Feeling the sun’s warmth coming through the window, Rin shifted her body as her eyes slowly opened. The girl had a satisfied smile on her face as the sleep was good and the bed was comfortable to the point where she could say she was floating on clouds.
But she didn’t say that because from experience, flying through clouds wasn’t that great. In contrast, they were very wet and icky. Regardless, she was full of energy and quite glad that the alarm she had set hadn’t been triggered by the man.
“Huaaaah,” she yawned, rolling over onto her stomach and looking down at the man from the side of the bed.
From what she could see, the man had a cloth covering his face while he slept with his head on his cloak. His breathing was steady, and his hand was near the pommel of his blade. Rin noted that he maintained a level of caution just as she had.
“Sleep well?” Rin asked as she propped her chin up with a hand.
However, the man didn’t respond to her voice and continued to lay prone.
‘Guess not.’
Deciding not to bother the man’s rest, she turned to an upright position and brought out one of her cloaks to hand. Quickly putting the clothing on over her shirt as she decided what to do for the day.
‘Let’s see... supplies then a dung—’ her thought paused as she felt a grumble from her stomach. ‘Food first.’
Hopping off the bed, she carefully stepped around the man’s body as she noticed him tighten his grip around the hilt of his sword.
‘Nothing gets past you eh.’
Chuckling internally, she couldn’t help but compare herself to the man. His aura told her he was decently strong, while his manners portrayed him as serious and cautious. She wondered how they would fare in a fight.
Rin walked to the table and picked up one of the keys before heading to the door. She undid the lock, glancing back at the man one last time before stepping out and locking the door behind her.
The elevator ride was uneventful, it was just her and its music for some time. And when she stepped out, she was brought into the ground foyer that was filled with people getting ready to start their day.
Some looked towards her, but their gaze didn’t linger. The cloak she had bought was doing its job well.
Walking out of the inn, the cool breeze of the day was felt on her skin as she took a deep breath. Rin glanced around, spotting the streets to be bustling with activity. Adventurers sat on carriages while merchants had set up vendors on the side of the road. Yet, from the looks of it with the festival coming up, it would only get busier.
‘Where to,’ she thought, wondering what to eat for the day.
Rin drowned out the ambient noise and unfolded her map. Quickly scanning the streets drawn on the parchment for any establishments near her position. She saw that there were quite a few within a tens minute walk, but the girl decided on a location just thirty seconds away.
Rin placed the map back into the inventory and headed in the direction as it was just around the corner. Soon enough, she had arrived. The front of the shop was decorated with a vibrant display of colors. Plants were placed next to the door and vines hung over the large welcoming window. While a neatly placed sign above the entrance proudly displayed the shop’s name.
[Luna’s Lunches]
‘Looks pretty nice,’ Rin thought.
Inside the shop there were but a couple of tables and a few plants for decor. It was nothing too special, but Rin didn’t need to have breakfast at an elegant diner. Simply something cozy such as this would suffice for a morning meal.
Ding!
As Rin walked into the shop, a bell chimed to announce her presence. She saw that there was only one other person in the shop, but she preferred the quiet atmosphere to the chaotic streets of the city.
“Welcome to Luna’s Lunches, what can I get for you today miss?”
Emerging from behind the counter, the voice came from a little girl who walked over with a large smile. With bright blonde hair and green eyes, she wore a uniform of a waitress. The girl was a half foot shorter than herself and appeared to be no older than 15. But what really surprised Rin was the name tag stitched to the front of the girl’s uniform which read ‘Luna.’
If her suspicions were confirmed, the girl was managing the shop all on her own.
[Mage – lvl 9]
“Hmm... I'm not too sure,” Rin smiled in return. “Anything that you can recommend?”
Last time she had lunch in the city, she remembered having a sandwich with an ingredient called cheese which she thought was delicious.
“Mmm...” Luna’s face scrunched in concentration as she summoned a menu to her hands. The girl quickly looked over the menu and a couple seconds later, she turned the menu over and pointed at a section of text.
“Look here!” the girl said enthusiastically. “These are the ones that I really like.”
Rin looked over to where the girl’s finger was pointing and read the dishes listed on the menu.
[Slime Puff Pastries]
[Scorpion Thorax Crunches]
[Bacon, Eggs and Troll Liver]
Immediately, her smile froze at the sight of the list that the girl had suggested. By themselves, the dishes didn’t seem too bad, rather what they were supposed to be sounded delicious. But Rin could only stare at the menu with uncertainty and an odd look.
‘These ingredients...’
Luna let out a laugh at the expression on the girl’s face.
“Don’t worry, everyone loves the food here,” the girl said, turning to the one other customer in the shop. “Right gramps?!”
Rin followed the girl's gaze to the person at the back corner just as they slurped an eyeball into their mouth.
‘Is that eye from a goblin???’ she thought, a shiver running down her spine.
“Yes, dear. Your cooking is splendid,” came the reply.
“See! Everyone loves it!” the girl exclaimed.
Despite the girl’s words, Rin wasn’t feeling very encouraged and turned to leave the shop. All she wanted was something simple to eat for the day, not some stuff like... troll liver.
However, when the girl ran in front of her with a pout, Rin could only release a begrudging sigh. How could she be so heartless to deny a girl so young.
“Alright,” Rin grumbled. “I guess you can give me the slimes...”
“Yay!” Luna cheered.
The girl then jumped forward, hugging the taller girl as Rin shifted a foot to support their combined weight. She glanced down and looked at the girl snuggling against her. The sight—reminding her of a mother she never had as a frown quickly formed on her face.
“Hey, hey,” Rin said and gently pushed away from the girl. “Better make them quick before I leave.”
Immediately, the girl's eyes shot wide open as she pulled away from Rin and sped off to the kitchen. Rin glanced at the girl’s fading figure, shaking her head as she seated herself at a nearby table.
‘What did I get myself into...’
Just a few minutes later, Rin found herself staring at a plate of spherical baked pastries topped with a squidge of gel she assumed to be produced from a slime. She tapped her fingers on the table, rolling them against the wood as she pondered whether it would be worth it.
But as the seconds ticked away, the feeling of the girl’s piercing gaze from the front counter only grew sharper. Like a hawk, Luna was just watching, waiting for her to take a bite.
‘Well, here goes nothing...’ Rin gulped.
Reaching for one of the pastries, she brought it up to her mouth and took a small nibble from the side. The taste was just like a regular flour-based recipe and nothing like a slime. But that was because the bite she took wasn’t large enough. If she wanted to taste the pastry’s true colours, she would have to take a bite like she meant it.
Narrowing her eyes, a slight feeling of dread filled her stomach as she brought the pastry up to her mouth for the second time. And bite she did... Rin opened her mouth wide open and took out a chunk of the pastry’s flesh before swallowing with a resounding gulp.
Again, the taste of the dough filled her mouth. But this time it was complimented by a slightly acidic and tangy taste. Rin wouldn't call it terrible; it just wasn’t the taste she preferred.
“Well, how is it?” Luna called from the counter, a smile on her face.
“Err... it’s quite an exotic taste,” Rin said, matching the girl with a forced smile of her own.
However, that smile completely dissipated when a system notification appeared in front of her eyes.
Ding!
[You have been poisoned by ‘Vile Sludge’ – 1hp/second for 5 minutes]
Panning her gaze over the message, Rin didn’t know what to say. The poison in itself was harmless as her constitution would naturally overpower the venom. Yet the matter at hand revolved around the question of whether it was ethical or not to poison their own customers.
“Exotic? What does that mean big sis?” Luna’s smile grew wider.
‘Oh, pulling out the sister card now huh...’
“I-it’s just another word for delicious,” Rin stuttered.
“Hmm... okay,” the girl walked over to the table. “If you think they were so delicious, you’ll definitely have more... Right?”
Rin alternated her gaze between Luna and the four remaining pieces of puff pastries. There was no way that she would be able to finish them all. Rather, it was more likely she wouldn’t even be able to finish a single one.
‘Oh dear,’ Rin thought, seeing the precious smile on the girl’s face.
A little bit of a dilemma was held right in front of her. One choice would result in saving her stomach and also disappointing the girl. While the other would result in the opposite, destroying her bowels.
However, Rin didn’t have 300 years of experience for nothing. She reached for one of the pastries and stuffed the entire thing into her mouth as Luna widened her eyes, but instead of chewing, she simply placed it into her inventory. Doing the same with all the other pieces, the plate was soon cleared of its contents.
“Wow!” Luna exclaimed. “Was it really that exotic?”
Rin let out an awkward laugh. “Y-yeah... it was great.”
She didn’t want to deceive Luna, but if it would mean saving her stomach while also not disappointing the girl, it wasn’t a bad option.
“Well, you still seem a little hungry. I can go and make some more if you like. We have lots of slimes!”
“Oh, nononono,” Rin stood up, waving her hands in front of her. “There’s no need for that. I’m quite full, thank you. And I also have to go, you see I'm a very busy lady.”
“Busy?” Luna raised a brow. “Big sis doesn’t seem so busy to me.”
Rin let out a chuckle as she started to head towards the door. “Maybe, all I do is fight monsters and stuff. Might not be as busy as the hard-working Luna.”
But upon hearing the words ‘fight’ and ‘monsters’ the girl’s eyes lit up and started to twinkle.
“You’re an adventurer?!” Luna exclaimed, eyes widening with excitement as she rushed forward in front of the older girl.
“Yeah, you could say that.” Rin replied, a hint of amusement in her voice as she patted the girl’s head.
“Tell me everything!” the girl exclaimed. “Tell me about all the monsters, the places, all the treasures you got. I want to hear all of it!”
“Everything huh...” Rin rubbed the back of her neck.
Her mind travelled from the beginning of her second life all the way to the start of the former. Every experience, every kill, every level up flashed before her mind. Malkorn’s betrayal, the experiments wrought upon her body. It was all there as Rin suppressed a heavy sigh.
“I don’t quite think we have enough time for that,” she said. “How much do you want for the food?”
“Please, just one story...” the girl begged, clutching the girl’s arm.
Looking down at the girl, Rin couldn’t help as her heart gave in.
“Alright. I guess we have time for one...”
The white-haired girl then proceeded to spin the glorious tale of her very death.
****
“You’re lying, it can’t end there!” the girl pouted as Rin let out a chuckle.
“Maybe so. But look at me. The story of Valerie still hasn’t ended, she’s still here right in front of you.”
Luna frowned. “I don’t believe you. Show me your wings.”
“Hahaha... Anyways,” Rin ignored the question. “How much money for the food?”
Facing the denial of her wants from Rin, Luna released a groan.
“Ugh, fine. 50 Bronze if you want to go so bad.”
However, Rin’s lips curled into a frown when she heard what the girl had just said.
“You said, Fifty?”
Taking a closer look at the girl, Rin noticed that Luna was quite skinny and frail. Showing a lack of health and nourishment, it was as if a mere gust of wind could sweep her away.
“Is it too much?!” Luna’s eyes shook. “I can do forty—No! Thirty... Twenty-five bronzes!”
‘Poor little thing. Who doomed her to such a fate.'
“No, it’s not too much,” Rin said with a gentle smile and knelt to one knee.
“Really?” The girl said as her lip quivered.
“Really,” Rin repeated, summoning five gold coins into her hand. “I want you to have these. Big sis can make lots of money.”
Looking at Rin’s open palm, Luna released a gasp as her gaze flickered rapidly between Rin’s face and hand.
“This is too much!” she exclaimed.
“Eh... it’ll be okay.”
“Is it really okay?!” Luna pressed, prompting a quick smile from Rin.
“Yes yes, it’s fine. I insist.”
But when the girl simply stared at her hand, Rin released a sigh.
“Go on, the day won’t last forever you know,” Rin said.
Finally, the little girl reached over, hesitating at first before quickly snatching the coins from Rin’s hand.
'Good luck with life, little one.'
Heading towards the door, Rin cast a final glance over her shoulder and found the sight of a beaming girl’s face. She waved her hand in the air, a gentle movement as she bade farewell to the little shopkeeper and stepped back into the chaos of the city streets.
“Goodbye, Miss Valerie!”
