A Study Machine?

On the way home with the pen in hand, Lynch still couldn't help wanting to scream.

Mr. Azik had really given him a Beyonder item, but what on earth was this?

Some kind of study machine?

Did Mr. Azik think he was a little kid who needed bedtime stories read to him at night?

Mr. Azik was old and had lived for a very long time. Maybe he really did think of Lynch as some sort of child who needed looking after, but this was ridiculous.

He even suspected Mr. Azik had seen through his thoughts and given him this thing to mock his overconfidence. But the other man had been very kind to him the whole time, and had even offered to walk him home before leaving, as if he were worried something might happen to Lynch the moment he stepped outside.

But Instructor Skuton had stopped him.

Instructor Skuton kept suspecting that Mr. Azik's excitement had messed with his head. After letting Lynch eavesdrop on the Tingen University instructors discussing the exam material, he gestured for him to hurry along.

Instructor Skuton would mail the materials to Lynch. He was worried Mr. Azik might do something because he was so worked up.

At the very least, Instructor Skuton had found it extremely uncomfortable to hear him speak in that tone people used with little children. He thought Mr. Azik needed to calm down.

Lynch also thought Mr. Azik needed to calm down a little, so he obediently left.

He was worried that if he stayed with Mr. Azik any longer, the other man would give him another Beyonder item that turned his whole worldview upside down. He'd never even heard of a Beyonder item that encouraged children to study.

The side effect of this item was almost laughable, too: it sprayed ink at people. Compared to all the Beyonder items that could cost you your life, it was enough to make your eyes pop out.

Oh well, he'd just treat it as getting a study machine.

Lynch shook his head and rejected the Stone of Myriad Phenomena's idea of draining the pen dry. Instead, he had the Stone of Myriad Phenomena absorb half its energy. Now the pen belonged to him.

Its functions were still the same, except only he could use it. The punishment of spraying ink at people was gone, which made it much more lovable.

Lynch was reasonably satisfied. Aside from being disappointed that it wasn't a weapon for combat, he approved of everything else.

In a good mood, he felt the money in his pocket and decided to treat everyone in Klein's family to a small cake.

In his previous life, whenever something good happened, he would treat his close friends to a big meal. But in this life, money was too important, so he had to be careful with it.

Three cakes were enough to make his heart ache.

But seeing the delighted looks on Klein and the others' faces still made Lynch happy.

"I told you, I was broke before. Now that I have money, of course I won't let you suffer..."

Lynch raised his chin and announced cheerfully, but before he could finish, he saw the disapproving look Melissa gave him.

"Your weekly salary is only two pounds, and you spend one pound on food. You take a carriage every day, and you have rent to pay. Now you're buying these, too. When will you ever be able to get married?

"Lynch, I know you're doing this for us, but this is such a waste. Besides, we don't even like cake."

Melissa put on a show of not liking it.

Watching her brothers dig in with grins, she frowned. But she couldn't talk them out of it, so she turned her head away and acted as if she simply didn't like cake.

But the tip of her nose, twitching again and again, gave her away.

"All right, I won't buy any next time. Just do me the favor of trying one this time. It'll go bad by tomorrow."

Lynch said with a laugh.

He didn't dare laugh out loud. He knew that if this young lady realized he'd seen through her act, she'd get so upset she would cry.

"I-I'm not hungry..."

Melissa glanced at the cake and quickly mumbled under her breath.

Lynch knew she was embarrassed. After thinking for a moment, he said, "I've already bought it, so do me a favor. Besides, don't you remember? You did my laundry for me last time."

He didn't mean the time his clothes had been torn. He meant a few days ago, when he'd come home and forgotten to do his laundry. He'd left his clothes in the washroom, intending to wait until he had more to wash. But when he came back, he found Melissa had already washed everything.

"I just did it while I was at it. It was nothing..."

Melissa lowered her head awkwardly.

Both her brothers were earning money, and Lynch wasn't idle either. She was the only one still in school. Not only did she not earn money, she had to spend it.

Though no one said anything to her or looked down on her, Melissa still wanted to do what she could for everyone.

"You just did it while you were at it, but it was a big help to me. You know I'm busy and a little lazy. I'm really grateful to you. This is a thank-you gift!"

Lynch bowed deeply to Melissa.

Melissa hurriedly stepped aside and awkwardly picked up her little cake.

"All right, I'll eat it. Don't do that. I only did something trivial. If you have more laundry next time, I'll wash it for you!"

Melissa said quickly.

Lynch waved a hand.

"Don't do that, Melissa. I heard from Klein and Benson that you're still in school and very talented. Once you graduate, you'll earn money. You don't need to worry about this stuff or take on these responsibilities.

"I don't think Klein and Benson want you coming home from school every day and doing these chores either. I've been thinking about it, and I plan to hire someone by the hour. She can cook for us every day and do the laundry as well. We can just split the cost."

Lynch had wanted to hire someone for a long time, but he hadn't had the money. Now that he did, and he was about to become a full-fledged team member, he no longer needed to worry about the expense.

So that afternoon, he'd brought it up with Klein on the way home. Klein had said it was fine and that he was willing to pay.

"But..."

Melissa sat uneasily, looking at Lynch.

"You'll definitely be getting the short end of the stick."

There were three of them, while Lynch was only one person. She felt awkward about splitting the cost evenly.

"Oh, this is what I was thinking. Once we have someone to help out, Klein won't have to cook every day. He can just teach her how to cook.

"That means I won't have to pay him for my meals anymore. I can just put that money toward hiring her. As for whatever's left over, just consider it extra money for my meals. I do eat a lot, after all."

Melissa frowned.

She knew very well that even so, Lynch was still getting the short end of the stick.

No matter how much Lynch ate, he couldn't eat as much as the three siblings combined. This was far too unfair to him.

"But..."

"Enough buts. I've always been on my own. You gave me the warmth of a home, so no matter how you look at it, I think we should split the cost evenly. It's only right that I pay my share."

"It's still not right to calculate it that way!"

Melissa pressed her lips together, firmly disagreeing.

Because Lynch's unfair way of splitting the costs had her so flustered, Melissa even forgot that she was supposed to object to hiring someone by the hour in the first place.

After arguing her case with Lynch and finally getting him to agree to pay only a third, Melissa suddenly realized what the real issue was.

Unfortunately, by then, if she tried to say they shouldn't hire anyone after all, not only Lynch but Klein and Benson would be against her.

They loved Lynch's suggestion.

No one wanted to come home after a day's work and still have to do the laundry. It was exhausting.

They hadn't wanted to do it before, and now they had a little money. They deserved to enjoy themselves a bit, right?