I decided to honestly tell Choi I-chan about my regression and the future that was set to unfold.
Returning from the future to the past. I was worried that he might not believe such an absurd story, but Choi I-chan's life was the most important thing.
However.
"I-chan, I have something to tell you."
"Huh? What is it?"
"It's... soon, β‘β‘ will... β‘β‘..."
Huh.
I was clearly going to say 'Suwon,' but my voice wouldn't come out.
"β‘β‘ will have β‘β‘β‘β‘ β‘β‘..."
Again.
I tried a few more times, but it was the same. I couldn't even utter the words 'Suwon,' 'dungeon,' or 'mutation,' and trying to hint at them was also futile. Whenever I tried to mention anything about the future, I was blocked.
Moreover, the red error window appeared as it used to.
[System Error:β. β.β]
[System Error:β. β.β]
"Meow (It's the intervention of causality)."
Miyumi, looking at my flustered expression, spoke to me.
'Huh? What does that mean?'
"Meow, meow, meow (The system prevents facts from before the regression from interfering with the present. It's a memory that doesn't exist and an event that hasn't happened yet)."
'But you told me before, didn't you?'
"Meow (I'm not part of the time axis)."
'How can that be!'
In other words, it was impossible to directly tell Choi I-chan about the future.
The system could even block my mouth, which was both frightening and unpleasant.
"Kwon, what's wrong?"
After a long silence, Choi I-chan called out to me, worried.
"Uh, yeah, it's just that..."
I looked up at Choi I-chan.
His body, wrapped in a blue tracksuit, looked very solid. I could feel the well-defined muscles that only come from proper exercise.
Could awakening change someone so much? I didn't look any different even after awakening.
It had been about two years since I last saw Choi I-chan, and including the time I regressed, it was actually about five years. He felt incredibly unfamiliar.
"You've... changed a lot."
"Huh? Me? Oh! My face is a bit tanned, right?"
No, not that...
But his simple, bright personality, his tendency to worry about others, and his inability to ignore those in need hadn't changed at all.
If things continue like this, the same thing will happen again...
No, no. It's too early to give up. Even if I can't tell him directly, I have to find a way to change the future.
Yeah, maybe a hint will come up while talking to Choi I-chan. I tried to shake off my disappointment.
"Meow (Is this human your friend)?!"
Miyumi, lying on her belly on the floor, cried out when she saw Choi I-chan's long shadow.
"Meow (Unlike you, he seems diligent)."
Instead of answering, I pointed to a black stain on the floor and muttered.
"There's some ink here."
"Meow..."
Surprised, Miyumi rolled her eyes.
Without saying a word, she quietly moved to a corner and raised her front paws. She must be showing some remorse. Yeah, you should feel a bit guilty.
Cleaning the shop, which was covered in Miyumi's paw prints, was really tiring. No matter how much I scrubbed with a mop, it seemed endless.
I thought about using the cleaning skill I had forgotten about.
[Sparkling Floor (E)
Details: (Lv.1) Can quickly clean the bathroom.]
This 'Sparkling Floor' only worked in the bathroom. I had to clean the shop floor and walls myself.
Hmm, if I level up the skill, will it work in other places besides the bathroom?
I'll check that later...
Just then, Choi I-chan, who had been looking around the shop, came back.
"Wow, you even have a cat. It's cute."
Choi I-chan gently tickled Miyumi's chin. Miyumi glanced at me, then slowly lowered her front paws and rested her chin on Choi I-chan's palm, purring.
I felt a bit sorry for her.
By the way, where did Lime go? She usually sticks close to Miyumi.
"Meow (She went to another space)... "
Oh? Is something wrong? I'll show off Lime later.
I walked to the espresso machine and said,
"Sit down. I'll make you a drink."
"Wow."
Choi I-chan looked at me with eager eyes.
I hadn't made the basic five menu items the system had ordered yet. But today, I decided to make a different menu.
Since I hadn't seen Choi I-chan in a while, I wanted to make a drink that suited his taste more than completing a quest.
To put it simply, he liked sweet things. He had even poured mixed coffee over ice cream before.
Today's menu is similar but a bit different. I decided to make it sweeter than a regular affogato.
I took out two glasses, filled them with ice, and used my skill. I extracted a shot of espresso and poured it over the ice. After the espresso cooled, I added milk and vanilla syrup to the glass.
The last thing to add is this. I opened the refrigerator next to me and took out the vanilla ice cream I had bought from the supermarket yesterday. It was two flavors of vanilla ice cream wrapped in paper. It was a bit expensive, but I'm glad I bought it.
I put two yellow-flavored ice creams in Choi I-chan's glass and two blue-flavored ones in mine.
With the vanilla latte and vanilla ice cream, it will be very sweet. I sprinkled some chocolate powder on top of the ice cream for decoration, and it was done.
I handed the glass to Choi I-chan.
"Here, it's ready. Try it."
"Wow, it looks delicious. I'll enjoy it."
I also picked up my glass.
I scooped a spoonful of ice cream and then mixed it with the coffee. The fragrant vanilla aroma and rich sweetness blended well in my mouth.
After savoring it slowly, I looked at Choi I-chan. He was just tasting the coffee.
"Is it good?"
"..."
"Choi I-chan?"
"..."
No answer.
Instead, a long bar appeared above Choi I-chan's head, and a golden gauge started to fill up.
Soon, the gauge filled to the top, and a fireworks-like effect appeared.
Hmm, it must be delicious.
I took another sip of the drink.
The smoothness of the milk and the rich flavor of the espresso wrapped around the sweet vanilla ice cream. The sweetness seemed to wash away the fatigue in my body.
But since I didn't follow the recipe from the 'Cafe in My Hands' skill, there were no additional effects.
The status window didn't appear when I checked the drink...
Hmm. A familiar 'ding' sound rang out.
[Congratulations! You have developed a new recipe.
You can register this drink in your own recipe. Please enter a name.
Name:Β Β Β Β Β Β Β Β ]
I didn't know the system had this feature.
After thinking for a moment, I entered 'Ice Cream Coffee.' A new status window appeared.
[Item: Ice Cream Coffee (β β βββ)
Status: Good (Remaining Time: 00:30:00)
Effect: Your body feels cold.]
Wow, you can register a menu like this.
I finished my glass and asked Choi I-chan, who was still silent.
"I-chan, how is it?"
"..."
He was focused on drinking and didn't answer. Instead, the golden gauge started to spark again, and a notification appeared.
[The target really likes your coffee.
You have formed a deep bond through coffee.]
Hmm, hmm.
I don't know what it means, but it must be delicious.
Is there some kind of reward? An achievement? Or a quest completion?
But no new notification appeared no matter how long I waited.
Hmm, is this it? It felt like something good was about to happen!
Shouldn't it say, 'Since you formed a deep bond through coffee, please claim your reward'? I expected at least a golden ticket based on the usual pattern.
Did they just tease me? Was it just a compliment for how delicious it was?
This game is getting stingier with rewards...
I thought of a game that was generous to beginners but drastically reduced rewards once the player's level increased and started paying. It eventually failed.
I grumbled to the system in my head, warning it that it would fail if it kept holding back on rewards.
"Swallow, swallow, swallow... Ah!"
At that moment, Choi I-chan finished the ice cream in his glass and gulped down the remaining coffee.
He looked into the bottom of the glass, disappointed that there was nothing left.
I handed him a tissue. Choi I-chan wiped the cream from the corner of his mouth roughly and looked at me. His eyes were full of joy.
"This is really delicious!"
His voice was filled with pure happiness.
"I'm glad. Haha, thank you."
"Uh, the taste... it's like... whoosh, and then it's... mmm."
What does that mean...
But his sincerity was clear. I could feel it from his expression and eyes, even without looking at the gauge above his head.
"I've never had anything like this before. It's really delicious!"
I felt very happy at Choi I-chan's enthusiastic reaction.
All the coffee I had made so far had been well-received. Even the first mixed coffee I made had a special taste.
But this was a menu I had thought of to suit Choi I-chan's taste. Seeing someone close to me enjoy it gave me a unique sense of pride.
I took out the ice cream from the refrigerator and asked,
"Would you like another one?"
"Uh, sure!"
Crack.
It was the moment Choi I-chan put down the empty glass on the table.
Even though it wasn't a rough movement, the thick glass shattered with a loud crack.