Today truly was a wonderful day.
After giving Kato a copy of the list, Lucian was in an excellent mood.
Kato and Yukinoshita also added him as a contact.
Once they had prepared the materials, they would message Lucian to arrange the installation.
Aside from his service fee, the magic stones were the most expensive component.
Their market price ranged from a few hundred credits to well over a thousand.
With the other materials included, a single Magic Circle cost roughly ten thousand credits—possibly close to twenty thousand.
Of course, there was no upper limit if someone insisted on using higher-quality magic stones.
The final cost depended entirely on how much they were willing to spend.
Once everything was settled, the school bell rang.
Lucian obediently attended his classes for the rest of the day.
The moment the dismissal bell sounded, he was the first one out of the school.
He immediately began shopping for the materials he needed.
Asuna, Kato, and Yukinoshita went together to buy theirs.
But when women went shopping…
they always seemed to take their time.
Lucian finished his purchases and returned home without running into them.
He figured they had probably gone somewhere to enjoy themselves.
Carrying all the materials he’d bought, Lucian hurried home.
But when he saw his apartment, he fell into thought.
According to his memories, the lease was about to expire, wasn’t it?
The place wasn’t exactly pleasant either.
The original Lucian had been poor, so naturally he’d rented somewhere cheap.
Installing a Magic Circle here seemed like a waste.
Wouldn’t this be the perfect opportunity to move somewhere better?
Then Lucian thought of his rapidly thinning wallet and sank into gloom.
He checked his balance.
After purchasing the materials, he had only a little over a thousand credits left.
“Tsk.
I’m so broke!”
Staring at the miserable balance, Lucian opened Asuna’s contact and sent her a message.
Lucian: “Are you there?
Have you bought the materials?
If you’re free, I can install the Magic Circle for you right now!”
He simply needed to earn some money first.
Surely Asuna wanted to start enjoying the benefits of the Magic Circle tonight, right?
Asuna was still shopping with Kato and Yukinoshita when Lucian’s message arrived.
She froze.
She…
hadn’t finished buying the materials yet.
“What’s wrong?” Yukinoshita looked at Asuna in confusion.
Had something happened?
“It’s nothing.
Lucian asked whether I’d bought the materials.
He said he could install the Magic Circle now.” Asuna answered Yukinoshita, then began typing a reply.
Asuna: “Wait a moment.
I’m heading back now.
Why don’t you wait for me downstairs at my apartment building?
I won’t be long.”
Lucian immediately responded with an OK emoji.
After tidying up, he set off, planning to look at some apartments while he was there.
He remembered that the apartments around Asuna’s building were quite nice.
With that in mind, Lucian headed straight there.
Meanwhile, Asuna explained the situation to the others.
Kato and Yukinoshita immediately decided to come along and watch.
The three of them hurried through the rest of their shopping, then headed to Asuna’s home.
Every material on Lucian’s list could be purchased from the same shop.
When it came to the magic stones, however, all three chose higher-quality ones.
By the time they reached Asuna’s apartment building, Lucian was already viewing available units with the leasing agent.
The apartments were somewhat expensive, but the surroundings were excellent.
The one-bedroom unit Lucian was viewing came with a living room, kitchen, and bathroom and cost more than two thousand credits per month.
It required one month’s rent and an equal deposit.
Lucian didn’t have enough money to pay that right now.
Still, he liked the apartment and decided he would rent it later.
Just as Lucian finished the viewing, Asuna returned and messaged him to ask where he was.
Lucian told the leasing agent that he would sign the contract after taking care of his current business.
He asked Asuna for her apartment number and headed over.
The unit he’d just viewed was directly below hers.
It seemed he might become her downstairs neighbor.
Lucian took the stairs to Asuna’s floor just as she and the others arrived in the elevator.
The doors opened, revealing Lucian standing outside.
All three girls froze for a moment.
“You’re already here?” Asuna blinked.
Where had he appeared from?
How had he arrived so quickly?
“I was downstairs looking at an apartment.
If everything works out, I might become your downstairs neighbor,” Lucian briefly explained.
Asuna’s eyes lit up.
If that happened, she would have someone to accompany her to school in the future.
“No wonder.
This really is a nice place.
When are you planning to move in?” Asuna asked as she unlocked her door.
Lucian followed her inside.
“Maybe later today.
My current lease is about to expire, and since I need to install a Magic Circle, I might as well move somewhere with a better environment.”
Asuna’s apartment had the same furniture and layout as the unit downstairs.
Everything followed a standard design.
Kato and Yukinoshita looked around as well.
The interior was quite pleasant; it would be very comfortable for one person.
“Everyone, please make yourselves at home.
Lucian, I’ll leave this to you.
Can you install the Magic Circle in the bedroom?
I want it to cover the entire room,” Asuna said, stating her requirements directly.
She would have preferred a Magic Circle covering the whole apartment, but after thinking it over, she decided against it.
There was no need to include the living room.
After all, she spent less time at home than at school and rarely used the living room.
“That’s easy enough, but we’ll need to clear everything out of the bedroom before I can begin.” As Lucian spoke, he looked at Yukinoshita and the others.
Since they were already here, they could lend a hand and move the furniture.
They couldn’t expect Lucian to do everything alone while they stood around watching, could they?
Understanding his look, Yukinoshita said nothing.
She silently joined Asuna and Kato in carrying the furniture and other belongings into the living room.
They were all martial artists, so strength was hardly an issue.
Twisting off someone’s skull would be easy for them, let alone moving furniture.
Besides, Asuna had only just moved in and didn’t own much.
The room was soon cleared, with everything moved into the living room and the bedroom left completely empty.
Lucian immediately got to work.
Asuna handed him the materials she had prepared.
When Lucian saw the quality of her magic stones, he was filled with envy.
Being rich really was wonderful!