I Became the Finance Director of an Academy on the Verge of Bankruptcy

Mina Glichen is a Rank 3 martial artist and an innocent countryside girl.

Originally a commoner, her talent was recognized, and she was adopted into the Glichen Barony, eventually succeeding in enrolling in the prestigious Grandis Academy, the best in the kingdom.

A festival was held in the Glichen Barony and her hometown. Although Mina couldn’t attend because of the entrance ceremony and classes, she heard everyone was happy.

A letter from her adoptive father, the baron, and a letter written by the village chief on her behalf, since he couldn’t write.

Mina, who always cherished those letters, trained hard in line with the expectations placed upon her.

“I need to graduate at least as a Rank 4!”

She heard that high-ranking individuals self-proclaim themselves as Rank 5 without needing proof, but that was irrelevant to Mina.

Although the Grandis Academy tends to underestimate students, a typical Rank 4 usually doesn’t have significant problems living a normal life.

Especially in rural domains like the Glichen Barony, where the captain of the knight order is only Rank 5. Having a Rank 4 in such a territory holds great significance.

Therefore, Mina went to the training room every day, training herself and sparring with various students without being ashamed of her defeats, while also focusing on her studies.

Even the students who initially mocked her for being a countryside girl at Rank 3 gradually became inspired by her sincerity and smile.

Before she knew it, Mina had become a well-known figure in the martial arts field.

“I’m glad everyone is so kind!”

However, due to her simple nature, Mina misunderstood noble mockery or ridicule as genuine compliments, thinking only that city folks are all sweet──.

She had an overly naive and positive personality, but a certain friend had a significant influence over her way of thinking.

As she headed towards the training ground for today’s practice, she spotted that friend on the street and waved with a smile.

“Ruth!”

“…Mina.”

Ruth Spero. A Rank 6 swordsman, who is on an entirely different level compared to Mina.

A friend she met on the day of the entrance ceremony and in many ways the most famous male student in martial arts.

Part of it was simply because of his excessive skill, but his somewhat stoic personality and androgynous looks contributed to it as well.

There were several good and bad rumors about him, but to Mina, Ruth was just a precious friend.

Especially since this precious friend, a Rank 6, had directly encouraged Mina, telling her, “You can do it.”

Unbeknownst to her, Mina drew great comfort from those words.

“Ruth, where are you going? I’m on my way to the training ground, wanna join?”

Compared to the usually quiet Ruth, Mina, being the one to initiate the conversation and invite him, had rumors about them dating in the martial arts field floating around.

Dating Ruth. That would be a dream come true for some female students, but it didn’t resonate much with Mina.

He was too amazing for her to even think in those terms. Just the idea of it felt absurd.

“Hmm, how should I put this.”

She felt as if dating him was simply impossible. It was as if such thoughts never even crossed her mind.

They were just close friends, and she instinctively sensed that a relationship beyond that was unfeasible. It wasn’t a matter of feelings but something more fundamental.

Of course, if she voiced this to someone else, they would surely scold her for being deceptive, so Mina kept those thoughts to herself.

Even though rumors of them dating circulated, the truth of their friendship only made those rumors die down.

As always, Mina was the first to suggest a place to go to Ruth.

“………Nah, it’s okay. I have somewhere to go.”

“Oh really? Where are you headed?”

Instead of feeling awkward from Ruth’s stoic rejection, her curiosity emerged, and she asked him back. Ruth must have personal matters to attend to. Normally, she wouldn’t pry, but…

Seeing him carry a rather large bag made her unable to resist asking.

Though she had visited Ruth’s dormitory alone a few times, she had never seen such a large bag there. Was he perhaps hosting a party?

“I’m just going shopping.”

“Aren’t you throwing a party or something? That bag looks huge!”

“Not really… but I am cooking. I think I’ll have to provide quite a bit.”

“Wait!?”

Cooking? Ruth himself was going to cook?

When the rumor of dating stirred within Mina’s heart, she shrugged it off, but now it felt like Ruth was practically confirming it.

With a sly grin, Mina nudged Ruth’s elbow.

“What’s up, Ruth? Is it getting serious already?”

“…Hmm?”

“Don’t tell me you have a girlfriend now? You’re Rank 6 and handsome! If anything, it feels like you’re late to the game!”

“…………….”

Mina had teased him like one of the aunties from her hometown, but Ruth’s reaction was strange.

He seemed suddenly startled, clearly reacting heavily to the word ‘girlfriend.’

“Girlfriend… yeah, it was a girlfriend.”

“Ruth?”

“…It’s nothing. I think I understand why I’m so flustered suddenly.”

“??”

Did I say something wrong?

Mina whispered cautiously to Ruth, glancing around the almost empty street.

“Is it… not?”

“If we’re being precise, it’s not.”

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to misunderstand.”

“It’s fine.”

Ruth seemed genuinely okay. His expression was a bit complex.

It was better not to pry further. Understanding that, Mina frantically tried to divert the topic of conversation to anything else.

Discovering apples piled up in Ruth’s bag, she exclaimed.

“Wow, apples! Ruth, do you like apples too? I love them!”

“I hate them.”

“R…really?”

“I don’t dislike the taste of apples per se. Just thinking about them reminds me of the past.”

The past?

Knowing surprisingly too much about Mina while never hearing anything about Ruth’s past, her eyes gleamed briefly.

But she decided that now wasn’t the time nor the mood to ask further.

Why didn’t he like apples?

“There’s someone who likes apples. It’s… complicated.”

“Uh, what?”

“Every time I see an apple, I feel conflicted about that day from the past, but for that person, getting apples is necessary. It’s just a single apple, yet I feel both miserable and happy at the same time.”

“………….”

“…Sorry, I’ve been rambling for too long. I have to go. Someone’s waiting.”

“Oh, no! I’ll head out too!”

Mina waved her hand frantically at Ruth’s forlorn expression and hurried away. It felt necessary to run.

‘Just now, Ruth’s expression…’

The look on Ruth’s face as he talked about apples was something she had never seen before.

That depth of emotion was new, strong, and heavy.

Mina Glichen.

…Felt fear for the first time from her precious friend.

*

I made a rational decision.

I’m not being bowled over by money.

‘If it’s 50 times, how much is that per month?’

Right now, I’m doing my very best cleaning and sweeping the dust away from the room the protagonist is about to enter, but it’s purely out of goodwill.

So, what if it is goodwill?

‘Hah, this is what the protagonist looks like.’

I’ve had my eye on the protagonist ever since I heard about the tuition fee being five times at the entrance exam hall. Someone destined for greatness, no doubt.

Had it not been for the Academy being on the verge of bankruptcy, perhaps I wouldn’t have had to take the initiative myself.

‘Should I prepare a welcome drink? Maybe buy a mid-grade elixir with that big heart of mine?’

More importantly, since the protagonist is out shopping now, shouldn’t I be the one footing the bill? Should I…?

Well, let’s stay quiet and see if the subject comes up, then I’ll pay then.

While dusting carefully, a question popped into my head.

‘But how does he have so much money?’

In the [Dark Kingdom], it’s impossible for one to have money at this time. Of course, that’s just within the game’s narrative.

In reality, it’s not a game where one must head straight to the Academy without ever going anywhere else. Somewhere along the line, he must have made a fortune somehow.

But even that’s a bit much.

‘To casually say he’s renting at an average of 50 times means it’s not a problem? I’ve seen the Empire Bank checks.’

50 times. No matter how cheap the Grandis Academy dormitory rates are, that sum still sounds ridiculous. No, it’s way past ridiculous, it’s downright crazy. You’d need to rent a pretty pricey dormitory to even reach that.

Spending such an amount every month without a hitch. He must be barred from earning money while at the Academy.

What, did he hit the jackpot?

‘Like a salt mine, perhaps?’

Chuckle.

It’s funny, that thought I had. The salt mine the headmistress invested in was located on the fringes of a little kingdom at the edge of the continent. How would the protagonist even pull that off? And the salt mine isn’t just open for anyone to invest in. The salt itself is precious and is strictly regulated by the government.

…Though it’s frustrating that there’ve been mysterious accidents leading to collapses.

But still, it’s not like that salt mine is the only one on the continent. Just because he’s the protagonist, he’s likely gotten it handled seamlessly. If anything, the fact that he’s Rank 6 is already a problem. Right now, I should be concerned about where to allocate the protagonist’s funds, not where he got the money from.

‘Putting everything into finances makes sense.’

However, to be perfectly honest.

When I was publicly criticized about the living conditions in the dorm, I felt pretty embarrassed. I started wondering if I was living too frugally.

Above all, even if it’s 50 times, putting it into the Academy’s finance wouldn’t make that significant of a difference. Sure, having it would be good, but on a macro level, it’s small, and on a micro level, it’s a large sum.

Especially since this dorm was registered under my name rather than the Academy’s due to the headmistress’s goodwill.

So it’s basically saying I could pocket the rent I receive from the protagonist without any issues.

‘What to do.’

Is it alright for the finance director of an Academy on the brink of bankruptcy to think like this?

If I close my eyes, I could enjoy both cooked food and mid-grade elixirs, just as the protagonist said, and have more nice things to eat.

“Ugh, no, not like that.”

My deliberation was brief. I shook off my cynical thoughts with a half-hearted chuckle.

If I allow myself one splurge, it’d only be easier to indulge further. Living like this doesn’t mean I’m on the verge of death, and I should save as much money as possible.

For that reason, I hadn’t planned any Academy terror… or had I?

Oh.

‘By the way.’

Isn’t the headmistress supposed to come to the dorm tonight for a discussion? And now with Ruth here too?

No way… Even if I decided to move in, there’s no way all my stuff could be moved in on the same day. Last time, I needed time to pack up when moving out of my previous dorm, so it should be.

Thud!!

“…Ruth?”

“It’s my stuff.”

“Have you already brought it all in…?!”

“There wasn’t much to begin with.”

Not true? There’s way more gear. Wait, what’s this?

Eggs?

“Why do you have so many eggs?”

“I had a reason. You haven’t eaten yet, have you?”

“Uh, well, that’s true, but I’ll be going to work soon.”

“You should have at least lunch. Sit down.”

Usually, the landlord is above the tenant, but this situation is different. Following the words of the tenant, I sat down at the dining table reverently.

Thinking back, it had been a long time since I sat down to eat here. As I sat quietly, the protagonist started cooking with a skilled hand.

Pretty good at this, huh?

“This type of cooking seems familiar to you.”

“…There’s a reason.”

Hmm, thinking about it, it’s a bit annoying.

He’s a Rank 6, handsome, wealthy, and now he even cooks well? Is this what a protagonist is like?

Since he’s a student at the Academy, he must also have a lot of flirtation with female students. Meanwhile, the only women I meet are those annoying co-workers who I’ve been dealing with for three years, trying to steal budget funds.

Of course, I’m not about to confront the protagonist who pays me 50 times the rent, but it all feels a bit…

“Eat.”

“Wow, damn.”

“Yes?”

“I said, ‘Wow, damn.’”

Forget it. What’s this?

From a cooking perspective, it’s ordinary. Steak accompanied by fried eggs. A bit heavy for lunch, but I craved something other than the usual potato meal after such a long time.

Without delay, I sliced into the meat.

‘Why does it melt?’

Isn’t it reasonable to think about how much this might cost instead of thinking, “This looks good”? It’s definitely the protagonist who did all the shopping, so I shouldn’t have to pay, right?

I hesitated for a moment but quickly devoured the steak and fried egg.

Chop, chop!

“How is it?”

“Um, mmm!”

“…Eat a lot. There’s dessert too. It’s apples.”

What is this? This is the protagonist? The taste makes me fully repent of all my previous complaints.

Thinking about it, since we’re both guys and just sharing a room, what’s the issue? On the contrary, isn’t it a bonus to get to experience what the protagonist does firsthand? Isn’t that the case?

Moreover, considering my limited time residing in the dorm, it’s really not a big deal in the end.

Enjoying the flavor of meat that I hadn’t tasted in a while, I suddenly heard a sound of things dropping.

“Ruth? What’re you…?”

“I’m throwing them all away.”

“Wait, why are you throwing away those precious elixirs?”

“I’ll get all new ones myself, so just throw these away.”

“Oh, understood.”

If you’re buying new ones, that’s a different story. Since I occasionally drink them myself, I wouldn’t feel guilty if it was the protagonist who consumed them.

More than anything, right now, I simply wanted to enjoy the steak. Why is this so delicious?

Ruth’s actions didn’t stop at just tossing out all the low-grade elixirs.

“Clean this place up too.”

“Uh.”

“Replace the wallpaper here.”

“No way.”

“Let’s also put down a carpet over there, and we should fix the bathroom. We might as well tidy the garden.”

“Student? The money…”

“I’ll pay for everything, so Finance Director, just shut up and eat.”

“…Yes.”

What is this? What’s going on?

Within my mind, questions of whether this was right clashed with worries about the headmistress visiting tonight.

But right now, the only thought in my mind was how delicious the steak and fried eggs were.

I’m so happy…

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