"…" Furina was completely deflated by Akio's words. Her face was full of grievance, and she opened her mouth but couldn't find the words to respond.
Clorinde glanced at Furina, then at Akio, unsure of what to say in this situation.
"Alright, alright, I'll stop teasing you," Akio said, waving his hand dismissively. "It's almost noon. Would you two like to join us for lunch?"
"Lunch?" At the mention of food, Furina perked up immediately. She looked at Akio and asked, "Are you treating?"
"I'm treating," Akio nodded, especially since Klee and the others were also with them.
"Great! I've never tried Inazuma's specialty dishes before," Furina said with a grin.
"Oh, but we were planning to have Fontaine cuisine for lunch today," Akio said, raising an eyebrow.
"???" Furina looked at Akio with a confused expression, but when she saw his smile, she realized he was teasing her again. She gritted her teeth in frustration.
"Alright, let's go," Akio turned and led the group toward Inazuma City. Since he had already revealed his face, he didn't bother wearing the mask anymore.
As they walked, Akio overheard Furina and Clorinde whispering behind him.
Listening closely, he realized they were discussing Mora.
"Hey, Clorinde, how much Mora do we have left?" Furina poked Clorinde and asked.
"Uh… Lady Furina, what are you planning?" Clorinde asked, confused.
"I want to treat Akio to a meal. I was a bit rude to him earlier, and I feel like I owe him an apology…" Furina said in a low voice. "Plus, he helped us out of that situation earlier. Even though he's a bit annoying, he's still a good person."
Hearing this, Akio nodded in satisfaction. Furina might be a bit silly, but her heart was in the right place.
However, what came next nearly made Akio burst out laughing.
"Uh… let me check," Clorinde rummaged through her Vision's storage space, then looked at Furina.
"Well? How much do we have?" Furina asked eagerly, expecting Clorinde to have a substantial amount.
"Erm… I'm sorry, Lady Furina, but it seems we're… a bit short on Mora," Clorinde said helplessly.
"Huh? How much is left?" Furina's eyes widened as she sensed trouble.
"We have 5,527 Mora," Clorinde calculated.
"What? How is it so little?" Furina asked in shock. That amount wouldn't even cover their lodging and meals.
"…" Clorinde sighed and explained, "Lady Furina, we left in such a hurry that I didn't have time to prepare. You dragged me straight to Inazuma using your hydro powers, and you didn't bring any Mora. The Mora we've been using is the emergency stash I kept in my Vision."
"And over the past couple of days, your spending has been a bit excessive, so we're down to just over 5,000 Mora."
Clorinde, who held a high position in Fontaine, rarely had to worry about expenses, as the Maison Gardiennage would handle her needs.
As for Furina, the God of Justice, she was even less likely to carry Mora, as she was used to having everything provided for her.
"I was afraid Neuvillette would change his mind and not let me leave!" Furina said with an awkward laugh, then sighed. "Now we're in trouble. Forget treating Akio to a meal—we can't even afford to stay in Inazuma. Are we going to end up sleeping on the streets?"
"I could stand guard outside and cancel my room," Clorinde suggested.
"No, no…" Furina waved her hand. "I can't let you suffer like that!"
"Then what should we do?" Clorinde's usually expressionless face showed a hint of worry.
"Hmm…" Furina was deep in thought when she suddenly bumped into Akio's back, who had stopped walking.
"Ouch…" The pain in her nose brought tears to her eyes. She covered her nose and looked up at Akio.
Akio was surprised to see tears in Furina's eyes. Could it be that she really had no divine power? A god crying from a bump on the nose? That was laughable.
In the game's storyline, Furina was even scared by a servant. Speaking of which…
"What are you doing? Ouch!" Furina glared at Akio.
Akio walked beside her and asked with a smile, "When that man tried to scam you earlier, was it because you didn't have enough Mora that you wanted to leave?"
"Of course not! Who said we don't have Mora?" Furina retorted stubbornly.
"Is 5,000 Mora enough for you to get by? Things at the festival are generally expensive," Akio said with a smile. "You're a god yourself. Did you really think I wouldn't hear your whispered conversation?"
"You… you… Of course not! I was deliberately letting you hear," Furina said, putting her hands on her hips. "I'm the great God of Justice, Furina! How could I be troubled by something as mundane as Mora?"
"…" Akio looked at Furina. She was the epitome of stubbornness. Her earlier panicked expression was truly hilarious.
Akio activated his Mind Reading ability, peering into Furina and Clorinde's thoughts. He confirmed that Furina was indeed the God of Justice.
However, after reading Clorinde's thoughts, Akio was surprised to find that beneath her cool and composed exterior, she was actually a very soft-hearted person.
Hmm, Akio liked Clorinde!
"I was going to say that since the God of Justice has come to Inazuma, I'd treat you well and cover all your expenses during your stay. But since you said you're not troubled by Mora, I guess I'll just forget about it," Akio said with a faint smile.
"Huh?" Furina was shocked. She looked at Akio and said, "No… no, don't forget about it!"
"Didn't you say you don't need it?" Akio asked with a smile.
"Uh… actually, I might need it just a little," Furina said, gesturing with her fingers.
"Is that so?" Akio shook his head. "Too late!"
"Wow! Akio, you're just being stingy! You were deliberately teasing me, weren't you?" Furina said, putting her hands on her hips.
"Oh, you're not as dumb as I thought. You even know how to use reverse psychology?" Akio raised an eyebrow. Had Furina actually become smarter?
"You're the dumb one!" Furina snapped.
"But, Furina, if you agree to a condition, I'll cover all your expenses in Inazuma," Akio suddenly said, a mischievous smile on his face, as if he was about to make a devilish proposal.
"Huh? What do you want?" Furina asked warily, sensing something bad.
Akio leaned down and whispered something in Furina's ear. Her expression went through a range of emotions before finally turning dark.
"Wow! So that's what you're after!" Furina said angrily, pointing at Akio. "I'm going to tell Himeko!"
"Himeko's your lover, right? You already have a lover, and yet you're trying to…" Furina continued to point at Akio. "I'm going to tell Himeko!"
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