Just Take It and Pay It Back Later (4)
A moment later.
"Oh, you're back alive. So, how was the arena? ...You killed Tehalt? Crazy."
After claiming my first victory, I went straight to Shemiri, the dark elf who was at least somewhat friendly toward us here.
"Impressive. So, you really are a warrior, huh?"
"Something like that. Anyway, I want to exchange these vouchers for something."
The diner was empty. That let me pull out all the vouchers without holding back, and Shemiri's jaw dropped when she saw the twelve of them.
"Gods above. You got these from him?"
"Yeah."
"Then his remaining stash..."
"Remaining stash?"
Shin Yu-hee jumped in right away at Shemiri's words.
"His entire fortune wasn't just those nine vouchers?"
"Nope. He's probably hidden it somewhere. No one trustworthy around here, so likely in his private room or a safe. At least a few dozen vouchers' worth, I'd bet."
Shemiri said it like she was testing me.
"As the guy who killed Tehalt, aren't you going after it?"
"So I can get stabbed by the other assholes eyeing his loot?"
"Heh, fair point. Yeah, that's probably what'd happen."
Tehalt was dead, and I'd only grabbed the vouchers he'd handed to the judge.
"No interest in it at all?"
"None."
Of course, that wasn't his entire fortune. Just like Shemiri said, there had to be stuff worth dozens of vouchers somewhere—potions or whatever. And most people were probably out hunting for it right now. That's why they hadn't messed with us—with me, specifically.
"I'm looking for a room. You handle those too?"
"Huh?"
"Nothing more, nothing less. A private room worth exactly ten vouchers."
"You mean a private room you can stay in for a day with ten vouchers?"
"Yeah."
"Hmm... uh... Ah, sure. Not like I'm the one footing the bill for extra vouchers."
Shemiri looked like she wanted to give some advice but waved it off, figuring it was none of her business. She pulled out an item from below the counter.
"Here. A congratulatory gift for your first win."
"This is...?"
"Sandwiches. Be careful with the canteen."
The basket she handed over had two meticulously made sandwiches—like something from a bakery cafe—and a canteen.
"How much?"
"I said it's a gift."
"Freebies are hard to trust."
"Smart to be suspicious, but I'm not trying to profit off this from you. Besides, I already squeezed over forty vouchers out of those guys you ditched... whoops."
Shemiri answered gruffly, then grinned.
"Over forty vouchers from the ones you decided to split from."
"Forty...?"
Eighteen people using two each still left some extras. Basically, they'd treated their last meal here like a final supper.
"Um, do you know where they went?"
"Blonde girl, curious about their movements?"
"...Yeah. In case they come looking for trouble later."
"Haha, if that's it, you can relax till late evening. They're all out earning vouchers."
Shemiri rubbed her fingers together.
"Everything—utensils, water, food—costs vouchers. Luckily, they all seem to have figured out they need to secure their own shares. The eighteen of them held a meeting here, then split into groups to hunt vouchers. Unlike some people."
"That's the smart play."
With lives on the line, charging ahead without solid prep? Insane. Unless you were ready like me, better to quietly stock up on around thirty vouchers. Enough for a proper sword and food to maintain stamina with at least two meals a day.
"Shemiri."
"Yeah?"
"Can I count on a free meal every time I get a win, as a commemorative thing?"
"...Saying that now makes me wanna take it back for some reason. Was that in the survival log?"
"Nah. So maybe it should be from now on?"
"Ha...! Your greed proves you're human, alright. Fine! Every win, I'll throw in at least one meal as a gift. But... don't go thinking you can demand it later, okay?"
"Wouldn't dream of it."
You take favors as favors, not entitlements. The second you do, all of Shemiri's goodwill turns into debt of some kind.
"Before you go, mind if I ask something personal?"
"Shoot."
"You two aren't... this, right?"
Shemiri wiggled her pinky.
"Nope."
I shook my head firmly at her, then handed the food basket to Shin Yu-hee.
"Knight and squire."
"Raising her?"
"Better than those other eighteen, at least."
"Hmm..."
Shin Yu-hee alone. The rest: eighteen backup heroes.
"Fair. If they don't shape up, might as well let 'em die."
Shemiri made no secret of her disgust. Looked like the other recruits had trashed the place pretty bad.
"Come by often. If anyone starts shit here, I'll sort it out inside the diner. Heh heh heh."
"What if we go to another diner?"
"Another place? You think there's a cleaner cook than me around here?"
Shemiri stood, gesturing up and down at herself. Smooth skin without a hair in sight, except for her gray hair and brows.
...Being naked like that raised a ton of issues, but I could see Shin Yu-hee hitting her limit, so I decided not to waste more time.
"Back at dawn tomorrow."
* * *
After leaving the diner and heading to the spot Shemiri mentioned.
"Shemiri sent me."
I slapped ten vouchers down in front of the goblin at the exchange counter, set up like a bank teller.
"Nothing more, nothing less. Key to a private room for exactly twenty-four hours with ten vouchers."
"......."
The goblin in a suit and glasses scanned me and Shin Yu-hee, then handed over a key from the wall.
"Room 276."
A key marked 276. The odd part: it had a wide bar attached, like a crystal.
"Effect activates the moment you grip it. The ornament has location coordinates, so don't get lost."
Whirr.
The second I touched it, it switched to 23:59:59, the seconds ticking down fast.
"One second late on return incurs interest for delay. Loss means penalty fee. Insufficient vouchers? Pay with your body. That's all."
"Got it."
Once the businesslike goblin finished, I took Shin Yu-hee and headed to 276.
Step, step.
We walked the long hallway, following the key's direction. No checkout rush like a motel, so the corridor was mostly empty.
"...Way better than where we were."
"Worth ten vouchers."
If one voucher was ten thousand won, this was a hundred-thousand-won stay.
"Ever stayed in a love motel?"
"A hotel?"
"...Slipped up there. Anyway, hotel?"
"Yeah, traveled a lot with my parents."
"Nice. Don't be too shocked by the room, then."
About ten minutes later, we found 276. I slotted the key and opened the door.
Creeeak.
A musty stench hit us first. Worse than a cheap motel—like a warehouse room dressed up as quarters.
Roughly 500 square feet. Bigger than a goshiwon, standard one-room size.
"Ugh."
Even with my warning, it was worse than expected. Shin Yu-hee wrinkled her nose at the entrance, then looked around.
"Bathroom's probably back there."
"...Excuse me."
After she headed in, I locked the door.
Not bad.
Maybe from ten years fighting the Demon King's army, crashing in barracks. Tutorial and isekai life had toughened me to sleeping spots.
I'll get used to it.
Someday, I might sleep in a beast's gut. Or collapse after 72 hours of no-sleep combat.
Hell compared to modern life, but paradise next to the real hell ahead.
Shff.
I stripped. Couldn't keep wearing dead man's blood-soaked clothes forever. Lay on the bunk.
"Um, does the bathroom have cold water...? Ugh?!"
Our eyes met.
"Wh-what are you doing?!"
"What? Sleeping."
"S-sleeping?"
"Obviously. Neither of us slept all night. Need rest to recover stamina..."
I pointed to the bloody prisoner garb tossed on the floor.
"Can't sleep in that."
"Oh..."
"If it's weird, crash on the floor or bathroom."
"......."
She chose to enter this room.
"Still, clothes..."
"No spares, so save 'em for outside. Till we buy more with vouchers, this is our dignity-guarding armor."
"......."
"Sleep."
"While you're sleeping..."
"Hey. If I wanted to fuck you while you slept, I'd have jumped you already."
Shin Yu-hee pondered, then approached.
"...No dinner?"
"After waking. Food won't spoil."
"......."
She glanced at the basket on the table, then slowly lay beside me.
"......."
Touch me and die, rape me and you're dead, blah blah.
"......Let's talk after we wake up."
Nearly forty hours. Since entering Chekhov's Arena, Shin Yu-hee and I could finally close our eyes in safety for the first time.