Chapter 105: Strange

At 11:25 PM, David returned home carrying a plastic container filled with braised pork, fried rice, and two ears of corn.

Just as he stepped inside, his mother, Gloria, arrived home at the same time.

"David?"

Gloria looked at her son in surprise.

Her exhausted face showed hints of shock—

"Why are you coming home so late?"

Because of her demanding job, Gloria rarely saw David at night or in the morning.

Most of the time, when she got home, David was already asleep—or when he left in the morning, she was still sleeping.

But tonight...

David was awake.

And coming home late from outside?

That almost never happened.

Immediately, a mother's worst fears flashed through her mind—

David... could he have... gone bad?

Was he hanging out with street thugs behind her back?

But before she could spiral deeper into her worries, David handed her the container and, as Karl had instructed him earlier, gave his pre-planned excuse for coming home late.

"A classmate from school invited me over for dinner. We ended up hanging out longer than expected, so I got home late. He told me to bring some food back. I already ate, but Mom, have you had dinner yet? You should try some."

"You... went to a classmate's house for dinner?"

Gloria looked at him in disbelief.

Her son—David Martinez—actually had friends at Arasaka Academy?

For a moment, she couldn't believe it.

Then, joy surged through her heart.

David was no longer alone.

He had found friends at school.

"You didn't cause them any trouble, did you?"

That was the first thing she asked, even as she beamed at him.

David, caught off guard by her warm expression, felt a bit uncomfortable.

It had been so long since his mother had ever cared about his friendships.

Ever since he started at Arasaka Academy, these conversations had become nonexistent.

But despite feeling a little awkward, he still answered:

"Nope. I even helped with the cooking."

"You... helped with the cooking?"

Gloria chuckled.

"You weren't just getting in the way, were you?"

"Of course not! I actually helped!"

David pushed the takeout container toward her.

"More importantly, Mom, just eat. It's really good."

"Alright, I was starving anyway. Let's see what you helped make."

Gloria expected to see some basic pre-packaged, reheated street food—which, in her mind, matched David's cooking abilities.

But the moment she opened the container, she froze.

Inside, even though the food had cooled down, the richly colored braised pork, the fragrant fried rice, and the plump, golden corn on the cob sat neatly arranged.

For a brief second, she thought she might be hallucinating from exhaustion.

But the aroma of real, freshly cooked food filled the air—

And told her this was real.

"David?"

Gloria immediately turned to him.

"This food... where did it come from?"

"I already told you. My friend made it. He had extra, so he let me bring some home."

Her eyes narrowed slightly.

"But... this is real corn, isn't it?"

Gloria had never eaten real pork before, so she couldn't say much about the meat.

But corn—that was something she had tasted once.

A long time ago, during her honeymoon phase with David's father, they had saved up for months and, through a friend's connections, managed to buy a single cob of real corn.

They had split it in half and eaten it together.

That sweet, earthy aroma had become a symbol of their love.

And after her husband passed, that memory had been one of the things that kept her going—raising David all on her own.

She would never mistake that smell.

"It's real corn."

David nodded and pointed at the braised pork in the container.

"Mom, try the pork too. I helped by gathering the spices—it tastes really good."

But Gloria wasn't focused on the flavor.

"David..."

Her voice was gentle, but filled with concern.

"This is expensive food. Are you sure it's okay to bring something like this home?"

It made sense that a student at Arasaka Academy would have access to real food—that wasn't the surprising part.

But to freely give it away and let David take some home?

That was a lot.

She was worried that accepting something so valuable might affect his friendship with this classmate.

"Expensive?"

Hearing his mother say that, David finally realized—

Just how valuable real corn actually was.

A single cob, after import fees and bribes along the way, cost anywhere from 100 to 200 eddies. Buying in bulk made it slightly cheaper, but...

At that price, one cob of corn alone was worth an entire month's worth of David's food expenses.

His daily meals consisted of:

1-eddy bread for lunch

3-eddy meal for dinner

Most of their household income—over 90%—went into paying for David's tuition.

For their situation, this kind of luxurious food really was a big deal.

But—

"Don't worry, Mom. Everyone who was there took some home, not just me."

Of course, the others weren't really classmates...

"I see... then your friend must be very generous."

Hearing that David wasn't the only one, Gloria finally relaxed.

Since it wouldn't affect his friendships, she allowed herself to enjoy the meal.

"Mom, don't you want to heat it up first?"

"No, no, it's fine. It's delicious, David. Make sure to thank your friend properly later."

"I will."

Watching his mother's exhaustion fade, seeing her look content as she ate...

A small smile formed on David's lips.

Just like Gaius—no, Karl—said...

"Good food really can heal a tired soul."

But as he watched her, a different thought surfaced—

Their family's finances.

Every single month, almost all their income went to paying for his tuition.

Rent, food, equipment—everything else was stretched thin.

But even with extreme saving, no matter how much they cut back, his mother's salary wasn't enough.

David knew how much she made—her base pay was 5,000 eddies per month.

Even if she worked herself to death with overtime, she would never make over 10,000 eddies a month.

And yet—

Since he started at Arasaka Academy in April, he had already completed two full semesters under their three-semester system:

April to July (First semester)

September to December (Second semester)

January to March (Third semester, next year)

That meant he had been enrolled for six months already.

Even if December's tuition hadn't been paid yet—

At 20,000 eddies per month, the total for five months would be 100,000 eddies.

Where did she get that money?

"Is it really like she said...?"

"That it's from Dad's old work compensation payout?"

"Is that really enough to cover my tuition?"

David's gaze shifted—

Toward the black bag his mother had brought home.

For some reason...

Maybe it was just his imagination...

But he swore he could smell blood coming from it.

Now that he thought about it—

His mother often brought home black bags.

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