The Protagonist's Party is Too Diligent

My thighs still hurt the next day.

By the time the stream ended yesterday, I was basically a half-dried squid. I did clear the mission, and thanks to that, I earned more money than usual. But there was no way I could do the same kind of stream again the next day.

So, I rejected the same kind of mission that came in.

"Should I have done it instead?"

Charlotte asked with a slightly worried expression, but I shook my head.

"That money came because I was the one streaming. Even if you streamed, you probably wouldn’t have gotten the same amount. People want to see me struggling."

"...I understand."

...No, you’re not supposed to understand that. Even if you get it, a friend shouldn’t be okay with watching another friend suffer.

Of course, I didn’t say anything. Honestly, if the others here had done the same kind of painful stream, I would’ve laughed while watching too.

Maybe not Mia? If Mia were the one suffering, I’d probably feel like we were crossing a line.

"Still, thanks to that, we can go on a trip now. Since you two joined the streams, the daily income has gone up too, so you don’t have to worry too much."

It had already been a little while since they joined us. Not even a full week yet, but still, I didn’t want to waste their first real holiday after joining.

As soon as yesterday’s stream ended, we finished preparing, and after breakfast today, we planned to head out at a relaxed pace.

At first, I thought about saving up money to move to a slightly bigger place. But honestly, unless we moved out of Seoul, there was no way we'd afford a bigger house just by saving up from now.

Even getting this place was a lucky deal, considering the size versus the cost. If we tried to pull out the lease money and move somewhere else within Seoul, we’d probably end up somewhere smaller.

The kids had already settled in here, and moving again would just be a hassle.

Mostly for my own sanity.

So, instead, it made more sense to spend the extra money wisely and enjoy it. It’s not like I planned to live here for the rest of my life anyway.

"Is it Seoul again?"

"There are still places we haven’t seen. I’m planning to book a room on the other side this time."

Since we had explored the north side of the Han River, it wouldn’t be bad to explore the south side now.

I was originally from Seoul, but the other four were basically foreigners. Even without going far, they could feel like they were traveling abroad.

We could start with nearby spots first, and after some more preparation, go further later.

"You said if we go out too early, it gets super crowded, right?"

Charlotte tilted her head curiously.

"How crowded does it get for you to deliberately avoid certain times?"

"You won’t understand until you see it. I’ll show you a video after breakfast."

At my words, Charlotte nodded.

And after breakfast, when I showed her the video, she immediately nodded again.

See? Told you.

Never underestimate a Monday in Seoul.

It’s not like we had to go to work or anything, but still, who would want to get caught in that madness?

Especially since my body now had a few... standout features.

And besides, the hotel check-in time wasn’t early morning anyway, so if we left too soon, we’d just be wandering around for hours with our luggage.

Not that a royal like Charlotte would understand that.

*

"Ah, could you all wait a moment?"

While we were heading to the subway, I said that, and everyone stopped.

"Where are you going?"

"Just... to buy a lottery ticket."

"..."

"...Why are you all looking at me like that?"

Everyone was staring at me with these sympathetic eyes, so I tilted my head and asked.

"Sis... if you’re short on money, you can just say so. You don’t have to push yourself. I don’t even need an allowance if it’s too much."

"Y-you can even cut down on my meals, since I’m just freeloading at the Princess’s house..."

"What exactly do you think I am?"

I’m not some kind of Scrooge.

Out of all of us, I was the one with the highest mental age. Sure, legally they were adults, but realistically, they were still teenagers.

Since I was the oldest, it was only natural that I felt responsible for protecting them.

Cutting their allowances or their meals? Unthinkable.

Besides—

"Did you know? Buying lottery tickets is about buying dreams."

"..."

Everyone’s faces went blank.

Yeah, figures.

Even in Azerna, there were lotteries. It was even part of the game system—you could pay a certain amount at the lottery shop every time you returned to the capital and get a prize based on probability.

Of course, the winnings weren't massive since the game’s balance would have broken otherwise.

As a princess, I had never needed to care about money, so I didn’t bother with it back then. Also, unlike this country where buying a ticket had ID checks and purchase limits, Azerna didn’t have such restrictions.

"When I lived as a commoner, I used to buy lottery tickets for fun sometimes. Even if you don’t win first prize, it’s fun to imagine what you’d do if you did."

"S-sis, you don’t have to explain..."

Their faces looked even more pitiful after I explained.

"Anyway, it’s not because I need money. It’s just... since we’re out, why not try?"

"If you’re going to try just because we’re out, are you going to try °• N 𝑜 v 𝑒 l i g h t •° smoking or drinking too?"

"Of course not. You’re all not really adults yet."

When Alice said that, I answered firmly, and she let out a short, amazed laugh.

"If anything, buying lottery tickets is something you do when you’re comfortable. It’s not horse betting. It’s not that expensive, and it’s just for fun."

"..."

After hearing my reasoning, they exchanged glances and nodded.

"Then should we buy some too?"

"..."

Well, legally they were adults...

I had just said no to smoking and drinking, but honestly, buying a lottery ticket didn’t hurt your health.

Plus, these kids were not the type to worry about money or become easily addicted. If anything, getting hooked would be harder for them than not.

"Fine. We’re not planning to make a habit of it anyway. Just trying it once."

Of course, if we actually won, I was seriously considering moving houses. But realistically, the chances were slim.

*

After buying our lottery tickets, we gathered them all into a bag and headed to the hotel I had booked.

"It’s quite impressive. The construction techniques of this world are really advanced. It feels like the quality has been standardized upward."

Charlotte said while looking around the room.

The place we reserved had two rooms facing each other across a living room. One room had a double bed, and the other had three single beds packed inside. A literal "family suite."

In some sense, we were a family.

"Right. Even in the Empire, you’d have to go to Lindburrow to see buildings like this. But here, there are countless buildings like this just in one city..."

"That’s exactly why we can afford to stay here. If these kinds of buildings were rare, the price would be way higher."

By the way, the room cost about 300,000 won per night. And that was after a discount from booking through a specific site—the original price was almost double.

Of course, not many people would actually pay full price, so in reality, the discounted price was basically the real price.

"Alright, let’s rest for a bit, then head out. We’re planning to come back late tonight."

"Late at night...?"

Mia, who was already sprawled out on the bed, lifted her head with a look of disbelief. As if asking how I could say something like that after booking such a nice room.

"...You used to head out even at midnight or dawn whenever there was a mission, didn’t you?"

"B-but now we’re living peaceful lives, aren’t we?" 𝐟𝚛𝕖𝚎𝕨𝗲𝐛𝚗𝐨𝐯𝐞𝕝.𝐜𝗼𝗺

That’s right.

Mia was, in a way, adapting to this world even faster than Charlotte.

With no pressure from her mother and no need to maintain her noble image, Mia had become something close to the "dried-up girl" stereotype that was once popular here.

Lately, she even started watching magical girl anime. I didn’t dare point it out, afraid she’d stop watching it if I did.

...And the fact that Claire introduced her to it made me feel a little guilty too.

"I was planning to eat lots of meat tonight anyway. If you want, you can come back early and rest."

"I think I’ll be fine staying out late."

When Mia said that with a dead-serious look, Claire, Alice, and Charlotte all chuckled at the same time.