Taking a Loan

Only after fifteen minutes spanned past did Jyorta reluctantly retract his arms, and that too after using his facemask for a split second. The two sat in their respective seats, silent for the next ten minutes as they took infinitesimally small nibbles of their pastries.

His mind was completely occupied by the hug, sporting a foolish grin on his face, one that failed to be controlled despite his best efforts.

After some more time had passed, Haesha opened her mouth, "My family consists of my father, my mother, three brothers, and one sister. Among them, none managed to reach Tier 3. And, during the Phantom Wave, my father got injured by a Swarm monster that also possessed a Frenzy Parasite, losing his legs in the process. Its Essence of Frenzy caused his already low Sync Rate to drop to the bare minimum."

"We didn't have enough money to get a highly skilled healer to treat him. So, the money my brothers saved up was only enough to get him occasional treatment. After all, the Essence of Frenzy already seeped deep into his nervous system and even into his fused region. So, the cost to just delay the conversion of his Wisdom Parasite into a Frenzy Parasite cost a lot." She muttered.

"Even though they didn't show it externally, and even treated me a lot of times to things that I liked, but I knew that they were troubled all along." She said, gritting her teeth, "So, just to prevent them from worrying any further, I had to act like I was oblivious to everything and live a somewhat pampered life. I hated that all along. And, now that I have Regen, I'll slowly work on healing him, despite the time it would take."

"Hmm, that's risky." Jyorta said, "As an area Controller, your ability to manipulate psychic energy isn't on par with the delicacy necessary for this process."

"Yes, I know that." Haesha said, "But, I already have Regen with me. So, I should do something with it, right?"

"I was also planning to sell my Tier 3 Relic to get enough funds for father to undergo enough treatment so that I should be able to heal the rest." Haesha said, "I feel like that is my only viable option now."

"Don't sell your Tier 3 Relic. It has tremendous value. And, it would prove tremendously helpful when you are sent on missions outside Marble City." Jyorta said, hurriedly offering a solution before Haesha could oppose, "We can take a loan."

"A loan?" Haesha was surprised, "That is possible?"

"Yes, though not many do this since they don't have a guarantee in earning enough to pay off the interest, not without risking their lives to perform missions." He said, "But, the both of us can pawn our respective Tier 3 Relics. With that, we should obtain enough funds to treat him in a hospital completely."

"We are healers. So, the demand for us always exceeds the supply. We can quickly pay off the loan and reclaim our Relics too. This way, your dad gets proper treatment while we won't be losing anything too." Jyorta grinned, "It's a perfect plan, right?"

"No, it's not." Haesha shook her head, "You earned that Relic through your hard work. I can't ask you to pawn it for my sake…"

"Well, give me a valid reason as to why I shouldn't." Jyorta said, staring at her, expressing his stubbornness, "If you can convince me otherwise, I will back down."

"It's a Tier 3 Relic. A valuable Tier 3 Relic!" Haesha said.

"Yes," Jyorta nodded, "But I'm Jyorta Bone. If I really want a Tier 3 Relic, all I have to do is beg my sister. I'll be able to get my hands on another."

"…"

"Anything else?" He grinned, lightly tapping Haesha's shoulder, saying with a disappointed shake of his head, "You are hundred years too young to change my mind. No matter what, I'm in this with you."

"Fine…" Haesha turned around, wiping her tears quickly as she faced him once again, "You win, do as you wish."

"That's great!" Jyorta grinned, "Now, let's finish all these pastries here. We shouldn't waste such tasty treats. My sister would beat me up if I don't use her credit card at least once."

"Wait, this is my treat. I'll be the one to pay. You already gave me such an expensive gift." Haesha said, standing up all of a sudden, "Since this is my recommendation, I'll be the one to pay."

"Actually…" Jyorta smiled wryly, "I wasn't that hungry today, so I barely showed you my ability. So, once your father is fully cured, treat me here once again. At that time…"

He grinned, pointing at himself while proclaiming with a tone of boasting, "This lord here will show you my true potential. I'll be eating so much that the entire café would run out of food. So now, I'll pay for this paltry eating contest."

"Alright!" Haesha chuckled, "We'll do that then."

Once they were done eating, Jyorta awaited at the café's entrance while Haesha ran off to her home and quickly returned with a box, one that contained her Tier 3 Relic—the one with the Tier 3 Skill of Energy Force.

Soon, they boarded a metro train, arriving at Sector 1, meeting up with Ravis Bone who stood before a bank, carrying Jyorta's Tier 3 Relic with him—the one with the Tier 3 Skill of Brethren Bait.

"You sure about this, Jyorta?" Ravis asked, though laughing immediately, "Well, you are healers. So, there won't be any problems in repaying the loan. One of my Batchmates works here. I've already talked with him. He'll finish all the paperwork immediately."

He then led them into the bank, proceeding through the loan process, watching Jyorta sign the document first. Then, he watched Haesha sign it next, whispering to Jyorta, "You chose a really fine lady."

"Thank you." Jyorta grinned, trailing after Haesha's confident back, "I guess it's a mutual choice now."

"Well, if I have to comment on your taste in women," He grinned, massaging his beard as he spoke, "It is as refined as your sister's taste in men. You have my nod of approval in this regard."