Re: Rabbit Eyes

“Nngh…”

I opened my eyes the next day to a familiar wooden ceiling. When I raised my body, I found myself drenched in sweat. 

“...God, I stink.” There was a strange smell lingering around the clothes that were sticking to my body. Most likely, it had been the resulting mess of last night’s excessive drinking. 

But could you blame me? I mean, I didn’t even realize that Evie had been sneaking in bits of alcohol into my cup. I didn’t really enjoy drinking it, but it was hard to refuse her toast every time. Thanks to that, my memories were cut short there. The last thing I remembered was the faint feeling of somebody carrying me back here.

From the bits and pieces that I did recall last night, I could only infer that it was Evie who had carried me back. It’s indeed a little embarrassing to be carried back by a girl years younger than you, but I have to thank Evie when I see her next time.

But I didn’t order alcohol though. I chuckled wryly as I checked the coins in the pouch in my pocket left from yesterday. She had even charged me for those drinks that I didn’t drink. While she might look innocent, that girl was a real piece of work when it came down to coaxing her customers to raise their tabs. As they say, beauty sells. Her service was probably one of the many reasons why Yunosu Diner had earned many loyal customers.

(Shit, I’m gonna throw up.)

Rubbing my forehead painfully, I got up from the bed. When my head got clearer, I was able to see more clearly. But I still had to lean against the wall to maintain my balance.

This place was a dormitory I had rented out after taking Heinesia’s recommendation. Compared to staying at an inn everyday, it was more affordable to take residence here. Sure, it wasn’t like the Dancing Pavilion I had visited before where there were various amenities during my stay; but that wasn’t very practical since a night’s stay would set me back by 20 copper coins, and I wasn’t able to comfortably afford that kind of lifestyle in the long run with my current income as an Iron-ranked adventurer. Speaking of which, I've recently been getting requests from the inn to fill in the receptionist position, so I was able to become more acquainted with where to get the basic stuff in a living space unique to this world.

After some research in the market and some recommendations by Heinesia, I chose to invest on a 3-month downpayment of 5 silver coins which amounted to only 250 coppers, far cheaper as an alternative. The landlord had also told me that following the fourth, every month of rent would then only cost me a silver coin. I couldn’t say no to the thrift in me.

There is a reason why the rent costs so little. That is because nothing else was included in the apartment. When I first moved in, it was difficult trying to put the essentials like the bathroom together on my own.

Naturally, I would also have to buy all the daily necessities and magic appliances myself if I ever wanted to make it a more comfortable place to live in, but that would have to wait. For now, all I had was a bed, a ceiling fan, a small wardrobe, washing machine and a shower. Things were very plain and simple, but it was enough for me. I didn't have much in my apartment in the other world either. It was much more comfortable for me this way.

The dormitory itself was an 8-tatami mat-sized apartment. Located around the more affluent parts in the outer district, the neighbourhood was kept cleaner than I had expected, which is always a plus. 

Throwing the sweat-filled clothes into the washing machine, I dragged my feet to the bathroom and started cleaning myself up. Although not enough to drown out my headache, I was still refreshed after a good scrub.

As I put on a new robe, I thought that something was odd. How did Evie know my address though? 

(Did I tell her last night? ...Well, it’s not a big deal.)

I took out a small jar of coins hidden under the wardrobe and deposited my earnings from yesterday. Looking at the color of the sky outside the window, the time is probably around noon. Today is a Sunday, which is the second day of break for me. I didn’t have anything planned, but I didn’t feel like going to the library today either. Until my hangover had receded, I didn’t have any plans of going outside and enduring the sweltering heat.

That reminds me, I still had the book around. I picked up the history textbook from my backpack and laid back down on the bed. It wasn’t that bad staying in like this once in a while.

A few hours later, I heard a knock on the door. 

I didn’t expect to receive any guests today, or any day for that matter so my ears perked up when the knocking became a little louder. 

I got into a pair of slippers before my bed and came to the entrance.

“...Yes… yes, I’m coming…”

When I opened the door, I saw a familiar face.

“Eh… Heinesia-san…? Why are you here?”

Of course, I wasn’t referring to how she also knew my address. She was the one who recommended me to the landlord here, so it wasn’t all that surprising. But while Heinesia was dressed in her usual receptionist attire, her appearance was a little less tidy than usual, and her face was a little red and puffy as if she had just ran the entire way here.

“...Haah… haah… what… are you saying… don’t you know… what day is today?”

Stopping herself in between gasps for air, she shot me a frustrated look.

“Wh-What? Today…? I thought today was my break-”

“-Your break? ...What are you talking about, today is a Tuesday!”

“...What?” My eyes widened in astonishment. Heinesia wasn’t the type who would try to deceive me. Judging from her serious demeanor, I could tell that she had came here for official business.

Then… was it true? That I had been unconscious… for 3 days straight?

Yet before I was able to wrap my head around any of this, Heinesia had already regained her normal breathing pace. She squinted her eyes, and adjusted the frame of her glasses:

“I thought it was strange that you didn’t come to take any quests yesterday, but it looks like you’ve passed out here this whole time.”

“...I-I’m sorry.”

Heinesia didn’t give me an admonishing look, and shook her head instead.

“No, I don’t really mind if you don’t come to work. Adventurers don’t have a quota to fill anyway, and if there was one, you’ve probably hit overtime hours by now. But that isn’t why I came to look for you today.” 

“Today is already Tuesday.”

Why does that… sound—

“Do you know what that means?”

“Tuesday… ah!” 

(How could I have forgotten about it! Today is…!)

When Heinesia saw my changing expression, she smiled as well.

“That’s right, the church is open today.”

“Which means, it’s finally the day for you to choose your class.”