Break time," Dave sighed, looking like he wanted to bury his head in a vat of nacho cheese. "Thirty minutes. Please, for the love of everything, don't break anything while I'm in the office."
Rebecca and Carrie didn't need to be told twice. They stripped off their visors and bolted out the side door, the smell of seasoned beef clinging to them like a flavorful shadow. They didn't head for the park or the fountain; they headed exactly three doors down to Hobby-Horizon.
They pressed their faces against the cool glass of the display window. There, bathed in the soft glow of LED spotlights, were the two reasons they were currently suffering in polyester.
"There she is," Carrie whispered, her breath fogging the glass in front of the Sun Goddess Solus Sinon. "Look at the way the light catches the blue of her hair. She looks so... peaceful. So ready to snipe a monster from three miles away."
"And look at the True Demon Lord Rimuru," Rebecca murmured, her eyes wide. "The liquid-core inside the figure actually flows when the shop's vibration sensor picks up movement. It’s not just a statue, Carrie. It’s an engineering masterpiece."
The Math of Despair
Rebecca pulled out a small calculator from her pocket—the one she usually used for projectile trajectories.
"Okay, let's look at the numbers," Rebecca said, her brow furrowing. "Our hourly wage is 15 credits. The sign-on bonus is 100 credits. Subtracting the cost of our shared Taco Bell consumption—which you have increased by 30% today, Carrie—and adding the 'Late Shift' premium..."
She tapped a final button. The screen flashed a number.
"We are short," Rebecca stated flatly.
"Short? How short?!" Carrie squeaked.
"If we buy both, we won't have enough for the bus home or the internet bill. We can afford the figures, but we’ll be living in a dark apartment eating stolen mild sauce packets for two weeks."
"But look at them, Becca!" Carrie pointed at the Sinon. "She's staring at me. She's saying, 'Carrie, don't leave me here with these weird collectors!'"
"And Rimuru is saying, 'Rebecca, your desk is empty without my slime-glory!'" Rebecca groaned, leaning her forehead against the glass.
The Temptation
"What if we take the 'Double-Overtime' shift on Friday?" Carrie suggested, a devious glint in her eyes. "The one nobody wants because it's 'Draco-Burger Night' at the stadium and the lines go around the block?"
Rebecca shivered. The Draco-Burger Night meant thousands of hungry, rowdy sports fans wanting "The Grande Meal" at 2:00 AM. It was the front-line of fast-food warfare.
"It’s suicide," Rebecca whispered. "The grease... the Karens... the endless fountain soda refills..."
She looked back at the liquid-glow Rimuru. He seemed to ripple encouragingly.
"Fine," Rebecca snapped, standing up straight and adjusting her messy ponytail. "We take the shift. We secure the overtime. We get the Grails."
"That's the spirit!" Carrie cheered, giving a little jump. "Now let's get back in there. Those Chalupas aren't going to overstuff themselves!"
As they walked back to the Bell, Rebecca looked at her hands. They smelled like onions and victory. Mostly onions.
ns216.73.216.141da2
and then Add to home screen.