Chapter 71
After returning to the hotel room and taking a shower, Mike happily collapsed onto the bed.
"Ah~ A big, soft bed is really perfect for me."
He rolled around several times before letting out a satisfied sigh.
While Gengar was taking his bath, Mike checked yesterday’s expenses, and his heart began bleeding with every line he read.
Gengar really hadn’t held back while buying ingredients. He had spent more than five thousand in a single evening...
Most of the food consisted of things Gengar usually liked to eat—ribs, chicken legs, and all kinds of miscellaneous ingredients.
Since many of them couldn’t be used for the barbecue, Mike had no choice but to store them away for later.
Worse, a lot of the ingredients weren’t even fresh. Gengar had clearly been tricked several times, sometimes paying two hundred for something that should have cost only one hundred.
’No. I need to teach Gengar how to spend money properly.’
Mike transferred the remaining balance on his phone back into his bank account, then waved toward Gengar when he came out of the bathroom wrapped in a towel.
"Gengar."
Gengar floated over and looked at him curiously.
Mike showed him the balance on the phone.
"Look, Gengar. This is all the money we have left."
Gengar stared at the number and scratched his backside.
"Gar?"
[Is that a lot or a little?]
Mike fell silent as he looked at the financially illiterate Gengar in front of him.
After gathering his thoughts, he explained, "Based on how much we usually spend on food, it’ll last us about a week."
Gengar held his breath and stared at him.
’That little?!’
Mike nodded.
"Look. This is how much you spent buying ingredients yesterday. You used up nearly all our money in one trip."
Gengar looked at Mike, then back at the balance on the phone. His eyes shifted as he began thinking.
"Our next payment for the videos won’t arrive until next month. I calculated everything before. The money we already had, together with the payment Officer Jenny gave us yesterday, would have been just enough to last until then."
Mike carefully went through the numbers with him.
"And look at what you bought yesterday. I know you chose things both you and I like, but many of them weren’t fresh, and some sellers cheated you. Something that should have cost one hundred, you paid two hundred for."
The moment Gengar heard that, he grabbed his bamboo staff and prepared to fly out to settle the score with whoever had tricked him.
Mike caught his little tail and dragged him back.
"Listen to me first."
Gengar stopped and looked at him.
Mike continued, "I know you bought so much because you wanted to prepare food for when we travel again, right?"
Gengar nodded.
Mike smiled at him.
"There’s no need to rush. We’re inside a city right now, so buying food is easy. We can simply buy whatever we want to eat when we need it."
"The reason we stock up in the wilderness is because there’s nowhere to shop out there. Besides, food stops being fresh if we buy it too early, and then it won’t taste as good."
"That’s why we normally buy supplies only when we’re about to leave a city, isn’t it?"
Mike looked at Gengar seriously.
"I’m not blaming you for spending money. I only want you to understand that we should buy what we need when we need it instead of purchasing everything at once. We won’t be able to finish it all."
"And when you buy things, you need to be more careful so people don’t trick you."
Gengar hovered beside the bed with his head lowered.
Mike sat up and stretched out a hand to tug on his cheeks.
"The next time I ask you to buy ingredients, don’t buy as much as you did yesterday. Understand?"
Gengar’s face changed shape beneath Mike’s fingers. He looked at Mike and gave his usual grin.
’He isn’t angry with me.’
’He’ll even let me go shopping again!’
Mike released him and lay back down.
"Next time we shop, stay beside me and watch how I do it. Learn properly, okay? Don’t spend the entire time thinking about playing."
"Gar—"
[Okay.]
Only then did Mike nod in satisfaction.
"A good child corrects his mistakes."
Mike picked up his phone and began scrolling out of boredom.
Before long, a Gengar-shaped piggy bank was held out in front of his face.
Mike turned in confusion and found Gengar floating beside the bed, hugging the piggy bank Mike had bought for him and smiling brightly.
"Gar—"
[This is my spending money. You can have it to buy food.]
Mike pushed the piggy bank back toward him.
"That’s the money you saved. Keep it and spend it on yourself."
"Gar!"
[But you don’t have money to buy food anymore!]
"You bought plenty yesterday. We can eat those ingredients first."
"Gar?"
[What happens after we finish them?]
"We still have a little money left."
Gengar stared at him.
"Gar—"
[What if we spend all of that too?]
"..."
Mike was beginning to regret this conversation.
"Did you forget? Grandma gave us travel money too. We can use that."
After hearing Mike’s reassurance, Gengar finally put his piggy bank away.
Even then, he looked at Mike with a face full of concern.
"Gar—"
[Tell me if you run out of money. I’ll save my allowance so we can buy food!]
"I understand. Don’t worry."
Once Gengar had put his money away, Mike yawned and asked Glameow whether she wanted to take an afternoon nap with him.
Glameow hesitated before jumping onto the bed and curling up in a corner.
Mike closed his eyes and soon fell asleep as well.
While Mike slept, Gengar blinked several times before quietly sneaking out of the room.
...
When Mike woke up, Gengar had already returned.
Seeing Mike sit up, Gengar floated over, took out a bundle of money, and handed it to him.
"Gar—"
[Here. This is for you.]
Still half asleep, Mike stared at the money in Gengar’s hand and rubbed his eyes.
"Didn’t I already tell you? Keep your spending money for yourself."
Gengar shook his head.
"Gar—"
[This isn’t my allowance. I went out and earned it just now. Take it and buy food.]
Mike instantly became fully awake.
He stared at the grinning Gengar in confusion.
Gengar had earned this?
How?
Since when did Gengar know how to make money?
"You earned it?"
Gengar nodded proudly.
"How did you earn it?"
"Gar—"
[That’s my secret. Just take it and buy food.]
"I won’t accept it unless you tell me."
Mike and Gengar remained locked in a standoff.
In the end, Gengar surrendered and explained how he had earned the money.
"You sold your honey?"
Mike’s voice suddenly rose.
Gengar grinned and nodded.
Mike: "..."
"I..."
He looked at Gengar’s beaming face, then at the money tightly clutched in his hand, and the words became stuck in his throat.
Mike suddenly felt like an unforgivable villain!
’Maybe I should just tell him the truth.’
His head was starting to ache.
He genuinely hadn’t expected Gengar to sell the honey he barely ever allowed himself to eat just because Mike had said they were running out of money.
"How many jars did you sell? You didn’t sell all of them, did you?"
Gengar shook his head and began counting on his fingers.
"Gar—"
[One jar, two jars, three jars... I still kept three so you can make egg tarts.]
"You... What am I supposed to do with you?"
Unable to stop himself, Mike grabbed Gengar’s cheeks and stretched them to both sides.
"Why would you suddenly go sell your honey? I already told you we still had enough money to eat."
Gengar continued smiling foolishly.
Mike turned him around and lightly kicked him in the backside.
Gengar cooperatively fell flat onto the floor.
How could Mike not understand what he had been thinking?
Gengar probably believed his careless spending had left Mike unable to afford food and had been blaming himself.
Looking at Gengar staring up at him eagerly, Mike accepted the money and put it away.
Then he climbed off the bed.
"Get ready. We’re going out to eat, and afterward we’ll have a proper look around Jubilife City."
"Gar—"
[But don’t we have no money?]
"We can still afford dinner."
Gengar: [Oh. Okay!]
...
That evening, as they passed through the food street—
"Buy whatever you want. We can still afford candied fruit."
"Grilled squid is fine too."
"Fried chicken? We can afford it."
At the supermarket—
"Take whatever chips you want. We can still afford snacks."
"Drinks are fine too. Pick any other snacks you like."
Gengar stood there holding his bamboo staff and an unfinished stick of candied fruit while watching Mike carry bag after bag toward the register.
His face was filled with confusion.
He bit down on the candied fruit and scratched his backside.
’Didn’t Mike say we were about to run out of money for food?’
’Then how can we still buy so many things?’
’So strange...’
No matter how hard Gengar thought about it, he couldn’t understand it.
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