If Yoshinaga Midori felt embarrassed for troubling Kobayashi Itsuki,
then Matsuzaka Ume was somewhat regretful.
For her, Kobayashi Itsuki was now a very desirable romantic prospect.
At such a time, what she should have done most was to present her best side to Kobayashi Itsuki as much as possible.
But now, after only two days of knowing him, she hadn't left many good impressions; instead, she had left him with this image of her arguing.
Thinking of this, Matsuzaka Ume glared unhappily at Yoshinaga Midori, then quickly said,
"Um... Teacher Kobayashi, I'm sorry..."
Seeing that both had calmed down and their tones had softened,
Kobayashi Itsuki also knew when to stop, quickly shaking his head: "It's fine, it's fine. It's getting late, let's get on the bus quickly."
"Don't delay the children from going home."
"Right, right, Teacher Kobayashi is right."
The two exchanged glances, no longer bickering, and quickly led the children onto the bus.
Watching them board the kindergarten bus until the vehicle started and gradually disappeared from sight, Kobayashi Itsuki finally breathed a sigh of relief.
"A 'shura field' is indeed not something ordinary people can endure."
Kobayashi Itsuki wiped the non-existent cold sweat from his forehead, still feeling a bit shaken.
Thinking of the scene just now, Kobayashi Itsuki truly found it hard to bear.
One must know, this was still under circumstances where he had no actual relationship with the two of them.
If he really had a relationship with them, and such a situation erupted today, what would he do if they demanded he choose one?
Thinking about this, Kobayashi Itsuki felt a headache coming on.
Having a harem was truly a bit too much to ask of someone.
Quickly finishing the cleaning, Kobayashi Itsuki put away the cleaning tools, clocked out, greeted Takakura Bunta, and rushed home.
Today's harvest, in a sense, was no less than yesterday's.
Yesterday was about quantity, today was about quality.
Rushing home, Kobayashi Itsuki washed his hands and lit a cigarette he had gotten from opening a treasure chest.
Pale blue smoke rose and diffused through the space.
After one cigarette, Kobayashi Itsuki's "incense bath" ritual was complete.
After the fixed routine, Kobayashi Itsuki began to tally his gains for the day.
Opening the system panel, Kobayashi Itsuki looked carefully.
Today, he had collected seventeen green treasure chests in total.
Apart from those contributed by characters with significant roles in the original work, such as Nohara Misae, Matsuzaka Ume, and Bo, the rest were from children in various classes.
Looking at the seventeen treasure chests before him, Kobayashi Itsuki rubbed his hands together excitedly.
Based on his experience of opening so many chests, the cheapest white chests were worth approximately 10,000 Japanese Yen, though the exact situation remained unknown.
Green chests, however, were much more valuable.
From his limited few experiences, each green chest had provided him with rewards worth tens of thousands.
The camera at the beginning, then the Jidori Chicken Breast, and the branded sports shoes whose price he only learned this morning—50,000 Japanese Yen—truly surprised Kobayashi Itsuki a little.
Thinking about it this way,
if seventy-eight green chests were opened, the harvest would definitely be worth a considerable sum.
"Let me see what surprises today will bring me."
Kobayashi Itsuki rubbed his palms, his eyes full of anticipation.
'Open one green treasure chest.'
The value of green treasure chests varied, so Kobayashi Itsuki decided to open one to test the waters.
[Ding! Congratulations, Host, you have received 21,666 yen.]
A Great Start!
Right off the bat, it's the money Kobayashi Itsuki needs most, and the amount is unprecedentedly generous.
"Looks like my luck is good today!"
A smile appeared on Kobayashi Itsuki's face as he prepared to continue.
As long as his luck holds, there's no need to open them in batches.
Single draws produce miracles—this is experience gained from countless gacha games in his previous life.
'Open one green treasure chest.'
[Ding! Congratulations, Host, you have received Namiki Maki-e Fountain Pen *1.]
Fountain Pen?
Seeing the system notification, Kobayashi Itsuki realized this was another blind spot in his knowledge.
He believed that a Fountain Pen opened from a green treasure chest would definitely not be cheap.
However, neither his nor the original owner's memories contained any relevant information, and it wasn't like his previous life where every household had a computer and could easily search the internet.
"Just a small item to boost my image."
"Or, if I'm short on cash at the end of the month, maybe I can sell it to make ends meet."
Putting the Fountain Pen away, Kobayashi Itsuki silently chanted in his mind.
'Open all green treasure chests.'
[Ding! Congratulations, Host, you have received Armani Perfume *1.]
[Ding! Congratulations, Host, you have received a pair of Gold Earrings.]
[Ding! Congratulations, Host, you have received 10,000 yen.]
[Ding! Congratulations, Host, you have received Juyondai Honmaru Junmai Daiginjo (Japanese sake) *1.]
...After opening seventeen green treasure chests, Kobayashi Itsuki began to carefully tally his gains.
He received 61,354 yen in cash, plus a pile of items whose value Kobayashi Itsuki found difficult to estimate.
Things like Perfume and Sake.
In any case, just looking at the packaging, they should be worth a lot of money.
"As expected, green treasure chests are much more valuable; seventeen treasure chests yielded so much."
Today's harvest truly sparked a strong sense of anticipation in Kobayashi Itsuki's heart.
Between yesterday and today, he had already opened 160,000 yen in cash alone.
At this rate, as long as he continues, this month's interest should not be a problem.
This doesn't even count his salary from the Kindergarten and the income from his submissions.
Although only this month's financial worries were settled, Kobayashi Itsuki's mood still lightened considerably.
The debt had always been a burden on his mind, and now that he could make some progress, the pressure gradually eased.
"However, I still can't relax."
"Opening treasure chests is only temporary. White Treasure Chests and green treasure chests are easy to farm, but farming blue treasure chests definitely won't be that simple. If there's no other income, next month will be troublesome."
Kobayashi Itsuki remained very calm, clearly aware of his current situation.
After a moment of contemplation, Kobayashi Itsuki turned his gaze to his manuscript.
After two days of effort, he had only barely written ten thousand words.
This speed was truly infuriatingly slow.
If he had a computer, it wouldn't take nearly this long.
Before, he didn't have the conditions or enough money.
But now... After much deliberation, Kobayashi Itsuki finally gritted his teeth and decisively went out.
He planned to go to a digital store or similar place to see how much a computer would cost.
If it was cheap, getting one would definitely be worth it for him.
In his previous life, he had stayed up late coding and writing, even producing twenty to thirty thousand words a day.
Buy a computer, work a bit harder.
Put in more effort.
His progress would definitely far exceed his current pace; he could finish 'planetarian: the reverie of a little star' in about three days.
If push came to shove, buying a used one would also be acceptable.