**Chapter 20: Day 20 – Late Afternoon – Omu'i Guild**
Somehow—how should I put it—this is another world, right? An adventurer's guild which is also in another world, right? A job where your life is on the line, right? So why are all the requests so... mundane? Is this seriously just a stable job? No dreams, no hopes, no pocket money? Is this Hello Work? My natural enemy!!
Civil engineering work—I don't hate it, but the daily wage is low.
Transport work—same thing.
Escort missions—long days and cheap pay?
Pest extermination—goblins, wolves, low unit price, just do a ton of them?
Normally there'd be something, right? Like "Ehhh!? There are dragons in this world!!" or "Kuh—this kind of monster exists!"—amazing overnight-rich requests. But there are no such dreams, no dreams at all, and they even list working hours?
"Haruka-san, why are you staring at the request board?"
Ah—one of the more decent receptionists. Not the one who get scolded, but the one who does the scolding. Reception committee chairperson?
"Since I have no money, I was thinking of secretly defeating the monsters on the requests and having a girl sell them for me on the sly?"
What?! Even the receptionist gave me jito eyes! So she really is the reception committee chairperson!
Morning—class rep jito eyes.
Daytime—receptionist onee-san jito eyes.
Nighttime? Where do I go at night? Some shady nightlife spot? Is there a place with cool, mature, high-school-boy-approved jito eyes? I really want to go.
"Please—if you're just going to say it out loud, at least do it secretly. You're openly staring at the board without caring who sees."
"No? I mean, no one in this guild is looking at me anyway, so there's no one watching, right?"
Yep—looked around, no one looking. No eye contact or anything. Conclusion: no problem.
"Also... you were supposed to have received 8 million Ele yesterday... but you don't have it?"
"Ah—that? After that, the spear old man said there was a good place, so we went, stayed at that shady spot till midnight, and all 8 million disappeared? Something like that?"
For some reason, the spear old man who just walked in got grabbed by the receptionist and dragged upstairs. What did he do? Troublesome old man.
To leave the city you need ID, otherwise you pay entrance fee again. But I couldn't become an adventurer, so no guild card. Don't live here, no resident card. Don't do business, can't join merchant guild. What am I supposed to do as a NEET?
No ID → pay to enter again. No money → want to hunt but have to pay. No money → can't hunt. Can't hunt → no money. NEET spiral.
Can't leave city, can't hunt, no money, pocket money tiny... city life is seriously tough.
Okay. Sneak out, sneak back in. If they don't catch me leaving, it's not weird if I get back in.
Town surrounded by a wall just over 2 meters high—sneak over with Air Walk.
Problem: if caught, get scolded. Gatekeeper scolds, then class rep scolds again. No more dried fruit left.
The cloak I'm wearing now has the "Concealment Cloak (harder to be noticed)" effect I bought the other day. Or rather—it's combined.
Don't really understand the effect. Doesn't make you invisible, but harder to notice, harder to be aware of. Maybe makes shadows thinner?
If done secretly, won't be noticed. If done quietly, won't be caught. Just pop out and back quick—it's fine. 30-second rule long version.
Activate Presence Concealment and Stealth, hood up, plus "Black Hat: Defense +30, Presence Concealment & Stealth Up"...
"Haruka-kun, suspicious person? Should I report you? Why are you sneaking **out** instead of sneaking **in**?"
"Whoa! Wait—it's the Febreze girl. Don't scare me like that?"
Who was it? Rhythmic gymnastics girl + volleyball A & B. Huh? Swimming club nudist girl not here? One of the muscle-brain four heavenly kings, right? Weakest? Eliminated early? She was happily getting seconds of stew last night?
"Forget Febreze! And if you say utility poles again, they'll burn you."
Volleyball A & B glaring hard. Apparently hated being called Twin Utility Poles on TV.
Seriously—don't give high school girls weird nicknames during their impressionable years. Poor things... huh? I'm being glared at?
"Where's nudist girl today? Finally arrested for public indecency?"
"We're looking for her too... but she doesn't strip in town, so probably not arrested?"
Presence Detection... girls I can sort of tell apart now, but not exactly who.
Closest one... that one?
"She hasn't stripped yet, but she looks ready to."
Running around grabbing clothes at a clothing store. Bargain? Outlet? At least had sense not to change in front of store... wish she had sense in front of me too.
"Nudist girl—buying clothes just to strip? Even though you're a nudist? Need them to take off?"
"Don't say mean things—I'm not a nudist! I'm wearing clothes! I bought them!"
Ah—had some trauma, right? Public indecency arrest or something?
"Oh—that outfit's cute. Definitely suits you."
Eyes dead, let's change subject. Seriously, for this world's clothes, it was pretty cute. Holding two outfits, confused, but both cute.
"R-Really? Does it... suit me?"
Ah she found cute clothes, stopped by, but fitting rooms full, panicked. Dangerous, dangerous. If she hadn't found them, would've stripped any second.
"Both suit you, but having trouble choosing?"
"Two are over budget... hate to give either up... both fit well... don't know what to do... tried on but no free fitting rooms."
Not checking size—worrying which looks better. Classic girl.
"Just buy both? I'll lend you money. Tenfold payback."
"That's not just 10% interest... definitely shouldn't borrow from someone like that... no way... if I can't pay back, pay with my body?! You were after my body!!"
"It's fine if you don't."
"I knew it... I knew it... interest rate wrong too... no..."
Somehow dying, so lent one silver coin for clothes. Other three rushed bargain—lent them too.
"Then—work off the debt."
""""See! Our bodies sold to a shady shop?!""""
"It's fine. Even without selling to shady shop, 'nudist girl' alone is suspicious enough."
"I've thought this for a while—Haruka-kun's 'it's fine' is never actually fine, right? And I'm not a nudist—I bought clothes!"
That phrasing makes it sound like a nudist came naked to buy clothes. She'd get arrested. Seriously.
After that—let the four out of town. Guild cards, no problem. Sneaked out behind them—stealthy, no problem.
""""How are you not getting caught?!""""
"Because I sneaked out without being noticed?"
""""You were just walking normally! With a straight face like nothing's wrong?!""""
And so—left town to hunt pocket money. Preferably a herd of pocket money. Massive pocket money. Pocket money genocide.
Found one. "Goblin Lv2." Lame.
No good—500 Ele tops, and only one. "Bok!"
Need higher-value pocket money—or a herd. "Bok! Doka!"
Wanted to test new weapon effects, but no good opponents. "Doka! Gusha! Beki!"
At this rate, muscle-brain four heavenly kings' debt won't decrease—they're in trouble. "Dogagagagagagagaga! Ggagagagagagagagaga! Ggagagaga!"
Near town only Lv1–3? Goblins and Green Wolves. "Begya!! Gubba! Gigya! Gago!"
Split five ways—not even pocket money. "Gugya! Geggu! Gii! Gaaa! Giii! Guuu! Gee! Goooo!"
That was last night. "Giii! Gubba! Gigya! Guuu! Gee! Gusha!"
Tried combining new staff into tree staff? "Gago! Geggu! Gii! Gaaa! Begya!! Gubba! Giii! Guuu!"
Pulled staff from item bag— "Begya! Giii! Guuu! Gee!! Gubba! Giii! Gigya!"
Casually bought unusable-but-cool "Magic Blade"— "Dogagaaa! Ggagagaga! Ggagagaga! Ggagagagaga! Ggagagaga!"
Held it—combined into "Tree Staff?". Even though katana? "Gubba! Giii! Gigya! Geggu! Gii! Gaaa!"
Required Lv30 but usable? "Begya!! Geggu! Gii! Gubba! Gigya! Gago!"
Yeah—usable. Mana-infused and it cuts. "Gugya! Geggu! Gii! Gaaa! Giii! Guuu! Gee!"
Tree staff? has no level req—combining canceled Magic Blade's Lv30 req? "Dogagagaga! Ggagagaga! Ggagagagaga! Ggagagagaga! Ggagagagaaa! Ggagagagaaa! Ggagagaga! Ggagagaga!"
People thinking—shut up. Can't you die more quietly? "Uuu... wanna test properly but opponents... need more... feedback... like... something more..."
""""Don't mutter alone while massacring monsters! We can't keep up collecting magic stones!!""""
Scolded again. Opposite-sex favorability issue probably. Gotta buy that Pheromone Ring—2.6 million... Can I haggle!?
In the end—barely 20,000 Ele each... can I haggle?
Trash mobs—level won't rise obviously.
Debt repaid same day. Can't go to shady shops apparently. Well—not selling, but... she strips anyway... suspicious?
**Day 20 End**