Muyoku no Seijo wa Okane ni Tokimeku

Chapter 98: Leo fulfills his fateful encounter (2/2)

"Huh...?"

"No, you see. Because I have the power to obtain anything, I think you are incredible, but if you ask me what I want, it's not fame or power, but you. I really like you, gold. I love you."

"Do you understand?" When asked, she shook her head in confusion.

"Because people like me for the fact that I can get anything I want."

"So if you don't want 'anything,' why do you like me?"

"Because you're cool!"

"..What...?"

The quick answer made her golden eyes waver with even more confusion.

So, Leo licked his lips slightly, choosing his words carefully and began to speak with all his might.

He hadn't thought much about it until now, but he tried to explain why he liked gold so much.

"Um, well, I've loved gold since I could remember. I don't know why. I just did. I just wanted it. Isn't that what love is?"

For instance, Leo's older friend who set him up with a part-time job translating erotic novels, loved the curves of women with passion, saying things like 'they are justice' and 'the absolute good.' Leo thought it was the same.

It's not about logic, but instinct—although Leo believes his feelings are a little more refined than that.

(Instinct, huh...?)

"Oh, yes, um, I mean, there was a turning point when my admiration for you turned into something akin to worship!"

Seeing the golden spirit fold her arms in a way that showed she couldn't understand, Leo hurried to speed up his explanation.

"Six years ago... or was it seven? There was an outbreak of disease in the area I lived in."

"Disease...?"

"Yes, although it didn't really affect the well-nourished and well-rested citizens. You see, I might look this way now, but I grew up in an orphanage in the slums."

Leo hesitated for a moment whether to explain the reason for the exchange, but decided it wasn't relevant here and quickly moved on to explaining the situation at the time.

The golden spirit, as expected of one who rules over a beautiful substance like gold, seemed displeased by the ugly phenomenon of disease, and listened intently with a stern expression.

"That winter was extremely cold. At one point, food supplies became scarce, making them harder to come by. I discussed this with the director, and we agreed to prepare as best we could, but then the unexpected outbreak happened. The preparations we made weren't enough, and we quickly ran out of food and other essentials."

"The intent was to provide the sick with warm rooms, nutritious meals, and a clean environment."

"At the same time, to prevent infection within the orphanage, it was necessary to discard food and supplies rather than reuse them."

"But that worsened the orphanage's already poor finances rapidly."

"Leo and the others, watching the healthy children run through the winter streets, worked hard or cut back on their lives to survive the cold and disease."

The spirit listened silently, her enchanting face contorted as she muttered quietly.

"So, why did that lead you to worship me?"

"You suffered because you lacked money."

Leo pondered the question, then responded,

"Well, what I'm trying to say is... it wasn't the lack of money that caused us to suffer, but rather that having money would have saved us."