Chương 42: Sleep

"Wow…I can't believe that my friend is a terrorist." Luna shook her head.

"I'm not a terrorist!" I retorted.

"The Little Bomber…Has literally explosives on them…Uses explosives to kill things…An unregistered awakener…I think that says all it needs to."

"Well…Ugh!" I jutted my lips and shot Luna a glare. I didn't know what to say to that. When she lists it all out like that, it really sounds like I do nothing but blow things up… Is that even wrong? Huh… Am I a terrorist? No! Bombs do not equal terrorist! What am I thinking!?

"Haha," Luna chuckled, "So…This is why you always tease me, I understand now, little terrorist~""…" I stared at her. Luna cheekily grinned at me.

"Maybe I should just blow everything up…" I reached for my pouch.

"No! No! No!" Luna quickly retreated and grabbed my hand, "Just joking!"

"Hm~? Won't take the battle?" I regained control and teased back.

"I surrender!" We stared at each other for a moment before we both burst out laughing.

"It's really surprising though—that you're actually the most talked about alchemist recently." Luna said after calming down.

"Is it really that shocking that I'm Raccoon?" I asked, "Even if I never said it directly, I thought there were plenty of signs that could've tipped you off."

"Yes! I didn't correlate that possibility at all! For one, I didn't even know you were a solo climber."

"Mm…"

"It's only obvious in hindsight." Luna explained, "I wasn't too interested in Raccoon, all I knew was that she was a solo alchemist who could rank on the leaderboards. But, now knowing that you are her, it seems way more obvious."

"Oh…" I looked down at the sheets, "So, you weren't interested in me?"

"Ugh, no, haah…" Luna sighed.

"Hehe, just kidding." Luna rolled her eyes before getting back on topic,"Could I see your profile screen?" Luna asked.

"What?" I feigned hurt, "You don't believe me?" I looked at her with trembling pupils.

"I thought we called truce on the teasing!" Luna snapped.

"Hehe, sorry." I apologized, "Here you go~" Alias - Raccoon Title - Floor 1 Rank 8 Followers - 108, 216 Points - 3, 213, 217"Wow…" Luna said in awe, she looked at the screen before looking at me, "You didn't have to share your points too, you know?"

"Couldn't be bothered to hide them~" I replied.

"…It takes one thought…" Luna sighed, "But wow…108 thousand followers…That's insane. And…There's leaderboard titles? I've never seen them before…So…You don't have a silly or stupid title? A shame…" She mumbled that last sentence.

"Wait, did you just want to see if I had a dumb title?" It immediately caught my attention.

"…No." Her eyes darted away. She totally did… Could she have had a dumb title when she started and wanted to see if I had gotten one? Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site. Before I could think on it longer, Luna continued to speak,"Are you keeping it Floor 1 Rank 8 though? Didn't you also rank for the 4th floor?"

"Mm," I nodded, "Rank 4th. I don't really have any other good titles though." Looking through my list of titles there really was a lack of good ones. I've gotten a few so far, but none of them stuck out. [Titles: Floor 1 Rank 8, Floor 2 Rank 5, Floor 3 Rank 6th, Floor 4 Rank 4th, Beginner Alchemist, Plant-Loving Alchemist, Solo Alchemist, Potion Setter, B-Grade Potion Maker] I was waiting for one that pleased me. Something that sounded cool and was fun to say. Hopefully I'll get one soon.

"How about you? Can I see your profile?" I asked.

"Sure." Alias - ElectricTypeMouse Title - Bringer of Thunder Followers - 98 Points - 12, 513, 920"What the!?" I let out, "Why do you have such a cool title!?" I stared at her. She looked smug and pride was practically plastered on her face.

"It's alright I guess."

"Gah! The humble brag!" I clenched my chest.

"Haha!" She laughed.

"Flexing your points at broke little me, huh?" I glared at her.

"Couldn't be bothered to hide them~" She teased.

"Ugh, I hate when my own words are used against me." I shook my head, "But…Your follower count is looking kind of pitiful?"

"Ahem," She cleared her throat, "This is actually the normal amount that someone should have. Famous people just wouldn't understand."

"Right…"

"It's true! Any regular mid tier climber would have a similar amount or lower!"

"Mhm…" I just nodded.

"Stop giving me a pitying look! I don't even want followers! What use would I have for them?"

"Hehe." We bantered back and forth for a while before she asked,"So, is there a reason you haven't registered with the association?"

"Mm, can't be bothered." I replied in a lazy tone, "No real point in registering if it doesn't convenience me in any way."

"…For such a lazy reason?" She looked at me blankly.

"Mainly." I shrugged.

"The image Raccoon has built up thus far is crumbling by the second."

"They've just made assumptions, I never tried to build a specific type of image."

"…The little bomber one seems quite accurate though." She mumbled.

"Huh? What did you say?"

"Nothing."

"Bringer of Thunder though…" I looked at her, "I don't really see it."

"What's that supposed to mean?" She shot me a glare.

"You don't look like a 'Bringer of Thunder'."

"What do I look like then?"

"A cute mouse?" I said, tilting my head.

"Ahem," She cleared her throat, "If I used my skill, you'd easily understand why."

"Mm…" I nodded.

"So…" Luna started to speak, the mood suddenly shifting, "The 5th floor… What're you going to do?" She asked, "Are you going to remain solo? Join a team? Or…" My hand tightened around her's as she waited for me to reply. I stared at the sheets for a moment. The 5th floor… What did I want to do. As the silence continued and I fell into thought, eventually, I started to speak,"I…" … I couldn't answer, not today at least. Thinking about it still gave me certain feelings I didn't like to have.

Luna understood and didn't rush me, only stroking the back of my hand with her thumb.

"Are you going to join a guild then? Or go public?" She asked.

"Mm…I don't particular have a desire to do so for either." I replied, "If it happens it happens, but I'm not aiming for anything specific."

"That's fair." Luna nodded, she turned to look at the TV, "Do you want to watch a movie?"

"Pumpkin Patch?" I asked.

"…Ugh…Really?" She let out in a small voice, "If…If you want to…"

"Hehe, no, it's okay, let's watch something else."

"Phew…" She mumbled, "I'll pick a movie then?" I nodded and she started searching something up on the TV. I stared at her side profile. It's crazy just how one person can make a day go from being the worst to being a good day… Especially if something bad happened on said day. I really am lucky to know Luna. If I didn't I may have holed up in my apartment for a few weeks at least. My hand tightened around hers. I'm really thankful that we met.

She turned to look at me with a questioning face and I just smiled before looking at the TV.

"A comedy?" I asked, looking at the movie she picked.

"Yep! This is a classic! It was released in…" Ah, why did her switch flip? … Two hours later, the ending credits rolled and I was left with a smile. It really was a good and uplifting movie. There were several times I laughed out loud and giggled. Luna does know her movies.

"Such a masterpiece every time I see it." Luna said with a smile. We turned to each other and just before she could open her mouth to go on another rave about the movie, we heard a rumbling sound. Growl… The source? Luna's stomach. Her cheeks reddened and she immediately closed that mouth that was starting to open and turned away.

"Hehe, I'll cook us dinner." It was already late—the clock had just passed evening. As I went to get up, I unconsciously pulled on Luna's hand that I was still holding. To be honest, I completely forgot about it. She turned to look at me, and then our hands.

"Pfft!" She started to laugh.

"Mm…Should we just cook together?"

"No way!" She immediately shot that down.

"A shame." I shook my head. Eventually, she got up and followed me to the kitchen where we finally parted hands.

"What do you want to eat?" I asked.

"Can you make more spaghetti?"

"Mm…" Before answering, I checked the fridge. There was still plenty of sauce left, "Sure." The recipe wasn't any different than yesterdays. If anything it went way smoother, especially since I already had the sauce. I boiled the noodles and heated up the sauce in a separate pot. Just a dozen minutes later, two plated dishes of spaghetti sat in front of us on the table. There was still a little bit of sauce yet, but not enough if she wanted more pasta. So, I already had an idea for next time's dinner.

Luna happily munched away at her spaghetti, slurping up the noodles in absolute delight. I smiled at the sight. Cooking for others really is one of the best ways to cheer you up. Especially when they look like they're in a state of pure bliss from eating your food. She noticed my staring and shot me a look as if to ask why I haven't started to eat yet.

"Hehe." I giggled before digging into my own dish. … After dinner Luna was cleaning the dishes, I waited next to her. This would be a good time to go home, especially since I was feeling better and I hadn't brewed potions since Friday. But… I didn't really want to. I wanted to stay at Luna's place, at least for today. Luna finished cleaning and turned off the sink before turning to me.

"Mm…" I started to speak, though I had stayed at her place several times already, this would be the first time asking to stay over. All the other times I naturally fell asleep.

"Hm?" She tilted her head.

"Could I sleep over today?" Her eyes widened for a moment before she started to smile, "Of course! Please do! I'm surprised you asked, you usually just fall asleep while watching a show or something."

"Hehe, well…" I trailed off.

"You don't need to ask though, you're free to stay over any time."

"Mm." I nodded before we headed back to the gaming room. Inside, we lay on the bed while she put on another show. We watched the show for a few hours before my eyes started to naturally drift shut. … I sat on the ground, dirt covering my legs and knees. Tears rolled down my cheeks as I watched the timer drop down. [Hobgoblin spawning in 0: 22]"I want to go home…" I repeated to myself as tears dripped onto the dirt beneath me. [Hobgoblin spawning in 0: 10]"I'm sorry…" My voice was as quiet as a whisper.

[Hobgoblin spawning in 0: 01] [Spawning Hobgoblin] With blurred vision, I looked up to see a figure materializing in the distance. It was large, taller than regular goblins and club in its hand. After a moment it looked directly in my direction and started to charge.

"No…No!" I cried out as it approached. …

"Haah, haah…" I jolted up in a cold sweat, breathing heavily. My lips were dry and my heart rampant. It was dark, only dim LEDs lit up the room. Next to me, I could see a sleeping girl. I clenched my chest as movement made itself known from my side.

"…Stella? Are you okay?" Luna let out in a low, tired voice.

"Mm…" I let out what barely counted as a reply before scooting closer to her and wrapping my arms around her body. I didn't say more and closed my eyes. Before I fell back asleep, I felt arms wrapping around my body as I entered a warm, comforting embrace.

"There, there…Goodnight." That soft voice whispered in my ears as my heart calmed and I drifted back to sleep.