Sleepover.

Thankfully, the water was running. After a long day cleaning that dust-ridden place, a shower was a blessing.

We took turns, and by the time it was my turn, the others had already settled in. The cold water washed away the exhaustion, making me feel lighter.

I stepped out, towel-drying my hair as I made my way toward the common room. I could hear faint chatters.

"Yo, Vice-Guildmaster! Enjoy your shower?" Ruby called out the moment she spotted me.

"Yeah. I'm sleepy now." I yawned.

"Well, let's call it a day, then," Mila suggested, stretching.

"Yeah, we've got a long day tomorrow," Etsu agreed, cracking his neck.

The group nodded, standing up from the sagging couch.

Etsu, Gyro, and Elias headed toward our shared room. I was about to follow, until I felt a firm grip wrap around my wrist.

"Where is Rin going?" Renia asked, her eyes narrowing slightly.

"To sleep?"

"Our room's this way," she said, pointing at the girls' shared room.

"That's the girls' room."

"And?" Renia tilted her head, completely unbothered.

"Ren, be reasonable," Mila sighed. "It's one thing if it were just us, but there are other girls too."

"And?" Renia tilted her head.

"Rin's a guy," Ruby chimed in.

"And?" Renia tilted her head even more.

"Hmph. He'll try something," Nova scoffed.

What do you take me for? A beast? I am a civilized gentleman, ma'am.

"With you? Even a dog wouldn't," Renia shot back without hesitation.

Nova turned to Mila. "Was she adopted?"

Mila laughed awkwardly. "No comment."

I sighed. "Renia, I'm really tired. Don't be like this."

"But Renia wants to sleep with Rin..." she muttered, tightening her grip. Ouch.

"How about tomorrow? Once we clean more rooms?" I bargained.

"Come on, Ren. Rin's already exhausted," Mila said.

"Why can't Rin stay in Renia's room?"

"Our room," Nova corrected, crossing her arms. "And do you even listen to yourself? At least acknowledge what I said earlier."

"Rin has erectile dysfunction. He won't do anything. Happy now?" Renia said flatly.

"...Okay, now you're just making things up." What the hell, Renia? My lil' bro works fine, thank you very much.

The common room filled with muffled laughter. The kind that people try to hold in but fail. If you're gonna laugh, just do it. Makes me wanna kill myself.

June let out a small giggle. "You really love him, huh? Rin doesn't seem like the type, so I think it's fine. We're not sharing a mattress anyway."

Bless you, my savior. My light in these dark times.

"I-I don't mind either..." Mini mumbled, fidgeting with her clothes.

"I'm used to this, so it's fine with me," Mila added.

"Same here," Ruby said. "Nova?"

Nova rolled her eyes. "Do I even have a choice? I'll be keeping my eyes on you, though." She jabbed a finger at me.

I think you guys are forgetting to ask me. Hello? But whatever.

"Good," Renia said, dragging me into the room before anyone else could protest.

The room was clean but plain, with six mattresses spread out across the floor. It lacked any sort of personal touch, just the bare minimum. Expected.

Renia and I, of course, were sharing. The moment I laid down, she latched onto me, nuzzling into my neck like always. At this point, it barely fazed me.

"So, Vice Guildmaster, what do guys talk about at sleepovers?" Ruby asked, sprawled out on her mattress. She was to my left.

"About their crushes, maybe?" Mila guessed from my right. Renia's grip tightened slightly.

"Some do, probably. You're asking the wrong person, though."

"Why? You a girl?" Ruby snorted.

"No, I just don't have any friends."

"Oh..." Ruby winced. "My bad."

"Don't be. It's no big deal."

"Well, you have us now, so don't worry!" June said with a warm smile.

"Y-Yeah, I think you're a wonderful person!" Mini added shyly.

"...Thanks, I guess."

"What? You don't see us as your friends, tough guy?" Ruby teased.

"I do."

"Good." Ruby grinned. "Anyway, looks like we'll have to figure out what guys talk about at sleepovers by ourselves."

"I still think it's about crushes," Mila said.

"M-Maybe food?" Mini suggested.

"You lot are way too innocent," Nova muttered. I could hear the smugness in her voice.

"Oh! I get it," Ruby suddenly said like she had an epiphany. "Rin."

"What?"

"How big's your dick?"

"Okay, I'm going to sleep."

"Oh my..." June giggled.

"You can't just be that vulgar," Mila scolded.

"Hah! Couldn't be bigger than a one," Nova smirked.

"Rin..." Renia mumbled, looking up at me. "Renia won't laugh even if it's small..."

...Thanks, Renia. Thank you so much.

The room exploded into laughter. Even Mini covered her mouth, shoulders shaking.

"Aren't you a lucky one? To have someone like her?" Ruby laughed.

I was too tired for this shit.

They kept going for a while, but eventually, exhaustion won over, and my mind drifted into sleep.

Sweet dreams, me.

---

Heavy…

Something was weighing down on me.

I groggily opened my eyes, only to be met with a mess of Pink hair sprawled across me and Renia.

Ruby.

She was completely out, sprawled across the both of us like a human blanket. I wasn't even surprised, she seemed like the type to be a messy sleeper. But damn, she was heavy. Sisyphus's boulder ain't got nothing on her.

I sighed and nudged her gently. "Hey, wake up."

"Mmmn... just five more minutes~" she mumbled, shifting slightly but making no effort to move.

I am saving your life, woman. Renia is going to kill you.

"Not a single more minute. Wake up." I shook her harder this time.

Ruby groaned before finally cracking her eyes open, blinking at me like she had no idea where she was. "Huh? What?"

"Get off me." You are heavy. See how I didn't say that out loud? Such a gentleman. Good job, me.

"Oh. My bad." She groggily rolled off, finally freeing me. She flopped back onto her own mattress with a grunt.

I peeled myself away from Renia's grip with some effort and stood up, stretching out my arms with a quiet yawn. My body still ached from yesterday, but at least I wasn't sore enough to collapse.

Heading toward the common room, I found Etsu and Gyro already up, sitting on the couch.

"Morning," I greeted.

"Yo! Good morn," Etsu raised a hand.

"M-morning," Gyro nodded sleepily.

I sat down on the couch, rubbing the back of my neck. "Elias still asleep?"

"Yep. And tell me, brother," Etsu leaned in slightly. "Why the fuck were you in the girls' room?"

"Renia."

"Lucky bastard." Etsu smirked and threw a light punch at my arm. It wasn't that light.

Time passed as we chatted, the others gradually waking up and joining us.

"Alright, now that everyone's here, let's talk about today's plans," Elias said, now fully awake. "Like we discussed, we should stick to easy quests for now."

"Wouldn't it be better if a few of us stayed behind to clean the guild?" I suggested. "Everyone's going to be too tired to clean if we all head out."

"Hmm, true..." Mila mused. "Besides, it's our first day. We should at least make this place livable."

"So how do we decide who stays?" Elias asked, looking at the newer members. "Anyone with combat experience?"

"I do," Nova raised a hand. "Magic and combat were normal in our world."

"I can fight a little too!" Ruby grinned. "Used to beat up thugs back home!"

"Three of us could stay behind and clean as much as possible. The rest can help once we get back," Etsu suggested. "As for who stays…"

"I can stay. I'm good with housework," June offered.

"M-Me too!" Mini said quickly.

"And the third?" Ruby smirked. "If no one volunteers, we settle it with rock-paper-scissors!"

After a few matches, fate was cruel, the one left behind was the Guildmaster himself.

Elias sighed, defeated. "Hahaha…"

"Don't worry, you'll get your chance," Etsu patted his back.

"Right... anyway, let's show them the greatness of the Empire!" Elias declared.

"You should show us a clean guild first," Nova snorted.

With that, we were finally ready.

---

We stepped out into the streets, making our way toward the Adventurers' Guild. The excitement in the air was almost childish, our first real quests. Our first time fighting actual monsters.

Or not.

The quest board for new guilds was mostly filled with non-combat tasks. And the few combat-related ones had level or party requirements.

"Guess we're not jumping straight into battle," I muttered.

"Ugh, lame," Ruby groaned.

After skimming through the options, we made a decision. Four of us, Nova, Ruby, Mila, and Renia (with great effort) would take a combat quest. The rest of us picked whatever suited us.

Mine?

A lost cat retrieval request.

The paper had the owner's address, a photo of the cat, and the last known location.

Town square.

That's... not a lot of information.

With the quest details in hand, I made my way toward the town square. It was still early, but the streets were already filling with people, merchants setting up stalls, kids running around, adventurers heading out for their own tasks.

I scanned the area for anything resembling the cat in the picture. Small, white fur, one black ear.

"Lost something?"

I turned to see a middle-aged woman tending to a fruit stall, eyeing me with curiosity.

"Sort of. Have you seen a cat like this?" I showed her the paper.

She leaned forward, adjusting her headscarf. "Oh, I think I saw it running toward the alley behind the bakery earlier."

"Thanks."

I made my way toward the alley, weaving through the crowd. The bakery wasn't hard to find, the smell of freshly baked bread made it obvious.

The alley behind it was narrow and cluttered, a mix of crates, discarded sacks, and a few stray cats lounging around.

I crouched down, scanning for the one I needed. "Here, kitty…"

No response.

I sighed, stepping further in when-

"Mrow!"

A blur of white shot past me, knocking over a crate in its escape.

There it is.

I sprinted after it, dodging barrels and baskets. The cat slipped through a gap between two buildings, but I was too big to follow.

Damn it.

I ran around to the other side, catching sight of its tail just before it slipped into an open shop.

A butcher's shop.

Oh no.

I stepped inside. The owner, a burly man with thick arms and an apron stained from work, glanced at me. "You looking for that little thief?"

I nodded.

He jerked a thumb toward the back. "Cornered itself in the storage room. If you can catch it, be my guest."

I sighed, stepping past him. The storage room smelled of raw meat, and in the corner, pressed against a wooden crate, was the cat.

"Alright, let's not make this difficult."

The cat stared at me.

Then it bolted.

I lunged, managing to grab it mid-air before it could escape. It squirmed and hissed, but I held firm.

"Gotcha."

I brought it back to the front, where the butcher gave me a thumbs-up. "Nice reflexes, kid."

"Thanks."

Now I just had to return it.

Hopefully, this was the hardest thing I'd have to do today.

---

Thankfully it was. The owner was a sweet older lady. She handed me some treats, which I obviously demolished before meeting with the others, and the promised money, 30 bronze coins.

Anyways, when will they get here? I have standing here for 30 minutes. Should I just take up another quest?