Chapter 14 (1/2)

Chapter 14

A Chance to See

「Ah, good morning, master.」

When I awoke, Yuel’s blue eyes were right in front of my face.

「Yeah, good morning.」

Yuel is propped up next to me in bed, intently gazing at my face. Apparently she was watching me as I slept. I bring a hand to my lips and feel a trickle of drool. It’s a bit embarra.s.sing.

But it’s unusual for Yuel to be awake before I am. Normally she wakes up a little after I get up. …Well, it’s not like she’s never risen early to stare at my “tent”.

The atmosphere feels slightly different than usual, though. Mixed in with her smile, there’s a sense of accomplishment like a feeling of satisfaction or something along those lines. She seems a little tired too. I wonder what happened?

Oh right, I got wasted at the tavern last night. How did that turn out? I remember pa.s.sing out on the table, but Yuel and I are together on the bed. And why is the tired Yuel wearing that satisfied expression–

…No, it can’t be.

Looking closely at Yuel, instead of the usual thin comfy pajamas, she’s dressed to go outside. Why has she already changed her clothes? Did she wake up early and have nothing better to do than to get changed? Or maybe, did she do something to get them dirty while I was aslee–

…No no, there’s no way that would happen.

I surrept.i.tiously inspect my clothes beneath the blanket.

Everything seems to be in order. It’s the same outfit as yesterday. My pants and underwear are still in place. The belt is tightly tied, and nothing’s particularly dirty.

Thank goodness. Nothing happened.

But if nothing happened then why is Yuel…

She happened to wake up early, got dressed and then got bored of waiting for me so she slipped back into bed again? She looks tired because she didn’t get enough sleep? Is that how it went?

「Did someone carry me here yesterday?」

「Yes, Geyser-san brought Master back.」

「I see…」

I need to thank him… wait, why should I? It’s Geyser’s fault for ordering the Red Dragon Killer that got me wasted in the first place. Sure, I’m the one who physically drank from it. But I meant it on an emotional level.

For breakfast, we head to the tavern. We commute there every day without fail, so at this point we’re the most regular of regular customers. Well, it’s only natural since I run the treatment stall there.

As I look inside the shop, Miniskirt Waitress-san glances over and waves. Um, the girl with the blank panties. What color are they today? I really want to know.

I’ve spoken with her maybe 2-3 times since the day she fell down and I healed her, but there haven’t been any particular developments. I’d like to get close enough with her that she’d willingly lift up her skirt for me, so I’ve struck up a conversation with her a few times, but maybe on account of her clumsiness she has her hands full with work and doesn’t have much time to chat.

In other words, she and I aren’t very close.

But having said that, she’s being friendly today for some reason. Waving enthusiastically with a warm smile. I’d rather see that skirt wave though.

I start to wave back– then the realization sinks in.

She’s not waving at me.

It feels like she’s looking slightly to the side. I lower my hand and look over —

Yuel is bashfully waving to Waitress-san.

Yuel-san, when did you become so close with her? Aren’t you getting along better with her than me, who healed her for free?

I wonder if you got a chance to while I was asleep yesterd

ay.

Even so, while I was struggling to make progress, you captured Clumsy Waitress-san in a single night? You devious child. You absolutely must teach me your techniques.

Yuel stops waving, and Waitress-san’s attention s.h.i.+fts over to me. When our eyes meet, she smiles sweetly. She stops her work, and walks over to me in a hurry.

Has she fallen for me?

No, that’s not it. What could it be?

We haven’t taken a seat yet, so she wouldn’t be coming to take our orders. Maybe she had something to talk about with Yuel? But that smile was definitely aimed at me.

What’s with this? I’m getting my hopes up.

Yesterday, did Yuel portray me in a good light? Maybe now she’s feeling like “I already thought you were nice, but you truly are a kind person! Take me!”

As these thoughts are running through my head, Waitress-san arrives in front of me. And then, with a big smile, and a cheerful voice–

「Last night’s bill comes out to 12,000 Zeni!」

「……Right.」

We finish our meal at the tavern and enter the labyrinth. Our goal is the 7th floor.

I have enough Slime Jelly for the time being, but now I want money. This morning, the contents of my wallet have all but disappeared, and I promised to give clothes to Yuel.

Since it’s a present for Yuel, I should get something new rather than used. As long as I’m buying new, I want it to be high-quality. And good clothes aren’t cheap. An outfit typically goes for thousands of Zeni.

That’s why I want to secure the biggest budget possible.

Slimes are weak, but the mobs on the 7th floor drop magic stones at a reliable rate. That makes the 7th floor a good place to farm for money. It’s not like I haven’t thought about the fact that I’m buying Yuel a present with the earnings from monsters that she defeated, but I’m sure she doesn’t mind that sort of thing.

Getting to the 7th floor feels like second nature by now. Monsters up to the 3rd floor can’t even be considered opponents for Yuel anymore, and we can ignore the slow Green Ivy and Giant Ant if they’re not in our way. She takes the initiative against Big Tick by throwing knives as soon as they appear to reduce their numbers, so we make quick progress.

And just like that, we reach the 7th floor. It seems to be a well-known hunting ground for adventurers, and we occasionally even come across groups that bring tents to camp overnight. Since they managed to make it past the comparatively dangerous 5th and 6th floors, they probably want to hang around the 7th floor as long as possible.

But the overnight hunters need one person to stand watch while the others sleep. That would be pretty difficult with just the two of us. There’s also the problem of losing track of time if you stay in the labyrinth too long.

We could potentially use consumable magic items that create a barrier with a certain duration, and watches exist too, but we’d need money for those things. They’re not items you could afford just by spending a few days in the labyrinth. And I’m broke now anyway. Shopping will have to wait.