"Fail, how was your vacation? You went to Calum, right?"@@novelbin@@
Failâs colleague, a senior member of the administrative division, rummaged through the various treats spread out on the common table with curious hands. All of them were specialty goods Fail had brought back from his trip.
"It was great. The atmosphere is definitely different from the capital."
"I bet. Calumâs known for its fresh air and as a famous retreat. But wasnât it a long vacation? Places like that usually have pretty steep lodging costs, donât they?"
"Uhâ¦"
Fail hesitated, caught off guard as his colleague popped one of the exclusive Calum cookies into their mouth.
"Surely you didnât blow all the money youâve been saving up? Was the lodging expensive?"
"Oh, well⦠it wasnât bad. I got lucky and found a cheap placeâ¦" Fail scratched the back of his head with an awkward laugh.
The truth was, he hadnât spent any money on lodging during this vacation. Heâd stayed at Lukeâs house the entire time. Although it had felt wrong to stay for free, even offering to pay had been flatly rejected by Luke.
"I donât take scraps like that. If youâre so insistent, just make sure I eat well while youâre here."
Fail had no choice but to comply. Despite Lukeâs brusque tone, the sincerity behind his words was evident, and Fail had diligently taken charge of all their meals during his stay.
"I wonder how the Captainâs doing right now."