Chapter 1: Financial Compensation

Chapter 1:
Financial Compensation

 

“NEXT JOB, Master!”

“Huh?” Noela was really putting her back into her work, to my surprise. “Uh, let’s see.”

I told her to set up for some good old medicine making, and the werewolf girl zipped to the lab.

Something’s definitely up. I decided not to ask Noela about it; I wasn’t going to complain about her working hard.

Noela was usually pretty poor at dealing with customers, and she sometimes drank potions on the job. Fortunately, the drugstore’s customers were generous and patient—they tended to see the werewolf girl as Kirio Drugs’ mascot. Still, when it came to customer service, I honestly never expected much of her.

“Finished, Master!” Noela informed me, poking her head out of the laboratory.

“Awesome. Thanks.”

Mina watched the storefront as I holed up in the lab as usual. I need to restock our shelves. As I started working, Noela stood right beside me. She watched me carefully, wagging her tail.

“Hey, Noela, what’s up?”

“Noela work hard today, Master.”

“You sure did, partner.”

“Noela old enough!” Her eyes sparkled as she thrust out her palm.

I was getting serious déjà vu. When I was a little kid, I helped out around the house with one goal…

“Noela want allowance!”

“Of course you do.” Now it all made perfect sense. “Go ask Mina—she keeps tabs on our budget. You know that.”

“Garroo…” Noela’s ears drooped.

I patted her head. “Judging by that reaction, you already asked Mina.”

“Yeah. Mina cheapskate. Won’t give Noela 300 rin!”

I think I know why she suddenly wants an allowance. Noela played with the neighborhood kids now and then, and I overheard those brats taunting her about her inability to save money.

“What?! You don’t get an allowance?” they teased. “Ha! You must be dirt poor!”

“Noela get allowance!” she’d declared defiantly. “Slap you in face with bills later!”

That reminded me—Noela’s imaginary allowance took the form of bills.

“So, what’d Mina tell you?”

“‘Noela waste too much money.’”

I agree.

“Noela want smack bullies in face with bills, Master!” she whined, clinging to me tearfully. “Vivi and Ejil get money! Why not Noela?”

First things first—I need to teach her that “allowance” doesn’t take the form of a bankroll. Actually…

“Noela, up till now, I’ve paid you in your beloved potions, right?” I reminded her. “How much do those cost at the drugstore?”

“Twelve hundred rin,” replied Noela. “N-Noela earn twelve hundred rin a day?!”

The werewolf girl suddenly trembled in fear. She seemed to realize she was asking for less pay, since she was comped four times the allowance she’d requested.

“Which would you prefer? Potions or an allow—”

“Potions!”

Wow, that was fast. How addicted to those things is she?

“Noela also demand financial compensation, Master!” Noela insisted.

“Financial compensation? Where the heck did you learn that phrase?!” Whatever. She mostly wants potions.

It was easy to imagine that Mina was right about Noela wasting money. I knew I probably shouldn’t pay her too much. At the same time, I felt bad that Noela was getting teased by runts who—unlike her—didn’t even work.

“How about this, Noela? When you work hard, I’ll give you 300 rin the next day. As for your potions, I’ll fill them three-quarters as full as usual.” That way, I can get her to limit her potion intake and convert that to cash.

“Master will give Noela 300 rin?”

I nodded. “Your potions will be smaller, but I’ll pay you tomorrow for your work today.”

“Garrooo!” Noela’s tail wagged vigorously.

“Now that that’s settled, I’ll make a checklist,” I continued. Whipping out a sheet of paper, I jotted down Noela’s usual chores.

“What this, Master?”

“This checklist will show whether you worked hard.” Why didn’t I do this earlier?

“Master fill out?”

“Nope. Mina will.”

Noela flinched.

“When you do well at all the tasks on the list, you’ll get your allowance and potions the next day. Sound good?”

“No! No good! Too strict!” She shook her head furiously.

“Mina’s always kind of picky about stuff like this,” I agreed. “That’s her style.” Which is why I’m leaving this to her.

“Noela knows.” Noela sighed. “Master pushover when Noela cuddles.”

“That’s true,” I admitted. “I can’t help myself.”

“Cuddling no work on Mina. Too strong!”

So, she thinks Mina’s tougher than me?

“You hold on to this checklist.” I gave Noela the paper. “If you finish a chore, show Mina. Got it, fluffball? Your allowance will be directly tied to hard work.”

All told, I was just substituting cash for a quarter of Noela’s potion intake. I’d give her a bonus, though, if she worked her hardest for a month. I wanted nothing more than to motivate her.

“Got it! Noela do best!”

She wasn’t kidding. Later on, I thought, If she keeps working this hard, that bonus will be in her hands at the end of the month.

 

***

 

I gave Noela her first allowance the next morning, since she did a good job.

“This allowance?! Not wad of bills?”

“That’s right. That’s how much your allowance actually is—300 rin. And here’s your potion.”

The bottle I handed her was a little less full than usual.

“Wh-what happen to potion?” Noela demanded, shocked.

“I substituted money for one quarter of it,” I reminded her.

Noela went silent and then looked up at me. “Noela happy with normal potion, Master. No need allowance.”

“Really? After all this?”

Noela’s “financial compensation” hadn’t even lasted a day, let alone a month.