The Final Straw II

The rest of the work week passed by in a flash, and then it was Evilday. Each week had seven days, each day related to a significant symbol or period in humanity's history. The days of the week were Sunday, Lunaday, Selenday, Earthday, Seaday, Evilday and Altaday, matching to the sun, first moon, second moon, land, sea, demons and the Goddess Alter, respectively. The Continental Courier Service was open all days of the week, but unless there was urgent business Carolyn had Evilday and Altaday off.

Seeing as she was new to the city, Carolyn wanted to invite Mila to join her, but the tavern was still busy on the weekend, so there wasn't a chance. She had fantasies of going out shopping with a friend like in the stories she had read, so she was a little disappointed by reality, but instead of moping about it, Carolyn believed in future possibilities and headed out.

For better or worse, it was easy to find clothing stores in the commerce district. Unfortunately, even though Carolyn knew what she was looking for, she wasn't sure about the market price. Her salary at the Continental Courier Service would be paid monthly and although she could have gotten an advance, Carolyn didn't want to make such a request when she hadn't even finished a full week of work yet. This meant that she was still relying on the money Hanson initially gave her, so she didn't want to waste it.

She started by visiting several shops to compare the clothing on display, but that method didn't work very well because she couldn't find the exact same outfit in any two stores. Even if two outfits looked the same, the materials or processing method would be different, creating a just cause for a difference in price.

"Maybe I should have asked Ms. Mila for advice."

Seeing that shopping for clothes was much harder than she expected, Carolyn considered heading back to the inn.

"Wait! The girl in the cloak!"

While Carolyn contemplated, she heard the shout of a young woman. She didn't recognize the voice, but as she was wearing a cloak, Carolyn turned around to confirm if they were talking to her. When Carolyn looked, she found a young woman with shoulder-length brown hair pushing through the foot traffic to reach her. Her face was familiar, but Carolyn couldn't remember where they had meant until she was a few steps away.

"Oh, aren't you the employee that helped me at that furniture store?"

"Yes. I'm surprised that you could recognise me after that one meeting."

"Is that so? But aren't you the same?"

"True, but in my case, there's a reason I had to keep your face in memory. I know a cafe nearby, could we head there to talk? It'll be my treat."

"You don't need to treat me, but I don't mind entering the cafe."

"Okay, we can talk about it more once we're inside."

The cafe that Kanna suggested had a very quiet and sophisticated atmosphere. Or, in more direct terms, it didn't seem to get customers often. Nonetheless, it had a very loyal customer base that ensured that it could somehow stay afloat, even in these challenging times.

"Morning, Sebas."

Besides the two of them, the only other person was an elderly gentleman dressed like a butler behind the bar counter. Despite having a head full of gray, he didn't show any sign of weakness caused by age.

"I wish a pleasant morning to you as well, Kanna. I see you even brought a friend. How unexpected."

"That's rude, Sebas. You make it sound like I don't have any friends."

"Are you able to prove me wrong?"

Unable to provide a good response, Kanna clicked her tongue and led Carolyn to a window seat.

"Would you like coffee or tea?"

"Tea."

Hanson was a fan of coffee, so Carolyn had tried it before, but even after adding milk and sugar, she still couldn't say she liked it very much.

"Okay. Sebas, a cup of tea and the usual coffee for me."

"It'll be ready in a few moments."

After giving their orders, Kanna sat opposite to Carolyn at the same table.

"I know this is pretty late, but my name's Kanna," said Kanna as she held her hand out for a shake.

"It's nice to see you again, Kanna. You can call me Carol."

After the two shook hands, Kanna thanked Carolyn for the herbs she gave as a tip.

"Like you said, the tea I made from boiling them made me feel much better."

"I'm glad to hear that. It's too bad you still need to work so hard."

"Is it that obvious?"

"It's better than last time, but I can still see the faint bags under your eyes. How are you holding up?"

"Not well. The herbal tea helped, but I almost screwed up at work yesterday because I was too tired. No one was around so it didn't become a problem, but apparently the customers don't want to approach me because I always look upset. I can manage now, but I'll be damned in the long run."

"It sounds like you're in quite the difficult situation. I was wondering why you started frequenting here at lunch. Here's your coffee and tea."

Sebas added his comment as he placed two cups on the table before leaving. From the smell alone, Carolyn felt she could look forward to a nice sample of black tea.

"That's right. I'd rather save those coins, but if I don't get my daily cup of coffee, I don't think I can last through the day."

While Carolyn was still appreciating the scent of the tea, Kanna sipped her coffee and sighed.

"Before I could have made it through the day with the perfect smile, but ever since those taxes hit us, I can barely find any room to breathe."

"I can guess the answer, but would it be possible for you to switch to a less demanding job?"

"I doubt it. Most places aren't hiring and I can't even be certain that I can keep the jobs that I have now. If it was just me, then maybe I could take fewer hours at my second job, but..."

"Do you have family to support?"

As she watched Kanna slowly nod, Carolyn felt her heart sink. She thought she understood the reality of the Vernum City, but she didn't really comprehend it. For some, the tax hike and its effects were like rain on laundry day, but for others, it was a storm that could blow their houses away. Every day that this economic situation continued, was a day that residents were forced to sacrifice part of the lifestyle that had been normal to them.

"If you want, I could help pay-"

"No."

"You didn't let me finish."

"There's no reason to. You were probably going to say something like you want to help pay my expenses, right?"

"Well..."

"Look, Carol, that's not why I told you my story. I'm grateful that you gave me those herbs, but just because you want to offer herbs or money to help people, doesn't mean you should. Especially not money. What if I accepted your offer and then quit my job while expecting you to support me and my family?"

"But you're not the type of person to do that."

"Maybe, but how can you be sure? Poverty and greed can change people. Even saints can become demons if they take a wrong turn. If you're not careful about what you give to people because you think they need it, then you won't be doing any good for them or even yourself. All you'll manage to do is make yourself feel satisfied during the moment."

Kanna's words were harsh, but Carolyn couldn't deny that she had a point.

"I'm, sorry."

"Well, it's not something that you really need to apologise for..."

Carolyn heard Kanna's response, but she couldn't forgive herself. As Carolyn would make an impressive amount of money thanks to her new job, she thought she could support Kanna's family, but that would be the same thing as stepping on Kanna's desperate efforts. And even if she could afford to pay for them now, what if she lost her job, or the taxes reached so high that she couldn’t afford to anymore? If she stuck to her word, she would probably end up in the same dilemma that Kanna was in now.

'I can't believe I was so foolish. I didn't even consider her feelings. She just told me about how hard she's been working to support her family, and yet I just casually offered to give her money like all her work was meaningless. It would be like Hanson coming here and telling me that he would find out the truth and take revenge by himself. There's no way I would accept something like that! And yet to Kanna, I...'

It was just like Kanna said, her offer wouldn't lead to a proper solution, it was simply self-satisfaction.

As Carolyn clenched her fists with her head lowered, Sebas shook his head at Kanna, who turned to him for help.

'Help me!'

'Take responsibility for your words.'

They communicated using their eyes, but it was enough for Sebas to get his rejection across. Kanna didn't expect that her criticism would have such a large effect on Carolyn, so she didn't know what to do. Although she was loathed to admit it, she didn't have any close female friends, so she had little experience in this field, but she was a big sister so she wondered if her expertise in that area would be useful.

'Well, it's better than nothing.'

As she plunged into self-loathing, Carolyn felt a comfortable sensation on her head that pulled her out of her negative thoughts. When she looked up, she found Kanna awkwardly patting her head with a smile.

"If you feel bad, then that's enough. Just keep it in mind, okay?"

"But-"

"No buts. Yes or no, which one is it?"

"...Yes."

"That's a good girl."

Carolyn felt embarrassed because she felt like she was being treated like a child, but it wasn't a bad feeling either.

"Do you have a little sister?"

"That's right. Could you feel my big sister energy?"

"Yes, big sister Kanna."

At the sight of Carolyn's shy smile, Kanna froze. Even though Carolyn was wearing her concealing makeup, that smile radiated a cuteness that no cosmetic could suppress.

"Kanna?"

"One more...."

"Hmm? What did you say?"

"Call me that. One more time."

"? Big sister Kanna?"

"!"

She didn't think she would feel the same way with someone other than her little sister, but Kanna felt like an arrow pierced her chest when she heard Carolyn call her 'big sister'. For her own safety, she told Carolyn not to call her that anymore, but the disappointed face she showed was too powerful, so Kanna compromised with allowing it occasionally.