City Hall Square in North Borough was only one intersection away from Klee Wood Street, so the three of them went on foot rather than taking a carriage to the place where His Majesty was about to give his speech.
Melissa quietly followed behind Benson and Lily, deliberately leaving a little distance to give them some privacy. As her gaze swept over the street, she noticed that even on such an important day, it was much quieter than usual. Many shops were closed, visitors from other cities or countries were almost nowhere to be seen, and even the newsboys hawking newspapers sounded listless.
She recalled a word that had appeared frequently in the newspapers over the past month: depression.
Along with it came supply shortages and soaring food prices. Factories in East Borough, South District, and Saint George Borough had laid off large numbers of workers because of reduced demand. That, in turn, left even more people without an income and unable to afford goods, creating a vicious cycle.
If Benson hadn't passed the government employment exam, and we hadn't received Klein's... death benefits, we'd probably still be on Iron Cross Street in Tingen City, living in Franchi's dilapidated apartment and calculating every day how many pounds of black bread our remaining money could buy... At that thought, Melissa couldn't help looking up at Benson, who was walking beside Lily ahead of her.
His somewhat grave voice then reached Melissa's ears:
"...It isn't just factories shutting down. Many students have suspended their studies and gone home to do what they can to help their families through this crisis...
"The Technical University you and Melissa attend is still doing relatively well. Most students have only seen a drop in their standard of living and can still hold on. But the families