Chapter 376: Chapter 376: I… I understand

It was around noon.

“Nessa, let’s grab lunch together,” Ethan called out to Vanessa.

But her reaction was a bit odd.

She hesitated for a moment before saying, “No, no, you go ahead.”

Ethan was immediately confused.

“You didn’t bring a sandwich or anything, right? You’re not eating lunch?”

Vanessa’s cheeks flushed slightly. After a brief pause, she finally admitted the truth.

“I don’t have any money…”

Ethan was stunned.

Had Vanessa really fallen on such hard times?

Maybe because it was him, Vanessa didn’t try to hide it.

“All the money I saved from my part-time job… my dad took it yesterday.”

Ethan didn’t know much about Vanessa’s father.

From what little he’d gathered from the original story, her dad was a washed-up middle-aged man who spent his days drinking after some major life crisis.

But he hadn’t expected the guy to be this awful—taking his daughter’s hard-earned money without a second thought.

How could he even do that!?

Just imagining it made Ethan’s blood boil.

And then he remembered last night. So that’s why Nessa had been in the frozen food section, getting caught up in that ridiculous sandwich fight.

Ethan felt both angry and a bit sorry for the girl standing in front of him.

Life shouldn’t be this cruel to someone so kind and strong.

Since Vanessa saw them as lifelong friends—and he agreed with that—he figured it was his responsibility to do something for her.

Ethan didn’t let his emotions show.

Right now, he was more concerned about her immediate situation than anything else.

“So, Nessa, what are you going to do now?”

Even though Vanessa had told him the truth, she didn’t want him to worry, so she tried to play it off casually: “It’s fine. I’ll get paid from my job soon. I just need to get through this rough patch.”

It was obvious she was putting on a brave face. She couldn’t even afford lunch at school—how was she supposed to get through this? Was she planning to pull a Luna and start eating grass or something?

So Ethan made a suggestion: “I’ll lend you some money.”

Money could solve most problems in the world, and Vanessa’s current situation was definitely one of them.

But as soon as she heard that, Vanessa’s first instinct was to refuse.

Before she could, though, Ethan quickly placed both hands on her shoulders and started shaking her gently, his voice full of mock despair: “Nessa, didn’t you say we’re lifelong friends? And didn’t I say you could come to me with any problem? So why are you trying to handle this all by yourself? Do you not trust me?”

“You’re in trouble right now, and you expect me to just stand by and do nothing? Nessa, do you want me to suffer the guilt of watching you struggle?”

That’s right—Ethan, worried she’d refuse, had gone straight for the emotional blackmail.

And it worked.

“Okay, okay! I’ll accept it, just… stop shaking me.”

In the end, Vanessa gave in and accepted her best friend’s help.

Because if he kept shaking her like that, she felt like her neck might actually snap.

And for some reason, this whole scene felt oddly familiar to her.

The way he got all worked up, only to calm down the moment she agreed, and the way he insisted on forcing his kindness on her—it was exactly like what had happened last night.

Suddenly, Vanessa realized why she’d felt so comfortable and safe around Ethan yesterday.

Because that person was just like this bright, shining Lil Bunny in front of her.

But she didn’t dwell on it too much and instead added, “I’ll pay you back as soon as I can.”

Seeing how serious she was, Ethan nodded.

“You decide for yourself,” Ethan said, not bothering with the usual “no rush” or “take your time” kind of talk. He chose to respect her decision and determination.

Then, Ethan pulled an envelope out of his backpack and tossed it into Vanessa’s arms.

It was half of the payment he’d received from a performance two days ago. He had already agreed to give the other half to Lila, so he’d used that portion as a prop at Lila Harper’s house.

But even half of it was still a significant amount.

The weight of the envelope landed in Vanessa’s lap, leaving her momentarily stunned.

“Huh?”

She instinctively picked up the envelope, and the thickness she felt through her fingers left her even more confused.

When she opened it and took a peek inside, she was completely floored.

She had assumed that when Lil Bunny said he’d lend her money, he meant a small amount—pocket change, really.

But what was this?

A stack of $10,000 bills?

Why on earth was this kid carrying around such a huge sum of money at school?

“You… this… I…”

Vanessa seemed to lose her ability to form coherent sentences. A thousand thoughts raced through her mind, but all that came out was:

“Huh?”

Ethan had no idea what she was trying to say, so he tried to explain: “It’s the payment I got from my part-time gig two days ago.”

“Part-time gig!?” Vanessa looked utterly shocked.

She had been working hard for so long and had barely saved up 300,000 yen (around $2,000), and yet Lil Bunny was saying this was just one day’s earnings?

Vanessa really wanted to ask what kind of job this was—she wanted in.

Wait, no. Could a job that paid this much even be legal?

In her mind, jobs like that usually ended up in the criminal code.

Suddenly, an image popped into her head of a masked bandit, armed with a rifle, robbing a bank.

“Stop letting your imagination run wild,” Ethan said, giving her a light pat on the head. “It’s legal, I promise.”

At that moment, Vanessa looked like she was channeling Elise, standing there like a confused penguin.

Then she snapped back to reality.

No, that wasn’t the issue here.

Vanessa’s expression was one of disbelief as she asked, “Why are you giving me so much?”

Ethan shrugged. “Because this is all I have.”

Vanessa’s face twitched slightly.

Did I just give off the impression that I thought it wasn’t enough? Why does he look so regretful?

She quickly corrected herself: “I mean, why are you giving me all of it?”

Ethan gave her a puzzled look, as if the answer was obvious. “How else am I supposed to show how close we are if I don’t go all in?”

“…”

Vanessa was completely dumbfounded by his reasoning.

“You’re not thinking of refusing again, are you?” Ethan asked, eyeing her suspiciously.

Seeing his reaction, Vanessa couldn’t help but laugh a little, though she also felt a twinge of regret.

She had agreed too quickly!

Who could’ve guessed that Lil Bunny would casually pull out such a large sum of money to lend her?

But after thinking it over seriously, Vanessa shook her head gently and said, “I’m not going to back out, but I can’t take this much.”

“Why not?” Ethan asked.

Vanessa was silent for a moment before explaining, “Because I’m worried my dad will take it again.”

In her mind, her deadbeat father had no limits.

If he got his hands on this much money, she’d be in debt for the rest of her life.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

And there was no way she could pay it back anytime soon. If that happened, she’d probably have to work as a maid to pay off the debt.

It was a reason that was hard to argue with.

Ethan thought about it for a moment and realized she had a point.

If the money was spent on Vanessa, he wouldn’t mind at all.

But if it ended up in her father’s hands, only for him to waste it on who knows what, that would seriously piss him off.

So, Ethan took the envelope back, pulled out the stack of bills, and with a quick flick of his fingers, separated ten $100 bills and handed them to Vanessa.

“Take this for now. If it’s not enough, just let me know. And seriously, don’t try to handle everything on your own, okay?”

Vanessa’s cheeks flushed at his firm insistence, but she nodded and replied, “I… I understand.”