how do you live? (for forever) || dungeon meshi

chapter 2 ― halved room, halved space, have you heard?

The floor creaked to life around Kabru as his eyes fluttered open. A groan threatened to escape his lips when that familiar squeal of wood-on-wood assaulted his eardrums—honestly, who decided to rearrange furniture at this ungodly hour?

The tavern was cold and noisy as it was; when could he actually get an uninterrupted sleep?

Blinking the remnants of sleep away, Kabru squinted at the barkeeper hauling a hulking shelf across the room.

His lips curved into an apologetic smile as he caught his gaze. "Sorry for the ruckus," he offered, wiping a bead of sweat from his brow. "Just making space for your new roommate."

Your new what?

"What."

"The owner said your room will be halved, and rent will be halved as well to compensate."

The words "rent" and "halved" are enough to send Kabru bolting upright, ramrod straight on the lumpy mattress.

Having died yesterday from poisoning not only took a toll on his body but on his wallet as well. Despite clerics being hailed as people who use their mana for "good," reviving people is still a job. And a job that cost dungeon-delvers a hefty sum. His savings, basically.

Inexperience paid a price.

Recently, just forming a party to fill all the necessary roles had already drained his wallet. Sure, Rin offered her services for free, but the combined weight of keeping two people fed until their next dungeon delve loomed large. Rent was due soon, and the prospect of paying it seemed about as likely as a human turning into some kind of chimera.

This is a miracle.

While the idea of a roommate was initially jarring and far from ideal, hey, as long as they weren't a complete nightmare, what could go wrong?

Kabru heard a murmur of voices trickling down from above, muffled by the groaning floorboards.

"It's all ready," the receptionist chirped, wiping his brow with the back of his hand. "You can head on down and settle in."

"Thank you! I'll make sure to repay you back soon," a voice responds.

Light and feminine, he noted.

The receptionist let out a hearty laugh, waving a dismissive hand. "Consider the first month free, Iha[1]. It's the least I can do."

Soft footfalls echoed on the worn floorboards, each step deliberate. Impressions. First impressions.

Rising to his feet, Kabru smoothed out the wrinkles in his tunic, straightened his posture, and plastered on his most welcoming smile.

But before he could even utter a word, she glanced at him, and the most dead-eyed look a human could wear washed over her face.

His smile twitched.

His roommate is cloaked, but the fabric makes no effort to hide her face—those eyes—piercing, unblinking, utterly devoid of warmth, her lips pressed into a thin, unreadable line. It's a face that seems to have taken one look at him and decided he's not worth the effort of pretense.