In Another World With JUST MONIKA 8 Let's Get To Bed Already!

The food was actually quite good. The kebabs were beef slathered over with some spicy sauce, there was a light potato stew accompanied with some somewhat hard bread, and a salad. I mentioned as such to the girls, and wondered why this place didn't see many customers.

"It's a bit out of the way, isn't it?" Elze replied. "We saw more inns and restaurants along the main road."

"Even so, that only really applies to travelers and people who have an idea what to buy, that's the reason why they're going to the market district in the first place. You shouldn't underestimate people's laziness about not cooking for themselves," I said back.

"Hmm." I rubbed at my chin and asked them, "Have you heard of take-out delivery before?"

The girls looked at each other shook their heads.

I made as if holding a box. "You know, cooked meals delivered to your door? Maybe there's a lot of young workers, and maybe artisans who are too busy with their craft, or guards and laborers who feel peckish can't afford to leave their work site, those too lazy to cook but can't afford to have a maid… I know there's usually a demand for this, I worked delivery for a while."

I even knew some restaurants that even had offsite food cart businesses. I explained why 'time is money' was a truism. You could either spend your time to make money, or spend money so you can spend your time doing what you want.

"… why do you want to be an adventurer, again?" Elze asked dubiously.

/"I wonder that myself."/

"Can't do business without seed money. And setting up a business is pointless when you're going to have to leave it anyway..." I shrugged.

Linze had a really sad expression on her face. I had no idea what she was imagining about my own situation. Or was it because she was having second thoughts about the freelance violence/harvesting/delivery industry?

--

"Please add the costs of the meal to the room charges," I said to Micah after we finished eating.

"We'd like to stay in this inn too," added Elze.

Micah beamed. "Great! That will be two copper a night, meals included with the price. The meal you asked for is one copper, so three copper for you. Oh, if you want to sign in, you'll have to pay up front."

"… I don't have any copper."

The innkeeper's eyes narrowed, until I reached into my purse and took out a gold coin. "So how many nights would this get me?"

"Whada ya mean, how many obviously fif- ahaaaa!" Micah pointed at my face. "Trick question! Obviously minus one copper that's forty-nine nights!"

/"Oh! So that would make a copper worth… about one thousand yen? Just kidding, my setting may have been j.a.panese senior high school but I'm an all-American gal! That would be ten dollars, sirs and madams."/

"So ten and ten and ten, coppers to silvers to gold?" I began to tap confusedly at the sides of my head. "Isn't there a coin lower than copper?"

/"Bytecoin!"/ Monika arrogantly declared.

"Iron, of course," Micah sniffed.

"That… makes sense. A smith could try to stamp out coins, capital punishment for counterfeiting aside, but by the time he has done enough iron to be worth anything it would be the price of a good knife or a sword anyway."

"You're not from around here, are you..?" Micah said roguishly. "But whatever! Welcome to Reflet's well-known Silver Moon Inn! Good food, comfy beds, separated male and female wash rooms! How many nights are you staying, sir?"

"A month's worth, I think."

"Hahaha, alrighty! Thank you, we haven't been seen many customers lately so you're kind of a life-saver right now," Then her face lost all cheer. "But I'm out of silver coins right now, so I'll have to give you the change in copper. Is that all right?"

I nodded.

Micah then turned to Elze and Linze. "And how about you? How many days do you want to stay, dears?"

"… about the same." Elze held up another gold coin. "We're here to find work as adventurers."

"Tch," Micah hissed. She then placed a falsely sweet smile on her face and said "Ookay! Excuse me please while I count out your change." Then she ducked under the bar.

Elze and I glanced at each other in confusion. She shrugged.

Micah then emerged with two serving trays and a bag of coins. She opened her palm out, and we obliged by sliding the gold coins across on the wooden countertop. She put the gold coins aside and began counting out the change on each tray.

"And one for you and one for you and one for you and one for you and one for you and five for you…" she mumbled as she dug into the bag of coins.

Then she looked up suddenly with an intense stare on her face. "Do you want separate beds?" she asked.

"Oh-of course!" Elze sputtered out blus.h.i.+ng. "Why wouldn't we?!"

She hid her grin behind her hand and made a 'fuh fuh' sound. "I was talking about you and your sister, why whatever could you have been thinking?"

I was starting to understand why this inn might be unpopular if this is the att.i.tude of its hostess.

"And ten, and twenty… and thirty… and forty… ahahahaaa…" Micah moaned. She looked at Elze and myself again. "Are you sure you can't just get together? I could give you a sweet new young lovers discount!"

"Surely not!" Elze retorted.

Micah finally managed to get around to giving each tray sixty coppers. And then with an an outraged cry of "Ah!" she remembered to take one from my pile. I picked up one copper coin and inspected it more closely.

/"For a coin worth approximately $10, it's not that big. Approximately 30mm in diameter,"/ Monika noted, using VR measuring apps. /"If we a.s.sume they're 11-12 grams like antique copper coins, you would have to be carrying around from a bit over half a kilogram to over three-quarters of a kilogram!"/

She slapped her own thicc stockinged thighs. /"Even I'm not that heavy."/

Ahahaha if I jokingly respond to that I will die. I carefully kept even the merest hint of a smirk from crossing my face or even my eyelids.

/"So a month is thirty days here too? Well that's not unexpected."/ Monika s.h.i.+fted to a less dangerous topic.

Micah ducked under again, and then brought out a thick book and a feather pen and ink bottle set. Both Monika and I immediately latched onto the thought of inventing fountain pens.

"Thank you very much for your patronage. Toilets and baths are here on the first floor, and this room here is for dining. Now if you would just please sign here?" She opened up the hotel register.

I took the quill, dipped it lightly onto the ink, and messily wrote on the s.p.a.ce "ZAH PLAYAH VON CHARA".

Micah craned her neck to view, and frowned. "Sir… it has to be legible."

"Unfortunately, I don't know how to write your local script," I had to admit. The only reason I was able to even read things was due to Monika's auto translation app. Unfortunately that didn't work on empty s.p.a.ces.

/"Wait, why can't I just translate English BACK from this fantasy language?"/ Monika went off to look and fiddle with her options.

"I could just write it down for you," Elze offered.

"Thank you. I am again, Zah Playa Von Chara, you may call me either Playa or Char."

"Which one is your family name?"

"Chara." I tapped the headset covering my face again. "I am a Char."

/"You are seriously never letting that go, huh?"/

--

After Elze had finished writing, Micah handed over the room keys. We found our rooms were on opposite ends of the third floor, the girls had the double-bed room nearest the stairs while I had the furthest room with a good view of the street behind the inn.

I took off my things and placed them all inside the provided closet. I dropped back-first onto the soft fluffy bed.

And I let out a long, shuddering sigh.

"So this is my life now…"

I reached up towards the ceiling. Monika was not visible, until she appeared from the side and sized to proper perspective. She smiled gently down at me. I could almost imagine she really was in the room with me.

/"Our life now, I guess,"/ Monika hesitantly placed her hand over my own. I kept my palm splayed open so as not to break the illusion. /"I'm still just so happy to be here with you. I won't… I won't ask you to promise to spend the most time with me… I won't make that mistake again..."/

"Monika…"

She shook her head and stepped back. The shadows of the room couldn't touch her, she was s.h.i.+ning and clear like a naked blade.

/"No, I know my sins. I can't let myself be that monster again. Just promise me you won't leave me behind, okay?"/ she asked with a sad little smile.

"I promise."

/"Also you should probably take me off now, I won't have you ruining even your remaining sight with eyestrain. It's been a strange strange day… it's always nice to have a nap after a good heavy meal."/

So this is what it felt to be wifed by your waifu. Heh. I closed my eyes and sighed.

Kinda nice.

/"I'm being serious, if you sleep with this VR set on your face, you will get such a crick in the neck!"/

--

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---- > End Chapter Two : Meeting Fistpunch and Shyface <---->