Hello There

    The sun was shining in the horizon, its lukewarm light passed through his window then to his eyelids. Outside the birds were chirping and the sky was clear of any clouds, showing the endless blue above. He let  out a groan, hesitantly opening his eyes. Wanting to sleep more, Yuuto hugged his pillow tighter. 

    You can call that day a perfect day for anyone who has a task to do. Except for one, Yuuto got back to his gears. He opens his eyes, staring at the wooden ceiling he is too familiar with. For many years that sight will always say good morning to him. But today is different from his laid-back days. He really needs the relaxing view from his ceiling. 

    "I am really in a pinch today. If- if teacher knows what happened yesterday, he will surely scold me" just by thinking of the punishment he will get, his spine shivers.

    He shakes his head, ever slightly shivering. Without further thinking about it, he got out of bed. 

    Yuuto opens the back door. It was directly connected to their house or the house he was free-loading. His teacher let him live in that house in exchange that he will work in his shop. Though it's just an excuse from the part of his teacher for Yuuto to ease his mind, as Yuuto wouldn't accept living at his free of any charge. 

    Namely, his teacher's shop is a weapon shop. An obvious choice as he is one of the people they called a blacksmith. Similar to other shops, it was one counter for transactions, display stands and occasional side barrels for the mass produced weapons like swords, spears, and shields. However, he had one problem in this place, it was too cozy. 

    "This place feels like not a weapon shop." he sighed.

    The shop is far more like a restaurant and cafe rather than a place where it's making weapons. Maybe the intrinsic design or the fact that the wooden design of the display stand makes it, or the unnatural feeling of being home made in a place like this. Yuuto just accepts that this place is like this. 

    He walked toward the storage and began bringing out the weapons, paving them in them on display. A simple toak and to boot a soothing activity form him

    Yet… Why? 

    Why is he trembling.?

    At a glance, he may look like a diligent employee doing his task perfectly but if you spent more time observing him. You can see that his knees are shaking, and his lips are going up and down. 'Please don't let teacher know, 'please don't let teacher know, 'please don't let teacher know, 'please don't let teacher know…' he muttered. Him being late yesterday and getting lost at the dungeon is a very bad thing itself, he could die at that moment if not for Alice. The last time he got lost, his teacher gave him a proper scolding that up until now he shivers from the moment he remembered it. It also didn't help that his teacher seems to have the ability to know what is happening to him, though he is not here. As if he had an all-seeing eye reserved just for Yuuto. 

    Last night, where he arrived late. Yuuto didn't find his teacher anywhere. He looks around the house and the shop but he is nowhere to be found. It may look like it was a good thing but for him, for Yuuto. It is better to  be caught red-handed than for it to be later. Just like what he said, it seems like his teacher had the ability of an all-seeing eye. The more time passes and he can't say what happened, his fears just keep piling up. 

    Finishing his first task, he walks towards the floor flipping the sign from "close" to "open". The weapon shop is finally open to welcome its first customer. He made his way to the counter, but on every step he could feel his knees shaking. He stood in his usual place at the counter, desperately wishing for a miracle to happen. You could even hear him mutter in a low voice. 'Please whoever goddess heard this, let me have a miracle.' 

    Standing in his place, together with a silent shop. The bell in the door suddenly rings. It was his first customer for today. 

    "wel-" his greetings cut short. Yuuto widened his eyes, he didn't expect that customer to be the first to enter today. 

    Entering the shop, Alice timidly waner her eyes around. After exploring the dungeon yesterday and helping Yuuto after he got lost. She exchanges the monster cores she got, though she is kind of confused on why the monster cores in her bg are somewhat lesser than what she counted. Without thinking about it more, she shrugged. Due to the town being small, she can only exchange the cores in one of the shops. She hurriedly checked-in in one of the inns, due to her fatigue she instantly collapsed on the bed and fell asleep. Now she is entering this weapon shop, but she suddenly feels nervous. To her defense, it's not his first time entering this kind of shop but that place has this eccentric feeling that she found weird inside that place. 

    As soon as her gaze hit the counter. It was someone she didn't expect. 

    Swift, she walks towards his direction. 

    "I didn't expect you to be here. The first to talk is  Yuuto. 

    "Me too, I didn't expect to see you. You said that you are a blacksmith but I didn't know That you were working in a shop." she said. "Wait, are you okay now? '' she added, with a worried tone. 

"No, don't worry about me. " he waved his hands "I'm the one who is actually worried about you. After helping me and exploring the dungeon. You must be tired, right?"

"Don't worry about me. As a adventurer that is a simple thing" she said

'A simple thing? ' he parroted her in his mind, slightly sweating in his forehead. 

"By the way, why did you come here? " he asks. 

Alice suddenly jolted up, probably from remembering what her objective was in the first place. 

"You're right I forgot about that. I'm actually here to buy daggers. Yesterday, when I checked my bag it was already broken. I can't remember why though" she said, as if she was remembering something long ago. 

"I see… Do you want me to help you?"

"Is that ok?" she tilted her head.

"Yeah, there is no one here beside us and it's still early. I think there is no one going to complain when I help you."

Before Yuuto could get out of the counter, he felt something in his body. It was not physical like being outright hurting,but rather  it was his instinct telling him to hide. He froze on the spot. Seeing that he was not moving, Alice tilted his head, and at that moment the bell rang. There another person entered the store. The one and only person that he didn't want to meet today.