Mental Rebirth: The World's Savior Was Not Me, but My Childhood Friend and Stalker

At a café in the port town, a variety of specialty products are served, thanks to the town’s location. I was drinking something akin to coffee – a beverage made from roasted seeds of tropical fruits, dissolved in water, and enhanced with a mix of spices.

In any world, the pursuit of culinary delights is strong. This unique blend of sweetness, acidity, and bitterness creates an indescribable flavor.

“By the way, the drink you’re having costs about half a day’s wages for a regular worker.”

…Considering the war, I suppose the high prices can’t be helped. Fortunately, being treated as a savior, I have plenty of money from the lord. Touko, too, ordered the same and was sipping from her teacup. Her well-groomed appearance and long, beautiful hair, combined with her composed actions, made her look like a young lady from a noble family… I sighed at the thought.

“Ah! There you are!”

A familiar voice, loud and clear, echoed in the café. It was Rubure who rushed towards us, making quite a noise. The staff looked on in confusion.

“I’ve made the request! Now we just need to find Dad… Ouch!”

Rubure was about to sit down and report but was sharply smacked on the head by Mei.

“What are you doing!? I went through the trouble of making the request… Mumble, mumble.”

Mei grabbed Rubure’s mouth, preventing her from speaking further.

“First, be quiet. And Rubure, are you an idiot? We’re supposed to act like we have no connection and you’re searching for your father. Shouting about requesting in front of us is a dead giveaway. Do you understand?”

Intimidated by Mei’s stern glare, Rubure nodded tearfully several times before Mei finally let go, allowing her to scramble next to me, shaking and avoiding Mei’s gaze. I could feel Touko’s stare, full of fear.

“Well, at least the request is made. Now, what should we do? Gather more information?”

I tried to calm down Mei and bring the conversation back on track.

“…Yes, I suppose. Doing something is better than nothing… Completing a request may be a good idea.

I needed clarification on what she meant by ‘a request’. I thought it might be something from the guild, but I wanted to know if we had time. With these thoughts, we left the café and headed to the guild.

“No!! Not!!!”

Touko, unusually emotional, vehemently rejected the idea. The ‘request’ Mei mentioned was about a part-time job in the gaming arena. We had seen Rubure’s father there but have not heard anything from him asking around. The suggestion was to infiltrate as employees.

However, the issue was the attire. The gaming arena and casino club required female staff to wear bunny suits.

“Touko-san, we’ll be wearing them too, so just endure it a bit…”

“I don’t want to! I hate the idea of showing my skin to men other than Yuusha! Wearing such indecent clothes and showing them to other men is just repulsive!”

Touko looked at me pleadingly for help. Having Touko’s strength would be beneficial if things got rough, so I wanted her to come along.

“Please persuade her, Master. We need Touko’s strength.”

If I genuinely asked, maybe Touko would give in. Whether Mei knew of our relationship or not, she passed the task of convincing Touko onto me. Looking into Touko’s eyes, I saw she genuinely opposed the idea. It felt wrong to use her feelings for me to persuade her into doing something she so clearly disliked.

“Uh… um… I can’t do it, Mei. I just can’t ask Touko to do something like this… Touko, you don’t have to go undercover as an employee. Just keep an eye on us as a customer. Be ready to help if anything happens.”

Mei sighed and resignedly said, “It can’t be helped then.”

Naturally, this was my first time working as a casino club hall staff member. While changing into the provided uniform, I went over the manual repeatedly. My main job was to carry luggage – guests’ bags, moving medals around… basically, heavy lifting. Sometimes, I had to deal with unruly customers. And then there was cleaning… Essentially, my tasks were nothing special, just miscellaneous chores.

Due to the constant shortage of male staff, I was easily hired. However, it was different for women. They had to wear revealing bunny suits to entertain guests, meaning their appearance was heavily scrutinized. But, correspondingly, the pay was much higher, making the job highly competitive.

Rubure was instantly hired because she was an elf – the “elf effect” was powerful. Utilizing her servant skills, Mei was also duly hired after the interview.

I cleaned the toilets with a mop, prepared wet towels and drinks, etc. The backstage staff were busy from before the female staff arrived. The shortage of hands was palpable. It seemed like the work would always continue.

“Master, I’m going to start my hall duties. Make sure your information gathering is thorough.”

Mei and Rubure, now dressed in bunny suits, came to say goodbye. Rubure looked somewhat embarrassed, but Mei, as expected, wore hers without any change in expression.

The casino’s bustling atmosphere made it seem like the war outside had been forgotten – or perhaps people wanted to forget. The harsh reality outside was left behind. Here was a place of dreams, a temporary respite, a mirage with bright lights, music, and some alcohol offering a momentary escape from reality.

“I swear, those people never get tired of this… Where do they get all that money?”

A senior staff member grumbled. The gaming area had its regular visitors, some visiting almost daily. They were probably upper-class individuals. Outside, people lacked money even for basic living, yet some were spending extravagantly here. Such was the social structure of this town.

“I wonder if they’d give me money if I flattered them?”

While I was pondering how to make the most of my time here, the senior mentioned an elf who had been generous with tips. It had to be Rubure’s father. He had yet to be seen today, but I got more details from the senior. He had been looking for skilled mercenaries and, failing to find them locally, had returned with some from across the sea. He had also inquired frequently about ancient civilizations, taking notes and handing out tips.

“Ancient civilization, huh? Sounds like a fantasy.”

I was about to dismiss the conversation when the senior looked surprised.

“What are you talking about? Didn’t you hear the news? A high-difficulty ancient ruins dungeon was recently discovered nearby. You should keep up with current events if you’re working here.”

An ancient ruins dungeon nearby? That’s exactly the kind of fantasy I was talking about! Excited, I pressed the senior for more details. He told me about the once-great ancient civilization of this world, now extinct, leaving behind ruins filled with undiscovered treasures that adventurers challenge daily.

The difficulty of these dungeons increased the closer they were to the Demon Lord’s territory. Still, this newly discovered dungeon near the port city was an exception, being highly challenging despite its distance from the Demon Lord’s lands.

I wondered if Touko could handle it… but quickly reconsidered. That would be a terrible thing to ask of her.

“Hey, new guy! Can you come help in the hall!?”

Called by another staff member, I headed to the hall, pleased with the information I had gathered. I couldn’t return to Mei empty-handed, after all.