[...]
[You and Mordred used the guests as weapons. After discovering this, Beni-Enma harshly reprimanded both of you.]
[However, you still successfully received your pay and even kept your job.]
[This is because, upon waking up, Ivan the Terrible and King Hassan found that their entire bodies were relaxed and stretched. It seems being used as weapons and physically colliding with high-spec Servants somehow polished them up nicely.]
[Through this farce, you gained a new understanding of "Knight Does Not Die with Empty Hands."]
[Your "Knight Does Not Die with Empty Hands B" has been upgraded to "Knight Does Not Die with Empty Hands EX." Anything can be used as a weapon in your hands and will perform more effectively.]
[Congratulations, you received a daily wage of 300 QP.]
[You enjoyed the staff benefit of Enma-tei—a comfortable hot spring bath. All your fatigue and exhaustion from the day vanished. The negative effects of staying up late last night were cleared, and your attributes were fully restored.]
[You received a temporary bonus to "Magic Resistance."]
The calendar of life simulation rolled forward again, moving to that evening.
Having enjoyed a comfortable hot bath and with 300 QP safely tucked in his pocket, Ei and Mordred walked out of the Enma-tei satisfied.
"Phew, that was refreshing..."
Mordred, who had also used the hot spring, was wearing light casual clothes and stretched her slender, shapely waist contentedly.
"The boss here isn't bad! She actually invited me to take a bath and had someone bring me a change of clothes. The service is too thoughtful! I like it!"
"Hahaha..."
Ei simply chuckled.
Although Mo-chan wasn't an employee here, Boss Beni-Enma still allowed her to use the hot spring—partly out of kindness, and partly for the sake of the business's image. Letting a young girl walk out covered in lubricant would certainly make people assume it was a strange kind of place.
"I thought it was going to be an annoying chore, but it actually ended up being quite enjoyable!" Mordred grinned.
"An annoying chore? Weren't you having a blast, kid? What good did you do besides cause trouble for me? You were hired as my bodyguard, but you nearly killed me yourself." Ei couldn't help but complain.
"Hehe, sorry about that! But you were the one who touched my chest first, remember?"
"Forget it. At least it was more fun than that collaboration with Tristan..." he muttered.
"...There was no jail time this time, I didn't have to piece a teacher's body back together, and I didn't even have to give a statement at the police station. This was incredibly peaceful."
"What exactly did the three of you go through before..." Mordred was stunned.
He didn't answer but carefully placed the paper wrapping containing the 300 QP deep into his pocket, constantly glancing around as if afraid someone might covet the money.
After two rounds of part-time work—beautifying Babbage and massaging Grand Servants—through thick and thin, he had finally seen some real money.
"This 300 QP... in some less developed Third World countries, someone would probably commit murder just for the value of it."
"That money is only enough for us to buy one barbecue meal."
"Nonsense! That's more than half a gacha pack!"
Mordred thought, Using a gacha pack (518 or 648 currency) as a unit of money must be a sign of a serious illness.
The two walked toward Chaldea Academy. As they passed a convenience store, Ei involuntarily stopped, suddenly remembering an unpaid debt.
He still owed Mordred a pack of cigarettes.
"Speaking of which, Mordred, what kind of cigarettes do you want?"
"Ah, just 'Dragon Smoke' will do."
"'Dragon Smoke'," Ei mumbled. "You have special taste. That brand is usually smoked by middle-aged men."
"Just hurry up and buy them for me!"
A minute later, Ei walked out of the convenience store with a bag, containing two sodas and two packs of Dragon Smoke cigarettes.
He took one soda for himself and handed the remaining drink and both packs of cigarettes to Mordred.
"Here."
"Why did you buy me an extra pack?"
Ei scratched his head, looking slightly conflicted.
"It's... compensation for accidentally touching your body."
"You..." Mordred suddenly blushed. "You're still thinking about that! Your explanation actually makes it more awkward. It makes me feel like I got this pack of cigarettes after doing something improper..."
"I didn't mean it that way!" Ei scratched his head harder. "Look, just take it as the clumsy, awkward, and unromantic gesture of a low-EQ virgin. I try to be a gentleman around girls, but I always mess it up. Understand it that way, and you'll get it. Because I'm a virgin, this is the only way I can express myself."
"...I know your words are often venomous, but you seem even more ruthless towards yourself."
"Self-deprecation solves many problems. By using myself as a negative example, I don't offend anyone else."
Ei twisted off the soda cap and guzzled down a mouthful. The cold carbonated drink stung his throat.
"Speaking of which, are you sure it's okay for you to buy me cigarettes?" Mordred weighed the two packs in her hand, looking conflicted.
"Why are you asking that now...?"
"If Gawain or the others in the Round Table find out you bought me cigarettes, they might think I'm leading you astray."
Ei paused.
He thought, This kid, though she seems rough and careless, is surprisingly sensitive, and about the most unnecessary things.
"It doesn't matter. Ultimately, this is the wage I paid you. If they know, they know. It has nothing to do with me."
"Tch, that's a cold way to put it."
Mordred pouted and began fumbling for a cigarette.
"After all, I'm just a problem that Gawain passed on to you."
"..."
Ei wondered, What exactly do you want? You don't want people to care that you smoke, but you don't want them to truly ignore you either.
"I just don't like to interfere with other people's private lives. Everyone walks their own path. As long as it doesn't bother anyone else, no one has the right to judge. Whatever you choose to do, as long as you can accept the results, that's all that matters."
"..."
"Did I say something strange?"
"No, but I think I'm starting to understand a little bit why those guys like Gawain hang out with you."
"Why?"
Mordred lit her cigarette and casually said:
"It's pretty comfortable being around you."
[You feel Mordred's favorability towards you increase.]
[Your relationship has become significantly closer.]
[By spending time with Mordred, you learned some of her unique traits.]
[You acquired the new skill "Lion of the Rolled Cigarette C"]
["Lion of the Rolled Cigarette C": Temporarily provides nervous excitement and refreshment, but has a chance to affect the quality of sleep that day.]