Chapter 90 Money Problems
Chapter 90 Money Problems
Past noon the next day, Alessandra, Yumi, and the two kids—Kima and her little brother Kael—sat at the table in the inn, quietly eating plates of meat and strange vegetables from the local kitchen.
Alessandra stared down at her food, her expression unreadable. Her heart and mind were restless, thoughts drifting back to the previous night. After she’d showered and laid down to sleep, something had stirred her awake in the middle of the night—a small sound. She looked around the room but didn’t see Reika anywhere. Only Yumi and the kids remained asleep.
Concerned, she got up to investigate. As she moved closer to the wall that connected to the neighboring room, she heard it again—soft, muffled moans.
“Ah... ah... ah...”
Slap. Slap. Slap.
Her cheeks flushed red.
She turned around, walked back to bed, and buried her head under the sheets—covering her ears with both hands, trying desperately to block it all out.
Now, at the table, that awkward memory still clung to her as she quietly chewed her food with mechanical precision.
Suddenly, the sound of footsteps came from the stairs.
Iryoku and Reika descended—hand in hand.
Alessandra’s eyes widened slightly. She blinked, then quickly averted her gaze, pretending not to notice. She simply focused on devouring her plate, her expression blank.
Iryoku and Reika joined them at the table.
“Yes—food! I’m starving,” Iryoku announced, waving to the nearest waitress.
“A plate for me—and one for the lady, too,” he added with a grin, nodding toward Reika.
He plopped down between Reika and Yumi.
Without warning, Iryoku turned to Yumi and planted a kiss on her cheek. She looked up at him mid-bite, blinking—her face turning faintly red.
She opened her mouth to say something, but a small voice cut in.
“Big bro…” Kael said, holding a wooden fork and looking curiously at Iryoku.
Iryoku smiled.
“Yes, my boy Kael? Your big bro is all ears.”
Kael tilted his head, innocent and thoughtful.
“Umm… did you sleep with the window open?”
Iryoku raised an eyebrow.
“Huh? Why do you ask?”
Kael pointed at Iryoku’s neck.
“You’ve got lots of mosquito bites.”
Kima, between bites, pointed too—this time at Reika.
“Big sis Reika has some too!”
The couple glanced at each other.
And it clicked immediately.
Both had several hickeys—clearly visible, scattered across their necks.
Reika flushed hard, quickly lowering her gaze. Her face burned with embarrassment.
But Iryoku? He didn’t flinch. In fact, he smirked shamelessly. He’d left those marks on purpose—and had made no attempt to hide them. Reika, inexperienced and flustered, hadn’t even thought it would show so obviously.
Across the table, Alessandra tried not to look—but her eyes drifted for just a moment. Long enough for that same dull, hollow ache to quietly stir in her chest again.
“Yes, little ones…” Iryoku said in mock frustration, rubbing his neck.
“A big mosquito got me real good last night. Sucked everything out of me.”
He chuckled.
Yumi pouted.
“Don’t teach the kids weird stuff, Iryoku.”
Her voice was firm, clearly annoyed, as she picked up a piece of strange green vegetable and bit it.
He just laughed again and turned to wink at her.
But she interrupted him before he could speak.
“Eto… Iryoku, how much money do you have left?” she asked, serious now.
“I used all I had on our food. I hope you’ve got something saved up… Otherwise…”
She glanced around the table, then lowered her voice.
“We’ll be in trouble soon.”
Iryoku reached into his pouch and opened it.
“Not much… Damn. I was hoping we could relax a couple more days. We need a vacation.”
Yumi’s expression softened with relief at hearing he at least had some money left. As she leaned forward to reach for her drink, her chest jiggled slightly beneath the tight fabric. Iryoku’s eyes were drawn to her, lingering a second too long on her curves.
Fortunately, their food arrived just in time to interrupt the tension.
Iryoku immediately dug in, devouring his plate at a ridiculous pace, barely bothering to chew. Reika raised an eyebrow, but didn’t say a word.
Finally, Alessandra broke the silence, her tone serious.
“We need to talk about what we’re doing next—our plan. How we’re going to make money. The kids need food, and—”
She hesitated. Her eyes flicked toward Iryoku… only to catch him staring, completely shameless, at Yumi’s chest while still stuffing food in his mouth.
Yumi noticed too but said nothing. She just kept eating, silently pushing a piece of meat around her plate.
Alessandra sighed, coughed gently, and tried to continue. But before she could—
Iryoku set down his utensils with a satisfied grunt, finishing his plate just as Yumi did. Then he stretched and stood up abruptly.
“Hold that thought—for an hour. Mmm… maybe two. Yeah, give me two hours.” He held up two fingers, handed his pouch of money to Reika, then stood up.
“Don’t go far. Wait for us.”
“Us?” Yumi asked, confused.
Before she could react further, she was lifted off the ground—scooped into a sudden princess carry.
“Wha—?! W-Wait a minute—aaahh!” she yelped, her face exploding into a deep red.
Iryoku just laughed and sprinted up the stairs with her in his arms.
Some nearby guests glanced their way, blinking in surprise, but no one said anything. It was one of those moments.
Reika blinked once, then let out a slow sigh, brushing a strand of hair behind her ear.
“Alright… if you’re done eating, let’s go outside and wait for them.”
Her voice was calm, but her expression was awkward—and faintly flushed.
The kids looked confused, glancing between the adults. Alessandra said nothing, but deep in her chest, something sharp twisted again—quiet and bitter.
Without a word, she stood and followed the others outside.
Reika and Alessandra sat on a bench beneath a tree just in front of the inn. They had already retrieved Rhogan from the stables, and now the massive spirit rhino rested peacefully beside them while Kima and Kael laughed and played around his thick legs.
Alessandra glanced at the children and smiled softly. She moved closer to Rhogan and patted his sturdy head.
“You’re a good creature,” she murmured.
Reika felt a calm warmth in the moment. It was strange—neither Rhogan nor Alessandra remembered their past together, yet their bond seemed to naturally rebuild. They acted almost exactly as they had before, without even knowing it.
Then two figures approached, drawing their attention.
It was Iryoku—grinning wide—and Yumi, walking slightly behind him, head lowered shyly, clearly avoiding everyone’s gaze.
Reika smirked, teasing silently. Now Yumi was the one in her shoes, awkward and flushed. Faint hickey marks had started to bloom on Yumi’s neck, and though she tried to cover them with her hands and collar, it didn’t escape notice.
Yumi peeked toward Reika, clearly exhausted, and Reika blinked slowly in return—offering a small nod of understanding. Still, Yumi couldn’t bring herself to meet Alessandra’s eyes.
Alessandra simply stood there, silent, pretending to look off into the distance as if nothing had happened.
Iryoku, looking refreshed and energized, strode over toward Rhogan and the kids.
“Alright! Time to discuss the plan,” he said sharply, eyes suddenly focused and serious.
The shift in tone made Alessandra finally turn to face him.
“I don’t actually have one,” Iryoku admitted cheerfully, flashing a grin.
Alessandra nearly faceplanted.
“If it’s about money… I’m pretty sure I can get some easily. Just wait until tonight—I’ll handle it.”
He chuckled darkly, clearly implying less-than-legal methods.
Before he could say more, both Reika and Yumi moved at once, stepping in front of him to stop him.
“Don’t even think about doing something shady,” Reika said sternly.
Yumi, still a little sore and walking stiffly, poked him in the chest with a tired pout.
“You need to stop relying on criminal activities all the time. We’re not bandits.”
Iryoku raised his hands in mock surrender.
“Alright, alright… I hear you. I’ll do what my lovely wives tell me to. I’ll get a proper job and earn some money to take care of our kids.”
He grinned proudly as the words landed—and both girls immediately turned red.
Finally, Alessandra spoke, trying to change the topic.
“There’s… something going on over at the center of the city.”
Everyone turned their heads to follow her gaze.