Caius was watching Hilda, while Britney was watching Caius.

  Her eyes narrowed as she fixed a sharp gaze on his face.

  Caius noticed her stare but paid it no mind. Instead, he flashed her a grin before turning his attention back to Hilda—completely unabashed.

  Only Hilda remained oblivious, still meticulously explaining the badge’s functions to him.

  Whenever she glanced his way, he’d immediately shift his focus to the badge, putting on an earnest "studying" expression.

  At that moment, Britney’s teeth itched with irritation. She could practically feel the provocation in Caius’s smirk!

  This whole "learning how to use the Magitech badge" was clearly just an excuse to get closer to Hilda. And sure enough, with Hilda sitting right beside him, their shoulders were nearly touching.

  Seeing that Caius was about to succeed in his scheme, Britney abruptly stood up.

  "Alright, that’s enough explanation. If he still can’t figure it out after all that, he’s just an idiot."

  "At this rate, we’ll miss lunchtime."

  Only then did Hilda realize it was already noon.

  She handed the badge back to Caius. "Britney’s right. I’ve taught you the basics—you can figure out the rest on your own."

  "No problem!" Caius wasn’t disappointed. He had plenty of patience in this regard. He hadn’t expected such a simple trick to lead to any physical contact with Hilda anyway.

  Truthfully, his actions served two purposes: first, to subtly account for Hilda’s psychological nuances, and second… well, he just wanted to mess with Britney a little.

  Britney was clearly more experienced than Hilda. Caius could tell she was wary of him—or more precisely, wary of him getting close to Hilda.

  Case in point: the moment the two of them sat a little too close, she got antsy.

  Seeing the smug grin on Caius’s face, Britney gritted her teeth, silently resolving to make him pay—literally—for this meal later.

  After all, she’d seen firsthand how easily Caius could make money. Squeezing him for an extravagant lunch wouldn’t hurt him, and as long as it annoyed him, she’d be satisfied.

  "Let’s go. Take us to that amazing restaurant you mentioned—I want to see just how amazing it is." Caius stood up with a chuckle.

  "It won’t disappoint!" Hilda beamed before the group headed off-campus together.

  Once outside the academy gates, Hilda seemed to shed the weight of her Student Council President persona. She practically bounced with energy, her usual grace and aloofness nowhere to be seen.

  Perhaps because she was surrounded by two close friends, her demeanor was especially lively.

  Looping her arm through Britney’s, she chatted animatedly as they walked.

  "Is that pastry shop new? Let’s check it out later, Britney!"

  "Sure, but aren’t you worried about gaining weight from all those sweets?"

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  "Not at all! I exercise and watch my diet~"

  Watching the two girls chatter away ahead of him, Caius couldn’t help but feel a twinge of sentimentality.

  Ah, youth and vitality…

  Though it’d be even better if Britney were swapped out for him.

  Still, this wasn’t bad either.

  While the two were distracted, Caius took Kiki’s tiny hand in his, gently stroking it.

  Her hand was so small—soft and delicate.

  "Big Guy, do you like Little Swan, Meow?" Kiki sat perched on Caius’s shoulder, one hand holding his, the other wrapped around his neck as she whispered in his ear.

  "I do," Caius nodded. "Do you?"

  "Me too! She gives me snacks, Meow~" Kiki giggled sweetly.

  "Then let’s trick her into coming home with us. That way, you’ll have snacks every day," Caius said with a roguish grin.

  Kiki’s ears twitched excitedly, her face full of anticipation. "Okay, Meow!"

  "But Big Guy, after we trick her home, will you still make tiny kittens with me, Meow?"

  "Of course."

  "Hehe~" The little catgirl giggled happily before leaning down—while Hilda and Britney were still engrossed in conversation—and planting a loud kiss on Caius’s forehead.

  Caius smirked in satisfaction, his large hand growing restless as it played with Kiki’s fingers before trailing down to her tail, giving it a teasing scratch.

  The strange tingling sensation from her hand and tail made Kiki’s cheeks flush pink, her slender waist squirming slightly.

  Unable to take it anymore, she hopped down from his shoulder and instead draped herself over his back, then nibbled lightly on his earlobe.

  Her soft voice tickled his ear.

  "Big Guy~"

  "I wanna play with the cat teaser again tonight, Meow~"

  Caius shivered slightly, chuckling. "Sure."

  "And I want milk, Meow~"

  "Fine, whatever you say."

  "Hehe, Big Guy is the best, Meow~"

  Meanwhile, atop a distant high-rise, a crisp snap echoed as Mack crushed the rooftop’s spire clean off with his bare hand.

  "Caius, you’ve got some nerve, acting like that right behind the young lady…"

  "Calm down… stay composed… must not interfere…"

  "Damn it, I need to go rob another five hundred grand…"

  …

  Before long, they arrived at the restaurant—an upscale establishment.

  After securing a private room, the waiter handed them the menu. Caius skimmed through it and let out a low whistle.

  Well, well. Each dish costs at least a few hundred gold, with the pricier ones running into the thousands.

  His eyes even landed on Earthwyrm meat—an exceptionally rare ingredient. A single Earthwyrm Stew cost 13,800 gold!

  Caius’s mouth watered. He flagged down the waiter and pointed at the menu.

  "This Hibiscus Delight, the Pan-Seared Elephant Clam, the Tri-Colored Casserole…"

  He listed six dishes in total. Britney smirked to herself.

  That’s it? She’d been planning to bleed him dry with a few premium courses.

  She opened her mouth to add more.

  But then Caius continued, "Except for these six, bring us one of everything else."

  Britney: "…"

  Even Hilda’s jaw dropped slightly. "Won’t that be too much?"

  The menu had forty-five dishes in total. Subtracting the six Caius excluded, that still left thirty-nine—meaning this single meal would likely cost over a hundred thousand gold!

  Britney’s eye twitched violently.

  Sure, one of her finest handmade pieces could sell for 150,000 gold, but crafting it took her two whole months.

  She’d only intended to order a couple of extra dishes, squeezing an extra 10,000-20,000 gold out of Caius. Yet before she could even act, he’d gone ahead and robbed himself first.

  "Too much? Nah, I’ve got a huge appetite." Caius laughed heartily. "Anything else you two want? I see they’ve got desserts—I didn’t order those yet."

  "Go wild. I’m in a good mood today—spare no expense!"

  He still had that 500,000 gold burning a hole in his pocket, and it just didn’t sit right with him.

  No motivation to work until the money’s all spent. So he’d set himself a little goal—blow through the entire sum today.

  That’s just the kind of disciplined man he was.

  Hilda couldn’t help but laugh. "We won’t even finish all these dishes—why order dessert?"

  "Really? None?" Caius shrugged. "Fine, more for me."

  "Waiter, add one of every dessert as well. Oh, and a bottle of Vites City rum, plus some Bluebell Cow milk for this adorable little cat."

  "Right away, sir!" The waiter hurried off.

  Britney gulped.

  Well, there goes 200,000 gold in one meal.

  Even as a noble, spending 200,000 gold on a single lunch was outrageously extravagant.

  Hilda, however, didn’t seem fazed. After her initial surprise, she quickly regained her composure.

  To her, 200,000 gold wasn’t that big of a deal.

  Her family’s status far surpassed Britney’s, so she’d witnessed far more lavish expenditures.

  What truly impressed her was that Caius had earned this money himself. No matter how extravagantly he spent, it was his right.

  He had the skill to afford it all.

  And that was exactly what she aspired to achieve.

  She didn’t want to rely on her family. Like Caius, she wanted to stand on her own—to earn everything through her own abilities.