Morning sunlight crept into Shunya's tiny room, finding him sprawled on the floor with a hand over his face. His bed had collapsed last night after he flopped onto it too hard. The thin straw mattress now resembled a defeated haystack.
He groaned. "Day three as a cultivator, and I am already broke, broken, and bedding-deprived."
His stomach growled loudly in response. He checked his coin pouch. Three small copper coins rattled inside, looking lonely and ashamed.
"That is... enough for half a breakfast roll. Maybe," Shunya sighed.
He sat there debating between skipping a meal or selling one of his socks when a knock rattled his door.
"Shunya? You awake?" Naomi's sharp voice came through.
"Depends who is asking. If it is a debt collector, I am asleep forever," Shunya called back.
The door opened anyway. Naomi stood with her usual confidence, hands on hips. She raised an eyebrow at his messy room. "You live like this?"
