Couldn't My Reincarnation have been more Cliche!

Chapter 16 (The Shrew)

Leaving my arm hanging futilely in the air, I retracted it back, making a soft noise at the absurd spontaneity the girl acted with. I fiddled around with my legs for a moment, feeling a bit awkward as to what I was even doing here. I think I had gotten swept away by the girl's enthusiasm, I half wondered if she was okay, going from throwing glasses at me to acting like we were best friends, especially considering I had barely said anything this entire time, maybe I really was a good communicator.

Resting my feet on the floor, I looked a bit nervously around, wondering what she was doing and if I should get up to go look for her. I mean, I was still a bit shocked from the suddenness of everything, looking back I was honestly surprised I managed to stay composed this far, but maybe I was still just taking everything in. I wasn't actually all that opposed to helping her out here if it meant a roof over my head. Looking at this plain room reminded me of the room I first woke up in, thinking of that dingy depressing place I gazed into the air as I considered if it'd really be okay to just run away from whatever horrible thing the original owner of the body was dealing with to try to claim my own happiness.

No matter what anyone said, I wasn't the type of person to put someone else's life above my own, but still, I somehow felt like I did owe at least something to this body. I had been putting it off since now, since, well, I had more important things, like not being eaten by giant ants, to take care of. But now that I was relaxing, I thought maybe I should go take a look at that.

Stopping my train of thought, I looked at the hollow icons of the system, which had remained oddly quiet since I arrived at this girl's quest. At least it does seem like my survival quest has been set back to normal, so that's a nice confirmation of this place being safe. Not like I considered the girl particularly threatening in the first place though, well actually considering how she welcomed me, I'm not sure how to feel..

As if my thoughts had summoned her, the girl came bursting back in, holding a plate of something in one hand and a steaming glass of what smelled like coffee. Nearly tripping in her excitement, I was scared she was going to have to deflect a second projectile from the girl. But steadying herself, the girl breathlessly ran next to her, setting the food and cup next to the bed as she looked at her excitedly, speaking in a flurry before I could even get a word out.

[Mariam]: "Oh, I thought you might be hungry, so I brought these. And don't worry about it; these aren't a big deal! Oh, don't be shy; please enjoy. Mmm, we'll need to have you change clothes soon; these are a bit unacceptable. Oh, that's nothing against you; it's just, well, never mind. Anyway, so you'll start working here as soon as you're ready. Don't worry about starting soon, and if you don't want to, it's okay. After all, you had to endure; it's fine to relax. Well, not too much; I still am tight on cash, but a little is okay..."

Giving a few absent-minded nods to her stream of consciousness that was trying its hardest to make its way into my brain, I looked over at the food she brought over with lustful eyes. Up until now, I hadn't had a single actual thing to eat, only surviving on eating the energy of those ants. While physically satisfying, it never quenched my mental desire to eat. This desire now almost were too much as I looked at the simple sandwiches prepared there, with a few small stale-looking cakes next to it. Despite their ordinary appearance, they seemed like manna from God to me at this moment. I did manage to restrain myself, which I did feel was in order for some congratulation. However, my sensibility faltered when my nose caught the scent of the coffee rising through the air.

No longer caring about appearances, I greedily snatched up one of the sandwiches and stuffed it in my mouth. The flavor of which threatened to overwhelm me. Normally, it wouldn't have tasted particularly special. The saltiness of the meat, one which tastes similar to beef, was offset by a slightly sweet and mellow sauce, lightly applied between the vegetables, which didn't seem any dissimilar from the ones I knew. After the first sandwich fell victim to my hunger, I quickly moved on to the cakes, shoving one into my mouth, softly muffling a noise as the gentle taste spread throughout me. I half wondered if I was actually going to cry as I desperately held back myself from doing anything strange in front of the girl.