Alice's Principles of Getting Rich
August 11th 2014
Plot by Elise the Writing Desk, Characters by QuinRose, "5 Divisions of Earning" by Li Ka-Shing (smart name)

Julius' Story: "The Poor Who Feeds the Rich"

What a weird girl. Really, really weird.

There's a new roommate in my home-stay.

Actually, she's always a new roommate in period of some months.

Well, this is the first time she arrives. She comes with a single backpack and books in her hands.

"Nice to meet you. My name is Alice Liddell," she says politely. "I'll be troubling you for sometimes, but I'll help you as much as I can,"

"S-Sure," I answer, and handed her the key to her room. "Your room is upstairs. The only rule in this house is to keep quiet,"

"Alright, thank you. But you haven't mentioned your name?"

"Oh, I'm Julius Monrey."

"Again, it's nice to meet you. Now, I'll go to my room, so excuse me," she smiles and goes upstairs.

At first, I didn't really pay attention to her, until one day, she says that she can't pay the rent.

"You can't pay, huh...well, I'll give you another month to pay the rent, then. Don't get used to this, though,"

"Thank you, Julius! You're so kind...!" Alice sighed in relief.

Suddenly, I hear a terrifying stomach growl.

I sharply turned to the blushing Alice Liddell, who laughs nervously. "Ahaha, I...am just kind of hungry. Well, I'll go to buy my dinner. Do you want me to buy something along?"

"Ah, sure," I hand over some money. "Please buy me some coffee,"

"Alright!"

~.X.~

And then, I begin to pay attention to her when she comes back after buying food and my coffee...but she doesn't have any food with her.

"Hey, where's your food?" I ask.

"Oh, well...I gave it to an idol named Vivaldi when I took the bus home. She was hungry, and didn't have time to eat, so I gave my food to her,"

"Well then why don't you buy food again?"

"Well, that was the last of my money..."

"If you know that's the last of your money, you shouldn't have given your food to an idol," I sighed and rubbed my head. "Gosh, are you dumb or something? That idol is rich, she can just hold her hunger right then and after working, she'll probably buy something much more expensive than your food,"

Alice looked at me as if seeing a ghost. "Wow...you're right! But I have to give it...besides, I can get money too if I work part-time, so it's alright!" she grinned to me.

I rubbed my temple, starting to feel headache. "Ugh, then, for now, just use my kitchen and cook something for yourself," I lead her to my kitchen and take a seat, sipping my coffee and begin to read.

"Thank you, Julius, you're so kind!" Alice says and begins to use my kitchen. I can't help but glance and watch what she'll whip up.

Eggs.

Water.

A glass of milk?

"Mm, this boiled egg is really tasty..." Alice sighed happily. "Free food is the best!"

"Boiled eggs..." I facepalmed. "You can at least cook omelet and eat bread...I have instant cream soup, cheese, meat, why are you just eating boiled eggs!?"

"This is the perfect food for a poor person like me,"

"That's not the point! Ah, you know what, do what you want," I shook my head, which was aching even worse and sipped my coffee angrily, returning to read.

After quite a silent while, my stomach embarrassed me to oblivion.

I glared at her, as she stared at me in concern.

"Julius, you're hungry?"

"I can just cook something after I finish reading, just be quiet," I scoffed and tried to force myself to read.

However, a hand, holding a peeled boiled egg slipped above my book. I looked up to see Alice was grinning at me.

"It's good! You should eat it, Julius,"

"Stop giving your food to rich people!"

~.X.~

I really, really can't understand her.

She couldn't pay her rent for three months already, so I kicked her out. Well, with respect.

"What do you mean you don't have money?" I sighed. "You have five part-time jobs, it's just impossible," I shook my head. "If you just have no intention to pay, then just leave,"

Alice sighed sadly. "Alright...I'm sorry for the trouble. I'll leave this evening, Julius,"

She began to pack her things, and true to her words, she left at the evening.

The other roommates asked a lot about her.

"Eh? Alice left?" Pierce Villiers, a college student, looked worried. "But...I...oh no, it's my fault! I borrowed her money and she just gave it to me!"

I twitched in disbelief. "Why would you need to borrow money? You can ask your parents to transfer!"

"W-Well, I wanted to eat cheese fondue, and she said it's on her, so I just went with it..."

I shivered in wrath and deep confusion.

"Uh, I think it is possibly my fault that she doesn't have money," I turned to see my other roommate, Gray Ringmarc, a manager in a company. "I forgot my wallet when I was going to buy some brandy. We coincidentally met, and she bought me the brandy," he wiped a tear. "What a good girl."

"You're a manager, you should return her money!" I groaned and rubbed my head in frustration. "Ahh, that girl, she has to stop sacrificing her own needs!"

However, I couldn't catch up to her, and I didn't know where she left.

~.X.~

And then, the next week, I have a 'new' roommate.

"Julius! I can pay off my debt and stay here again~ hehe!" Alice cheerfully entered the house. I was talking to Gray and Pierce when she did. "Ah, hello Gray, hello Pierce! Good day!"

"Alice," Gray quickly approached her. "Here, I'm returning the money for the brandy you bought for me," he said, handing some money to her.

Alice blinked, and shook her head. "Refused!"

Pierce hummed. "Then, you want me to transfer my debt to your account?"

"Refused!"

"Why?"

"I treated you, so there's no need to pay me back. That's what you call treating friends, right?" Alice asked curiously. Gray cooed and hugged the girl.

"Ahh, you're such a cute good girl, Alice..."

I shivered. "Alice, you need the money, stop letting them off the hook,"

"Julius, my room key?" she asked to me.

"No, listen to me first! You have to prioritize your needs before helping others—"

"Ah, here it is,"

"Don't go through the keybox on your own!" I yelled, only to have her ignoring me and walked upstairs. "Hey! I'm not done talking to you!"

She stopped and then smirked to me. "Julius, didn't you say...that I can do what I want?"

Oh, that's it.

FINE.

"Right," I twitched, controlling my almost-blasting temper. "Sure, whatever. But just put in your mind, I don't mind kicking you out of this place!"

"Yeah, yeah~!"

~.X.~

"Julius, I can't pay the rent for this month, can you give me some more time?"

Alice asked this the first thing in the morning, right when I stepped out of my room.

I stepped back into my room.

"No."

And slammed the door in her face.

With that, she left the house again.

~.X.~

And after two weeks, she returned.

"Julius, I put the rent money here, and I'm taking the key from your box!"

~.X.~

After two months, she appeared in front of my door again.

"Julius, I don't have money for—"

"Stop it," I held up my hand, feeling really used to this. "Hold it...I've been wondering. Where do you live, anyway? You go back to your hometown whenever I kicked you out?"

She blinked, and then laughed. "Haha! Hometown? My family is so poor, we can't even stay together! We don't have a house, Julius!"

I narrowed my eyes on her. "Don't tell me...you sleep on the streets?"

"Yes!" she proudly saluted. "But that's only for the first week since the first time you kicked me out, Julius! I befriend a traveler named Ace, and he always brings a tent around with him, so whenever you kick me out, I just need to find him~!"

I am utterly shocked right now. I find myself grabbing her shoulders.

"You sleep in a tent."

"Yes!"

"With a guy."

"Yes!"

Facepalm.

I think my hand will soon be imprinted on my face.

~.X.~

There's a pattern here.

She only eat cheap food. Like eggs.

...

Actually, she only eat eggs for breakfast.

"Why do you always eat eggs?"

"Well, it keeps me full longer! You know, protein takes more time to process, Julius,"

That's her reason. She ate apples or cheap sandwich for lunch.

At night, she cooked really, really sad greens. Just spinach with salt and sugar.

And eggs.

I can't find this lifestyle comprehensible.

"How on earth do you keep running out of money when you eat so little!?" I yelled to her the eighth time she reported that she didn't have money to pay the rent.

Alice tilted her head, and then laughed. "What are you talking, Julius? I never run out of money," she smirked. "I always have money to buy food three times a day. I always have money to buy a new book every month. I always have enough money!"

I shivered in wrath.

"Yes, you have." I patted her shoulder. "But you always give what you have to others! You have to stop doing that!"

She laughed again.

"Oh, Julius, thank you for your concern, but you said that I can do what I want? It's my money after all!" she shrugged. "Well, then, I'll be packing my stuff, now..."

I held her shoulder to stop her.

"Forget it! You can just stay here for free!"

She froze and turned to me with wide eyes. I wasn't sure if this was what she had been planning to get—a free rent. But I just couldn't take it anymore!

"You always make noises whenever you pack and leave, it's driving me crazy! I told you, the rule here is to keep it down, didn't I?"

Alice nodded. "Okay, Julius. Thank you...I won't be noisy anymore!"

But despite I told her that she could stay for free...after that argument, Alice was never late paying her rent, even if I didn't ask for it. Even if I told her to stay for free and stop paying, she'll just slip the money into my room or something.

And there's also this new habit; she always treated me to coffee.

"Julius! I have cinnamon coffee today!" she said, setting a steaming cup of coffee in front of me. "Ah, but I can't stock up cinnamon coffee for next month, I guess...it's expensive," she sighed.

Too bad, this is my favorite coffee. Well, I wanted to say that, but I'm not that cruel...

"By the way, Alice,"

"Yes?"

"What do you do for living now?"

"Ah, well, I'm having a part-time at Burger King, Starbucks, Wal-Mart, and I'm also a caterer for idols," she smiled in gratefulness. "My job as a caterer is the best, though. Vivaldi herself offered it for me! But I have to deliver her food at random moments..."

I paused as something hit me.

"Wait...so you kept working even after I kicked you out back then?"

"Huh? Well...if I didn't keep working, then...how am I supposed to get money?" she suddenly laughed. "Ah, but sometimes I spent my money on trains..."

"Trains?"

"You know, Ace tends to get lost, so whenever I need him, he's usually somewhere really far. The last time I called him, he was on the mountains," she hummed. "And sometimes I have to buy gas and food for him, too,"

I sighed. "I guess that makes sense. He's a poor homeless after all,"

Alice spit her coffee.

"Poor? Ace isn't poor at all, Julius!" she laughed, waving her hand. "He's really rich, he's a traveler! It's just that, he's always lost on the way to find ATM machine, so I have to buy stuff for him,"

This. This habit of her that I can never comprehend.

It's either she's super stupid or she's just really kind.

She keeps buying things for rich people!

I sighed and smiled. Well, I'll just believe on the latter.

"Well, at least you have a lot of friend, right?"

"Yeah, of course! I'm not a social-retard like you, Julius,"

...There are a lot of times when I really want to kick her out of my house.

"Hey, Julius, here, boiled egg again,"

But...well, I wonder when that day will really come?

The next chapter is Vivaldi's story! I'll probably have 10-20 chapters for this story...And I really shouldn't be writing right now. I'm in the middle of exams. Please pray for my success, everyone ;_;

And kindly review if you have the time.

(PS: my grammar is horrible right now, I know. I'll return to edit it back when I'm done with exams, sorry!)