Gacha Addict in a Matriarchal World

Lydia glared at us, her voice cold.

“I got worked up after finding the one who stole my wallet.”

“Ah.”

Did I get caught?

I attempted to sneak away but failed.

“Jonah! Don’t tell me…!”

Ellie, her mouth agape, grabbed me by the nape of my neck, halting my escape.

I shook my head, my limbs dangling helplessly.

“No, Ellie! Why would I, of all people, steal Miss Lydia’s wallet?! I’d be dead if I got caught!”

“No. You’re exactly the type to do something like that. Be honest. You stole it on impulse because you were hurt by Lydia’s reaction, didn’t you?”

“It really isn’t me! I might be a bit reckless, but I’m not foolish! Moreover, do I really look like someone who repays kindness with animosity?”

“Umm. Well….”

After a moment of contemplation, Ellie turned to face Lydia, still holding me aloft.

“That’s what he’s saying. For starters, I’m friends with this kiddo. So, I’m sorry, but I can’t hand Jonah over to you without any evidence, Lydia.”

“…Evidence? I have it.”

Lydia, her expression unchanging, produced a small amulet.

A simple silver disc with a red gem embedded in it. Something about it made Ellie’s eyes narrow.

“It’s an anti-theft amulet. Seeing that it’s red, it was definitely stolen, not lost.”

“…Yeah. I realized it after reporting the subjugation to the guild.”

“But this isn’t enough to be considered evidence.”

“I placed a tracking spell on my wallet. I asked Beni to check the location, and it led me here. It’s not a coincidence.”

“That’s undeniable proof.”

“Indeed it is.”

Ellie and Lydia’s gazes intensified.

When I tried to look away, Ellie hoisted me higher, forcing me to meet her gaze.

“Jonah. It’s been nice knowing you. Take care.”

“E, Ellie?!”

With a broad smile, Ellie tossed me. Before my feet could touch the ground, Lydia caught me.

Lydia’s expressionless face suddenly appeared right in front of me. A scream escaped my throat at the sight of her strict, solemn, serious demeanor.

“Kyaaaak! Ellie! How could you hand me over like that!”

“It was your fault for pickpocketing Lydia. I did my best!”

“Well, that may… That may be true! But, I didn’t know she’d put a tracking spell on her wallet! Does anyone even normally do that?!”

It wasn’t Ellie who responded to my protests, but Lydia herself.

“People usually don’t. But adventurers are an exception. They often carry around all their valuables… High-ranking adventurers like me take security seriously.”

“Kuh….”

I never put that in the setting!

I contemplated exchanging all of Lydia’s money in my possession for gacha tickets right then…

But I sensed that if I told her I’d already used it all, then I’d be in serious trouble, so I decided to return it as is.

“Here… I hardly used any of it, so could you perhaps spare my life?”

“?”

Lydia tilted her head, as if wondering what I was talking about. My goodness…

Of course, it’s true that in this world, if you’re caught pickpocketing, you’re beaten severely, and in extreme cases, even your wrists might be cut off. However.

“Do you really intend to kill me?! You were able to catch the boss thanks to me! Eh, Ellie…! Please, save me! Your potential husband is in danger!”

“What are you talking about, Jonny Boy? We’re not in that kind of relationship yet, are we?”

Ellie cut me off coldly. That isn’t good. It really doesn’t seem like she’s going to help at all.

Could it be that I trusted Ellie too much? She is fundamentally good-natured, but perhaps she isn’t covering for me because she judged it was clearly my fault.

In the end, there was only one method left. I’ll have to beg and cry to Lydia.

Forced tears blurred my vision as they welled up in my eyes. And it was just as I opened my mouth with a trembling voice, designed to evoke sympathy.

“Miss Lydia!”

“…You’re mistaken.”

Lydia sighed softly and gently placed me on the ground.

As she tidied my disheveled clothes, she began to speak.

“You said your name was Jonah, right? It was wrong of you to steal my wallet. But it’s also true that I completed my request thanks to Jonah.”

“So…?”

“We’ve helped each other out once, so let’s consider ourselves even. Forget the emotional part and just weigh the gains and losses.”

Lydia extended one finger, continuing her explanation.

“First, the life of the Twin Daggers Clan boss is worth 1 gold. If you convert the guild’s achievements and credibility into money, that’s about 30 silver.”

“The difference in rewards depending on whether the clan boss is captured or not is bigger than I thought.”

“It has to be, to set an example.”

That’s true. Since most clans follow the directives of their clan leader, it’s more effective to take down one major figure rather than just the underlings.

Anyway, 1 gold and 30 silver, huh? That’s a significant sum. The potion used on me seemed expensive, but if things go well, even considering that, I might still end up with a profit….

“The middle-rank potion used to treat your hand costs 50 silver. My daily wage as a high-ranking adventurer is at least 30 silver. The fee for the tracking magic is 60 silver. Although I got it back, the amount Jonah spent in the meantime….”

Lydia spoke calmly, unfolding one finger after another. With each count, the costs mounted significantly, and my face grew increasingly pale to match.

Needless to say, the sum of 1 gold and 30 silver had long been exceeded.

When I sneaked a glance at Ellie, just in case, she was nodding, as if to confirm everything was accurate.

It seems this is indeed the correct calculation. Why on earth are they going to such lengths to capture me?!

While I was flustered, Lydia had finished the calculations and summarized the conclusion.

“…Roughly calculated, I’m at a loss of 80 silver.”

“Wha, what do you mean ‘roughly’? Does that mean it’s different if calculated precisely…?”

“Precisely, it’s 83 silver and 27 copper.”

“Let’s just make it easy and say 80 silver! Yep!”

The cry burst out reflexively. So, she had generously rounded it down for me…

As I stood there, trembling, Lydia placed her hand on my shoulder and asked in a low voice.

“80 silver. If you pay it back, I won’t make it a problem.”

“Ah, um. Well…”

How could I have that kind of money? Even if I did, I would have already spent it all on gacha.

Seeing me dither, Lydia shook her head in disapproval.

“…Don’t have it? Then there’s no other option. You’ll have to pay with your body.”

“Ar, are you planning to cut open my stomach and sell my organs to the mage tower?!”

“…Illegal organ trafficking is a crime.”

“Then… Gasp! You’re planning to do something lewd with me?! Like the red book hidden in the third drawer of Ellie’s desk…!”

“…No.”

Ellie, who was behind us, jumped up and down with her face flushed red, demanding how I knew about that, but that’s not what’s important right now.

Lydia denied my claims with a rigid expression. I took a good look at her face. Her lack of expression was a bit scary, but fundamentally, she had a very neat appearance.

Oh…

I sprawled myself on the ground and shouted.

“Okay. If my body is your goal, then take it!”

“I said that’s not it.”

“But remember! You might be able to do as you please with my body, but you can’t control my heart…!”

“Stop talking nonsense. I’ll make you get up if you don’t stop there.”

“Yes ma’am.”

Seeing her clench her fist as if preparing to hit me, I quickly stood up.

Lydia, seemingly fed up with that bold change of stance, grasped her forehead. She continued with a slightly tired voice.

“I’m going to the labyrinth. Jonah will be my porter.”

“You’re using me as a porter…?”

“Yes. I’ll compensate you with that. If you need equipment, I can arrange it for you. …However, you’ll continue to be my porter until everything is paid back.”

“That’s…”

It’s a good deal. So good, in fact, that it’s making me suspicious.

It’s not that I haven’t looked into the job of a porter. Most of the settings I remember involve labyrinths, after all. To make use of this, one must eventually become an adventurer and enter the labyrinth.

However, the labyrinth was a place where, if one could return alive, one could gain power, big or small. This was no exception for porters.

That meant there were more people than expected who wanted to enter the labyrinth, even if it meant becoming a porter, and younger children like me inevitably got pushed down the priority list.

Well, if I look around, parties are willing to take even me… but those parties had been a bit shady.

They probably wanted to use me as a porter slash portable dildo. Then, if the situation got dire, they’d likely abandon me in front of the monsters.

There were quite a few cases where that happened, so one had to be careful when choosing their party. You couldn’t predict what could happen in a labyrinth, after all.

In that sense, Lydia was a trustworthy person.

She’s not someone I’ve painstakingly set up like Ellie, but her noble character is well-known enough to earn her the title of ‘The Noble’.

Hadn’t I seen it myself? How she was willing to give up her task and risk facing consequences just to save me.

…Huh? Then, was I the trash for pickpocketing such a person’s wallet?

I shook my head vigorously to dispel the suspicion. I’m not bad. It’s the world that’s bad.

“Understood. I’ll become Lydia’s porter and repay you. But how high are you planning to go? As you know, I’m quite frail, so I might not be able to handle the places you usually go.”

“Beni, a party member, is currently on a break. I won’t go to dangerous places alone. Don’t worry, Jonah.”

“That’s a relief.”

Lydia nodded in satisfaction as I let out a sigh of relief. She spoke with a faint smile.

“…Okay. Then I’ll come here tomorrow morning. Do you need anything?”

“I need a utility dagger for the porter work.”

“I have one. Anything else?”

“…Would you buy me armor or a weapon if I asked?”

“As long as it’s for supporting low-ranking adventurers in the guild, sure. But this too is included in the debt.”

“Miss Lydia…!”

Looking up with eyes brimming with gratefulness, Lydia turned her gaze away, sheepishly.

“Misunderstanding, trouble. Normally, I would have handed you over to the guild for trial. But…”

“But?”

“Jonah, you’re still young. And talented. If there’s a chance for rehabilitation, guiding one down that path is a knight’s duty.”

Proudly saying so, Lydia huffed and left the shop. Staring blankly at her retreating figure, I turned to Ellie.

“Ellie. Did you know it would turn out like this?”

“Somewhat. Lydia isn’t emotional or cunning, like someone else I know.”

“Ugh…but wait, you knew Lydia? Ellie, you must have been more of a respectable adventurer than I thought.”

“It’s nothing special. I just helped Lydia a few times when she first became an adventurer. But, is it okay to be here like this? The labyrinth isn’t an easy place. It would be better to start preparing now.”

“Ah, I don’t have anything to prepare right now. I don’t have anything.”

“Didn’t you say you rented a place after saving up some money last time?”

“When I was locked up for a few days, they thought I was dead, so they sold all my stuff and rented my room to someone else. I almost got beaten up when I complained. Well, I expected as much.”

Thanks to that, my entire fortune now was just the new clothes I had on that Lydia collected after subjugating the Twin Dagger Clan and the 32 coppers that had been inside the pocket.

In my defense, I stole it to survive.

“…So you didn’t steal Lydia’s wallet just out of spite after all.”

“*Ahem*.”

“That’s not a compliment.”

Tsk tsk, clicking her tongue, Ellie pulled out another magic herb cigar. I gently tugged at her flapping sleeve.

“Ellie, Ellie.”

“Hmm?”

“I… have nowhere to sleep.”

“Oh dear. How pitiful.”

“Not just homeless, but I also don’t have family, friends, power, or money. All I have is this cute face.”

“……”

“Could you let me stay for the night? In return, I’ll give you the right to do whatever you want with my face for today…!”

“I don’t need it! I’ll leave a room upstairs empty for you to sleep in, but know that it won’t be free starting tomorrow!”

“I love you, Ellie! I really think we should be married!”

“I don’t know about debtors…”

At least I tried.

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