead. Feeling cool already, aren't you~?"
Simon flushed instantly. Knox read him again. Embarrassing—yet not wrong. Of course he liked it. He had never wanted anything this badly.
However—
His eyes drifted to Stephanie.
"…How much does this subspace cost?"
————————————
Character Voicelines · Simon: About Knox Making a Cake
Simon: To be honest, I'm kind of surprised you can bake a cake, Knox.
Knox: Well… considering there are two 'children' in my house right now, cake works better as a bribe than money.
Simon: Two children?
Knox: Sometimes, that "bribe" can also become the fuse for a war.
Simon: ?
Knox: …I once witnessed an ancient being—despite looking and acting like a child—and an actual child nearly go to war over a single slice of cake.
Simon: (・・;)