[You made it through the night without incident.]
[Due to your poor sleep last night, you are physically exhausted. Your status panel is temporarily lowered.]
The calendar began to move forward, ushering in a brand new day.
Bright sunlight visited the Chaldea school building. Students gradually got up and washed, and the campus once again resumed its lively and cheerful atmosphere; the specter of yesterday was gone.
Around 7:30 a.m., Heroic Spirits were queuing up for breakfast in the Chaldea Academy cafeteria.
Ei, having been terrified all night, shakily tore open the seasoning packet for his fried noodles.
Gawain, next to him, saw his state and couldn't help but ask, "Why did you wake up sweating so much this morning? Your dark circles are so heavy. Are you sick or did you not sleep well?"
Truly worthy of being the reliable elder brother of the Knights of the Round Table; he immediately noticed all the things wrong with Ei.
"Gawain... are there any ghost stories or urban legends about our dorm building?"
"I've never heard of any."
"Is that so..." Ei's shoulders slumped. "But I definitely heard it last night. There seemed to be a woman's presence in our dorm."
Gawain's eyes immediately sharpened: "I'd be glad to hear the details."
"Why do you suddenly perk up when I mention a woman? The atmosphere last night was anything but romantic; it felt very Hitchcockian. I was nearly scared to death."
"Then why didn't you wake me up?"
"Ah, for various reasons. On one hand, I hadn't been pushed to the brink, and on the other, I didn't want to involve you unnecessarily," Ei shrugged. "While you are certainly powerful, the dark isn't your element."
"It's alright, Sir Ei. Next time this happens, just wake me up immediately. How can a Knight of the Round Table sleep soundly when his friend is terrified and danger is imminent?"
Hearing Gawain's words did make Ei feel somewhat safer.
"Besides, my mother specifically instructed me to look after you," Gawain said with a brilliant smile.
"I-is that so..."
I suppose so. Maybe I'll be joining this family someday.
He regretted not being less formal with Gawain. He should have woken him up last night so they could investigate the hallway together to see what was going on—whether it was the persistent Kiara Sessyoin or some other female ghost.
"If she appears again tonight, I'll call you."
"Mmm, leave it to me." Gawain glanced at the instant fried noodles on Ei's tray and frowned. "Sir Ei, how can you only eat this for breakfast? It has absolutely no nutritional value!"
"I can't help it. I've decided to participate in the mixer. I have to save money wherever possible. This is a necessary sacrifice."
The eerie event last night had only strengthened his resolve to get stronger. He had to attend the mixer, even if it meant giving up everything.
He lowered his head and took a bite of his fried noodles.
Gawain pushed his own bento box toward him.
"I'll share half with you."
"Did you make it yourself?"
"I did. Chaldea Academy's cafeteria allows students to bring their own ingredients and cook. It's quite freeing, isn't it?"
Gawain confidently pointed at the bento box.
"For balanced nutrition, I deliberately woke up early to prepare a bento. You must sample my culinary skills."
Ei was incredibly moved. This Sun Knight truly was reliable at all times!
However, when Gawain opened the bento box, Ei's smile slowly vanished.
"What is this?"
He pointed to the large, white, greasy blob of matter inside the bento box.
"Gawain's Special Nutritious Mashed Potatoes!" the other party laughed heartily.
Ei only saw "pitiful-looking potatoes" that had been violently pulverized.
Ei lowered his head and continued eating his fried noodles. "Thanks, but you should eat that yourself."
"Don't be a picky eater, Sir Ei. Potatoes are very nutritious! My King understood the value of this food and used to love it. It was mashed potatoes in the morning, mashed potatoes over rice for lunch, stir-fried potato shreds in the afternoon, and sometimes I'd even prepare mashed potato late-night snacks for my King."
"You need to apologize to Artoria immediately."
"Haha, I don't follow your meaning. Here, Sir Ei, let me give you some."
"Don't contaminate my fried noodles!"
Before he could finish, Gawain had already dumped the soft, greasy Substance X into his bowl of fried noodles.
No!!!!!!!!
[During the midday lunch break, you start looking at job postings for part-time work.]
["Amazon Logistics Courier": Requires Agility A or higher. Hourly Wage: 50 QP]
["Enma-tei VIP Room Masseuse": Requires Strength B, "Human Study" or related skills preferred. Hourly Wage: 100 QP]
["Elisabeth Band Guitarist": Requires "Little Night Song," "Healing Harp," or related skills, and bring your own earplugs. Hourly Wage: 500 QP]
["Kinoko Heavy Industries": Requires Strength B or higher. Hourly Wage: 30 QP]
What the hell is Kinoko Heavy Industries? How is this old meme still being used? What kind of bizarre workshop is this? Are they going to make everyone bring their own vices and furnaces?
Jobs aren't easy to find these days. Not only do you need the right stats, but you also have to meet all sorts of skill requirements.
Hmm...
Ei glanced at his skill panel.
Strength is B+, and he has "Human Study A."
He is perfectly qualified for the Enma-tei Masseuse job.
And if he remembers correctly, the owner of Enma-tei, Beni-Enma, is a decent person, unlike Edison, who disregarded his employees' lives and nearly turned the production workshop into Babbage's morgue.
Decision made. I'll work at Enma-tei.
[You successfully apply for the job and can go to Enma-tei to work after school.]
[You check your wallet balance and the date of the mixer. You decide to start working at Enma-tei today after school.]
[However, your plan encounters a small complication: poor old Tristan is still locked up, and Gawain, the class representative, has been assigned a task by the teacher and also has Round Table Club activities, leaving him completely unavailable. Thinking about Kiara Sessyoin still on the loose, you dare not leave the campus alone for work.]
[You begin looking for a classmate willing to accompany you.]
[But you've only been at school for a few days and aren't familiar with many Heroic Spirits, so you ultimately have to ask Gawain for help.]
[Gawain, however, has an excellent recommendation. He walks purposefully into the next classroom and, without a word, pushes a blonde girl who looks like a delinquent over to you, as if she were a hot potato.]
"This is Sir Mordred from our club. I'm entrusting her to you."