Having retrieved her lost item, the girl's mood seemed to improve significantly. True to her word, she gave a light wave of her fair, slender hand, and the magic in her grasp dissipated.
"Don't do things like this anymore. Other people won't be as easy to talk to as I am," the girl said before turning to leave.
Beside her, Satoru Gojo nodded in deep agreement. "Makes sense."
The last time he was stolen from, he had made sure to swipe all of Felt's own money in return. Compared to him, this girl was indeed very easy to talk to.
With that, the girl turned and walked away.
Watching her receding figure, Subaru Natsuki felt a strange, inexplicable urge—an impulse to get closer to her, to understand her. A girl who so perfectly matched his aesthetic and possessed such a kind personality... if he missed this chance, who knew when he'd meet someone like her again?
Subaru hesitated for a moment, and as she was about to vanish from sight, he couldn't help but call out.
"Um, can I know your name?"
The girl's pace faltered slightly. Then, Puck poked his head out from her hair.
"Are you planning to come find us for revenge later?"
"No, no, that's not it. I don't have those kinds of thoughts."
"Even if you don't, it's a no~ Lia doesn't seem to want to tell you," Puck said. As he spoke, the silver-haired girl resumed her pace, drifting further and further away.
Subaru watched this scene, his heart filled with disappointment. This parting likely meant they would never meet again.
"A romance ended before it even began, huh?" Satoru Gojo patted Subaru's shoulder, comforting him with the air of a seasoned veteran. "But hey, it's not like you gained nothing. At least you know her name probably has 'Lia' in it."
"Besides," Satoru continued, "in those light novels you read, don't the heroes always start harems? Maybe once you've subjugated the Demon King, she'll come knocking on your door herself."
Subaru shot a glare at the sarcastic Satoru. He hadn't forgotten how this guy had just used him as a shield by calling him "Satoru Gojo."
Crackle.
As they spoke, a crisp sound came from behind them. Felt had finally broken free from the ice pinning her to the ground, regaining her freedom.
"Hey, Felt! Seeing you safe and sound really puts my mind at ease..."
"You bastard, just go die already!"
Faced with Satoru's "relief," Felt's face flushed red with rage. With an angry shout, she charged at him and swung her fist.
Thud.
This time, there was no strange power blocking her. Felt's small fist landed squarely in Satoru Gojo's palm. However, this "spiteful strike" had absolutely no effect on him. Even the hand catching her fist didn't tremble once.
It was glaringly obvious that their strength was completely disproportionate.
Felt didn't have much presence of mind to care about that right now; she was consumed by fury and needed to vent.
"You bastard! You bastard!"
"Do you have any idea how much you've cost me?!"
"That was twenty Holy Gold coins! Twenty of them!!!"
Felt berated Satoru while her heart practically bled. Twenty Holy Gold coins. It was no exaggeration to say that in all her years, she had never taken a commission with such a massive reward. She had finally succeeded in getting the item, and then what? It was ruined by this guy!
Satoru Gojo effortlessly blocked Felt's assault with one hand while scratching his cheek with the other.
"Eh? That thing was worth that much?"
"No duh! I'm gonna kill you today!" Felt snapped, her small fists raining down like a storm—though no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't deal a sliver of damage to Satoru.
Beside them, Subaru didn't yet understand the concept of a Holy Gold coin. However, Satoru, who had spent a day wandering the Capital and had read the world's history, understood Felt perfectly. Twenty Holy Gold coins were enough for an ordinary family to live on for many years. For someone like Felt who lived by theft, it was an unimaginably huge sum.
Felt hammered away at Satoru for a while until she was breathless and exhausted, yet she hadn't left a mark on him. Having vented her frustration, she calmed down significantly. The priority wasn't doing useless things here, but finding a way to recover her losses.
After a moment of rest, Felt came to a decision.
"Hey."
"You ruined my job and cost me twenty Holy Gold coins. Those twenty coins... consider them a debt you owe me!"
"You and this guy are going to pay me back together!"
"Huh? Why do I have to be involved too?" Subaru didn't know the exact value of twenty Holy Gold coins, but from Felt's expression, it clearly wasn't a small amount. This was definitely not good news for someone currently penniless. What kind of hero starts his journey by falling into massive debt?
"And I'm a victim too! He intentionally called me 'Satoru Gojo' earlier, didn't you hear?" Subaru argued, trying to escape this unfortunate outcome.
"No problem!" Satoru chirped. "It's just a measly twenty Holy Gold coins. For my partner here, it's not an issue at all!"
"Right, Protagonist Partner?"
"Am I just here to be your scapegoat?! And didn't you say I'm a supporting character?!"
"These things are very flexible. I think guest-starring occasionally is fine. Who knows, maybe later you'll become a villain for me to defeat."
"..."
Subaru turned his head to look at Felt. "I'm starting to understand how you feel. Do you know any way to teach this guy a lesson?"
"This is so sad. What happened to our 'bond'? Is our friendship falling apart before it even started?"
"Who do you think is to blame for that?!"
After a round of "friendly" negotiation, the three of them reached an agreement in that small alley. In less than three hours since crossing into this world, Subaru Natsuki—thanks to Satoru Gojo—successfully saddled himself with a massive debt of $12.5$ Holy Gold coins. (Satoru took the larger share, but Subaru was still dragged in).
From that moment on, Felt became their creditor. The two men, who previously had nothing to do, had successfully been demoted to "wage slaves."
"I don't know why, but I feel like the future is pitch black. This is not the 'Isekai trip' I was expecting," Subaru said gloomily as he followed Felt's lead.