The living room of Apartment 3B was silent, save for the digital hum of Rebecca’s laptop and the rhythmic crunch of Carrie finishing a Nacho Fries box.
"Okay, the new thermal-tracking sensors for my cowl are only four hundred credits," Rebecca muttered, her fingers flying across the keys. "If I skip lunch for a month and sell my spare copper wiring, I should just barely—"
"Becca, look!" Carrie lunged across the sofa, thrusting her phone into Rebecca’s face. "The limited-edition 'Sun Goddess Solus' Sinon figure. There are only five hundred in the world. Look at that translucent bow! Look at the wings!"
Rebecca pushed the phone away. "Carrie, we talked about this. No more figures until your next singing gig. We have priorities."
"But she’s Sinon! She’s the heart of the squad!"
"And Rimuru is the King of Monsters, but I’m not buying his new 'Demon Lord' statue because we need to pay for things like electricity and water," Rebecca countered. She clicked over to their shared banking app. "Let’s see where the 'Hero Fund' is at."
The screen loaded. The number was small. Very small.
Balance: 12.42 Credits.
The silence that followed was heavy. Both girls slowly turned their heads toward the kitchen counter, which was currently a graveyard of purple-and-yellow Taco Bell wrappers.
"Twelve credits?" Rebecca’s voice went up an octave. "Twelve?! Carrie, I gave you eighty credits for the grocery bill last week!"
"In my defense," Carrie squeaked, holding up an empty cup, "the Baja Blast was on sale if you bought four, and then I saw the Cheesy Gordita Crunch combo, and... well, I was hungry! Fighting hypnotists works up an appetite!"
"You ate our rent!" Rebecca shrieked, clutching her head. "I spent sixty credits on a new soldering iron, and you ate the rest in beef and cheese!"
"You're the one who keeps buying 'tactical' screws that cost five dollars each!" Carrie fired back.
The Only Solution
Rebecca slumped against the sofa cushions, defeated. "We’re broke. I can't upgrade the Bunny-suit, you can't get your Sinon, and we’re going to be eating air for dinner."
Carrie chewed her lip, looking out the window at the glowing neon sign across the street. It was a giant, ringing bell.
"You know," Carrie said slowly, "I saw a 'Now Hiring' sign on the door when I got those fries. They’re offering a sign-on bonus for the night shift."
Rebecca looked at the Taco Bell sign. Then at Carrie. Then at the empty bank account.
"No. Absolutely not. I am a tactical specialist. I do not 'Live Mas.'"
"They have a 50% employee discount, Becca," Carrie whispered like a devil on her shoulder. "And if we work the late shift, we can afford the Rimuru and the Sinon by Friday."
Rebecca’s eyes twitched. She pictured the Rimuru statue on her desk—the way the liquid-blue slime would glow in the dark.
"One week," Rebecca growled, pointing a finger at Carrie. "We work there for one week. We get the figures. We quit. And you are forbidden from touching the register."
"Deal!" Carrie cheered, already grabbing her coat. "I’ll handle the drive-thru. I’ve been practicing my 'Welcome to Taco Bell' voice!"
"God help us all," Rebecca muttered, following her out the door.
ns216.73.216.141da2
and then Add to home screen.