Natalia sank deeper into the couch cushions, her legs tucked underneath her as she scrolled through the Hunter Net forums. The glow from her tablet cast harsh shadows across her face, highlighting the growing crease between her eyebrows. She had been browsing for nearly an hour, and her frustration was reaching a breaking point.
"Come on," she muttered, refreshing the auction page for the fifth time. "Someone has to undercut this price."
The item listing stared back at her mockingly:
"Cryo-Lich Ring (C-Rank Catalyst) – Starting bid: 350,000 Credits"
Below the listing was a detailed description:
"Harvested from a C-Rank Gate incursion in the Northern Territories. This catalyst allows Aspect users to temporarily infuse their abilities with frost properties,. Perfect for aspiring Hunters looking to diversify their combat portfolio. Auction ends in 72 hours."
Natalia clicked on the bid history, her heart sinking as she saw the current high bid: 427,500 Credits. Nearly half a million. Her entire monthly allowance was 80,000 Credits – generous by most standards, but nowhere near enough for this.
"Damn it," she hissed, tossing her head back against the cushions.
Her phone vibrated on the coffee table. Emi’s name flashed on the screen. Natalia snatched it up, desperate for distraction.
"Hey," she answered, keeping her voice low even though she was alone in the living room. Or thought she was.
"Nat! You’ll never guess what happened at Yuki’s party last night," Emi’s voice bubbled through the speaker. "That A-Rank hot shot from the Celestial Sentinels showed up and—"
"I found it," Natalia interrupted, unable to contain herself. "The Cryo-Lich Ring. It’s on auction right now."
"No way! That’s the catalyst you’ve been hunting for months!" Emi’s excitement faded quickly. "Wait, what’s the price?"
"Over four hundred thousand," Natalia said, her voice dropping to an angry whisper. "And rising."
"Ouch."
"Yeah." Natalia ran her fingers through her purple hair, tugging slightly at the ends. "I spent my whole allowance on these new mana-weave combat boots, and now this catalyst shows up..."
She stood up, pacing the living room as she continued. "Dad would tell me it’s an unnecessary expense, that I need to ’learn to budget’... He doesn’t get it! This could be the edge I need to place first among the first-years!"
"Could you ask him for an advance?" Emi suggested.
"And prove him right? That I can’t manage my own finances?" Natalia scoffed. "Besides, he’s on that extended Gate clearance mission. I can’t even reach him for another week."
"What about your mom?"
"Stepmom," Natalia corrected automatically. "And no, Kimiko barely understands how Hunter equipment works. She’d just tell me to talk to Dad."
Emi went quiet for a moment. "What about... a job?"
Natalia stopped pacing. "A job
"Some seniors do part-time work at the local shops or—"
"I’m not serving coffee to tourists while my competitors are training," Natalia snapped. She immediately regretted her tone. "Sorry. I’m just... frustrated."
"I know." Emi’s voice softened. "Maybe there’s another way to get the frost element. What about that frost grenade your dad brought back from his last mission?"
"That’s single-use. I need something sustainable for the entrance exam." Natalia collapsed back onto the couch. "The judges love applicants who demonstrate versatility. Adding a frost element to my telekinesis would bump me up at least ten points in the technical evaluation."
"And without it?"
Natalia stared at the ceiling. "I’ll still do well. Just... not first place well."
"Is first place really that important? You’re already guaranteed admission with your father’s recommendation and your C-Rank evaluation."
"It’s not about getting in," Natalia said, her voice tight. "It’s about making a statement. The first-rank freshman gets automatic consideration for the Accelerated Track Program. That means better training, elite instructors, premium Gate access..."
And recognition that went beyond her father’s name. Not that she’d admit that part out loud.
"The auction has three days left," Emi said. "Something will work out. It always does for you."
Natalia sighed. "Yeah, maybe." She knew Emi was just trying to be supportive, but right now platitudes felt hollow. "I should go. Got training in an hour."
"Text me later?"
"Sure."
Natalia ended the call with a frustrated tap and threw her phone and tablet onto the couch cushions. She dropped her head into her hands, fingers digging into her scalp.
Four hundred thousand credits. She’d need to save for months. By then, someone else would have snatched up the ring, and she’d be stuck with basic telekinesis while her rivals showed off their elemental combinations.
"Dammit," she whispered, her voice catching.
"Tough break."
Natalia’s head snapped up. Satori stood in the hallway entrance, a laundry basket balanced against his hip. His face was neutral, but those newly magnetic eyes seemed to catch every detail of her distress.
How long had he been standing there? How much had he heard?
"How dare you eavesdrop on me," she snarled, the humiliation of being caught vulnerable transforming instantly to rage.
Satori didn’t flinch at her tone. "Wasn’t eavesdropping. Just passing by." He nodded toward the tablet. "But four hundred thousand for a ring seems steep."
So he had heard. Mortification washed over her. Her financial struggles were none of his business. The last thing she needed was this parasite knowing her weaknesses.
"Like you would know anything about Hunter gear," she spat. "What could a Zero possibly understand about what I need?"
"Money problems are money problems, no matter who has them," he said simply. Then he turned and continued toward the laundry room, as if their interaction held no significance at all.
Natalia stared after him, her prepared tirade dying on her lips. This new Satori—this stranger in her stepbrother’s body—kept catching her off guard. The old Satori would have either cowered or made some pathetic attempt to ingratiate himself. This calculated indifference was... disturbing.
She snatched up her tablet and stormed to her room, slamming the door behind her. Throwing herself onto her bed, she reopened the auction page and stared at the mocking numbers. 430,000 Credits now. Someone had placed another bid.
"Stupid, stupid, stupid," she muttered, kicking her heels against the mattress in frustration. She should have saved. Should have known something like this would come up. Now she’d blown her chance at the perfect catalyst because she couldn’t resist a pair of boots.
Her father’s voice echoed in her mind: "Power comes from discipline, Natalia. Not just in combat, but in all aspects of life."
She rolled onto her stomach and buried her face in her pillow. The worst part wasn’t missing out on the ring. It was knowing that Satori had witnessed her failure. Had seen that beneath her confident exterior, the perfect purple-haired prodigy was just as flawed and shortsighted as anyone else.
The sounds of the washing machine starting up drifted through her door. She imagined Satori sorting through his clothes, probably smirking at her predicament.
Natalia grabbed her phone and pulled up the academy training schedule. She’d book an extra session tonight. Train until her muscles screamed and her telekinesis flickered from exhaustion. Maybe if she pushed hard enough, she could convince herself that raw power would make up for the versatility she couldn’t afford.
Her phone pinged with a notification from Hunter Net: "You have been outbid on item: Cryo-Lich Ring."
The new high bid: 450,000 Credits.
Natalia threw her phone across the room.