When lunchtime arrived, Cael decided to head over to General Chop’s for some noodles.
Halfway there, a sudden cool sensation swept through his body from head to toe, instantly clearing his mind.
“What the hell?
Did I spill something on myself?”
Cael stopped and checked himself in confusion, but found nothing unusual.
He stood there frozen for a few seconds before suddenly realizing something and opening his personal information.
Sure enough.
Replay had changed from (1/3) to (2/3).
One of its uses had recovered!
Thinking carefully, it had been almost exactly twenty-four hours since he’d first arrived in this world and been killed by the Tyrfing.
So Replay restored one use every twenty-four hours, with a maximum of three stored uses?
That wasn’t bad.
As long as the uses could recover, he now had a much more reliable way to keep himself alive.
In a much better mood, Cael went to General Chop’s and ordered a bowl of mildly spicy beef noodles.
As expected of a noodle shop praised by so many Agents in the game.
The food was incredible.
That afternoon, Cael returned to Random Play and continued working.
Watching tapes, writing summaries, and categorizing them became his main job for the next several days.
For three days straight, aside from eating, drinking, and sleeping, Cael spent nearly all his time inside the room on the first floor.
He was extremely satisfied with the job.
Among the tapes were plenty of historical documentaries and recordings about Ethereals.
Not only did they help Cael fill in the gaps in his knowledge of New Eridu’s history, they also taught him much more about Ethereals.
For most ordinary citizens, Ethereals were simply dangerous and terrifying.
That was about as far as their understanding went.
Detailed knowledge about their unusual characteristics was generally limited to official personnel, Proxies, Agents, and people involved in Hollow investigations.
And even then, comprehensive reports on those characteristics were probably only available through the Hollow Investigative Association.
At noon that day, Cael was still working through the tapes.
The television was currently playing an adults-only beach video featuring swimsuits.
Because Cael was wearing headphones, he didn’t notice Belle and Wise standing in the doorway.
The siblings exchanged a glance, then simultaneously looked toward Cael on the sofa.
He sat with one leg crossed over the other, a pen in one hand and a notebook in the other.
His expression was serious and focused, as if he were studying a work of art.
There was nothing in his eyes but analysis and evaluation.
Before long, Cael paused the video and wrote something in his notebook.
Then he resumed his review from an entirely critical perspective, sometimes fast-forwarding, sometimes skipping ahead.
The video was nearly an hour long, yet Cael finished reviewing it in only ten minutes.
He removed the tape, tore off the summary he’d just written, folded it, and placed it into the cardboard box.
Cael shook his head.
He wasn’t sure whether the fall of the Old Capital had affected the industry, or whether official restrictions on this kind of material had simply become much stricter.
Either way, most of the adult tapes he’d watched over the past few days had been pretty mediocre.
Only then did he notice Belle and Wise standing behind him.
His face immediately reddened.
“Good afternoon, Belle.
Wise.”
“…Uh, good afternoon, Cael.”
Belle looked somewhat embarrassed.
Still, since they ran a video store, it wasn’t as though she’d never encountered this sort of material before.
Wise, meanwhile, curiously reached into the nearby box and pulled out the review Cael had just written.
Belle leaned over as well.
Genre: Beach Swimsuit (Adult)
Cast: 9/10
(Attractive.
Strong visual appeal.
Worth watching.)
Plot: 5/10
(Clichéd and occasionally awkward.
The acting is stiff, and the expressions aren’t convincing enough.)
Cinematography: 7/10
(Good camera angles.
Excellent framing.)
Overall Evaluation:
Ignoring the stiff plot and awkward dialogue, this is a solid beach-swimsuit video.
The female lead is very attractive and worth watching.
“Ahem…”
Cael cleared his throat several times to hide his embarrassment.
“This is just my personal evaluation based on my own standards and aesthetic preferences.
It’s only for reference.”
Wise shook his head slightly, his expression serious.
“No.
Your review is actually very professional.
You assessed the video from multiple angles and gave it a reasonably objective evaluation.
That’s good.”
Belle’s expression turned strange.
“Do guys usually like watching this kind of stuff?”
“Of course not,” Wise immediately denied.
“If someone went through the trouble of filming it, then it must have some kind of audience.
Someone out there will want it.”
Belle jabbed him hard in the side, suddenly looking very serious.
“What are you saying, Wise?
We’re running a legitimate video store!
Public Security explicitly prohibits distributing adult videos like these.
If they catch us, they could shut the store down for an investigation!
“So don’t get any funny ideas about making some extra money on the side.
If you get the store closed, we’ll end up sleeping on the street with Eous!”
“Right, right…”
Wise twisted away from his sister’s repeated pokes.
At the same time, he secretly shot Cael a look that only another guy would understand.
Cael understood immediately and gave him a knowing smile and nod.
Soon, lunchtime arrived.
Cael’s stomach began to growl.
He’d originally planned to cook for himself, but then decided it sounded like too much trouble.
So he figured he’d head back to General Chop’s for another bowl of noodles.
A huge bowl of beef noodles only cost 1,500 Dennies.
It tasted great, filled you up, and was excellent value for the money.
The real Sixth Street was noticeably larger than the playable version in the game.
On his way to get lunch, Cael rounded a corner and spotted a girl crouching by the wall, eating something.
She had a slender, slightly delicate build and neatly cut silver-white hair, with headphones resting over her ears.
A cropped jacket was paired with a fitted black pleated skirt, while black thigh-high socks outlined the shape of her legs.
At the moment, she was crouched against the wall with a double beef burger held in both hands.
The burger was so large it nearly covered half her face.
She took bite after bite, her cheeks already stuffed full and puffed slightly outward.
She looked like a hamster with its cheeks packed with snacks.
It was ridiculously cute.
Anby.
Cael couldn’t help stopping for a moment because the way she ate was so adorable.
Unfortunately, he hadn’t eaten yet either.
His stomach immediately betrayed him with a loud growl.
Anby paused.
She raised her head slightly and noticed him.
Cael’s face reddened, and he was about to leave when Anby called out to him.
She blinked.
“Do you want a burger too?”
“No, I—”
Cael had barely started answering when Anby continued, cutting him off without hesitation.
“I understand.
Burgers contain protein, carbohydrates, and leafy vegetables at the same time.
They’re also very tasty.”
Anby stood up and looked at him.
“Do you want to eat burgers together?
You look pretty hungry.”
Cael didn’t know whether to laugh or sigh.
Anby really was remarkably friendly with strangers.
They had only just met.
Still, Cael could understand her reasoning.
Sharing a food you loved with someone else could be surprisingly satisfying.
“Hi.
I’m Cael Veyne.”
“Hello.
I’m Anby Demara.”
Cael walked over.
Anby reached into her bag and pulled out another burger wrapped in greaseproof paper, then handed it to him.
He felt a little awkward accepting food from a stranger, but took it anyway.
“Thanks to you, I get to save the cost of one meal today.
But if we’re having burgers, shouldn’t we get some ice-cold cola too?”
Anby checked her pockets.
The only thing she managed to pull out was a crumpled 100-Denny bill.
“I ran out of money after buying two burgers.”
“So you need two burgers to fill you up?” Cael asked.
Anby nodded.
“And you still gave one of them to me?”
“Because you looked hungry.
And…”
Anby looked Cael up and down.
His faded T-shirt.
Loose summer shorts.
Black plastic sandals.
No matter how she looked at him, he seemed completely broke.
“You looked like you didn’t have any money either.”
Cael felt mildly offended and couldn’t help laughing.
“Aren’t you in the same situation?”
“Mm…
You’re right.”
It really helps the fic grow!