They Called Me Trash? Now I'll Hack Their World

Chapter 261 261: You're Buying Lunch!

The days following the Spring Festival quickly blurred back into the monotonous, highly structured routine of Academy life.

The vibrant blue and gold banners were taken down, the sprawling vendor stalls were dismantled, and the heavy iron gates of the campus were locked once again to the outside world.

The chaotic energy of the festival was replaced by the familiar lectures of then Professors and the grueling physical conditioning in the combat halls.

But despite the return to the mundane, there was a massive, fundamental shift in our group's dynamic.

Emma was completely, undeniably back.

Sitting a few rows ahead of me in theory class, the dark, bruised-looking circles under her eyes were entirely gone. Her skin had regained its healthy, vibrant color, and she no longer hunched her shoulders like she was waiting for a physical blow.

She was back to taking frantic, overly detailed notes.

She was thriving.

There was, of course, a lingering, unspoken tension between us ever since the courtyard. Whenever our eyes met across the dining hall or between classes, her cheeks would instantly dust with a faint, violent pink, and she would quickly look away with a shy, knowing smile.

I didn't push it, and I didn't bring it up. Just let her breathe and enjoy her newfound freedom.

Later that evening, the reality of my other life outside the Academy walls demanded my attention.

I was sitting alone at the small wooden desk in my dormitory. Kyle was down the hall, loudly losing a game of cards to Sira, leaving the room perfectly quiet.

I swiped my hand over my spatial ring. With a soft pulse of mana, a small, heavily sealed leather pouch and a crisp, perfumed letter materialized on my desk. They had been discreetly delivered through the Academy's external courier system just an hour ago.

I picked up the letter, breaking the intricate wax seal. The handwriting was elegant, sharp, and entirely unapologetic.

It was from Tessa.

I leaned back in my chair, unfolding the parchment.

"Jin,

The production run was triumph. The demand is currently outpacing our supply by a factor of ten."

And many more Tessa style words.

I continued reading.

"I have sent your share of the profits in the pouch. However... with some adjustments to the split."

I paused, raising an eyebrow as I reached over and opened the leather pouch. It was heavy, filled with silver and a few solid gold pieces, but it was definitely a smaller cut.

And then looked back down at the letter.

Tessa had written at the very bottom, probably dripping with a smug, teasing smirk.

"A good wife shouldn't give all the money to her husband. Just enough for him to spend on his little academy snacks. Don't spend it all in one place, darling~"

I stared at that final line for a long time.

Then let out a heavy, incredibly long-suffering sigh, pinching the bridge of my nose.

"I am surrounded by absolute menaces," I muttered to the empty room.

I folded the letter and tucked the heavy pouch of gold into my storage ring. I didn't even want to think about what kind of headache Tessa was going to cause me next.

...

The next day was a total free day. No classes, no mandatory training blocks. Just empty time.

It was exactly what I needed. I had to get into the city and actually buy some decent equipment.

My sword was fine, but the rest of my gear was basically useless.

If I ended up fighting someone with a high level, the cheap leather armor and basic boots I was currently rocking would tear apart like wet paper.

I needed actual, reliable upgrades, and I wanted to get the shopping done quickly and quietly.

Grabbing my jacket, I stepped out of my dorm room. The morning air was nice and cool as I walked out into the courtyard, making a beeline for the main gates.

"Where are you going?"

I stopped and turned around.

Emma was walking toward me, her hands casually clasped behind her back. She looked completely relaxed, a bright, easy smile on her face.

I raised an eyebrow at her. "Weren't you with the others?"

She shook her head, her ponytail bouncing a little.

"Nope. I just grabbed a quick breakfast and left. Kyle and Sira were literally about to throw hands over the last piece of bacon, so I slipped out."

She stopped in front of me, tilting her head.

"You didn't answer my question. Where are you heading?"

"I'm going into the city to buy some equipment," I said honestly, stuffing my hands into my pockets. "My old stuff is getting worn out. I need new gear."

Her eyes instantly lit up.

"Let's go together!"

"Look, I'm just going to be hopping between boring armories—" I started, already trying to talk her out of it so I could just get the errand done.

But before I could even finish the sentence, she stepped right into my space, firmly latched both of her hands onto my right arm, and just started pulling.

"Come on, it'll be fun!" Completely ignoring my protests, she began physically dragged me toward the Academy gates.

I sighed and just let her drag me.

When we reached the checkpoint, the armored perimeter guards crossed their halberds, looking ready to demand our official, faculty-signed exit passes.

Instead of digging around for paperwork, I just reached into my pocket and flashed my Valor badge, which I had got for ranking high during the first combat evaluation.

It came with a lot of useful perks, and casually bypassing the gate restrictions with a plus-one was easily the best one.

The guards took one look at the glowing crest on the badge, immediately uncrossed their weapons, and waved us through without a single question.

I let out another breath, adjusting my jacket as we stepped out onto the bustling streets of the capital, Emma still happily clinging to my arm.

There was a very simple reason I didn't just use the Academy's official equipment shop.

Sure, it was convenient, and the gear was shiny. But the Academy tracks every single purchase.

Every sword, every piece of armor, literally everything you buy goes straight onto a neat little ledger that the faculty and the Student Council review.

If I suddenly bought high-density materials or just leather designed to handle extreme modifications, nosy professors would start asking annoying questions.

I didn't need a paper trail.

We walked through the winding, noisy streets of the merchant district. Emma was in a great mood, busy looking at all the colorful shop windows and pointing out a few bakeries we passed, but I kept us moving toward the rougher, more practical side of the city.

After about twenty minutes of dodging loud merchant carts and busy crowds, the pristine white stone of the capital faded into soot-stained brick and heavy iron.

We finally reached the place.

I pushed open the heavy wooden door of the shop.

The bell above the door let out a dull, metallic clank. The air inside smelled heavily of forge smoke, oiled leather, and raw, uncut mana crystals.

Emma finally let go of my arm, looking around at the walls covered in wicked-looking broadswords and heavy, spiked plate armor.

I sifted through the hangers and grabbed a fitted, dark leather chest piece. It was lightweight, completely unbranded.

Perfect. I could use my edits later tonight to weave my own durability and energy absorption codes directly into the fabric.

I tossed it onto the scarred wooden counter.

Next, I picked out a pair of steel bracers, then a leather bandolier holding six perfectly balanced, matte-black throwing knives.

They were plain, non-reflective, and deadly sharp.

I tossed those onto the pile too.

These will be enough for now!

The gruff, heavily scarred shopkeeper behind the counter just grunted, silently tallying up.

As I pulled out my coin pouch, I glanced over my shoulder. Emma was standing near a glass display case by the front counter, staring intently at a row of magical accessories.

I walked over and stood next to her. She was looking down at a delicate, pale silver bracelet woven with a clear, teardrop-shaped crystal in the center.

"Like it?" I asked casually.

She jumped a little, clearly not realizing I had walked up right behind her.

"Oh! Um, yeah. It's a focusing catalyst. Specifically for light affinity mages. It helps stabilize output and cuts down on mana waste when casting defensive barriers."

She gave a nervous laugh and took a step back from the glass.

"It's really pretty, but... definitely way out of my budget. Did you get all your scary knives and armor?"

"Yeah," I said. But I didn't move away from the case. I tapped the glass right above the bracelet, looking at the old shopkeeper.

"Add this to the pile."

Emma's eyes went incredibly wide. "Wait, Jin, no! You don't have to do that, it's way too expensive—"

I cut her off dropping a handful of silver and a couple of gold coins from pouch onto the counter.

"You helped me enough back then, it's only natural for me to pay you back somehow."

The shopkeeper boxed the silver bracelet and slid it across the counter.

I picked it up and casually tossed the small wooden box right to her.

She fumbled for a second but caught it against her chest. She then looked down at the box, her face instantly turning shade of bright pink.

She ran a thumb over the smooth wood, a massive, entirely genuine smile breaking out across her face.

"Th-Thank you," she stammered softly, clutching the box like it was the most precious thing in the entire capital.

I just grabbed my heavy, wrapped bundle of raw equipment and pushed the shop door open, letting the bright afternoon sunlight spill back in.

"Don't thank me yet," I smirked, stepping out onto the street.

"Since I bought you this... you're buying lunch."