Beast Academy: Raising Baby Beasts with Cashback 500%

Aster, Mina, and her family had arrived in Aurelis earlier that afternoon. Aster was temporarily staying with the small family since Shani still had classes to attend.

Shani was only able to get permission to leave campus after her afternoon classes wrapped up. They arranged to meet at a cafe located inside Mina’s apartment building.

Stepping inside the cafe, Shani scanned the room. A warm smile broke across her face as two familiar figures waved in her direction.

Shani walked over and was immediately enveloped in a tight hug from little Mina.

Gently, Shani stroked Mina’s hair, noticing how much softer it felt now. Taking a closer look at the eight-year-old girl, she caught the healthy touch of baby fat filling out her cheeks.

Back at the orphanage, Director Cedric had always ensured the children ate well, slept comfortably, and had decent clothes on their backs.

But the finances of a retired instructor raising dozens of kids could never compare to a wealthy businessman providing for just one child.

Shani would always be deeply grateful for everything Director Cedric had done for them, but seeing Mina thrive like this filled her heart with immense relief.

Shani’s gaze then shifted to Aster, and a wave of shock and heartache washed over her.

The Aster she remembered was a tall, muscular young man with a visibly free-spirited aura.

But the Aster sitting before her now was gaunt, his shoulders slumped, and exhaustion deeply etched into his features.

”Aster... are you alright?” Shani blurted out the question spinning in her mind.

Aster gave an understanding smile. ”I’m fine, Shan.”

Despite the exhaustion on his face, Shani caught a spark of hope flickering back to life in his eyes. She let out a soft sigh of relief. ’At least he hasn’t lost all hope.’

They settled into their seats, trying the drinks and desserts ordered prior to Shani’s arrival.

”Shan, why did you only want the three of us to meet? My mom and dad were planning to take you out for dinner once they finish up their business,” Mina asked after swallowing a bite of chocolate cake.

”I was worried I’d cry my eyes out seeing you guys and ruin my image in front of my potential business partners,” Shani replied with a light chuckle. Reaching instinctively for a napkin, she gently dabbed away a streak of chocolate from the corner of Mina’s lips.

Mina let out a small sigh and spoke with a composed, adult-like demeanor. ”Yeah, you probably would’ve sobbed if I let you hug me any longer. At least you have me around to keep emotions in check.”

Shani looked at her, amused. ”Oh really? Then who was that crying in my arms back at the orphanage a month ago?”

”Huh? Who?” Mina played it cool. ”That was one of the other kids.”

”Right, right, must’ve been someone else,” Shani teased with a wide grin, catching the subtle pink flush rising on Mina’s cheeks.

Mina pouted, prompting Shani to scoop up a spoon of cake and hold it out to her. Though still pretending to sulk, Mina couldn’t resist chocolate cake and obediently took the bite.

”They look so young, yet they already have a kid that big. Youth nowadays sure are passionate.”

”Hush, you’re just jealous because you weren’t like that back then, aren’t you?”

The quiet murmurs of an elderly couple passing by their table rang clearly in all three of their ears.

The three of them exchanged speechless glances until the couple finally exited the cafe.

”Wow, that couple was talking complete nonsense,” Shani sighed in exasperation, turning to Aster for agreement.

However, Aster remained silent, gazing at Shani with starry eyes.

”Boss Deryan got married around your age, didn’t he? It makes sense the elderly couple think I’m your daughter,” Mina chimed in before popping another bite of cake into her mouth.

She had no idea her casual comment left both of them thoroughly flustered, although for entirely different reasons.

Sensing the conversation taking an awkward turn, Shani quickly reached into her bag and pulled out two small flask bottles. ”These are gifts for you two.”

”What are those, Shan?” Aster asked, his brow furrowing as he inspected the contents, which looked more like medicine than proper gifts.

Shani leaned in, gesturing for them to do the same. Lowering her voice to a whisper, she said, ”These are energy potions exclusive to Grand Academy. Just as the name suggests, they boost your beast energy.”

From the very start, Shani had planned to help Mina and Aster raise their rank.

Now that she had extra cash, she didn’t hesitate to buy the potions for them. After all, it only cost 5,000 Credits total, a far cry from what she had spent on Jeryon.

Since Shani knew that boosting beast energy by more than one rank at a time was extremely dangerous, she had carefully calculated the exact maximum energy she could give them. They were guaranteed to reach D-Rank.

”Is this one of those astronomically expensive elixirs?” Mina asked, whispering back with a dead serious look.

”Something like that. I received these as compensation from Feline Tower’s Headmaster. He told me to keep it quiet. For whatever reason, I figured it’s best not to argue,” Shani replied, lying smoothly.

Although Shani hated lying repeatedly, this time she had to make sure they knew their ranks were increasing.

She couldn’t do what she did with Jeryon, giving it to him in secret, which resulted in a headache-inducing mess.

Mina and Aster didn’t have the level of protection Jeryon possessed, either. A sudden jump in rank could easily attract unwanted attention from various factions, including those with ill intentions.

At least if they were aware, they would be far more cautious.

And given the fact that their beast energy had only been measured once when they were five years old, and in a remote little town at that, they could easily claim that the testing device in their hometown had been faulty.

”Shan, this compensation was meant for you. Why give it to us?” Aster gently pushed the two glass bottles back toward Shani.

”I got three. But each person can only use one potion. The Headmaster said I could pass the others along as long as it stays strictly off the record,” Shani explained.

Aster still looked hesitant, but seeing Shani’s earnest gaze, he finally accepted the potions.

Shani instructed the two of them to drink immediately and hand back the empty flask.

Shani’s cautious actions made her look like someone smuggling contraband.

If anyone else had pulled something like this, Mina and Aster wouldn’t have downed it without a second thought. But in this distant land, who else could they trust if not each other?

”I don’t feel any different,” Mina muttered.

Shani offered a reassuring smile. ”It’s supposed to be like that. At most, you will get hungry much faster.”

They continued chatting over dessert until Mina received a call from Bella, her adoptive mother.

”Our business here is done. Are you still at the cafe, dear?”

”Yes, Mom. We ate plenty of cake here. You two go ahead and grab dinner outside.”

Mina hung up after receiving an answer and turned to Aster and Shani. ”They’re going to grab a bite outside before coming back.”

The three of them were already quite stuffed anyway, as Shani had ordered an extra round of cakes and drinks after Mina’s initial order, leaving their table nearly overflowing.

About an hour later, they left the cafe and headed up to the 25th floor, where Mina’s apartment was located.

By the time they arrived, Toby and Bella were already waiting for them.

”I packed three portions of abalone soup in case you get hungry later,” Bella said warmly.

”Mom, I’m going to get fat if I eat in the middle of the night,” Mina protested, though her hands were already opening one of the thermal containers on the table, releasing a mouthwatering aroma into the air.

Bella and Toby smiled indulgently at Mina’s antics. ”That one is for Aster and Shani. Yours is in the dining room.”

”I know. I was just checking,” Mina replied, swallowing her saliva.

Shani observed the warmth of the little family, feeling a gentle warmth spread through her own heart.

She had always worried that Mina’s mini-adult demeanor would act as a barrier, preventing genuine familial affection from growing with her adoptive parents.

But witnessing the scene before her, Shani realized she had been worrying over nothing.

Mina suddenly remembered that Shani and Aster were there. She stepped back to let the adults get down to business.

”Mr. Mortis, may I know how much initial capital you require? At least an estimate.” Shani cut straight to the chase.

Toby and Bella exchanged amused glances at the serious expression framed on the young girl’s innocent face.

”Five million Credits,” Toby answered point-blank, expecting Shani to be stunned by the staggering figure.

But Shani didn’t even flinch. She looked him in the eye and declared boldly, ”I’d like to invest one million Credits.”

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