He thought, 'As far as I remember, Hes called her Mei, or something like that. She seemed to be entering the forest. I wonder if she got lost on the way to the gate and came towards me after seeing the light from this stone.
He then said, "Are you lost?"
She said, "Hm? Lost? No, I'm looking for the runes. Why did you think I was lost?"
"I saw that you were entering the forest even though it was already dark, so I thought you might be lost."
"Hm? Why would you think that? Didn't you hear what they said at the gate?"
"At the gate? Do you mean before the mission started? I was really late, but as far as I know, Hes repeated the whole explanation after I arrived."
"No, I'm not talking about that. It seems you didn't go back to the gate after you entered the forest earlier."
"That's true. I haven't been back to the gate yet. I was on my way there just now."
"Well, in that case, I won't waste my time explaining it to you. Go to the gate, and the guard will explain everything to you."
"... Okay."
She then turned to leave, and Rohan said, "Ah, my name is Rohan. We did the initial test together."
She turned back to him, looked at him calmly, and said, "That's right. You're the person who got an 'F' on the test. I didn't expect to see you here. How did you manage to get into a school with a grade like that?"
"Well, I almost died in the process, but-"
"You don't have to answer. I only asked out of the blue. I'm in a bit of a hurry. We'll talk another time."
"... All right, but what's your name? You still haven't told me. I remember one of the guards calling you Mei, if I'm not mistaken."
Upon hearing this, she quickly approached Rohan, bringing her face close enough to make him uncomfortable, and said, "Mai! My name is Mai. Don't forget it again, and don't ever call me Mei."
Then she turned and walked away into the forest.
Rohan stood silently for some time after this had happened.
He thought, 'I guess she's annoyed that I got her name wrong. It's not like it was my fault. After all, she never introduced herself. Well, I'd better put that aside. I need to go to the gate to understand what's going on.
Rohan headed towards the gate and met some people on the way. Soon after seeing that he was holding the supposed rune in his hands, the people simply ignored him and went on their way.
He then arrived in front of the gate and realized that few people were there. As he approached, nearly everyone went toward the forest, except for one person. As Rohan got closer, he saw that it was Welli.
Seeing him, Welli said, "Rohan, you've finally arrived, and by the light coming from your hand, you've already found a rune. How did you manage without the hint?"
Rohan said, "Hint? What hint?"
"Well, nobody had managed to find any runes so far, so when most people had gone back to the gate, the other guard, I think his name was Uson, gave us a hint explaining that it was easier to find the runes at night because they glowed. Right after he said that everyone went back into the forest to look for the runes."
"I see, but why are you here? Aren't you going to look for the runes?"
"I was waiting for you."
"Waiting for me? Why?"
"Hm? What do you mean? Didn't I promise to tell you if I found out anything about the runes?"
"You waited for me for that? You could have gone, and the guard would have told me."
"I know, but as I promised, I wanted to tell you myself, but it seems I've wasted my time. After all, you've already found a rune."
"It was by chance. I ended up taking too long to get back to the gate and had to walk through the forest in the dark. Then I saw a light while I was looking for the city gate, and it turned out to be a rune. In fact, before you explained the situation to me, I wasn't sure if it really was a rune or just a shiny stone, so you didn't stay here for nothing."
"Hahaha, good then. Well, I'm off. I need to find a rune, too, or I'll end up having to sleep in the forest."
"That's true. I think I'll accompany you. I only found one rune. You probably can't buy a room and food with that."
"You'd better go and talk to the guard first. He said he was going to make a special charge for today, which was the first day. Maybe you can rest and eat with a rune."
"Okay. I'll talk to him then. Good luck in the forest, Welli."
"Thanks."
Welli then turned and walked quickly towards the forest, and Rohan headed for the gate.
When they got there, Uson said, "Look. Someone managed to bring back a rune without listening to my tip."
Rohan said, "I was lucky."
"Hm? It's you, Rohan. I didn't expect you to be the first to bring me a rune. Looks like you really lucked out."
"Hey, what do you mean?"
"Hahaha, relax, I'm just kidding. Whether you're lucky or not doesn't matter. You came to see the value table, didn't you?"
"Yes, but shouldn't you give me a hint, just like you gave the other participants?"
"In theory, yes, but since you've already found a rune, that tip is irrelevant to you. Besides, since you know I'm giving you a hint, you've probably already heard it from another participant, haven't you?"
"Well, yes, I have."
"That's what I thought. Well, let me show you the table of values."
Uson then picked up a piece of paper from a table by the gate and handed it to Rohan, who began to read it.
"Rooms:"
"Common room - 2 white Runes."
"Good room - 5 White Runes."
"Premium room - 10 White Runes."
"Food:"
"3 White Runes per meal."
"Bath:"
"1 White Rune per minute."
"Change of clothes:"
"20 white runes."
Rohan then said, "What are these prices?! How come the most basic room costs two white runes?! You want everyone to sleep in the forest?!"
Uson said, "I don't make the prices, Rohan. I'm just following protocol."
"Nevertheless. You have to change that. Leaving the rooms aside, how do you have the nerve to charge three white runes per meal? Are you trying to starve us?"
"I understand that it may seem like a lot, but it's much easier to find the runes at night, so three white runes isn't as much as you think."
"Hm, if you say so, but what about bathing? One rune per minute?"
"Hm, so you're that type."
"Type? What are you talking about?"
"The type that spends hours in the bath."
"What? No, I'm not. I just thought the price was too high."
"There's no need to disguise it, Rohan. The only people who are bothered by this are the ones who take their time in the bath."
"... Well, I like to take my time. After all, I'm cleaning myself."
"That's understandable, but don't worry. If you want, I can send some tissues to your room to make your cleaning process easier."
"Hm? Why would I need ... No! I don't want any tissues! That's not why I take so long in the shower!"
"Calm down, let's put that aside. Do you have any more questions?"
"Well, just one. Why is a change of clothes so expensive? I know that over time, the clothes we're wearing will get dirty and stink, but I don't intend to pay twenty white runes to buy another one."
"Well, maybe you don't, but lots of people do. Besides, stink isn't the only reason people buy clothes. You'll understand over time."
"Hm, well, I don't have any more questions. Now, I'd better get back to the forest. After all, I only found one rune."
"Well, that would normally be the case, but you don't have to worry about that today."
"Hm? Why?"
"Because it's the first day of the mission, and we're giving you a special discount."
"Discount? What's the point of a discount? I only have one rune."
"Calm down, let me finish. In addition to the discount, there's the matter of the order of arrival."
"Order of arrival?"
"Yes. You can receive a discount based on the order in which you arrive."
"I see, but as I said, I only have one rune. You won't be able to do anything with it."
"On the contrary. Because it's the first day, and you're the first to deliver a rune, I can offer you the best service for just one rune."
"The best service?"
"Yes, the best room, unlimited meals, and unlimited bathing. The only thing not included is a change of clothes."
"Are you serious? All this for just one rune?"
"Yes, but only for today. What do you say, will you pay the price?"
"Of course. There's no way I can miss this opportunity."
"Well, in that case, give me the rune and come with me."
"Okay."
Rohan handed the rune to Uson, then followed him inside the city gate.