"Aunt, don't worry. I am alright." Sera's voice was back to her usual hoarseness, pulling her hand back from her aunt's clutch.
"How can that be? Let's check your wounds and treat it." The aunt continued to insist. "What if it's serious?"
Thalira saw the gaze in Sera's eyes. Although her face was rather emotionless, one could still perceive emotions from there. It was as if… it wasn't that she felt nothing, but her face couldn't make those expressions normal humans usually show.
"Aunt." Thalira grabbed Sera's aunt's hand softly. "Don't worry about Sera. I brought some small medication in my bag and treated her with it. Now, it's all bandaged."
The aunt stopped, looking at the girls with doubt in her eyes. When she met Thalira's innocent and serious face, she faltered and sighed. Turning to Sera, she pursed her lips. "You could have just told me that your friend already treated you."
Thalira assured her, "Maybe she is still slightly nervous. Don't worry, Auntie."
In response, the aunt sighed. Her face was a mask of hopelessness. "Oh, that's right. Thank you for your earlier help. May I know your name?"
"I am Thalira."
Thalira didn't miss the look of gratitude in Sera's eyes. Then, the aunt faintly asked about Mr. Slade, as if gauging her. It was understandable since it was the name of a prosperous household in this city. She just brushed it off with an ambiguous answer, not willing to give too much details.
Anyway, she was just happy that she could make use of Mr. Slade. Especially with the picture of his sorry state she had taken. Of course, she needed to crop the part where he covered his butt, only using his upper body.
Even just that much was enough to make the two thugs not willing to gamble on it.
"Alright then." The aunt suppressed her curiosity and smiled. "I have prepared snacks and some drinks on the table. Please eat it if you feel hungry, Thalira."
A moment later, there were only the two of them again. Sera looked at her with full emotion, although her face was totally expressionless. It was such an odd picture.
"Thank you, Thalira." She muttered, lowering her eyes. At this moment, she knew that Thalira had found out something was wrong and she couldn't hide any longer. "Sorry, I don't know what is happening to me…"
She finally broke down and cried. When Thalira came closer, she avoided her touch. "I-I don't want to contaminate y-you…"
Thalira convinced and assured her. Ability users were less prone to zombie virus as long as virus was within tolerable amount. Anyway, she already knew the strangeness of Sera's body. Sera's strength was still similar to the power of ordinary people.
Oh, poor girl, not knowing what was happening to her.
After Thalira convinced her, the girl finally couldn't hold it in anymore and cried on her shoulder.
***
Thalira tossed her body to the bed as soon as she arrived at her dorm, completely exhausted. She had considered it the moment Sera mentioned about selling a supermarket.
That building was very convenient for storing things. Just look at the neatly arranged items on the shelves. She wanted to buy Sera's supermarket.
When the apocalypse began, perhaps she could try to move that building inside her inner world? Then she needed to practice in order to upgrade to the second level of her ability. She had a feeling that it would help her unlock more places in her inner world.
Spiritual power in this world was very scarce, but she found out that she could substitute it with her fire ability. Let's see whether the areas in her inner world would be unlocked more or not after she upgraded it.
Thalira cleaned herself and practiced controlling her fire ability until she drifted off to sleep. When she woke up again, as usual, she was a cat. From being depressed, she had now gotten used to it.
After some struggle, she turned back into her human form. She called Sera, intending to discuss buying her supermarket. "Sera, are you available today?"
Previously, she had a headache thinking about how to buy items at large amounts without arousing suspicion. She had the money, just not the means to convert it to supplies. The supermarket came as the most convenient thing. She should be able to order items in large quantities and use it as a justification.
With the supermarket, even if people were suspicious, the end of the world was not far away. They would be busy surviving instead of finding fault with her.
When she expressed her intention to Sera, the girl's pupil dilated, showing a surprise. "You want to buy it? Don't do that because you feel pity for me, Thalira."
Until now, some wealthy people have expressed their intention to buy the supermarket, but they kept trying to buy it at the cheapest price possible. Those businessmen didn't want to suffer a loss. They kept using excuses like the unfavorable location which people less frequented or the lack of yearly income.
Thalira looked at the dark-haired girl. She could see it in her eyes that she didn't doubt whether a mere first-year student of a university like her could buy the supermarket or not; instead, she was worrying whether she would suffer a loss.
"I am interested in doing some business stuff now." Thalira said, like a spoiled girl. "Don't worry, I have money. My eldest brother promised me if I can circulate the funds he gave and make profit, the money will be mine."
Sera had a hopeful look in her eyes. After Thalira used her eldest brother to convince her, Sera finally agreed. Because the thugs also had been nagging them about it, although the momentum wasn't as intense as before.
Better to settle the debts quickly before they found out the truth about Mr. Slade, or before the loan interest keep on increasing. Thalira was quite clueless about things like buying property, so she quickly asked the person whom she regarded as the most experienced in it, Austin.
After he helped her to settle the process, in a few days, the supermarket was already under her name. She paid thirty-five million points, a lot more than other businessmen who were interested in it. They even dared to haggle the price as low as twenty million points.
The place was quite huge, which made Thalira satisfied with it. Anyway, she could make more money.
When Thalira delivered some antique to be sold, Mr. Brown, who also helped her with the process, clicked his tongue in wonder.
"So, you need so much money to buy a supermarket?" Mr. Brown raised his eyebrows, apparently not quite understanding Thalira's track of mind. She didn't mind.
For the umpteenth time, she used her family as an excuse. Building the impression that her family condition was quite complicated. Well, actually, it was also the case, just like other wealthy families. Although her parents still cared a little about her, it didn't mean that she would escape the fate of an arranged business marriage.
As more memories from the original owner sank in, Thalira recently just found out about it. Now, she has a… fiance. To escape an arranged marriage, she needed to build her own power. Of course, that was a lie she told people now.
"That's right. Don't tell anyone about it or I will sell my antiques to other stores." Thalira smiled.
"Of course, of course. Don't sell it to other stores or they will cheat you," Mr. Brown immediately responded.
She rolled her eyes at that. Mr. Brown merely cast an awkward smile before asking her to show her other antiques. Because of Mr. Brown, the unscrupulous businessman who now bought most of the antiques, she had a steady stream of income.
He would sell those antiques to other stores with higher prices, eloquently swindling them by mentioning something about unearthed past civilization.
***
Now that the property transfer process had been completed, the supermarket was hers. Sera also told her that she had paid all her debts and thanked her because of it.
Thalira looked at the supermarket that had been closed for less than a month. Now, it was still not open for business, but some electricity and water were back to function again after she paid the bills.
"Miss, I am Daniel Slade, the second son of the Slade family." A young man came to her with pride in his face as soon as she walked out of the supermarket. "Do you know who is the current owner of this supermarket?"