"Haaah... Time sure drags on." Slumped over the counter, Marisa let out a weary sigh about the hardships of life.
Suika and Yuugi nodded in agreement, their expressions equally dazed.
Waiting a whole week for the liquor restock was torture!
"Careful, or the boss might hear and pile more work on you." Sakuya warned, still repairing the toys Remilia and Marisa had broken.
Marisa tensed for a second but then glanced around in confusion.
"Where is the boss? Feels like I haven't seen him in a while."
"He took a shovel to the back. No idea what he's doing."
"A shovel?!"
The group froze, a chill running down their spines as their eyes instinctively locked onto Marisa and Remilia.
Was the boss finally at his limit—planning to bury these troublemakers?!
"Don't look at me! I've been super well-behaved lately!"
"Same here!"
The two immediately put on their most innocent expressions, terrified that Rin might actually be digging graves.
Before anyone could interrogate them further, Rin reappeared—covered in mud and carrying several shovels.
"Marisa, Remilia, Suika, Yuugi—any of you free to help me out? Need some extra hands."
"Us too?!"
Suika and Yuugi's eyes widened. They were the most obedient ones here! Were they also on the burial list?!
"It's heavy labor. You guys are either the most energetic or the strongest, so naturally, you're my picks. Help me out, and I'll treat you to drinks and good food tonight."
"Just tell us what to do!" The moment alcohol was mentioned, the two perked up instantly.
"I'm digging a hot spring. Can't do it alone."
"Hot spring?!" The group's eyes lit up, their earlier fears forgotten as they crowded around him.
They were so helping with this!
"Sakuya, mind watching the shop? We'll handle the hot spring." Remilia patted Sakuya's shoulder, eagerly snatching a shovel from Rin.
After all the suffering she'd endured lately, a relaxing soak was exactly what she needed!
Sakuya nodded and settled behind the counter, continuing her repairs while the others grabbed shovels and followed Rin to the site.
With the promise of a hot spring, everyone worked with unprecedented enthusiasm—not a single thought of slacking off crossed their minds.
Especially when they saw the massive space the boss had prepared. Their excitement skyrocketed.
If they worked hard now, they could enjoy it by tonight!
"Boss, how deep are we digging?"
"Hmm... about this deep. A little more is fine too." Rin pulled Remilia over and gestured to her neck.
Remilia's face darkened. Was this bastard mocking her height?!
The others, however, took it seriously and immediately doubled their efforts, shoveling like their lives depended on it.
Marisa, in particular, swung her shovel with ferocious energy, flinging dirt everywhere like an overexcited dog digging a hole.
Even when her arms started aching, she showed no signs of stopping.
But while she was having fun, Patchouli—miles away—was suffering.
A strange, numbing fatigue spread through her arms, causing the magic circles she was drawing to go haywire. Her mana plummeted again.
Thankfully, the potion had massively increased her reserves, so she still had room for error. She sighed in relief.
"Did I hold my arms up for too long? They've gone stiff..." Patchouli muttered, rubbing her sore limbs—but instead of improving, the weakness spread to her waist.
Frowning, she assumed she was just overworked and lay down to rest.
Gradually, the discomfort eased.
Meanwhile, back at the hot spring site
Marisa collapsed onto a dirt pile, panting heavily. Her clothes and face were filthy.
"Are you here to help or make a mess?"
"You're practically a mud ball now." Rin rolled his eyes, summoning a towel from the shop to wipe her face.
Marisa mumbled incoherently, tensing slightly—but when Rin didn't do anything weird, she relaxed.
Just then, Yuugi's confused voice called out—
"Where'd Remilia go?"
"Think you buried her."
"Wait, wouldn't she be screaming if that happened?"
"Remember that rock you accidentally flung earlier? Pretty sure it bonked her."
"..." Yuugi's eye twitched as she frantically dug through the dirt pile.
Soon, a tiny, mud-covered figure emerged, lunging at Yuugi with a screech.
"I'LL FUCKING KILL YOU!!!"
"Uh, my bad! Won't happen again!"
Yuugi laughed awkwardly, dodging Remilia's wild swipes.
Suika sighed and kept digging diligently. She still wanted to enjoy drinks in the hot spring tonight.
"Quit messing around and get back to work!"
Her shout snapped the two troublemakers back to reality, and they grudgingly returned to shoveling.
Marisa, now somewhat rested, rejoined the effort—soon becoming as muddy as Remilia.
But the more active she was, the worse Patchouli suffered. The magician writhed on her bed, clutching her aching waist.
"This... isn't right... Why is it like this...?" Patchouli finally sensed something was off. Her limbs felt like she'd run a marathon.
'Was it the potion's side effect? When the boss mentioned something feeling wrong, was this what he meant?'
Her mana had skyrocketed, but the trade-off was extreme fatigue?
Before she could figure it out, a sharp pain shot through her ankle—so intense she nearly blacked out.
Marisa, meanwhile, let out a bloodcurdling scream as she collapsed, clutching her own twisted ankle.
Watching her flail, Remilia shuddered. That looked painful...
"Stop moving. Take off your shoes and socks—I'll apply some medicine." As Marisa continues to flails around, Rin walks toward her as the medicine appears in his hand.
As the hand with the medicine begins to touch her, Marisa suddenly blushes and tries to sway Rin's hands off.
"Y-You—don't touch anything weird!"
"Pfft. As if I'd be interested in your muddy legs."
"Then why's your hand moving up?!"
"Just checking for other injuries."