The Receptionist's Dilemma
The Adventurer's Guild lives up to its name as a gathering place for adventurers, but the role of the non-adventurer receptionist is surprisingly vital too. Clients need to file requests, and adventurers need to accept them—both processes involve paperwork, and more people than you'd think get stuck on it. Without diligent receptionists, even the mightiest guild couldn't function properly.
Keeping that in mind, I always try to take pride in my work, pushing through the exhaustion without giving up... “Hey! Vivi!”
……I was walking down the hallway, arms loaded with a heavy stack of documents, when someone called out to me. It was a woman with an impressively athletic build. She towered over me. Part of it was that I was still young, but mostly it was because our races were different.
“D-Did you call for me……?”
“Who else around here is named Vivi?”
My name isn't 'Vivi'—it's Vivaldi. But adventurers probably don't need to bother memorizing some lowly receptionist's name. She stormed toward me, her footsteps thudding heavily against the floor, looking absolutely furious. Overwhelmed by her presence, I backed up until I hit the wall, and she slammed her hand against it right next to my head.
“The guild master told me no labyrinth requests for a while! What the hell is that about?!”
“Y-You should ask the guild master directly…… Why me……”
“I did! She's out!”
“O-Okay, got it…… Let me check……”
She had a voice as booming as her frame. Even a slight raise in volume made me shrink, so I figured it was best to sort this out quick and send her on her way. Conveniently, some of the papers I was carrying involved disciplinary actions.
“Ugh……”
I wanted to pull out that specific document and read it, but it wasn't easy. She was leaning in so close her chest was practically brushing me. She hovered right at the edge of contact, blocking my view. ……Had she been working out? There was a faint sweaty scent. Whether she was doing it on purpose or not, it was rude either way. But in Labyrinth City—a half-lawless zone unaffiliated with any nation—there was no stopping pranks like this.
“U-Um…… Could you back up a little……?”
“Huh?”
“N-Nothing……”
I mustered some courage to speak up, but she just scowled. Knowing she had the strength to crush my skull like a watermelon, I gave up on pushing back. Stretching my arm out as far as it would go, I pulled the paper aside, turned my head, and read it.
“So…… You're Bella, right……?”
“Yeah!”
“Recently, you had a conflict with adventurers from another guild in the labyrinth……?”
“Huh? Conflict? It was just a little scuffle.”
Bella brushed it off like it was nothing, but the report said otherwise. The other adventurers were badly injured and needed time to recover, and their gear was heavily damaged.
“The damage on their side was severe, so you got disciplined……”
No labyrinth access meant no labyrinth requests, obviously. Labyrinth jobs paid way better than the rest. For someone skilled like her, being barred was like a pay cut.
“No, I barely patted them! They started it anyway! It was that jerk we kicked out of our guild before—he was just being petty!”
“Th-That's why the guild master went easy on you. But it happens so often, there was even talk of expelling you.”
“Hmph……”
Bella's face scrunched up like she was thinking it over. If she got mad and took it out on me just because she couldn't accept it, I'd be in trouble.
“Fine! Guess I can't help it then!”
“Eek!”
Thank goodness she seemed satisfied with a bright grin, but instead of backing off, she grabbed my butt hard. I felt the flesh yield under the pressure.
“Now get back to work!”
“……Yes, ma'am.”
With a lecherous smirk, Bella waved and sauntered off down the hall. I rubbed my stinging rear, feeling oddly deflated.
Back at my desk in the guild office, I set down the papers. First up: requests from guild members.
[Ah, today must be the day I *** Vivi so passionately~.]
[Vivi, you ** holy mothe***! ……I love you♥]
[Official) I'm the guild master, so Vivi's my husband starting today.]
“……”
It's better when they're this pointless. No need to review—just toss 'em. The problem is, even after weeding out the junk, there's still a whole box left. Processing all this will take hours. It's long past sunset, my head throbs, and my eyes are blurry.
Maybe I should just quit……
After dying in my original world and reincarnating here, I found this place bizarre. Gender roles were inverted from what I knew—women held overwhelming physical power on average, shaping society that way. The era felt a bit backward too, with lingering prejudice against men entering the workforce.
My family wasn't well-off, but with an adult mind, I learned to read fast. Literacy was rare here, making it a valuable skill. I landed an office job quickly, earned decent money, and came to Labyrinth City on a tip about good work. Pay was solid, but…… the hours were brutal, fatigue piling up endlessly. No time to spend the money even if I had it. Couldn't rest properly, health declining.
Maybe I should at least talk to someone……
I'd never seen anyone quit our guild. Maybe my soft modern mindset saw this as grueling overwork, but they didn't. Protocol was to report quits to the guild master directly. I wasn't set on leaving, but airing grievances might lead to changes.
Heading to her office with that in mind, I found someone already there: fellow receptionist Henrik.
“Oh, Vivaldi?”
“Henrik? Business with the guild master too?”
“Yeah. Uh…… I'm quitting.”
He hesitated, then smiled sheepishly. “Saved enough money. Time to head home. Can't breathe in this stifling yin energy anymore.”
So I wasn't alone. “I get it. Actually, I'm thinking of quitting too.”
“Whoa, you too? Makes sense……”
— ……Henrik, come in.
A woman's voice came from inside—not the guild master's. Henrik bowed to me and entered.
Crash!
Silence, then something toppling. I'd sensed something off when the other voice spoke. What happened? Planning to call for help if it was dangerous, I flung open the door.
“……I didn't call for the next one, Vivi.”
No guild master in sight. A tall woman with striking black cat ears atop her head stood with a languid expression. Never seen her before. She knew me, though. At her feet lay Henrik—neck cleanly severed from his body, blood gushing like a burst barrel.
Bam!
She moved too fast to track, yanking me inside and slamming the door. No chance to run.
“……You see a man dead and don't even flinch. Pretty calm.”
Inside, I was screaming my lungs out. Just frozen in sheer terror.
“Who are you? How do you know my name?”
“……Natalia. Fellow guild member, so I know.”
Natalia casually undid her top, exposing a bit of breast, then slipped her hand between. Mortified, I looked away.
“……Don't freak out. Look.”
Blushing furiously, I glanced back. She showed a crest with three cat heads—our guild's mark. Forgery was possible but unlikely; messing with Tragodia's name in Labyrinth City could be fatal.
“……Guild master's orders. Don't misunderstand. And keep quiet if you can.”
“The guild master killed Henrik……? Why?!”
“……Dunno if I should say.”
She rolled her eyes, organizing her thoughts. “……This much is fine. He gave up being a guild member, so I killed him.”
Gave up guild membership? For trying to quit? Just for that?
……Was that why I'd never seen anyone leave?
“……Lately, guys handling paperwork have been pulling this. Might need a cleanup soon. Watch yourself so you don't get suspected.”
“……”
“……So what brings you here? I can pass it to the guild master.”
Couldn't say I wanted to quit—not with Henrik's head rolling on the floor.
“……Forgot. Drew a blank.”
Back in the office, despair crashed over me. I clutched my hair. Brains stuffed with muscle—violent, barbaric gender! Thinking everything gets solved with brute force! Kill anyone who tries to flee the guild! I knew it was a black company, but not this black!
Learning escape was impossible only made me crave it more. I didn't want to stay in this deathtrap. What now? Then I remembered Bella.
“Expulsion……!”
Sometimes adventurers got expelled from our guild, joined others, and clashed with ours. Bella had nearly been expelled herself. They killed runners but didn't harm their own expellees.
That clicked. Time to plan: make the guild expel me.