The room fell into a quiet, rhythmic silence as Shin'ya passed out the very millisecond his head hit the pillow.
Sera stood by the bed for a moment, letting out a soft sigh. She gently slid the torn, blood-stained gray hoodie off his shoulders, taking care not to disturb his resting form, and sat down in the nearby armchair. Opening her small sewing kit, she threaded her needle and began to expertly patch up the rip in the fabric caused by the shadow panther's attack.
Stitch. Stitch.
After a few minutes of quiet work, her gaze naturally drifted from the gray cloth over to the bed. She stared at Shin'ya's sleeping face. Without the intense, deadpan exhaustion he usually carried, he looked remarkably peaceful.
A sudden warmth flushed over her cheeks, and she quickly looked back down at her needlework, whispering fiercely to herself.
"God, he looks cute when he's asleep... Wait! What are you thinking, Seraphina?! Focus on your work! You aren't here to stare at his face!" She violently shook her head to clear her thoughts. "Besides, he fell asleep instantly. He must have been completely, utterly exhausted."
Curious, she reached into her apron and pulled out a small silver pocket watch to check the time.
Six minutes remaining.
A small, genuine smile tugged at her lips, but it lasted for only a second before she suddenly facepalmed, realizing something incredibly obvious.
Sera, you absolute idiot.... she thought, groaning internally. You could have just lent him a clock! Wait, why didn't he just ask the front desk for one? Why does he need a physical person to wake him up? How weird... Anyway, I have to wake him up in a bit.
Setting her watch aside, she spent the remaining six minutes finishing up the hoodie. The stitches were flawless—practically invisible. Setting the clothing down, she quietly crept over to the side of the bed. She leaned over and gently shook his shoulder. "Shin? Wake up."
GASP!
Shin'ya's eyes snapped open. He violently sat up, sweat pouring down his face as his heart hammered against his ribs. His hands instinctively twitched toward his waist, his eyes darting frantically around the unfamiliar, luxurious room before finally locking onto Sera, who was sitting right beside him with a startled expression.
He let out a massive, trembling breath, collapsing back against the headboard. "Phew... thank god I didn't get is—"
He clamped his mouth shut, immediately stopping himself from finishing that sentence.
Yawning deeply, he scratched the back of his messy hair and gave her a tired smile. "Thanks, Sera, for waking me up. Anyway, let's chit-chat a bit. I don't think I can immediately fall asleep again."
Sera blinked at his strange near-slip of the tongue, but she smiled and nodded, pulling her chair a bit closer to chat.
To pass the time, Shin'ya started recounting his absurd day. He told her about how he had walked into the Adventurer's Guild today, somehow got classified as a B-ranker right out of the gate, and was immediately forced to hunt down a mutated Shadow Panther. He explained how he killed it pretty easily, but when he brought it back, the guild flipped out, instantly bumping him up to an A-rank and skipping the entire B-rank tier completely. He finished by explaining how he took his pouch and sprinted out of the building to avoid a mob.
Sera listened with wide, impressed eyes, letting out a soft laugh. "Wow. Thank god you didn't stay inside for too long and immediately burst out at high speed."
"Yeah, hahaha," Shin'ya laughed rubbing his neck.
Meanwhile, right at that exact moment outside the heavy wooden door, Ms. Roxy—the tavern receptionist—was pressing her ear firmly against the wood. Hearing their conversation through the thick paneling, her face flushed a violent, burning red. She bit her lower lip, her imagination running a million miles an hour.
These Kids..... Roxy thought, her chest heaving with secondary embarrassment. They are really enjoying themselves in there! Bursting out at high speed?! Thank god he didn't stay inside for too long?! Oh my goodness!
Back inside the room, Shin'ya covered his mouth as another massive yawn caught him off guard. "Anyway... Yawn ... I'm feeling sleepy again. Let's do the next round. Keep adding five minutes until the timer hits forty minutes."
Outside the door, Roxy's eyes practically popped out of her head.
"FORTY MINUTES?!" she accidentally shouted out loud in sheer horror. "THESE KIDS WILL DO IT FOR THAT LONG?!"
Inside the room, the sudden muffled yell cut through the air. Shin'ya's anime-honed instincts kicked in, and he immediately snapped his head toward the entrance. "Who's there?!"
Hearing his sharp voice, Roxy gasped, turned on her heel, and swiftly bolted down the hallway, sprinting down the stairs to the safety of the lobby.
Sera tilted her head, listening to the fading footsteps. "Um... that sounded a lot like Ms. Roxy."
"Ms. Roxy? Who, the receptionist downstairs?" Shin'ya asked.
"Umm, yeah."
Shin'ya sat perfectly still for a three-second countdown. Then, the realization of what those numbers and phrases sounded like to an outsider crashed into his brain. His face turned a sudden, brilliant shade of red.
SHE GOT THE WRONG IDEA! his inner voice screamed in absolute, apocalyptic panic. I NEED TO FIX IT! I AM NEVER SPEAKING MINDLESSLY EVER AGAIN!
He practically threw the covers off, ready to storm downstairs to clear his name, but Sera quickly waved her hands to stop him. "Wait, Shin, don't go! She'll probably forget about it soon anyway. Just get some rest."
Defeated by his own embarrassment, Shin'ya collapsed flat onto his back with a groan. "Alright... nighty-night."
He closed his eyes and, true to his weird body chemistry, fell asleep almost instantly.
The cycle continued seamlessly. Ten minutes turned to fifteen, then twenty, then twenty-five. Every single time the timer went off, Sera faithfully shook him awake, they shared a brief, awkward, or funny conversation to keep him grounded, and he went back under.
By the time they finally reached the forty-minute mark, the moon had fully dipped below the horizon, and the room's magic-fueled lamp started to dim, bathing the room in a soft glow.
Sera was absolutely exhausted, her eyelids drooping as she sat cross-legged on the floor by the bed, her blonde hair messy and completely disheveled.
Shin'ya sat up, feeling remarkably refreshed and sharp. He looked down at the sleepy maid and gave her a gentle smile. "Hey, you can go to sleep now, Sera. I'm refreshed enough."
Hearing those words, Sera didn't even argue. She gave a faint, sleepy nod, crawled onto the soft plush carpet right next to the bed, and instantly fell fast asleep.
Shin'ya swung his legs over the edge of the bed, sitting quietly in the dim light. He looked down at his hands, his mind working through the math.
Forty minutes, huh? he mused. So I'm perfectly safe up to forty minutes without triggering the dimensional jump. I don't want to risk pushing it past that. So, technically, if I do this for nine separate intervals throughout the day, I can get my average six hours of sleep... or maybe I shouldn't try to loop it after all. That sounds like a logistical nightmare.
His gaze drifted down to Sera, who was peacefully sleeping like an angel on the rug, her blonde hair splayed out messily around her face.
She really needs the sleep, Shin'ya thought, his expression softening. But man... why is a stunning girl like her working as a maid at our age anyway? He paused, his modern-Earth light novel knowledge instantly providing the answer. Oh, nah, I get it. It's probably because of some family financial issues. That is what usually happens in these settings. Alright, well... it's a good thing the front desk sent someone like her. The massive tip I'm gonna leave her out of those 45,000 gold coins will definitely benefit her.
Shin'ya stood up, gently throwing a spare blanket over the sleeping maid, before looking out the window at the bustling morning city of Oakhaven.
[To Be Continued]