"See you later, I'm really very grateful to you all for today," said Zev before he left after dropping us off right in front of the guild.
The sky had already turned orange, which meant night would soon arrive.
Rather than having trouble later, it was better to look for an inn now. If we waited until night, it might be difficult to find one.
However, these two still forced me to go inside the guild first.
"I know what you mean, Yukito-san, but we have to report that we've completed the mission," said Hime.
"It's fine if we don't, isn't it? We've already got the reward," I said, showing them the pouch full of money.
Besides, the only benefit from reporting a mission was just earning money... right?
"If we don't do that, our rank won't go up," said Yuu-chan.
As if agreeing, Hime continued Yuu-chan's words.
"The higher our rank, the more the rewards will increase," she said.
Ehh... I thought no matter what the rank was, the reward would stay the same. But it actually changes, huh... that's pretty cool.
Of course, I still wouldn't go with them to the receptionist.
Besides, in this guild, there was a small shop right across from the receptionist. Most people only bought sake there.
Other than that, the shop also sold some foods that were really useful for adventurers.
Then, why did I decide to stop by here? Of course, I just wanted a drink.
I looked around, searching for an empty table and chair. Ah, there's one in the corner.
I quickly rushed and sat there so no one else would take it before me.
An employee of the shop approached me while carrying several glasses of sake for other customers.
"One orange juice, please," I said.
"Got it!" the employee replied.
Yeah, I'd just order orange juice. I didn't have any particular interest in sake yet.
Even though I was surrounded by people who loved sake, I still wouldn't be influenced.
While waiting for the employee to return, I opened my pouch that contained the clothes and robe that were still wet earlier.
Nice, they're pretty dry now, but it looks like I can only wear them tomorrow. Well, that's fine.
The clothes given by Max-san could also be considered quite warm, so I wouldn't catch a cold easily.
"Here you go!" the employee placed a glass of orange juice on my table.
I immediately grabbed the glass and drank the juice.
The taste of the orange was so natural, the mix of sourness and sweetness made it taste perfect.
"Ahh..." this juice was really good, I couldn't deny it.
Come to think of it, since I was still here, it would be better if I ordered some food too. That way, when we got to the inn, I wouldn't have to worry about dinner.
Why didn't I think of that earlier?
I raised my hand and called the employee over again.
"What are the most popular dishes here?" I asked.
"Just take a look at all the menus here," said the employee while handing me a menu book.
Huh, there's a menu book? Why am I only finding out now?
Hmm... as I looked through it, most of the dishes were meat-based. The prices were also a bit more expensive compared to what I usually ate.
Even the most expensive one went up to 5 gold coins per serving. Just how expensive and big was that meat?
"One lamb soup, please!" I said.
Yeah, better to go for something in the middle range.
As long as I could still eat, everything would be fine. Ah, I almost forgot something.
"Another orange juice, please!" I forgot to order that.
The glass from earlier was already empty without me realizing it.
"Lamb soup, ready!" said the employee as they placed a bowl of soup on my table, along with the new orange juice.
For some reason, ever since I arrived in this world, I've grown quite fond of soups. I've lost count of how many times I've eaten soup.
But I can't lie, it's delicious and really enjoyable.
I picked up the spoon that was prepared and was about to sip the soup. But—
"Ahem." I turned to see who was standing next to me.
Yeah, as I expected, it was Yuu-chan and Hime.
"Yukito-sama, you're cheating, you know," said Yuu-chan.
Cheating? Hah, when did I play unfairly?
The two of them immediately sat on the chairs across the table and started opening the menu book.
"If you're going to eat, wait for us first," said Hime.
Yeah, looks like they just didn't want me to be the only one eating.
——
After that, they also ordered the food and drinks they wanted.
At first, I thought they'd be mad at me for using the money right away to buy food.
But unexpectedly, they joined in. Well, it's fine, they're humans just like me, they need food too.
If they didn't need food, they wouldn't be human.
After we all finished eating, the two of them said they would wait outside, but I immediately stopped them by grabbing Yuu-chan's hand.
"Why are you two going out right away?" I asked.
"Well... we're done eating. So there's nothing you need to do," replied Yuu-chan.
"If you're talking about the money, you were the one who started it, Yukito-sama," continued Yuu-chan.
I froze immediately and let them go outside to wait in front of the guild.
Damn it, I had no choice but to use the money to pay for their meals.
I went to the receptionist; for some reason, they told me to pay there. Luckily, I still remembered what we ordered earlier.
Otherwise, how would I even pay for it?
"The total is... 24 silver coins and 18 bronze coins," said the cashier.
I-I know... that's a lot... but...
I handed the amount to the cashier, and she smiled at me in return.
"See you again," she said.
I could only open my pouch and look at the remaining money inside. That much money had to vanish just for dinner.
Next time, I'll buy something cheaper, maybe... bread? Or plain soup?
Ah, right, I forgot to ask the cashier something. I hurriedly ran back to her.
"Is there anything else I can help you with?" she asked.
"Where can I find a cheap inn around here?" I asked.
"You're really honest, huh... in that case, let me take you to that inn," she said.
—
While waiting for her to come out, I walked over to Yuu-chan and Hime, who were already waiting for me.
"You two wait a bit, the cashier said she'd take us to the nearest inn," I said.
"Yeah, yeah," replied Yuu-chan lazily.
Not long after, the cashier came out and approached the three of us.
Uwah... I could feel that the cashier was constantly being watched by Hime. I'd better not interfere.
——
"This is the place... I'll head back now, okay?" the cashier ran off toward the guild.
Maybe it's just my imagination, but it felt like she was scared because Hime kept staring at her.
The inn wasn't much different from the one in Necvalion.
Two floors, standard size — yeah, this seemed like a cheap inn that was friendly to our wallets.
—
We all went in and asked the inn's receptionist. She said one night cost 4 silver coins.
Without a second thought, Hime immediately took out 12 silver coins for three days.
I didn't expect her to pay right away.
Our room was on the second floor — apparently, the ones on the first floor were all full.
The room wasn't too small, but there was only one bed, big enough for two people.
"Yukito-sama, you'll sleep on the floor, okay?" asked Yuu-chan with a smile.
—
That night, I slept on the floor, using only my robe as a blanket — thankfully, it had already dried.
Yuu-chan and Hime slept on the bed; I couldn't tell either of them to sleep on the floor.
Even though Yuu-chan was being unreasonable earlier, well, that's just how she is.
Hime also initially said she'd sleep on the floor, but I refused her offer.
I forced her to sleep on the bed and let me take the floor instead.
Ugh... I can't sleep at all.