Elsword - Lord Knight

*BEEP BEEP BEEP*

My rest was interrupted by the electronic blaring from a rectangular heap of plastic. I slapped the top of it and looked at the display monitor on it. 7 AM. Looks like it's time to get up. As I got up, I went the page-a-day calendar and ripped off yesterday's date. As I looked at today's date, I noticed that the coloring of the text is in red. Normally, the text uses black ink, so it must be a holiday today. Or it could be Sunday…

"February 14… And it's a Tuesday…"

I mumbled to myself as I examined it. Oh, it must be Singles Awareness Day.

"Maybe I should wear green… But I have school today. Guess I'll do so after school?"

I hobbled over to the bathroom and looked at myself in the mirror.

"Hmm… I have work tonight. No green today I guess…"

I have a part time job. It's nothing special really, just a position behind the counter. The pay is alright, and the shifts are pretty flexible. Helps someone like me who lives alone get by. My work uniform is white and black, so no wearing green.

"Time for breakfast."

Toast, eggs, and some sausages. Pretty typical breakfast for me. I turned on the TV.

"Weather isn't too cold."

The woman on the screen talked about holidays today as bottom of the screen showed an hourly forecast of today. High of 5 degrees Celsius, low of 0. I finished up the last of my breakfast and drank some water.

"Time to get going."

I put on my uniform and my coat. I contemplated on fixing my hair, but I'll just leave it alone today. I grabbed my school bag, and I looked at the picture hung up on my wall. It showed my mom, dad, myself, and my sister. It was taken a few years ago.

"I'm heading out."

I put on my shoes and headed out the door.

"Do you have chocolates for me~?"

"Idiot! Who would give chocolates to you?!"

A male and female pair walked past me as I was heading to school. On February 14, similarly paired people like them are a lot more common when walking outside. It gets to the point where people walking alone are the ones that look out of place, so the day becomes Singles Awareness Day. You're more aware of singular people. I breathed out some air.

"It's still cold enough to see my breath."

I walked to school without anything special happen.

As I opened my shoe locker at school, I heard the various students around me.

"I-is that a love letter?!"

"Wow man! Lucky you! I wonder who wrote it?"

"Damn, this is the best day of my life!"

The contents of my own shoe locker is pretty bare. Just slippers for use in the school's interior. It seems like there are plenty of other males who also get letters addressed to them.

"First period is math…"

I mumbled to myself as I replaced my own shoes with my slippers. As I do so, I hear boxes and small bags being passed around. Seems like the girls are giving chocolates to guys.

"This is just obligation chocolate! I didn't make this by hand for you or anything!"

"Aww thank you!"

"Shut up idiot!"

I walked up the stairs to the third floor of the building. Similar scenes are found throughout the hallway and the stairs.

"Hmm… I need to use the bathroom…."

I went to the men's room and relieved myself. As I was washing my hands, the warning bell rang. Seems like classes will begin in five minutes. After cleaning up, I quickly head to class and sat on my desk. I placed my book bag on the hook at the side of my desk. In the classroom, similar events like in the hallway occurred. They were brought to an abrupt end as the teacher walked into the classroom.

"Alright class settle down. While it is Valentine's Day today, you still have your studies today, so be sure to pay attention in class!"

I took out my textbook from my bag as the teacher began her lecture.

As I was writing down notes on to my book, the lunch bell rang. Just in time, I was getting hungry…

"I better go now before they run out of seats."

I quickly placed my things into my bag and walked to the cafetorium. As I traversed through the hallway, I heard various male and female pairs discuss their lunch plans.

"Hey, do you want to have lunch together?"

"S-sure…"

"Woohoo! That's my boy!"

"S-shut up!"

The talks and laughter persisted as I walked through the hallway.

Cafetorium is surprisingly not as busy as usual. Well, students who bring their own lunch eat in the classrooms after all, but the cafetorium is still generally very busy as many would like to eat with their friends, even if they are in separate classes.

"Looks like I got here early."

I ordered a lunch set from the cafetorium counter and walked over to an empty table. As I sat down to eat, the cafetorium suddenly erupted.

"Hey! It's Rena!"

"Uwaaah… She looks so pretty today!"

"Cute face, big breasts, and a nice ass! Surely she's a gift from god!"

"Not so loud or she'll hear you!"

Rena - Grand Archer

Rena is apparently the school idol. What makes her a school idol? I'm not actually too sure. But from what I hear, she has good grades, a friendly demeanor, and from the what I hear from the guys around me, a voluptuous body. Seems like pretty base criteria to be a school idol doesn't it? I wouldn't know, I don't really have any friends in school, so I don't get to talk to other people about those kinds of things. Rena is in my class, but we never talked much. I guess we are acquaintances? Rena is on friendly terms with everyone in school anyway.

"I heard she has a boyfriend!"

"Ehh? Seriously?! Since when?!"

"Like a week ago!"

"Damn! Whoever that guy is, I will curse him a million times!"

Rena sat with her friends at a table.

"I heard it's Add!"

"What?! He's the kind of guy that if you curse him, it's you who end up getting cursed!"

Add is also quite popular in school. Very athletic, good looks and good grades. I heard that ever since he came to this school, one girl confesses to him per day. How many people do we have in this school? Well I don't keep track of that.

"Phew, I'm full…"

I mumbled to myself as I finished my lunch. As I submitted my utensils for cleaning I walked past Rena's table and I heard her friends and her talking.

"So Rena, are you giving anything to Add?"

"Well Aisha, let's just say I'll be giving him a bit more than chocolate tonight~"

"Uwaah! How daring!"

"Come on now Ara, don't embarrass me!"

Well, none of this concerns me anyway. I wouldn't be snooping into other people's business. Back to class I go.

School ends with Science. The bell that rang signals the end of the school day. Well I still have after school duties.

"Time to clean up."

Me and a few other guys are stuck with cleaning up the classroom equipment. However, they were slow as they were complaining about being stuck with clean up duty.

"Aww man… I'm supposed to have a date today…"

"Well, we can still go you know…"

"Oh yeah! Elsword's also on duty!"

The two guys turned to me.

"Hey Elsword! Can you do my part? I got a date tonight!"

"Huh? What are you talking abo-"

"Thanks!"

As I was about to complain, the two guys had ditched me. I sighed.

"…damn, I guess I'm stuck with all the work."

I cleaned up the chalkboard, beat out the erasers, and emptied out the trash cans before I left the school. As I swapped out my slippers with my shoes, I checked the time on my phone.

"I can still make it to work."

Oh yeah, I never talked about my part time job did I? Well, like I said, it's not particularly special.

"Phew, I'm on time."

Sun had now set and the sky sparkled with stars on the black background. On the ground however, were even brighter neon lights and signs on buildings. There a lot of men walking around of various sketchiness, paired with women wearing clothes that one questions if they were made for covering them. Yeah, this is the red light district. At the building I'm in front of was a sign that displayed the name of the establishment. "MIDNIGHT BLISS". Beneath the name was a small list. "REST: 3000 ED, STAY: 9650 ED". Under the list was a tacked on sign. "Valentine's Day special! 25% off!" If you haven't guessed already, this is a love hotel, where couples pay for a room to have privacy in. I work behind the counter at Midnight Bliss. Seems kind of odd for a high school student like me to work in such a place, but they seem perfectly fine with it.

"Hey there cutie pie! Good little boys like you shouldn't be out here by themselves~"

"Hi miss."

I've seen her before. She works around here. Her name is Karis I believe. With how many men she sees, it's pretty unlikely she remembers me. Considering how she approached me without looking to make a quick buck though, I'm guessing we have a slightly amicable relationship.

"Here for a hot date?"

"Nah, for work."

I pointed at the Midnight Bliss hotel.

"Working at night during Valentine's Day? That's so sad for a man like you. Well, I suppose you don't want to be late for work, so I'll leave you alone now. Toodles!"

I enter the hotel and walked to a door with a keypad on it that was close to the counter. 9821. I opened the door and entered the break room. I put on a white shirt, a black vest, black pants, non-slip shoes, and a white pair of gloves, replacing my school uniform. I go through a different door, and saw a workmate inside.

"Hey, your shift is done. Good work today."

"Thanks Elsword."

I turned to a terminal mounted on the wall and punched in my employee number. My shift had officially begun. I sat down on a small office chair. The desk was simple with a small cash register on the left, and a microphone on the right. Next to the register was a computer, used solely for keeping track of what rooms are in use. The desk had a glass window on it with a small rectangular slot at the bottom where the counter is also slightly depressed. The window is covered by a black curtain on the inside. Because of the kind of establishment Midnight Bliss is, the curtain is there to hide the face of both the customer and the employee. As I got myself comfortable, and as the previous worker left, the sound of a call bell can be heard. I turned to the mic.

"Welcome to Midnight Bliss, will you be here for a rest?"

"Yes please."

"Will you be ordering room service?"

Room service at a love hotel is a bit different. Instead of ordering food and drinks, you order… well, toys. What kind of toys? They're the kind that you don't find children playing with. You can also order costumes as well.

"No."

"How long will you be resting for."

"Three hours."

I pressed a few buttons on the cash register.

"A three-hour rest in a basic room is 3000 ED. We have a special tonight where your stay is discounted. After tax, your total is 2543 ED."

I heard some bills and coins fall on the counter, and then saw that the money is being slid through the curtain and into the hole. I picked it up and counted the money. 2600 ED.

"Your change is 57 ED."

I pushed some buttons on the cash register and the till opens up. I place the money in their appropriate slots and grabbed some change.

"Please confirm your change."

I slid the coins through the hole at the window. I heard the coins being picked up.

"Yeah, all good."

I grabbed a key at the nearby key hooks, and slid it through the hole.

"Your room is B23. It is on the second floor. Have a good rest."

I heard the keys being picked up and some giggles from a girl who I assume to be his partner. I went on the computer nearby to register the room as in-use.

"Might be a long night tonight, with the promotion and all."

Many people think that love hotels are seedy and dirty places. The rooms are actually very well kept. Sheets are changed very frequently and the cleaning staff work very hard. When I was being trained by my manager, I got to look inside the rooms. Each room has unique remote control that can control almost every part of the room. From the lighting, to the thermostat, to the television, and in some rooms, the rotating bed. It was pretty awesome.

I guess the dirtiest and seediest thing about the rooms are the patrons. You can play a prerecorded sound track of a busy subway car on the stereo so when you phone home, the person you're calling will think you're on a train home instead of… well… yeah… Though as someone working here, I'm in no place to judge the patrons.

4 hours and several customers later

"Phew, I kind of want a break…"

The room behind the counter is pretty quiet. The curtain also means that you get privacy so people won't think you're slacking off. As I was about to get my books, I heard a phone ringing. I picked up the receiver and pushed some buttons. Seems like the call is coming from C30.

"Hello, front desk."

"Hi! Umm, our room doesn't seem to have condoms, you think you can bring us one?"

"Sure, I'll be right over."

In most hotels, you often find a mint candy placed on the pillow. In love hotels, you'll find condoms instead. Establishments like Midnight Bliss promote a healthy physical relationship. I grabbed a few condoms and put on some nearby sunglasses. As I walked through the hallways, I could hear some of the other rooms playing a video. What kind of video? It's the ones you find at the very back corner of a video store. I suppose some people into that kind of thing. I walked to C30 and found that the parcel drop slot for it is opened. I tore off a condom, placed it in the slot and closed it.

"Thank you!"

I guess they noticed. What a funny guy. I head back downstairs after I was done. When I got there, I saw a pair waiting for service. I reeled back when I saw one of them. It was Rena.

"…"

Add - Lunatic Psyker

Add had a slightly annoyed look, but Rena had a knowing smile behind him. I've had classmates come here before, but I never had a classmate see my face at work, so I was surprised to see her. I quickly entered the numbers on the keypad and went back to the counter.

"*ahem* Sorry for the delay. Welcome to Midnight Bliss, will you be here for a rest?"

"We have a room booked here earlier."

A man's voice. Must be Add. I never saw him before, but the way he looked makes me feel suspicious.

"Do you have a reservation ticket printed out?"

A folded piece of paper slid in through the hole. I picked it up and unfolded it. It's a ticket from the Midnight Bliss website. I scanned through the paper and found the reservation number. I entered it into the computer.

"Ah yes, the deluxe room."

At Midnight Bliss, if you are looking for a specialized room or an especially high quality one, you'll need to make a reservation. I grabbed a key off the nearby hooks.

"Your room is D10. It's on the fourth floor."

I slid the key through the hole.

"Oh my~ A deluxe room!"

That was Rena's voice. I wonder how the guys at school would feel if they found out that I worked at the love hotel that Rena goes to? They probably wouldn't believe it.

A few minutes later

"Have a nice rest."

Wow, customers are coming in droves. We're going to run out of rooms… Well, it won't be my problem, my shift is done.

"Let's see… is there anything else I need to check?"

The guy who's coming after me already got here, but he had to go to the bathroom.

"Ah, I should check the bowl at the front counter."

At Midnight Bliss, condoms are given out for free at the front desk. It's mostly to serve as a reminder that you should employ safe procedures regardless of where you are with the ones on the bed for if you forget to take one. I walked to the outside to check on the bowl. It's practically untouched.

"Well, I'm surprised by how I'm not surprised."

As I was about to head back to the terminal to end my shift, a girl ran out the elevator.

"*pant pant* Elsword!"

At work, I never expect my name to be called out by a customer or a visitor. Only from a fellow employee. As I turned to the voice that called me, I saw a girl wearing nothing but a towel. The towel was designed with a special material that makes it shrink when it was wet.

"Err… Rena?"

I tried not to look directly at her. Privacy is highly valued at Midnight Bliss.

"You have to hide me!"

"Eh?"

I heard heavy footsteps coming from the hallway. Someone must have run down the stairs.

"Please, help me!"

I instinctively grabbed her hand, and pulled her into the break room, closing the door. I helped sit Rena down at a chair as I grabbed my school uniform top from my locker.

"You know, if this is some kind of play, it's against company policy for employees to participate, so this better be an actual serious matter."

"Umm… well…"

I gave Rena my top to cover her up. She was shaking as she tucked into it.

"I was taking a shower and I was going to… with my boyfriend…"

She's surprisingly open about the whole thing, all things considered.

"When I came out of the bathroom, I saw two other guys with him. He had a video camera. I… didn't feel safe…"

Rena became too embarrassed to continue.

"I'll call the cops…"

While Midnight Bliss is an establishment in a somewhat seedy place, we're trained to report any unconsented conduct to the police.

A few minutes later

The police came in for questioning. They talked to both me and Rena. The manager got involved. I wonder how many nights have I ruined with the police coming in? We both waited a few more minutes before getting Rena's clothes from the deluxe room. How nice of them for not taking them.

"Sorry for the trouble manager."

"You did the right thing Elsword."

My manager gave me a pat on the shoulder. I went to the break room and changed to my school uniform. Something was missing however. I walked back outside and saw Rena waiting for me.

"Thank you Elsword… For helping me."

Rena handed me my school uniform top back, neatly folded.

"Well, I was just doing what was right."

I put my uniform top back on. Now that I think about it, this is the most we've ever talked to each other. My manager came out of the break room.

"Hey Elsword, could you walk her home? Just to be safe."

"Sure."

The two of us exited Midnight Bliss and went to the subway station. On the way there, I couldn't help but get the feeling that we were noticed by some people. We managed to get home without incident.

The next day

Walking to school was the same as usual. There aren't as many couples together like yesterday.

"Hey did you hear? Add got caught up with the police!"

"Ehhh?! No way! What happened?"

As I replaced my shoes with my slippers at the school locker, I heard whispers around me.

"Hey… It's that guy, the one who walked out of that love hotel with Rena!"

"Lucky bastard! I'm gonna curse him a million times!"

I wanted to comment how it wasn't anything like that, but I was too tired. I dragged myself to class. As I walked down the hallway, I heard more whispers.

"I heard Rena walked into the hotel with Add… And then came out with Elsword!"

"They came out holding hands too! I wonder what happened in there?"

Just an FYI, we did not hold hands. I sat down at my desk in the classroom.

"You bastard!"

The shock of someone slamming their hands on my desk made me jump on my seat.

"W-w-what are you talking about?"

"What did you do to our idol?!"

"Huh?"

"You were seen coming out of a love hotel with Rena! Is it blackmail? Bribery? If it's something like that, you will incur my wrath!"

"Hey, it's not like that…"

I can't just tell them that my part time job is at a love hotel. Not only would that raise an issue with the teachers, it'll also make me look worse.

"Umm… Elsword?"

Rena had just entered the room. Whispers were getting louder.

"Rena?"

The guy who was at my desk quickly moved aside to make way for her.

"Umm, thank you for last night."

"EHHHHHHH?!"

The entire classroom was in shock. Primarily the guys.

"It was nothing…"

"But you were such a gentleman! You treated me gently when I was nervous."

"EHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH?!"

This was becoming scandalous, if it wasn't already.

"It's a day late, but I hope you'll accept this."

Rena gave me a bag of chocolate. Looks store bought? I couldn't tell, I never received chocolate from a girl before. Rena leaned in closer to whisper into my ear.

"Could you come to the rooftop after school? I have something to tell you."

"Sure…"

Rena smiled as she walked back to her seat.

"Damn you Elsword!"

Hey there! A Valentine's Day one off special!

There will be a sequel! Next month. On White Day.

Thanks for reading!