Purely looking at Micah's smiling face, it didn't quite look as if he had taken offense to Tineya's careless remark. But Tineya, who was being stared down by Micah and experiencing the full brunt of his gaze, felt as if she was an ant about to be stepped on by an elephant.
"U-um. S-sir, b-boss. M-mister W-wither-Witherom, sir. I didn't mean anything with what I just said. I just meant that we want a cool and awe-inspiring name, you know?"
"So, you're saying my name isn't cool and awe-inspiring? Maybe it's dorky and lame?"
"How about Wither?"
Tineya looked gratefully at Rego, who had saved her from Micah's gaze with his sudden suggestion.
"Wither?"
Unlike when Micah looked at Tienya, he had a more curious gaze as he looked at Rego.
"Yeah, it's from your name, but it also has another meaning, and it sounds a little cool, don't you think?"
"It sounds a little too ominous for a business that's meant to thrive, considering it means decay."
After thinking about Art's opinion, Micah looked at Tineya again and waited for her to say what she thought.
"I think it's great, sir!"
Tineya was still a little jittery after Micah's staredown, and she even ended her sentence with 'sir.' So, Micah decided not to put too much weight on her opinion.
"Well, we are in Hell, after all. And it does kind of fit the state of Hell, so why not?"
Rego and the other two didn't quite understand what Micah meant with his second sentence, but since it looked like he was just speaking his thoughts and agreeing to the suggestion in a roundabout manner, no one asked him about what he said.
After receiving the enthusiastic nods of Rego and Tineya and the reluctant nod of Art, Micah confirmed that they would henceforth be known as Wither, with Micah as the boss and the other three as the founding executives.
It was barely the beginning of anything, but Micah still felt a sense of satisfaction.
"With that done, does anyone have anything they want to bring up?"
Micah looked at his three executives. Rego, Art, and Tineya exchanged glances before Rego spoke up.
"What's next?"
"Is that it?"
Micah looked at the other two, who nodded along with Rego.
"Get some rest. You aren't going to get much from now on."
Rego, Art, and Tineya were all motivated to do things since they had just taken over the town and decided on a name for their group. But Micah's words practically smothered the fire of motivation that blazed in their eyes. However, his promise that they would be getting busy in the future kept the embers glowing.
Micah stood up. If there was nothing else to do, he was going to go to his floor and prepare for the future by taking his own advice.
He had napped earlier, but that wasn't enough to get rid of all the mental fatigue that had built up due to what he had been through in such a short time, including dying and being sent to Hell.
Although he technically didn't need to sleep since he could let his body recover naturally, even while being awake, Micah couldn't let go of a habit like that so easily.
"Right. When do the days shift around here? And when does everyone get more pol?"
His three executives looked at each other a little awkwardly. Since Rego was the one who seemed to have gotten closest to Micah, he was the one who eventually spoke up.
"Since it's still your first day here, it's quite understandable. But it's not long until it is your second day in Hell, boss."
"As in?"
"As in, it's been a day and a night since you arrived in Hell, boss."
"Huh."
"You get a sense for it after being here for a while. But the most obvious sign is-"
Rego didn't have to speak any longer, as all four of them felt it. Their pol had coincidentally gotten restocked when Rego talked.
"Got it."
Micah tapped his pocket to feel the ten bronze coins that appeared.
"Looks like you guys won't be getting any rest after all. Start doing rounds across the town."
"Yes, boss!"
"Yes, sir."
"Alright."
Micah nodded in satisfaction s he saw his subordinates' readiness.
"Make sure not to go overboard. At most, four coins per target. But if the guys can't reach that, they're paying out of their own pockets to reach the daily quota of eight bronze coins each."
Since the residents outnumbered the members of Wither by at least two times, it should be possible for everyone to reach the daily target.
Art and Tineya looked at Micah with slight astonishment.
"'They can keep the rest!?"'
"They can keep the rest. If they want. Or they can hand it over and start contributing to Wither. It's up to them."
The three executives looked at each other with surprised expressions. Rego was the first to put his hand in his pocket to pull out five coins and hand them over to Micah. Art and Tineya hurried to follow. But Micah only chuckled.
"Are you guys on the same level as the rest? Don't worry about stuff like this, and just get to work. Besides, didn't I tell you I was going to give you a salary? Won't it be for nothing if you guys give me your pol?"
With a smile on his face, Micah shooed them out and down the stairs to get them to start working as soon as possible. It would be easier to reach the daily quota if they began collecting it at the brink of dawn, after all.
Well, as the boss, Micah didn't have those worries, and he decided to take that nap until everyone had finished with their rounds. He could probably find something to do or annoy Baldas. But like he had told his subordinates, there wouldn't be many opportunities to rest from now on. Micah wanted to make sure he was ready.