Chapter 10:
Chapter 10 : Chrysanthemum
Re:Sen no Remon
“No!”
The piercing scream shattered the early morning quiet, just as the first pale pink rays of dawn began to slip through the green curtains.
Soft golden sunlight fell across the pure white hair of the young man, illuminating the still-stunned face of Rin.
His eyes were wide open, golden pupils shrunk to tiny points, sweat drenching every inch of him, chest heaving with ragged breaths. One glance was enough to tell anyone he’d just woken from a nightmare far from pleasant.
Rin hurriedly pressed a hand to his chest. The dull ache was still there, but at least it wouldn’t leave any lasting damage—worst case, just a dark scar. He let out a small, relieved breath.
Then he looked around, down at himself—still wearing the familiar hospital gown, still surrounded by that sharp antiseptic smell. No mistaking it: he was in a hospital.
“If this keeps up, I’ll end up being a regular here,” he thought wryly, glancing at his hand wrapped thick in bandages.
“Mmm… bad dream?”
The voice made him turn. Beside him was a girl still heavy with sleep, rubbing her eyes. Jet-black hair, large round deep-blue eyes—probably the most striking feature on her face.
Annie stretched lazily, blinked a few times, then looked over at Rin.
“How long have you been awake?”
“Over a day. You’ve been out cold for three.”
“Three days… Has the money come through yet?”
“How would I know? I haven’t touched my phone since yesterday.”
“I swear, if they try to stiff us, I’ll make sure their entire social media feed lights up tonight.”
With that, he sank back against the pillows, letting his head rest. Suddenly Igor’s words floated back into his mind—hateful, leech-like, clinging even in his dreams.
Then he thought of his mother. The way she looked coming home from work, her face, her smile—the one that had shielded him through all his childhood years.
“Mum… how were you always so strong?”
The question drifted through the tangle of memories in his mind. He wondered why she could still smile after facing the world all day, why she could find happiness in the smallest things, why she could always see beauty in life.
“Was it life that killed me inside… or was I just never able to see it in the first place?” He didn’t know. Sometimes, just to survive in a society that discarded people like him—lazy, aimless—he’d had to shut off every emotion and function like a machine.
At times, even Rin himself felt his existence was utterly pointless. Faded. He didn’t know why he was still alive. To sell his soul to capitalism? To play the saint and meddle in everyone else’s business? Or simply because there were still things—people?—that needed him?
“No idea.”
“Failure.”
“Failure.”
“Failure!”
“FAILURE!!”
“FAILUUUURE!!!”
The word had followed him since high school, through adulthood, and even into this new life it still haunted him—until Rin himself had come to believe he really was a “Failure.”
He owned nothing. No ambition, no dreams, no family, no real friends. He wanted to break free, to shed that label, but he didn’t even know where to start. How do you peel off old skin when you don’t know what lies underneath?
“Hey, Kamiyama-san… Anyway… thank you.”
Annie’s voice pulled him out of the spiralling thoughts. He turned to look at her—straight into those blue eyes that reflected his own face back at him.
“Hm?”
“I mean… you saved me in the Dungeon.”
“Oh… yeah. Just doing what had to be done.”
At her words, a faint blush crept up his cheeks, growing by the second. He still wasn’t used to being thanked for doing something good—especially not by a girl.
“By the way, what were you dreaming about? You looked terrified.”
“And yesterday your face was all twisted up—frowning the whole time, groaning and mumbling. Maybe even since the day before.”
The gentle question stopped him cold. His eyes flicked away uncomfortably for a moment, then returned to meet that miniature sky in her gaze.
“Uh… I dreamt I was being chased by a dog.”
“Huh? Really?”
“Do I look like someone who needs to lie?” He shot her a confident sideways glance, flashing a toothy grin that showed his canines.
Annie ignored the cocky pose. She stared straight into his eyes—the eyes of the guy lying in the next bed. Then she burst out laughing.
“You’re actually scared of dogs?”
She laughed again. Right then a breath of early-spring wind slipped through the window, brushing gently across her face.
“Chamomile…”
The word slipped out before he could stop it. Rin himself had no idea why he’d said it.
“You’re saying I look like chamomile?”
“If anything, I’d say orchid. Orchids are prettier than chamomile, don’t you think?”
“No—I’m saying, did you even hear what I just said?”
“Yeah, yeah, I heard you say ‘chamomile’ loud and clear.”
“Tch. Whatever.”
He muttered, leaning back against the pillow and tilting his head toward the window. His mind drifted back to money. Right now all Rin wanted was for that “organisation I love” to pay up for the mission—or at least have the decency to front him next month’s rent. He’d settle the debt with them later.
*Click*
The hospital room door, closed since earlier, opened with a soft sound.
In walked a Zario—from B.O.N.E.S’s service division.
She looked barely over thirty, golden-blonde hair tied high in a neat bun, fringe falling to cover one eye. Deep teal eyes, long pointed elf ears—textbook fantasy appearance.
Black suit jacket, black trousers, black high heels, grey tie, briefcase in hand. A name tag pinned to her chest: “Bella Havertz”. At first glance, just another office worker. The real giveaway was the special bracelet on her wrist—far more than just jewellery.
She walked to Annie’s bedside, gave a small bow, and handed over two phones—one Annie’s, one Rin’s. When she spoke, her voice was flat, mechanical, as though she’d rehearsed the lines hundreds of times.
“We sincerely apologise for incorrectly assessing the danger level of this mission.”
“As compensation, we have decided to increase the total reward by 30%, provide both of you with additional items, and offer some gifts. We will also promote your ranks: Annie from Rank F to Rank D, and Rin from Rank F to Rank F+.”
“Huh!? That’s so unfair! I clearly did most of the work taking that thing down!”
“We anticipated you might feel that way, Rin. However—due to your extensive history of violations: over 40 mission abandonments at Rank F, 70 instances of credit borrowing from our department, 25 mission failures, and numerous other infractions—we have already shown considerable leniency by clearing your debts and granting the rank-up.”
Each sentence drained a little more colour from Rin’s face until he finally fell silent. But in the end, he managed a crooked smile, because…
“Oh, and one more thing—we’ve transferred this to both of you.”
*Ting!*
“An additional 585,000¥ has been deposited into your account.”
The robotic notification from the phone rang out, and Rin’s eyes suddenly blazed with life.
“Gifts of apology will be delivered shortly. I’ll take my leave.”
She turned and walked out, closing the door softly behind her.
“Annie—transfer the rent to the landlord right now. Whatever’s left, we split it fifty-fifty!” Rin couldn’t hold back; he practically shouted. If he weren’t injured he’d have already snatched her phone. In the end, though, she let herself be persuaded.
The piercing scream shattered the early morning quiet, just as the first pale pink rays of dawn began to slip through the green curtains.
Soft golden sunlight fell across the pure white hair of the young man, illuminating the still-stunned face of Rin.
His eyes were wide open, golden pupils shrunk to tiny points, sweat drenching every inch of him, chest heaving with ragged breaths. One glance was enough to tell anyone he’d just woken from a nightmare far from pleasant.
Rin hurriedly pressed a hand to his chest. The dull ache was still there, but at least it wouldn’t leave any lasting damage—worst case, just a dark scar. He let out a small, relieved breath.
Then he looked around, down at himself—still wearing the familiar hospital gown, still surrounded by that sharp antiseptic smell. No mistaking it: he was in a hospital.
“If this keeps up, I’ll end up being a regular here,” he thought wryly, glancing at his hand wrapped thick in bandages.
“Mmm… bad dream?”
The voice made him turn. Beside him was a girl still heavy with sleep, rubbing her eyes. Jet-black hair, large round deep-blue eyes—probably the most striking feature on her face.
Annie stretched lazily, blinked a few times, then looked over at Rin.
“How long have you been awake?”
“Over a day. You’ve been out cold for three.”
“Three days… Has the money come through yet?”
“How would I know? I haven’t touched my phone since yesterday.”
“I swear, if they try to stiff us, I’ll make sure their entire social media feed lights up tonight.”
With that, he sank back against the pillows, letting his head rest. Suddenly Igor’s words floated back into his mind—hateful, leech-like, clinging even in his dreams.
Then he thought of his mother. The way she looked coming home from work, her face, her smile—the one that had shielded him through all his childhood years.
“Mum… how were you always so strong?”
The question drifted through the tangle of memories in his mind. He wondered why she could still smile after facing the world all day, why she could find happiness in the smallest things, why she could always see beauty in life.
“Was it life that killed me inside… or was I just never able to see it in the first place?” He didn’t know. Sometimes, just to survive in a society that discarded people like him—lazy, aimless—he’d had to shut off every emotion and function like a machine.
At times, even Rin himself felt his existence was utterly pointless. Faded. He didn’t know why he was still alive. To sell his soul to capitalism? To play the saint and meddle in everyone else’s business? Or simply because there were still things—people?—that needed him?
“No idea.”
“Failure.”
“Failure.”
“Failure!”
“FAILURE!!”
“FAILUUUURE!!!”
The word had followed him since high school, through adulthood, and even into this new life it still haunted him—until Rin himself had come to believe he really was a “Failure.”
He owned nothing. No ambition, no dreams, no family, no real friends. He wanted to break free, to shed that label, but he didn’t even know where to start. How do you peel off old skin when you don’t know what lies underneath?
“Hey, Kamiyama-san… Anyway… thank you.”
Annie’s voice pulled him out of the spiralling thoughts. He turned to look at her—straight into those blue eyes that reflected his own face back at him.
“Hm?”
“I mean… you saved me in the Dungeon.”
“Oh… yeah. Just doing what had to be done.”
At her words, a faint blush crept up his cheeks, growing by the second. He still wasn’t used to being thanked for doing something good—especially not by a girl.
“By the way, what were you dreaming about? You looked terrified.”
“And yesterday your face was all twisted up—frowning the whole time, groaning and mumbling. Maybe even since the day before.”
The gentle question stopped him cold. His eyes flicked away uncomfortably for a moment, then returned to meet that miniature sky in her gaze.
“Uh… I dreamt I was being chased by a dog.”
“Huh? Really?”
“Do I look like someone who needs to lie?” He shot her a confident sideways glance, flashing a toothy grin that showed his canines.
Annie ignored the cocky pose. She stared straight into his eyes—the eyes of the guy lying in the next bed. Then she burst out laughing.
“You’re actually scared of dogs?”
She laughed again. Right then a breath of early-spring wind slipped through the window, brushing gently across her face.
“Chamomile…”
The word slipped out before he could stop it. Rin himself had no idea why he’d said it.
“You’re saying I look like chamomile?”
“If anything, I’d say orchid. Orchids are prettier than chamomile, don’t you think?”
“No—I’m saying, did you even hear what I just said?”
“Yeah, yeah, I heard you say ‘chamomile’ loud and clear.”
“Tch. Whatever.”
He muttered, leaning back against the pillow and tilting his head toward the window. His mind drifted back to money. Right now all Rin wanted was for that “organisation I love” to pay up for the mission—or at least have the decency to front him next month’s rent. He’d settle the debt with them later.
*Click*
The hospital room door, closed since earlier, opened with a soft sound.
In walked a Zario—from B.O.N.E.S’s service division.
She looked barely over thirty, golden-blonde hair tied high in a neat bun, fringe falling to cover one eye. Deep teal eyes, long pointed elf ears—textbook fantasy appearance.
Black suit jacket, black trousers, black high heels, grey tie, briefcase in hand. A name tag pinned to her chest: “Bella Havertz”. At first glance, just another office worker. The real giveaway was the special bracelet on her wrist—far more than just jewellery.
She walked to Annie’s bedside, gave a small bow, and handed over two phones—one Annie’s, one Rin’s. When she spoke, her voice was flat, mechanical, as though she’d rehearsed the lines hundreds of times.
“We sincerely apologise for incorrectly assessing the danger level of this mission.”
“As compensation, we have decided to increase the total reward by 30%, provide both of you with additional items, and offer some gifts. We will also promote your ranks: Annie from Rank F to Rank D, and Rin from Rank F to Rank F+.”
“Huh!? That’s so unfair! I clearly did most of the work taking that thing down!”
“We anticipated you might feel that way, Rin. However—due to your extensive history of violations: over 40 mission abandonments at Rank F, 70 instances of credit borrowing from our department, 25 mission failures, and numerous other infractions—we have already shown considerable leniency by clearing your debts and granting the rank-up.”
Each sentence drained a little more colour from Rin’s face until he finally fell silent. But in the end, he managed a crooked smile, because…
“Oh, and one more thing—we’ve transferred this to both of you.”
*Ting!*
“An additional 585,000¥ has been deposited into your account.”
The robotic notification from the phone rang out, and Rin’s eyes suddenly blazed with life.
“Gifts of apology will be delivered shortly. I’ll take my leave.”
She turned and walked out, closing the door softly behind her.
“Annie—transfer the rent to the landlord right now. Whatever’s left, we split it fifty-fifty!” Rin couldn’t hold back; he practically shouted. If he weren’t injured he’d have already snatched her phone. In the end, though, she let herself be persuaded.
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