"Yes. That's fine."
"Understood. For the adventurer registration, we require a registration fee of five copper coins." "Sorry, but will this do?"
I took out the single silver coin Tong had given me from my pocket and handed it to Lorraine.
"Thank you very much. Here is your change—five copper coins."
She accepted my silver coin and immediately prepared five copper coins, handing them to me.
I put the five copper coins she passed over the counter back into my pocket and faced Lorraine again.
"Now that everything is done, Takuma, what are you planning to do next?" "What am I going to do? Well, it's still early, so I was thinking of taking one or two simple quests." "But Lorraine…"
Hearing our conversation, Lorraine said "Please wait a moment" with another polite bow. She pulled out a bundle of papers from under the desk (out of our view) and flipped through them one by one. Then she took out three sheets and put the rest back.
"I think these quests would be suitable for you, Takuma. What do you think?"
Lorraine handed me three quest papers with the details written on them.
One was the classic beginner quest: gathering medicinal herbs. The second was going shopping in place of an old lady. The third was cleaning the sewers.
All of them were jobs that suited someone like me who couldn't fight. Naturally, the rewards were also small. The highest paying one was the shopping errand for the old lady, which offered one silver coin.
It also seemed like the easiest, so I decided to take that one.
"I'll take this one."
I handed Lorraine the paper for the shopping errand first, then returned the other two together.
"Understood."
She took all the papers I offered, signed the one I had chosen, and handed it back to me.
"Please show this paper to the client. In this case, the client will tell you what items they want you to buy. After purchasing them, please deliver the items to the client. Once the quest is successfully completed, have the client sign the completion section at the bottom. When you have their signature, bring the paper back here and we will pay you the reward."
Just as Lorraine said, there was a section labeled "Completion Signature" at the bottom of the request form.
"Got it. By the way, are the shopping expenses covered by the client?" "Yes, the client should provide the money for the purchases. If they don't, please come back here and we will handle it appropriately." "Understood. Changing the subject a bit, may I ask a question?" "Yes, go ahead." "In the case of the quest Lisa turned in earlier, how does the completion process work?" "For subjugation quests like Lisa's, we or the client confirm that the target has been defeated, then we report it to the client. After that, we receive the client's signature and the reward is paid to Lisa." "So even if the quest is completed today, the reward won't be handed to Lisa until the client confirms it, which might be later?" "That's correct."
That meant that out of the three quests I had been shown, the herb gathering and sewer cleaning would likely involve reporting through the guild, so the rewards might not come until tomorrow or later. When I needed money right away, it was better to take quests like this one where I met the client directly.
"Once the client's confirmation is received, does the guild send us any notice?" "No, there isn't. So it would be helpful if you could come here yourself." "Understood. Also, is there something like an adventurer card or license?" "A card?" "Yes, like a license or proof of registration…" "No, we don't have anything like that."
Unlike the adventurers I knew from stories, it seemed there was no official adventurer license or card in this world. In other words, anyone could just call themselves an adventurer. If someone wanted to verify it, the only way was to come to the Adventurers' Guild and ask specifically about that person.
"Is there anything else you don't understand?" "Not for now. Is it okay if I ask again later if something comes up?" "Yes, of course."
Lorraine's gentle smile was dazzling. It wasn't the sparkle of a young girl, but the refined, elegant glow of a proper lady.
"Well then, I should head off for my next request." "Thanks for everything, Lisa." "It wasn't much. But I'll accept your thanks. If I were to give you one last piece of advice, Takuma, you should really do something about those clothes first." "Yeah, you're right. By the way, how much do clothes usually cost?" "Let's see… I've only ever bought women's clothes, so I don't know the exact price for men's, but if you don't care about quality or appearance, it's roughly one silver coin per piece. For a full set of top and bottom, you'd probably need at least two silver coins."
At this point, it was already confirmed that I was over budget.
Still, if I converted one copper coin to about 100 yen, then two silver coins for a full outfit would be around 2,000 yen. That seemed pretty reasonable. I didn't know what kind of clothes you could get for 2,000 yen though.
"Right. Lorraine, do you know anything about men's clothing prices?"
Lisa asked Lorraine for help. Lorraine placed her right index finger on her chin and thought for a moment.
"Let's see… Thinking about the clothes my husband buys, it usually costs several silver coins. For a full set, it would be even more…"
Unlike Lisa, Lorraine actually knew the market for men's clothes, and her words clearly showed the price range.
"Well, I guess that's about right… Sorry, Takuma, but you'll have to stay like that for a while longer." "Yeah. Well, I've already gotten pretty used to it."
When I first arrived, people were staring at me from all directions, but now no one was looking. At first everyone stared out of curiosity, but that only lasted for the initial contact. I had also been glancing left and right at the revealing outfits of the women at first, but now I was used to it and no longer stared. If I lived in these clothes for a week, the stares would probably decrease even more.
"Um, if you'd like, we could lend you some clothes?"
Here, Lorraine made an unexpected offer.
"Oh, right. I forgot about that option."
Lisa clapped her hands as if she had just remembered and jumped on board with the suggestion.
"You can borrow clothes from the Adventurers' Guild?" "Yes. Adventurers often damage or lose their equipment during quests. As a relief measure, the guild lends out clothes in such cases. Some adventurers even use their regular equipment as everyday wear."
If someone like Lisa wore full adventurer gear every day while working, they wouldn't need regular clothes. If that gear was lost, there would be nothing to cover their body. If they were broke like me, they'd end up walking around town naked. I was impressed by how well thought out the guild's system was and gratefully accepted Lorraine's offer.
"Then, sorry to trouble you, but could I borrow some?" "Yes. I'll show you the way, so please follow me."
Lorraine stood up from her seat and came out from behind the reception desk toward us.
"I'm heading out now." "Yeah. See you, Lisa." "See you later, Takuma."
After a short farewell, Lisa left the Adventurers' Guild alone.
If we hadn't met under those circumstances, my first love in this world might have been Lisa. But there was no point thinking about that now.
Besides, emotionally, I saw her more like a little sister or a cute junior than as a potential romantic interest. Looking at her made me feel the same protective urge I had felt toward the younger university students who joined my part-time job.
Well, in reality, she was the one who had been kind to me.
Still, the next time we met, I wanted to do something for her as her older senior in life.