"-Welcome to the real [Astronomy Club]!"
Eriri was a little bewildered by those words, but fortunately, as a veteran anime geek, she soon recovered from her panic under Utaha Kasumigaoka's explanation and understood the situation:
"So I've joined a mysterious organization called the 'Astronomy Club'?"
"You can add 'fledgling' in front of Astronomy Club."
As Luo Shu spoke, he walked over to the refrigerator, thought about cola for a moment, then opened it. Sure enough, a 500-milliliter can of cola sat inside.
It really works...
He muttered inwardly, took out the cola, pulled the tab, and had a small sip. Yes, it tasted familiar:
"For certain special reasons, I founded the Astronomy Club. As things stand, you and Utaha are its first members."
Hearing Luo Shu's explanation, Utaha Kasumigaoka gave him a mildly reproachful look, seemingly blaming him for telling Eriri the truth about their situation.
But to Luo Shu, honesty was often more worthwhile than deception.
After all, once Eriri became his familiar, they would share a bond closer than that of parents and relatives. They would be partners whose fortunes rose and fell together.
Under those circumstances, Luo Shu naturally had no intention of hiding the basic facts.
Of course, this was also to prevent a tragedy if Eriri ran into trouble and misjudged the Astronomy Club's strength.
"A fledgling mysterious organization, and I'm one of its first members..."
Hearing all this, Eriri felt her head buzzing as her entire worldview shattered.
"Can I quit?" Eriri's question did not surprise Luo Shu.
If someone dragged him into a strange, newly founded organization with no visible future and not even a stated purpose, he would refuse too.
But since he had anticipated this, Luo Shu naturally had a plan ready to persuade her.
Holding his cola, he sat on the sofa in the middle of the living room and addressed Eriri, who was squatting rather inelegantly on the floor:
"Don't you want to hear about the benefits we offer?"
A flicker of curiosity crossed Eriri's eyes. Perhaps Luo Shu's consistently friendly manner had given her a little more confidence:
"Aren't you a fledgling organization? What benefits could you possibly offer?"
Rather than respond with empty platitudes, Luo Shu laid them out directly:
"Official members receive one free ability awakening and fifty internal 'points' each month. Apart from mandatory missions, we generally don't interfere with members' private lives."
"In other words, if there are no missions, you can spend all seven days of the week playing around, and the organization won't consider you absent from work."
"Besides that, we provide a medical examination and treatment every six months, free trials of shared organizational items, and coverage for medical and equipment expenses incurred during missions."
"The organization will also offer points for any unexpected gains from missions. Of course, you can keep them for your own use too."
"For now, those are the basic benefits."
"Hold on a moment."
With that, Utaha Kasumigaoka interrupted the conversation, took Luo Shu's hand, and lowered her voice:
"Have you lost your mind?"
"Can you afford everything you're promising? Never mind anything else, the energy expenses alone are bound to cause problems, aren't they?"
During their conversation, Utaha Kasumigaoka had immediately realized that these so-called points were actually energy points. That was precisely why Luo Shu's decision to pay a fixed monthly salary left her exasperated.
"I'm not being reckless."
Luo Shu lowered his voice. Since both of them now possessed abilities and extraordinarily keen senses, they could apparently hold a discreet conversation to a certain extent.
After all, Eriri couldn't make out their lowered voices at all, while Luo Shu and Utaha Kasumigaoka could hear each other perfectly clearly.
"According to that 'divine servant' of mine, once I have a familiar, it can provide me with 100 energy points every month."
"By that calculation, this income alone covers the fixed monthly energy payments for you and Eriri. Not to mention, once Eriri becomes my familiar, I'll receive another source of fixed monthly income."
"As for the free ability awakening, that's an inherent benefit of becoming a familiar. I don't have to provide it myself. Then there are medical expenses and equipment losses during missions. Leaving necessary treatment aside for the moment, how good could the equipment you buy with fifty points a month possibly be?"
"Besides, aren't we the ones setting the prices of the items and abilities in the shop?"
Luo Shu hinted at the matter of pricing, trying to draw Utaha Kasumigaoka into his capitalist logic.
After hearing his explanation, Utaha Kasumigaoka's expression became a little awkward.
She had never imagined that becoming his familiar would actually allow her to provide Luo Shu with energy. Fortunately, that energy income existed; otherwise, their current situation would genuinely have been difficult to manage.
"If you calculate it that way, you really can afford these benefits..."
At that thought, Utaha Kasumigaoka released Luo Shu's shoulder, sighed, and stepped aside.
Just as Luo Shu persuaded Utaha Kasumigaoka, Eriri glanced at them and raised her hand:
"Wait, I have a question. Can those points be bought with cash?"
"Huh?"
Hearing that, not only Utaha Kasumigaoka but even
Luo Shu had an odd look in his eyes.
Can points be bought with money?
Ms. Moneybags, are you finally showing your hand?
That thought crossed his mind, but considering how scarce his points currently were, Luo Shu still gritted his teeth and said:
"We don't currently support that kind of exchange."
"Oh, really..." Eriri said with considerable regret.
Clearly, Eriri Sawamura was no fool. In an organization involving supernatural powers like the Astronomy Club, something distributed as a salary, such as points, was bound to serve an extraordinary purpose.
Buying miraculous supernatural items, gaining longer life or greater beauty, and other miracles of that sort-given how much anime and manga Eriri consumed, she could guess all that with barely a thought.
Unfortunately, Luo Shu wouldn't exchange them. Otherwise, she would have liked to buy some points at ten thousand yen apiece.
Although the money she earned selling doujinshi at conventions was kept in an account managed by her mother, she could still scrape together twenty or thirty million yen in cash.
"It looks like you're pretty satisfied with the benefits..."
Seeing Eriri's regretful expression, Luo Shu inwardly breathed a sigh of relief.
Although he had never actually founded an organization or a company, Luo Shu understood the principle of talking money with employees rather than appealing to their feelings.
That was why, from the outset, he had felt that sharing financial benefits was essential to establishing an organization. He couldn't expect free labor just because its members were his familiars.
Thus, Luo Shu had set the fixed monthly salary at fifty points, a reasonable figure calculated against the 100 energy points Utaha Kasumigaoka produced each month.
In Luo Shu's plan, one point equaled one energy point, so fifty points a month meant fifty energy points.
At first glance, this looked like a fifty-fifty split, with one familiar capable of supporting two people. But Luo Shu knew that while the Astronomy Club remained small, expenses for its base, equipment, and medical care would consume at least twenty to thirty percent.
In other words, Luo Shu might only earn a twenty-percent return in points from each familiar. That ratio practically made him a philanthropist among capitalists.
Of course, since the system actually provided all that output, Luo Shu was essentially getting something for nothing anyway. He even figured he would have quite a surplus once the organization's membership grew.
Under those circumstances, as an amateur exploiter, Luo Shu naturally felt that squeezing any more blood and sweat out of his familiars would be a little unethical.
Although spending the energy still stung a little, the current members were all girls he had liked in his previous life. So despite his generosity, Luo Shu did not feel particularly reluctant.
After all, the money had come for free. Would giving it to girls hurt? Of course not. But if he had to hand over cash, yen or dollars, Luo Shu would probably be heartbroken.
Because he genuinely had no money.
Hearing Luo Shu's teasing, Eriri did not seem particularly embarrassed or annoyed. Instead, she asked curiously:
"But what exactly are the points used for? Could you explain?"
Luo Shu took the system's explanation and gave it his own spin:
"You can buy certain supernatural abilities or items with special powers through internal channels-the system's ability shop. Of course, advancing your abilities also requires points to purchase the corresponding materials."
"But that's something for after you join, Sawamura. If you don't intend to join, I can still provide an item that wipes your memories with a snap, just like in manga."
At that, Utaha Kasumigaoka leaned closer again and teased him quietly, "Could you really bear to let her leave?"
"I'll wipe her memories with a snap, then ask her again whether she wants to join. It's hardly difficult. I checked-it costs 500 each time. Surely she won't turn me down a dozen times?"
Luo Shu's answer was so shameless that it made Utaha Kasumigaoka laugh.
Glancing at Utaha Kasumigaoka beside him, whose shaking shoulders made it obvious she was suppressing her laughter, Luo Shu turned back to Eriri and asked:
"So, Sawamura, what's your answer? Can you tell me now?"
"My answer..." Eriri blinked, then revealed a sly smile.
Before you continue