Finally Clocking Out

Haruto emerged from the bathroom wearing Daddy's old pajamas. They were long and loose, but that was solved by a drawstring and rolling up the legs. The shirt was large, cavernous, and so cozy. It reminded him of wearing his real father's clothes when he was younger.

He felt fresh and relaxed for the first time since he had gotten here. He walked over to Aki and fell into the chair next to her. She had bloody paper shoved inside of her nostrils.

"Are you okay?" Haruto asked.

"I've never felt better, actually." She heaved, eyes darting wildly.

"Yeah, she's feeling really good." The System said, a chuckle behind his words.

Aki shot it a glare. "I think it's your turn to shower, right?"

"What? I'm clean! Why do I have to shower too?" It shouted, whining like a child. Aki just continued to glare at it silently. "Fine. I never get to do what I want... Always bossing me around..."

The System muttered to itself about life's unfairness as it floated into the bathroom, slamming the door behind it. Its muffled cursing continued behind the door until the water started running again. Haruto and Aki were left alone for the first time since meeting, save for Yggdrasil.

Aki fidgeted in her seat before raising up, leaning in close to Haruto. "So, my hero... Now that we're alone, I think we should talk about your reward."

"Uuuhhh... Okay..." Haruto squeaked, so full of confidence that he couldn't form words. Her eyes shone like liquid emerald and sapphire bubbling against each other.

She wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling herself closer and into his lap. His eyes widened, and he wished that he was still fighting Kael. At least that was something he could actively participate in.

"I... I have something for you." She said, her breath hitting his neck and giving him a shiver. She pulled away and walked to a drawer, pulling from it a light stack of papers and a pen. She slid it over to him with a coquettish face.

"What is this?" Haruto asked, his mind unable to keep up with what was going on.

Aki sat beside him once again, twirling a lock of his hair. "It's a bit embarrassing, but this is your reward.

He looked at the paper. He was unable to read the writing of this world, but he didn't have to. His mind wandered happily, and his future flew by in an instant. 

The bells rang once more. Aki stood in a beautiful white dress, wearing a garter with multiple colored potions tucked into it. They manned the shop, making potions for people every day. They would have a little girl. She looks like her mom but with Haruto's dark circles. He felt relief and happiness that the life he had lived up until now would have been worth something if only it could lead to this. To love and be loved.

He looked at Aki, waiting patiently for his answer. The pen felt light. It wrote smoothly. He always liked how it looked in English, so with a flick of his finger, he wrote his signature. Haruto Ishikawa.

Aki jumped up in excitement, wrapping her arms around him once again. He pulled himself together, just enough to give her a squeeze back. He felt her warmth and softness.

"I swear to you. You won't regret this." Aki said happily.

"Let's work together to make—" Haruto stopped as a notification popped up in front of his face. New Job Acquired: Potion Guinea Pig.

"What were you about to say?" Aki asked, pulling away from him.

Haruto smiled through the pain. This was his fault. He knew that. That fact didn't make it any better, though.

"What does this say?" He asked, anger issues threatening to activate and target himself.

"What do you mean?" Aki asked innocently. "This is an exclusive use agreement with a non-compete clause in it. You will exclusively use my potions from now on, and I will make specifically requested potions exclusively for you. In return you get a place to live and a stipend of ten coins a week."

"There wouldn't happen to be anything in there about being a test subject, would there?" Haruto asked, rubbing his temples.

"Of course." Aki said happily. Haruto jumped out of his seat as she bolted to the back of the room. She jumped over the bed as Haruto slid to a stop on the opposite side. "What did you think it was?"

"A marriage contract!" He shouted, grabbing the pillow from her bed to throw it at her.

Her face went bright red, and the pillow smacked into it. She grabbed it, hugging it in front of her face to hide. She pulled the pillow down to reveal her beautiful eyes, behind a sea of blush. The bathroom door swung open, and the System floated out, dripping water onto the purple rug.

Aki threw the pillow back at Haruto, hitting him in the chest, before running to the bathroom door. "My turn to bathe!"

"Wait!" Haruto just wanted to leave. He had embarrassed himself once again, and he had had enough. "Where am I going to be living?"

Aki stopped, one hand on the door. She looked back at him and smiled. "With me. Duh!"

The bathroom door closed behind her. Haruto stood in silence, mouth agape. His heart filled with excitement.

"Yes!" Haruto jumped up in excitement, throwing the pillow back to its place on the bed. "Haruto wins!"

"Yeah. Keep telling yourself that." The System said.

As he celebrated, all of the energy within him disappeared. He collapsed onto the bed, and his eyes shut. After a 36-hour shift in his new world, Haruto Ishikawa finally got to clock out.