'Is… is this really possible?' Hiru's heartbeat spiked the moment he noticed something strange—his GC balance hadn't decreased.
'Is my System… bugged?' Blood rushed to his face as the thought hit him like a shockwave.
"Is… something wrong?" Even Miami noticed the way his eyes widened, blinking rapidly and glued to one point on his interface.
She could tell something had just happened to his System.
"Just give me a minute!" Hiru said, gulping hard as he tried to steady his nerves and confirm his suspicion.
'If… if it's not decreasing… does that mean I can buy an unlimited number of items!?' The possibility made his chest tighten with adrenaline.
'Calm down! Calm down! I need to test it properly… just a few more items, and I'll know for sure.'
Without wasting another second, he quickly added two items to his cart—the ones he and Miami had originally planned to use.
[Ting!]
[Do you wish to buy two items?]
[Cost: 5 GC]
[Available Balance: 30 GC]
His finger hovered for a brief moment before pressing Yes without hesitation.
[Ting!]
[Items have been moved to your inventory!]
But Hiru wasn't even looking at the items. His eyes shot straight to one thing—his GC balance.
'Where is it… there… 3… 0… Thirty!? It really didn't decrease!!!'
"HOLY F—!"
"Have you gone crazy!?" Miami quickly jumped, slapping her hand over his mouth just in time before he alerted every ghost in a five-mile radius.
Hiru's eyes were wild, cheeks flushed red, lips trembling under her palm.
He looked like a man who had just hit the divine jackpot.
Miami stared at him, confused. She had so many questions, but the sheer glow of joy on his face made her hesitate. It wasn't fear or relief—it was power. Pure, intoxicating power.
"You have no idea what just happened," Hiru whispered when she finally let go, barely able to contain the grin stretching across his face.
His mind raced. GC not decreasing? That wasn't just luck. That was freedom. Influence. Control over this twisted realm they were trapped in.
"Don't tell me…" Miami furrowed her brow, trying to make sense of his expression. "You bought the paid Gacha and got something rare, didn't you?"
She frowned slightly. After all, she had warned him not to waste their limited currency on luck-based nonsense. Still, if he had pulled something valuable…
'He ignored my advice… but if he really got something useful, maybe it's fine… it's his GCs after all…'
She tilted her head and gestured with her hand, silently asking: So? What did you get?
Smiling from ear to ear, Hiru leaned closer and said, "I think I've got enough money… way more than I should have."
'Of course, I can't just say my GC isn't decreasing after purchases. That's too suspicious. But still, I need to let her in a little—we're surviving together, after all.'
He expected surprise. Maybe awe. But instead, Miami's eyes narrowed slightly, her expression turning doubtful.
"I'm sorry for saying this, but…"
"It's hard to believe, huh?" Hiru chuckled, not offended in the least. Honestly, he'd be more worried if she believed him that easily.
From what he'd seen of Miami so far, she wasn't someone who just nodded along. She thought before she believed and its a will known fact that Gacha don't provide more GCs than spent.
"How about this," he said, scrolling through the System Store casually, trying to prove his point with action instead of words. "You said you liked this White-bow before, right? But it was too expensive… How about I just buy it for you—?"
But then his thumb stopped mid-swipe.
His confident smile froze. His pupils slightly shrank.
"…Is something wrong?" Miami asked, catching the sudden shift in his expression.
"I…" Hiru wanted to say it was nothing—but he couldn't. Not with that mocking message glowing in front of him:
[You have insufficient GCs to buy.]
He blinked, confused, and tried again.
[You have insufficient GCs to buy.]
'This little… glitching fcker! So that's the catch!? I can buy endlessly, but only as long as the cost is below 30 GCs!? Are you kidding me?!'
His thoughts screamed while his face died a little inside.
'How embarrassing…'
He'd already blurted out that he'd buy the bow. In the heat of the moment. In front of her.
Perhaps sensing the awkward silence for what it was—a failed experiment or some kind of unexpected glitch—Miami softened her tone and changed the subject.
"…How about we just stick to the original plan?"
'Hiru… this isn't about pride anymore. It's about the promise I just made…'
Without answering, Hiru tapped on his System interface. A flash of eerie light shimmered in his palm as an item materialized.
Silently, he placed it into her hands.
"This is…" Miami's voice trailed off as her eyes widened with recognition.
[You have acquired Cursed Item: Wooden Bow!]
Her heart skipped.
'An E-Rank Cursed Item… effective even against Malicious-Rank Ghosts. Cost—30 GCs…'
But before she could even form a sentence, Hiru was already tapping again.
Another item shimmered into existence, and he handed it to her without a word.
[You have acquired Cursed Item: Wooden Arrows ×30]
A full quiver. Arrows to match the bow.
'Thirty arrows… another 30 GCs… that's 60 GCs in total!'
If Hiru had spent all his Ghost Currency just to impress her, she would've scolded him right then and there. But something about this didn't add up.
And that's when it hit her.
Her eyes shot wide open. Her breath caught. Her lips parted—
"Holy F—"
"Have you gone crazy!?" Hiru clamped his hand over her mouth before she could blurt out the rest, just like she had done to him earlier.
Their roles had reversed.
But this time, it wasn't just joy—it was shared disbelief.
"And don't get too excited," Hiru added quickly, scratching his cheek, "because for some reason, I can't buy anything that costs more than 30 GCs."
Miami blinked.
"Are you kidding me!?" she half-whispered, half-shouted. "Do you know how many cheap but super effective items fall under 30 GCs?! That's huge!"
"I know! I know! So just… calm down for a second," he laughed, watching her eyes light up with a kind of hope that felt almost foreign to them by now.
But it was contagious. Because he felt it too.
For the first time in what felt like forever, they weren't just surviving—they were preparing to live.
Her hands were still tightly wrapped around his. She realized it at the same moment he did, quickly pulling away with a small, embarrassed cough.
"Ahem… sorry. I got a little too excited," she mumbled, then straightened up slightly, her tone growing sincere. "But really… thank you—for the gift. And for your trust. I'm sorry for doubting you earlier."
She knows just how fragile trust was—especially in a place like the Ghost Realm, where everyone was a potential threat. What Hiru had shown her wasn't just generosity; it was vulnerability.
"It's okay. I would've done the same if I were in your shoes," Hiru replied with a grin. "And hey, don't even mention trust. We're a team now, aren't we?"
'He is not a bad guy…' Miami gave a soft nod. "Yeah. We are."
His grin widened. "Then let's plan a new strategy and show these Ghosts the true terror of loaded money! Muahaha—"
"Shhh!" she hissed, glancing around in panic.
"Oh, right… sorry." He lowered his voice, still smiling like an idiot.