Hmm?
Something soft jabbed into my side, dragging me out of my slumber only to be met with a beautiful girl staring intently at me. She was crouched down by the bed, and her hand was resting on the side of my stomach.
'Uh..good morning?'
She faintly smiled under her cloudy eyes, hair swaying to the side as she retracts her arm. Her legs unbuckled exposing her tall figure in all its glory. The sun beamed directly behind her, reminding me of one of those cartoon TV shows I glanced at my friend's house.
'Good morning Casper.'
Her hand reached for the cup on the desk, though she turned back around empty-handed. Clearly, she hadn't expected me to wake up for a drink in the middle of the night, maybe that isn't a custom in this world. I'll have to be more careful with what I do in this world if I don't want to be found out. She was fully dressed head to toe in what seemed to be one of those old victorian maid outfits, perhaps she works at a maid cafe or the sort.
'You seem to be in a better condition than last night, maybe you could swing by the town centre and buy some ingredients for the week. I left the money under the mattress so grab it before you head out, and don't forget the key this time. I can't keep asking for time off just to let you in the room.'
She had to do this much for Casper? What kind of a college graduate was he if he even forgot his keys at home? I'll tidy up his act for him, hopefully, that will lighten the load on his sister…or better said, my sister.
'Oh shoot, look at the time, I've got to go! Rest a bit more and maybe look for a job too later!'
Almost as if no one was ever there, she disappeared as fast as the passing breeze that swayed the trees outside. The sun was truly blinding, I'm feeling the full blare of it in her absence.
Now that I think about it she also seems to be taller than me, this feels quite unusual. I guess my great genes from my previous life have gone down the drain now. A tear rolled down the side of my face before being absorbed by the bedsheet.
No point in crying now, time to explore this room! I shifted my weight into my butt, lifting me like the mighty morning wood. My feet touched and glided on the shockingly warm floor. How could it be so warm in contrast to last night? It was horrible before, it felt as though the skin on my feet could rip off at any moment if I tried to lift them.
Brrr. I hate even thinking about that.
I looked in the mirror at my pale skin that lacked any definition and had zero sharpness. There is no way this can go on like this, I'll have to train soon to gain even a smidgen of my old strength. But how good is this body even? It feels quite stiff, does he not even go for a morning run? Well, I guess people from my world were quite lazy too….
I wonder how my students are fairing. Maybe one would actually miss me…or did Elena remove my body before anyone could find it. I must find a way back to my world, even if it kills me or anyone else in the process.
But first, I should focus on getting a handle on this world. Though my memories are still a little unrefined I can at least remember how the currency works. It's so…weird.
One pound is worth twenty Riges, and one Rige is worth twenty Blirs. I'll figure out the rest on the way, can't be holed up in this tiny room for too long, it'll make these bones duller than they already are. Let's see~ where are those clothes, can't go around naked through town.
◇─◇──◇────◇ ◇─────◇──◇─◇
There! That should be fine. In the mirror stood a slender man staring right back at me with his red eyes. The pupils seemed a bit..off but it shouldn't be anything important. Now, let's head off.
I reached under the mattress just as she instructed me to find several small notes and a few coins. To be exact, one pound, 37 Riges, 27 Blirs. Why can't they all be notes? That kind of irks me the wrong way. Whatever, no point to get annoyed at something so small.
They quickly found their place in my pocket along with the key she made sure I grabbed. She really wasn't harsh enough on him, some punishment would do him good. Well, now wouldn't be good to punish him since I would be taking on that burden so let's scratch that idea.
The door creaked open, the hinges clearly screaming in pain after last night. Maybe I won't mention it to the owner of this place, but the last thing we want to do is to be on the street. Though the floorboards were in the same conditions, their wailing was deafening, to say the least. This feels like the poorest area of the town, even the cheap apartments in my world were better than this.
A single lantern hung from the ceiling every few metres dimly lighting the corridor filled with doors. I'll have to learn about all of these neighbours with time. Maybe they have an idea about a job. I have a feeling this world doesn't use resumes, maybe my certificate would help.
Before me was a staircase that reached down to what seemed to be the lobby, but why were the steps so steep? With each step, I felt my life flash before my eyes as my foot kept slipping, if it weren't for the handrail I would've died many times over.
'Oh hello Casper, you are up quite early today.'
His belly covered half the newspaper, but his cheeriness nearly overshadowed that. Normally landlords are demons that you want to banish the shadow realm…maybe he is fine.
'I'm alright Sir. Anything interesting in the paper this morning?'
He stared at me blankly as if I were speaking a language completely foreign to him.
'Excuse me? Sir? You've never been polite enough to respect elders. Haha'
'H-haha, well I'm trying to be a bit more mindful of it going forward.'
He laughed a bit more to himself, the rolls of his stomach jiggling wildly as his newspaper rustled against the table.
'Well, since you asked I'll tell ya. The royal family is passing through town in the next three months. If you get lucky you might land yourself a job in the royal archives! Haha~ I'm just messing with you.'
'If you keep up the politeness then it's a possibility kid. Now run along and get yer self a job to help Lunese out!'
'..Lunese.'
So that is my sister's name, quite a beautiful name. So since my family name is Moriarty, her name would be Lunese Moriarty. I like the sound of that. No way she can get married and lose this name, not over my dead body.
'Thank you, Sir, I'll be back later and maybe we can have a chat!'
He waved his hand as I leapt into the blinding sun through the swinging doors. This is the beginning of a new life!