4 - Skewer Situation

The next day, I woke up early in the morning.

Not because I wanted to...

"Brrrrr... Fuck..."

But because it was freezing cold in the library.

Grumble...

Also, I was starving.

'I didn't get to eat lunch or dinner...'

I had been so overwhelmed by everything yesterday that I forgot to eat. Maybe it was the adrenaline, but I didn't feel hungry then.

But now, it hit me all at once.

I felt weak, and the cold air only made my hunger worse.

"I need to eat..something..brrrrr..."

"Sniff..."

'Ugh, now I've got a runny nose. Just great.'

Anyway, I couldn't bear the hunger any longer.

So, I hid the bag containing Raye's personal belongings, which the maid had given me last night, under the table in the very corner...

Then, I grabbed the spatial bag and the bag of gold coins.

And after that...

"Food..."

I quickly left the library to find something to eat.

...

*****

...

As Raye mentioned last night...

The academy is as big as a city.

That's because Zion Academy is basically a city.

There are shops, residents, inns, travellers, and many more inside the academy.

Everything of it belongs to the academy, so it's not an official city, but more like a giant campus.

And now...

"Fuck... Everything's closed..."

Raye is searching for an open shop in this hour at this huge place.

It was about 3 AM, and almost every store was closed.

Raye knew this, but he was desperate to eat.

Normally, his meals were served by servants in the dormitory and he can just go and eat in the kitchen anytime he wants...

But after being kicked out of the Alvah Dukedom and the Amaya dorm, food wasn't free anymore.

'I feel like I'm dying...'

Raye thought.

It was then...

"Ah, that's right..."

He remembered something from the game.

'I forgot because of hunger, but there's a shop that's open all of the time near the training grounds!'

And as soon as he remembered that...

Tap- tap- tap-

He immediately headed toward that shop's location.

...

*****

(Raye's POV)

...

The hunger was so bad that I couldn't run.

Tap- tap- tap-

But my hurried footsteps echoed down the empty street.

Then soon... The food stall that I had been looking for came into view!

Crackle... sizzle...

Pop...

Hisssss...

The sizzling meat crackled over the fire, the fat popping and hissing as it dripped onto the hot coals.

"Ah..."

The aroma of roasting meat hit my nostrils, making my mouth water and my hunger worse.

So without further ado...

Tap- tap- tap-

I rushed to the stall.

And before the young man cooking could even notice me approaching...

"Give me four servings of beef skewers, please!"

I exclaimed that out loud.

"?!"

So loud that the young man flinched and almost dropped the meat he was grilling.

...

...

...

Burp-

With a burp...

"Haaa..."

A relieved sigh escaped my lips as I smiled in satisfaction.

'I'm full...'

I just ate a ridiculous amount of beef skewers.

Enough for four people, and I ate it all by myself...

"Wow, you must've been really hungry, huh..."

The young man said as he continued to grill more meat.

"I was dying, honestly. Your shop saved my life."

Then I responded as I handed him 20 silver coins.

"Oh? I'm glad that I helped, then."

He said and smiled innocently.

I had eaten like a madman earlier, not caring about manners, but he didn't seem to mind.

In fact, he looked happy watching me eat so much. It made me feel a little relieved...

For the first time since coming to this world, I received a look that wasn't filled with hostility.

Then becoming curious, and to pass by time as I let the food in my stomach digest...

"Why are you open, like... all of the time?"

I asked the young man that question.

"Hm?"

In the game, this nameless skewer shop was like my stamina refilling station whenever I was grinding my character's stats at the training grounds.

It was the only store in the game that closed just before the end of the day and opened early in the morning.

My character would be forced to sleep for six hours after a certain time of not sleeping in the game...

But this man's shop was always open before I passed out and still open after I woke up!

He must've been getting even less sleep than me in the game, and he looked to be around Raye's and the protagonist's age, if not, younger!

I didn't care about the reasons before, but now that he was a real person I could talk to and not just buy meat skewers... I just became curious.

"Umm..."

At my question, the young man scratched his cheek with an awkward smile...

"I need the money. Opening early, closing late. It's the only way I can make enough."

Then he answered.

"Why do you need it? If you don't mind me asking..."

I followed another question.

"Haha, it's fine... Well, my mom's sick, and I've got two younger brothers. I need to provide for them."

He replied.

He looked somewhat relieved to share even a bit of his story with someone.

I thought our small talk was done after that...

"Though lately, the price of meat has been rising, and so has the cost of my mom's medicine..."

'Huh?'

But he kept on talking, and for some reason, his words seemed familiar.

"Sooner or later, I'll have to close the shop. I'll prioritize my mom over the business, of course."

He said that with a defeated smile.

Hearing his story, I sympathized with him. We were both dealing with unfair situations in life.

Me coming into this world, and him having no choice but to work extra hard...

Because of that, it made me want to help him.

And as soon as I thought about wanting to help the young man...

Swoosh-

'Huh?'

A bluish window appeared before me again.

And this time...

=====

Sub Quest: Out of Cash, Out of Kebabs: We're Skewered!

Condition: Help the owner of the skewer shop.

Rewards: +2 stat points, (???)

=====

"Wha..."

It's giving me a quest to help the skewer shop owner.