You Again?
Thanks to Jeron, every last item in my room had been hauled away. There was nothing I could do about it. For now, I'd simply have to live with what remained. Still, the truly essential things were safely stored in my Inventory, so it wasn't a serious problem. The real issue was that I'd have to live in the club room from here on out. The facilities there were inevitably far worse than the dormitory. There was no boiler, and the bathroom was in absolutely terrible condition. It felt less like a room and more like a warehouse with a toilet attached. Even so, receiving the place for free with no strings attached was genuinely good fortune. With a little cleaning, it would at least be habitable for a person.
In that case, I should head over to see old man Joseph first. The headmaster's office could wait until a weekday. With that decided, I stepped out of the dormitory.
The streets were packed. It was lunchtime on the weekend, after all. People filled every corner. Many had ditched their usual uniforms for casual clothes, laughing with friends as they wandered around. Couples were out on dates too. Since the rain had stopped quite a while ago, the weather was perfect. Clear skies, fresh air, and just the right amount of sunlight. It was ideal for eating a good meal and taking a leisurely walk. If this had been any other day, I probably would have circled the park a few times.
Come to think of it, Elisha must have washed my coat and the other clothes. They carried an incredibly pleasant scent. It smelled just like the fragrance she always wore. Or was that my imagination? Anyway.
As I walked toward the restaurant run by old man Joseph, I caught the sound of people whispering and staring at me from the surroundings.
"Isn't that Vern Flame? I heard he got attacked by some Requiem bastards at the academy and was hospitalized."
"Oh, was that during the explosion they set off near the main gate?"
"Yeah, exactly. They say a new transfer student in the second year minimized the damage back then."
"That black-haired guy? Ian, was it?"
"That's him. The transfer student took down the remaining enemies quickly, so there wasn't any additional harm."
"Wow, impressive."
"Right? I don't get why he's in Class D. I saw him using a sword once by chance. No way he belongs in D."
"Someone that skilled is in D? But you're in D too. Who are you to judge?"
"Hey, I'm just saying. It's a feeling, okay? A feeling."
"Anyway, is Vern still in C-Class?"
"Of course. His skills were never that great to begin with, and there are rumors he only got into B-Class because of his family connections. People also say he was disowned by his own house..."
"So he just went back to where he belongs. Serves him right. The way he used to look down on everyone. This is why you have to live decently."
"Hey, keep it down. He can hear you, idiot. Besides, I heard he's been quiet lately. No incidents, attending classes properly, behaving himself."
"People don't change that easily. It'll only last a little while."
"Let's just go. What if we end up on the same team as him for the next dungeon exploration? Hurry up. I'm starving."
Hmm. My reputation still hadn't improved much. And they were saying all that right next to me. They probably thought they were whispering quietly, but I heard every word, you idiots.
Just how rude must the old Vern have been for everyone who recognized me to react like this? I'd thought my quiet behavior around the academy lately had improved things somewhat, but that was clearly wishful thinking. If there were a favorability meter, I'd probably be deep in the negatives right now. At this rate, even if I wanted to restore my reputation, it would be impossible.
Still, survival came before reputation. I had to avoid becoming the mid-boss and stay alive first. Only then could I worry about raising my standing. In any case, I didn't have time to dwell on this. I needed to get to old man Joseph and beg for mercy, yet here I was eavesdropping on strangers. Time to move.
I had a mountain of things to do.
....
In the kitchen of a certain restaurant, a black-haired young man was kneeling before a white-haired old man. An employee who had skipped work without permission, now bowing his head to the owner. That young man was me.
Right now, I was pressing my forehead to the floor, offering the deepest apology possible to old man Joseph—no, to the owner.
While I remained in that position, the owner finally opened his tightly shut mouth. His hands never stopped preparing ingredients. It was the busy lunchtime rush, so he kept working without pause. Though today, for some reason, there weren't many customers. Even days like this existed, apparently.
Without looking at me, old man Joseph spoke.
"Brat, what face do you have to show up here? Who gave you permission to skip work whenever you felt like it?"
"...."
I had nothing to say. The hospitalization, the missed shifts—everything was my own fault in the end. So I stayed silent, staring at the floor without making excuses. The old man continued.
"Tsk... I heard the story. Rest up until the end of this week. After that, come straight here as soon as classes end on weekdays."
"...."
Joseph, still cooking, glanced briefly at my hands and added,
"With hands in that condition, you wouldn't be able to work properly anyway."
"...."
"What are you looking so down for, brat? I heard you got like that trying to save some girl from that weird terrorist group or whatever. Sigh. I don't know what the academy is doing these days."
"I'm sorry, old man."
"Enough, you idiot. And in times like this, you're supposed to say 'Thank you.'"
"Understood."
"Hmph. Whatever. And get up already. You're getting your clothes dirty."
He was someone who didn't exist in the game, someone I'd only met after coming to this world. Yet I was reminded once again what a truly good person he was.
Anyway, I should head back to the club room and finish cleaning up. With that thought, I stood and brushed off my clothes. The old man, still preparing food beside me, asked,
"By the way, brat. Have you eaten?"
"I have."
"What did you eat?"
"Some fruit my friends brought over."
Well, there had been a huge amount of fruit. That could count as a meal, I supposed. Probably.
"You have friends, brat? Color me surprised. Never thought a rude bastard like you would have any."
"Well, even back when I was that rude, I had a few friends," the old man muttered as he continued cooking. Then he pointed toward the tables. "Go sit anywhere and wait a bit. Fruit isn't a proper meal. I'll make something quick. Eat before you go."
"Thank you. I'll eat well."
Following his instructions, I sat at a table and spaced out for a few minutes while waiting. Soon, the old man brought over a steaming bowl of soup and rice.
"I'll enjoy it."
"Go ahead."
But instead of returning to the kitchen, Joseph sat down across from me, resting one arm on the table and picking his teeth with a wooden toothpick.
"Aren't you going to eat? What are you staring at, brat? I need a break too, don't I?"
"It's nothing."
"Ugh, this damn weather. Looks like it's going to rain again. My shoulder and knee are killing me."
While listening to the old man, I began eating the hot soup. He sat quietly across from me, picking his teeth and gazing absently out the window. As I continued eating the meal he'd prepared, he suddenly spoke in a casual tone.
"By the way, brat. That silver-haired student with blue eyes—Elisha, was it? Is she your girlfriend?"
"Cough—what?"
"Chew properly, brat. You'll choke. Anyway, that pretty girl came looking for me a while ago."
"Why are you suddenly bringing her up?"
"She showed up in the evening out of nowhere and said that a certain dense black-haired brat had gotten beaten up by some strange guy and was hospitalized. She asked me to understand why you couldn't come to work."
So Elisha had explained it to him. I'd really caused her nothing but trouble in so many ways.
"I see. But why did you call her my girlfriend?"
"If a girl like that is worrying about a rude, blunt bastard like you, what else would she be?"
"She's... just someone I've known for a long time."
"What a boring answer. Even if she's not your girlfriend, treat her well while she's around. People like that are hard to find. Life is all about timing, brat. Timing."
"I'm trying to eat here. Stop nagging while I'm at the table. Even dogs get left alone during meals."
"Look at this kid. I give him advice and he snaps at me. Grab her while you can. Don't end up like me—regretting what you let slip away."
It might have been my imagination, but the old man's expression looked a little sad as he said that. Or was it just my mood? Why was he telling me this, though? Grab her while I can? Was I missing something? Hmm... I didn't know. For now, I'd just finish my meal. Eating proper food after so long made it go down smoothly.
As I kept eating the soup and rice Joseph had made, the old man clutched his lower back and stood up.
"Time to get back to work. I won't charge you for the meal, brat. When you're done eating, go home and rest."
With those words, he returned to the kitchen. At the same moment, the sound of the restaurant door opening reached my ears.
-Ding, ding.
At the sound of the bell, I instinctively looked toward the entrance while still eating. There stood Silia, glaring at me.
When her eyes met mine, her pretty face scrunched up into a deep frown and she spoke.
"Ha, you again? Seriously... Are you following me around?"
No, I was just eating. This was completely unfair.