SSS-Grade Cafe in Front of The Dungeon

“Is that so? You look very close with them.”

“Huh? Ah, yes. They’re regulars at my cafe.”

The twins stared at each other in surprise before they looked at me again.

“Re … am I a reguler?”

“Yeah, are you not?”

“I am a regular, Eonni! I will become a regular.”

“Me … me too!”

They nodded their heads eagerly. If you look at them in this way, they are really ordinary kids.

“Kids, and this is Kwon Jiwoon, the deputy guild leader of the White Silver Guild. He’s my cousin.”

“……!”

“Are you cousins?”

The twins stared at each other again, then they looked at Kwon Jiwoon. Then, a bright smile appeared on their round cheeks.

“Hello!”

“Hello!”

Their eyes are sparkling. The signs of being strangely wary suddenly disappeared and the lively expression returned to their faces.

I also offered lunch to the twins, but they promised to join me next time because they had something to do.

However, before leaving, Joo Shinwoo was wriggling his fingers for a long time. It’s obvious that he has something to say.

“What’s wrong?”

“Hey … noona, is he okay?”

“He? Ah, you mean Ash?”

The last time they met was when we ran away from the black mucus mass in front of the Dungeon Gate. I guess that’s why he was worried about him.

“Yeah, he’s fine. Come and see him next time.”

“……! Yes.”

Swiftly, the twins ran away with a relieved expression. I looked at their backs and thought.

‘He’s fine, but … he’s kind of weird.’

***

“Guys, I’m home.”

After having lunch with Kwon Jiwoon, and packing desserts for Ash and the animals, more time passed than I expected.

“Waeeoong! You’re here now, human! Why are you so late?”

“Kkyuuuuuu!”

As soon as I opened the door and walked in, I was greeted by Mieum’s meow punch and Lime’s body bump.

It hurts quite a bit when they hit me with all their might.

“Don’t be so angry. Look, I bought some snacks.”

I took out the Earl Grey cake, made by a famous dessert shop, from the box I had in my hand. Since I received an award today, I’m glad I chose the biggest size. Mieum put her paws down when she saw the big cake.

“Mieum, you are a cat, but you really like snacks.”

“Waeooogh?! Cat discrimination! Is there a law that says cats shouldn’t eat snacks!”

Well, there isn’t, but…….

I suddenly remembered what the saintess had said in my vision.

“Your cat will guide you.”

Really? This one?

“Hmm….”

“….woogyaag?! Why are you suddenly looking at me with such suspicious eyes! It wasn’t me, it was this guy who ate it, meoow!”

“Kkyu! Kkyuuu!”

“Mieum, I can see the cream around your mouth.”

“Mrrrrrrrrrrawr.”

After avoiding the heavy meow punch that quickly flew in, I sliced the cake according to the number of people. However, one person is missing.

“By the way, where is Ash?”

“He’s stuck in there alone, meow!”

“……?”

As Mieum said, I found Ash when I went to the next room. He was sitting with his knees up and watching TV.

The movie on the screen is The Priests. As the main character ran with the black pig, Ash shed tears.

Huh … was that a sad story…?

Anyway.

I tapped lightly on the already opened door and started talking.

“Kim Ash! I bought a cake. Come out and let’s eat together.”

“…….”

“It’s a very delicious cake. Come quickly.”

“….Eung.”

Reluctantly, Ash got up, but he didn’t make eye contact with me. All I could see was Ash’s red neck and earlobes.

“Ash, do you have a fever?”

When the fever rises, the tear glands become loose. Maybe that’s why he sniffled as the movie was running toward a happy ending.

I sat with my knees on the floor and made eye contact with Ash. Then, I reached out and tried to measure the heat on his forehead.

“Euh….!”

As soon as my fingers tried to sweep his bangs lightly, Ash violently removed my hand. Then, with an even hotter face, he rushed out and sat down in front of the table.

When he first came here, he had an unfriendly attitude, but something seems different this time.

It’s hard to say exactly what it is, but it’s different.

The reason … is it because of that day?

After confirming that Kwon Jiwoon was safe, I returned to the store once. The purpose was to get Ash out of the space.

How anxious he must be to be alone in that place. It must be boring because there is nothing else but a big coffee tree and sugarcanes. I’ll meet him quickly and tell him everything is okay now.

My eyes were swollen from all the crying that I did while hugging Kwon Jiwoon tightly. Mieum and Lime, who were sitting on the floor, were surprised to see my face. I went straight into the space.

Ash was sitting under the tree trunk, hugging his knees. The dull expression on his face made me realize that it was really over now, so I hugged Ash.

“Ash, you’ve waited for a long time. It’s okay now.”

Rush. Ash’s small, skinny body came into my arms. He was startled, his shoulders and back stiffened.

I slowly patted Ash’s back. Little by little, I could see his shoulders relaxed and his earlobes were burning.

It was only after he was completely drained that Ash slowly opened his mouth.

“Why aren’t you asking?”

“Huh? What?”

“Now you know. I….”

The latter words did not continue for a long time. Then, he added in a barely audible voice, “I’m not human“.

When he thought I didn’t hear it, Ash opened his lips again, and eventually let out only a thin breath.

Yes, as Ash said, I know that Ash’s identity is not an ordinary human being.

Now that I think about it, I should have noticed it when he was lying down in front of this store. I just thought he was a kid in his sensitive age with a situation.….

However, it didn’t mean that I didn’t want to investigate Ash’s identity just because I felt sorry for him. I wasn’t someone with such a nice personality.

The system no longer tells me to deal with Ash.

I don’t know what that means, but keeping Ash doesn’t pose a threat to me.

The black eyes tried to look calm, but the anxiety inside them was clearly visible.

The guilty conscience that I would feel if I interrogate and drive out Ash, who makes such a sad expression. The uncertain safety that might be gained from doing that. I weighed Ash and the uncertain safety, and I chose the former.

Besides, he’s a genius part-timer….

Just imagining running the cafe by myself without Ash makes my eyes turn dark.

I continued speaking, hugging Ash tighter.

“Are you the being called the incarnation of Asmodeus?”

“……!”

His eyes shook greatly. He looked as if he was saying, ‘Why are you doing this when you know it?’.

“Come to think of it, you said it when we first met. I thought you were just babbling.”

“…….”

“You don’t like being here?”

Flinch. Ash, who was surprised, slowly shook his head.

“Okay then. Ash is the part-timer at my house, huh.”

“……Yes.”

It was good to bring him out like that, but he has been acting in that way since then.

I think his behavior lately is a bit of a mess; he seems to be shy, and somehow he seems to be restless….

I wonder if it’s because he’s in a difficult age.

That’s what this is all about.

I took out the roasted coffee beans. The event that threw the city into chaos is over. The danger of rifts and dungeons is still lurking, but for now it is peaceful.

However, there was still one problem in Cafe Rieul.

[Fresh Milk: Out of Stock

※ We are currently preparing for stock. We’ll send you a notification when it’s in stock.]

It is true that there is no sign of milk coming in. The Dimensional Shop didn’t sell milk even though they ate a few of my rubies.

A cafe without milk … unintentionally, the menu has decreased significantly.

Instead, I found this menu while looking through the list of recipes I’ve gotten so far in the hopes of making a new menu.

Well, this is it. There was no milk in the ingredients, and it seemed perfect to drink in this current situation.

I first picked the fruit of the Purifying Tree, the lemon, from the space. Then, I washed the lemon thoroughly and sliced it finely.

Next, brew the espresso. It was a simple menu that was completed by adding espresso to a coffee cup with sliced lemon.

As I put one more cup down in front of me, a status window appeared.

[Item: Cafe Romano (★★★★☆)

Status: Good (Time Remaining: 01:00:00)

Effect: Increases enchantment success rate by 200% for 1 time, and prevents item damage in case of enchantment failure.]

Enchantment is another word for granting magic. It refers to applying magic to an item to increase its efficacy semi-permanently.

The problem is that sometimes the item will broke when the enchantment fails. If an expensive item that you’ve worked hard to get is damaged due to the enchantment, you will get an anger disorder.

I thought it would be good to give this menu to Grandma Kim Deokyi next time.

The fresh lemon scent blends well with the flavor of the espresso. After taking a sip of coffee, I spoke to Ash.

“Ash, do you want some sugar?”

“It’s okay. It is delicious as it is.”

Even though he said so, Ash, who took a sip of coffee, had a complicated look. Seeing that the satisfaction bar fills up only after he ate a big piece of cake with a fork, bitter coffee doesn’t seem to suit his taste.

“Ash is good at drinking bitter coffee.”

“Of course.”

……I decided to pretend I didn’t know.

“Unyaaaah (Me too! I’m different too)!”

“Kkyuu! Kkyuu!”

As soon as the cake plate was placed in front of them, Mieum and Lime quickly ate it up and started playing with cream on each other’s bodies.

Hey, how do you guys clean that up…….

Well, it doesn’t matter because there is ‘The Floor is Shiny‘.

Leaving the two creamy lumps alone, I also took a bite of the cake.

It’s delicious.

***

“Are you sure you don’t want to join the White Silver Guild?”

It was when I had lunch with Kwon Jiwoon. He said in a casual tone, but I knew he asked seriously. I quietly shook my head.

“Yeah, I’m sorry.”

“Okay, I understand.”

It was an offer that I had already rejected once. As if it was just a confirmation, Kwon Jiwoon did not ask again and only wet his throat with water.

[Next]

Translator’s Corner:

The Priests is a real Korean movie. I haven’t watched it though, the genre (supernatural, mystery, thriller) isn’t exactly my cup of taste, so I can’t explain to you why Ash cried while watching that lol