"............"
I felt something was off and flipped back the blanket.
There, curled up and sleeping, was Sheena. She was fast asleep, even muttering "Darling..." in her sleep.
How did she get in...?
I thought I had boarded up the air vent she confessed to using for illegal entry last time with multiple layers of wood, making it impossible to enter or exit.
Just thinking about it makes my head hurt.
I casually grabbed her by the scruff of her neck and tossed her out the front door. She should have felt quite an impact when she hit the ground, but she just kept sleeping there.
Ignoring her, I quickly finished my breakfast (which was more like lunch).
Well, I have to go to work... or rather, I should, but my body feels heavy as usual. My motto, based on the lessons learned from my past life as a corporate slave, is "overworking is absolutely a no-go," so it can't be helped that I'm not in the mood.
"But still, I need to earn a living somehow... Guess I'll head to the Adventurers Guild."
Without much enthusiasm, I stood up.
Come to think of it, if I leave through the front door like this, I might run into Sheena, who I threw outside earlier. It would be fine if she's still asleep, but if she wakes up the moment I open the door, it would be incredibly troublesome.
Thinking that, I decided to sneak out through the back door.
Fortunately, I didn't run into Sheena.
"...Taking this route will shave off a few seconds today too."
The blood of petty efficiency, inherited from my previous life, tingles.
I know perfectly well that gaining a few seconds by deliberately cutting through alleys is not really worth it. But even so, I can't completely abandon the spirit of "every little bit helps." That's just the kind of guy I am.
◆
And so, I arrived at the Adventurers Guild, as usual, after noon. Since I'm just taking on sewer cleaning jobs today, there's no need to get particularly excited.
"Setsu-san, I've been waiting for you...!"
Serena-san, who always works at the front desk, was behind the counter. I noticed that she had a somewhat apologetic expression on her face as soon as our eyes met, which bothered me.
For now, I approached her to pick up the usual request forms as a greeting.
"Hello. Do you have any sewer cleaning jobs today?"
"Yes, of course. ...Here are the slime removal requests from the drainage ditches. There are still quite a few today."
As she said that, Serena-san's gaze seemed strangely restless. I could strongly sense that she was having a hard time saying something.
"...Um, Setsu-san. This is a little hard to say, but... actually..."
"Yeah?"
As I tilted my head, Serena-san hesitated, as if searching for the right words, before continuing in a soft voice.
"Actually, there's been a young adventurer looking for you recently. ...She's been persistently coming to the guild and trying to get information about you."
A young adventurer? The name "Sheena" flashed through my mind for a moment. Would someone who sneaks into my house bother looking for me at the guild? No, if it's her, she'd go straight to my house...
"I carelessly told her a little about you before... I never thought she'd become so persistent in asking about you."
Serena-san lowered her eyes apologetically.
According to her, this adventurer had been coming repeatedly, pressing for information on "when he comes" and "where he lives."
"...I see. Does she have some issue with my slime removal...?"
I sighed inwardly. The reason I only do sewer cleaning is to avoid this kind of trouble.
"I'm really sorry, Setsu-san. I didn't think she'd be searching for you so much... It seems like she's desperate for money or something."
Seeing Serena-san looking dejected, I couldn't get angry.
It's not Serena-san's fault, and I can only think of it as bad luck. Without showing it on my face, I gave a faint smile and said, "Well, it can't be helped."
"It's okay. I owe you for always giving me the sewer cleaning jobs, so don't worry about it."
"Setsu-san... thank you. Oh, but I won't give her your personal information without your permission, so you don't have to worry about that."
"Well, that's a relief. If she's so desperate, we might run into each other somewhere..."
Honestly, being targeted by someone I don't know in a place like this is a pain. It's bringing back traumas from my previous life.
If I can avoid meeting her, that would be best. Maybe she thinks I'm making good money with slime removal... but I have no intention of bragging, and I hope I can get through this somehow.
Anyway, I took the bundle of sewer cleaning requests and left the guild.
There were about thirty this time, and if I do them quickly, I should be done before evening. What should I do if I encounter this "young adventurer"...? Hmm, I guess I can only pray that I don't meet her.
As I was thinking about this and stepped outside, a rumbling, earth-shaking vibration spread through the cobblestones and reached the soles of my feet.
"Wh-what's that...? An earthquake?"
The people around me hesitated for a moment.
Adventurers started drawing their weapons with tense expressions, wondering if it was a monster attack, so even I had a bad feeling.
But in a few seconds, the source became clear.
"—I found you! You're Setsu, the sewer cleaner, aren't you!!"
Along with the shout, a black shadow arced through my vision. On closer inspection, it was a girl... or rather, a young girl, who had jumped high and landed, pushing aside the surrounding adventurers and rushing straight towards me.
I was wondering how she knew I was at the guild when I saw young male adventurers lighting a bonfire and sending up smoke nearby.
Apparently, they were the ones watching the guild.
"Scout team! It looks like you found Setsu for me! I appreciate it!"
"Y-you're welcome..."
The men said in trembling voices. What kind of training do you have to go through to become so timid?
The girl fixed her piercing gaze on me and gave a triumphant smirk.
"I've finally found you. Let's see... You're Setsu? I heard you're an adventurer who does dozens of sewer cleaning jobs a day!"
I was sticking to F-rank sewer cleaning to avoid getting caught up in this kind of situation... I let out a big sigh.
"I am Lilia Welt. The genius of the Welt family!"
With that, she wore a triumphant, boastful expression.
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