Alice yanked Klein's arm away and turned to question him:
"Don't you want a money tree?!"
Klein hesitated slightly before lowering his hand.
Cattleya began looking at them in alarm. Then she turned to Frank Lee and found that he had actually put on a thoughtful expression.
???
The good news was that Klein was at least more clearheaded than Alice. While imagining the wonderful scene Alice had described, he warned her expressionlessly:
"Don't forget what you promised."
What did I promise? Oh, I promised to consider whether I could solve the problem before doing anything. In other words, as long as I can solve the problem, it doesn't matter what I do...
Alice's eyes lit up. She raised her head and said to Klein:
"I understand!
"Don't worry, I won't forget!"
...Although he didn't know what she had understood, there was definitely something wrong with this.
Meeting Alice's fervent gaze, Klein only felt a chill rise from the bottom of his heart. He shuddered before saying to her:
"Alice, I don't want to stir up unnecessary trouble. You understand, right?"
In other words, it had to wait until the return trip...
Alice nodded thoughtfully, indicating that she understood.
...Something still felt off.
Alice had agreed far too easily. Klein looked at her twice, not very reassured, but ultimately said nothing.
Cattleya led them onward uneasily. When they stepped onto the second floor, Alice frowned and looked toward the shadows to the side.
"Who is that?" she asked in confusion.
The darkness twisted after Alice's words fell, and before her surprised eyes, a tall, thin, pale figure grew out of it.
"...Did you crossbreed something with a person?" she instinctively asked Frank Lee.
"Ha ha ha!" Frank Lee laughed out loud heartily. "Though I've always wanted to do that, unfortunately...