After completing the full three-hour workout as outlined in the manual, Ren felt completely exhausted. Yet at the same time, he also felt inexplicably refreshed—proud that he had accomplished something he'd never done before.
When he checked the time, he saw that it was already past 7 a.m. Ren remembered that Texas had told him yesterday that their work shift today would begin at exactly 10 a.m. It was also the day of a major weekly delivery, requiring four employees to handle it—five if he was included.
That realization made Ren feel a little excited. It was his first day, and he'd already get to be part of a big delivery operation. So, he made sure to get everything ready and quickly returned to the safehouse to shower and get dressed. He wore a black T-shirt and gray jeans, topped off with the official Penguin Logistics jacket he had received from Yith. The outfit made him look much more like a proper company employee.
As for weapons, Ren had heard that everyone in the company was required to carry one in case of emergencies. Although he wasn't particularly knowledgeable in that area yet, he did still have a weapon from the last gacha pull. He decided to use that one.
While a dagger might seem like the most practical option, Ren had been assigned the role of "caster" by Exusiai for this mission. A melee weapon wouldn't suit that role, so instead, he opted for the caster's spellbook.
He had tried it out yesterday and discovered that when he held the magic book, he could cast simple spells—such as summoning small rocks around him and launching them outward. Although its power wasn't as overwhelming as Zhongli's stone pillars, it was likely sufficient for now.
After preparing all his equipment, Ren left his room and was just about to wait for everyone at the safehouse entrance when he ran into Texas, who was coming down the stairs.
When they saw each other, Texas looked slightly surprised. Ren greeted her first, saying he was ready and heading out to wait at the front.
Texas told him he could wait in the living room instead, since there were more things there to help pass the time. But Ren politely declined. There was a shared bathroom in the living room area, and he was worried something strange might happen there. Plus, he was feeling a little hungry, so he planned to go grab something to eat nearby and asked if she wanted anything.
Texas replied that she just wanted a cup of black coffee. That response impressed Ren greatly—he thought Texas was seriously cool.
...
"Hot hamburger, anyone?"
"I'll take one, bro," Ren said.
Cut to Ren, now happily ordering food from a nearby street vendor. The vendor was a young Feline man around his age, who looked at Ren with a serviceable smile and then asked,
"Dine in or takeout, buddy?"
"Takeout, please," Ren answered.
"Alright, give me a moment."
After a short wait, Ren received a big, hot hamburger and began eating it happily.
Although it wasn't as delicious as the one Miss Schwarz had given him yesterday, Ren still enjoyed it. He then used that time to walk to a nearby coffee shop to buy black coffee for Texas, and some snacks for his coworkers.
Once he had everything, he returned to the safehouse, only to find all four of them waiting for him at the front—with a large company truck parked beside them.
'Looks like this really is a big job.'
Seeing how much bigger the truck was compared to yesterday's, Ren was convinced that today's task was definitely on a whole other level.
"Good morning, everyone," Ren greeted them with a smile, just like earlier that day. While he wasn't particularly close to everyone, the party the other day had helped him feel a bit more connected to his colleagues.
Even if they weren't exactly close friends yet, he felt that both Exusiai and Texas were truly his friends. As for Croissant and Sora, he still found them a bit hard to approach, but he figured that kind of thing just takes time.
"Yo, Ren! You're up early!" Exusiai greeted him with her usual cheerful grin.
"You're amazing, man! On my first day I couldn't even get up early—I was too excited and couldn't sleep!"
"Uh… but it's almost 10 a.m. now?" Ren replied. What part of this was considered early?
"Hm? But we Latarenans don't start praying until noon, you know?"
"…"
"Haha, don't mind anything she says, Ren," Croissant laughed. "The customs in her country are a bit… unique. If you try to make sense of her, your head'll just hurt."
Croissant then glanced at the burger in Ren's hand and the large bag he was holding.
"But I didn't expect you to be such a big eater! You barely touched anything during the party!"
"Oh… these are actually for everyone," Ren said. "I passed a snack shop called Lovary just now, so I stopped to grab some stuff."
"Did you say Lovary?!" Exusiai's eyes sparkled when she heard the name of her favorite shop.
Ren smiled and pulled out an apple pie from the bag.
"I got this for you, Exusiai. It was the last piece they had."
"Ren… you…" Exusiai looked like she was about to cry as she rushed over and hugged him.
"You're the best little brother I could ever ask for!!"
[Lemuel (Codename: Exusiai) affection toward you has increased. +300 Emotion Points]
Ren gave a slightly guilty smile. After all, everything he'd done was for his own benefit…
"Take it easy, Exusiai. Abducting minors is a serious offense in Lungmen," Croissant said as she pulled Exusiai off him. Thankfully, the red-haired angel calmed down once the pie was in her hands.
Ren gave an awkward laugh and walked over to hand Texas her coffee.
"Black coffee, Texas."
"Thanks."
[Cellinia Texas (Codename: Texas) affection toward you has increased. +300 Emotion Points]
"Hey, did you bring something for me too, Ren?" Croissant asked.
"Me too! I want apple juice!"
"Everything's in the bag," Ren replied, handing it over so they could each take what they wanted.
"Oh, you two… really now!" Sora scolded when she saw the scene. "Didn't Texas already tell you to eat something beforehand?"
Croissant and Exusiai just laughed awkwardly.
"And have you had breakfast, Sora-senpai?" Ren asked the yellow-haired Luper with concern.
"'Senpai'?! Uh… You can just call me Sora, Ren," she replied, looking a little flustered—but clearly happy about the honorific.
[Codename: Sora] affection toward you has increased. +300 Emotion Points]
'Huh? Why didn't it show her full name this time?' Ren wondered. But he quickly dropped the thought, realizing he might be invading someone's privacy and pretended he hadn't noticed.
"As for breakfast, don't worry—I cooked for myself this morning."
"You cooked? That's amazing," Ren said, clearly impressed. When it came to cooking, he had never even stepped into a kitchen before—let alone fried an egg.
'But I did unlock that cooking skill… Maybe it wouldn't be such a bad idea to try it sometime.'
Ren looked at the hamburger in his hand. It had cost around 10 LMD, which was quite expensive considering the average meal price was about 4 to 5 LMD, according to the data he'd seen. But since they were in the central city zone, it made sense for food and ingredient prices to be higher.
'I'll try buying some ingredients after this job is done, then.'