Chapter 15. I Might Get Indigestion Like This
Beeep, beeeeep…
The birds were chirping so loudly it echoed throughout the house. It was enough to wake up Birkin, who had been lying in bed with her eyes closed.
Ugh… I don’t want to open my eyes. Just a little more sleep…
Temptation surged in like a tidal wave. In the end, Birkin couldn’t resist it and decided to keep her eyes closed just a little longer. The rustling blankets were just too cozy—ten more minutes, she told herself.
How much time had passed with her eyes closed like that?
“Oh, crap!”
Birkin kicked off the covers and shot up. Crap, crap—there was nothing else to say. She checked the clock and saw there were only 20 minutes left until she had to be at work.
Once again, she decided to skip breakfast.
Now in her eighth year at the Magic Tower, Birkin had always prioritized sleep over breakfast. But today, even though she skipped her morning meal like usual, she was still cutting it close.
Stomping her feet, she rushed to the sink and tapped her toothbrush twice at the base. The toothbrush floated in midair, automatically applied toothpaste, and began brushing her teeth.
With the toothbrush in her mouth, Birkin frantically opened her wardrobe and pulled out a pair of pants. There was a dress in the corner that looked barely worn, but she didn’t even glance at it.
It was a dress she had bought for last year’s vacation. Of course, she never took that vacation.
“Ugh, this is crazy!”
Wearing her pajama top and dress slacks, Birkin returned to the sink to brush her teeth properly. Only after thoroughly rinsing her mouth did she choose a blouse.
Her hair… Let’s just tie it up.
Her red hair, which fell to her chest, was sticking out all over after sleep. Holding a hair tie in her mouth, she neatly pulled it all back into a ponytail.
Having finally finished getting ready, Birkin grabbed her bag and dashed out the door without even checking the mirror. Only 10 minutes left until she had to clock in.
Thankfully, her new place wasn’t far from the Tower. Back at headquarters, rent near the main building had been outrageous, so she’d had to live far away and take a levitating train back and forth.
…Of course, because she wasn’t a morning person, she ended up spending more on personal carriage rides than train fare.
“I really don’t want to go to work today!”
Birkin started off practically running. Then, upon realizing she still had about six minutes left, she slowed down. People naturally wanted to arrive neither early nor late, but just on time.
She caught her reflection in a shop window. Her beige suit looked neat, but her cravat was slightly crooked. Adjusting it, Birkin walked through the Tower’s main entrance.
“Good morning. Thanks for your hard work again today.”
She had already made peace—with coffee and an apology—with the Tower staffer in the first-floor lobby, whom she hadn’t gotten along with initially. When she smiled and greeted them, they smiled right back.
“Birkin, your cravat looks amazing today! Where’d you get it?”
“My mother made it herself. Thanks for the compliment.”
“Wow, she’s got great skill!”
With the greeting done, Birkin stepped into the elevator box. The Tower had dozens of these transport boxes, most only big enough for two people. Of course, the catch was they operated on personal mana.
When she arrived at Team 3’s office, which she was now used to, she saw Herrion, who always arrived early. Sophia and Doxon weren’t there yet.
“Good morning, Mr. Lutt.”
“…Yes, good morning, Miss… Birkin Vice.”
She hadn’t even had time to grab a coffee today. Birkin clicked her tongue inwardly.
Herrion seemed unusually restless, but Birkin ignored it and headed to her seat. But eventually, he spoke up first.
“Um… Vice.”
“Yes, what is it?”
Herrion looked visibly nervous, like someone about to say something very serious. Birkin noticed and tilted her head in curiosity. Finally, he swallowed and said,
“Am I… doing the general consultations wrong?”
At his question, an incident from a few days ago came to Birkin’s mind. Herrion had fumbled while dealing with a particularly difficult customer. It must’ve really weighed on him.
“What do you think, Mr. Lutt?”
“I’m not sure… It’s definitely hard.”
“Then just think of one thing when you’re doing a consultation: ‘How can I get this customer to leave quickly?’”
“Pardon?”
“Seriously. No one comes here just for fun, and the same goes for us. Think about how to handle the situation so both sides win. That’s the first step.”
Herrion’s mouth opened slightly in realization.
“And you’re doing great, Mr. Lutt. When I was at your level, I cried in front of customers more than once.”
“Really?”
“Really. Don’t worry. You’ll get better with time.”
It wasn’t an empty consolation. Dealing with people was something you could only learn through experience. Birkin spoke kindly.
“Then, can I ask one more favor?”
“A favor?”
“…Please call me Herrion.”
Birkin paused in thought at the unexpected request. She knew his name was Herrion Lutt. She hadn’t called him by his last name to be cold; she just instinctively used first names with Sophia and Doxon because they were so bubbly and friendly.
While he waited for her answer, Herrion blushed from his neck to his ears. Seeing such a large man like that was oddly endearing.
Birkin was about to nod when the door to Team 3’s office suddenly burst open and Doxon and Sophia rushed in.
“Huff, huff! Good morning, Vice Redfield!”
“Good morning, Sophia. Looks like you made it in time again.”
“Good morning! Vice!”
“You look fine, Doxon. Guess you rode the carriage again today.”
Sophia’s home was even closer to the Tower than Birkin’s, so she always arrived with wet hair. Doxon lived farther away and often complained that more than half his paycheck went to carriage fares.
Two weeks had passed since they’d been assigned to the Deepdale branch. Birkin was finally starting to settle in.
“Vice, let’s go eat!”
“Yeah, yeah. Let me just finish this. You two go ahead.”
“You’re going to miss lunch again! Come on, Vice, let’s go together.”
Sophia slid up to Birkin and clung to her. Doxon also walked up to her desk. In the beginning, Birkin ate separately, thinking they might feel awkward. But it was Doxon who first made the suggestion:
“Vice, why don’t you eat with us? Other teams all eat with their Deputy or Vice…”
Surprised by the obvious disappointment on their faces, Birkin ended up agreeing to eat with them. It was a strange suggestion to her.
When she had been a newbie, old Chief Kendall made lunches so uncomfortable. He always forced her to pick the menu, then complained when it didn’t suit him.
Not to mention how fast he ate. Birkin still believed her stress-induced stomachaches dated back to those lunch hours.
Having become a Vice herself, she had chosen to eat alone—based on her own experience. But Sophia and Doxon insisted on eating together.
And there was another surprise.
“…You skipped breakfast again, didn’t you?”
It was Herrion. Apparently, he’d overheard her mention breakfast to Sophia earlier that morning.
Now with Herrion hovering nearby too, Birkin finally put down the parchment she was holding. They decided to walk down to the basement cafeteria rather than take the elevator.
As they stepped onto the stairs, Birkin spoke first.
“By the way, how’s the general consultation work going? Is the Team 2 deputy giving you a hard time?”
“Giving us a hard time? No way. Do you know what happened on our first day after you were assigned to special inquiries?”
Since anything related to the Item Development Department was top secret, everyone except Birkin and Chief Ed assumed she was just handling assigned inquiries.
Sophia chuckled at the memory.
“The Team 2 deputy started yelling at us for being late—and then Chief Ed showed up right on time.”
“…I see.”
“It was so satisfying. That deputy completely panicked and started stammering…”
Birkin regretted not being there. But a flash of concern crossed her mind. General consultations were a team effort, and teamwork was everything. She hadn’t been there to support her team.
And the conflict with Team 2 still wasn’t resolved. Leaving the “baby chicks” behind had always weighed on her. Thankfully, Chief Ed seemed to have taken good care of things.
“And I heard Chief Ed say this too—‘Vice Redfield may still be a Vice, but treat her like a Deputy.’”
“…Me?”
“You’re such an elite! From the headquarters! Vice, please don’t forget us when you climb even higher.”
“Me too! Don’t forget me either!”
Doxon and Sophia were as affectionate as a cat and puppy. Birkin couldn’t help but smile. She decided to put her worries about teamwork aside for now.
Then Doxon looked back and called out.
“What about Herrion? Is it okay if Herrion gets left behind and forgotten?”
“…I…”
Herrion looked flustered under the sudden spotlight. But Birkin beat him to it with a short laugh.
“How could I ever forget Herrion?”
She deliberately put emphasis on “Herrion.” It was the first time she called him by his first name instead of “Mr. Lutt.”
She could feel him staring at the back of her head but didn’t turn around. One more step and they’d be at the Tower’s basement cafeteria.
“Vice, how about you?”
“Hm?”
“How’s assigned inquiry work going?”
Birkin paused before answering. Over the past two weeks, she’d spent two-hour sessions with Liam.
Liam always came in silently and thrust an item toward her. Then, as she charged it with mana, he would stare at her with an unnerving intensity.
Exactly a week later, he returned and extended his hand again. He seemed to be sticking to the “one week’s worth of mana” rule she had mentioned.
With his appearance and gaze, the memory alone made her chest tighten. Scowling, Birkin moved along the cafeteria line with her tray.
“…Not exactly fond memories.”
“Gasp! I heard special inquiries are full of nightmare customers—is it true?”
“Yeah. There are a lot of them. Real nightmares.”
Hearing Birkin use the word “nightmare” so casually startled Sophia and Doxon. Their usually composed mentor had a surprisingly sharp tongue.
Still, she never got angry without a reason. The two wondered just how bad the customers had to be for her to say that.
Meanwhile, Birkin had already received her meal.
Today’s menu was wyvern wing meat and golem soup—her favorites. Others leaving the cafeteria were complimenting the food as well.
“The Tower really does serve good food. Is this all a conspiracy to fatten up Doxon?”
“…Sophia, you know I’m sensitive about my weight!”
“So what? You already gained some!”
As always, Sophia and Doxon bickered. They had apparently known each other since the academy.
Birkin found a seat and sat down. Sophia and Doxon sat across from each other, as usual, leaving the spot in front of her for Herrion.
But today, Herrion was late. When she looked back, she saw him standing alone in front of the food counter.
“Why is Herrion…?”
“Oh! I think the soup ran out right before his turn. The chef said the next pot’s almost ready.”
“Then let’s wait for him to start eating.”
He would join them soon enough. Birkin decided to wait and didn’t touch her tray.
Suddenly, the atmosphere grew quiet. Noticing the stillness, Birkin looked around. Sophia and Doxon were silently staring down at their trays.
“Doxon? Sophia?”
Just then, a shadow fell over her tray. Birkin looked up, expecting to see Herrion.
But the person who had placed a tray in front of her…
“…Hello.”
…was Liam Moore.
Why on earth was this man sitting in front of her?
