Yesterday, after handing me the pendant, Grandma returned to the hospital.
Ki Yuhun also said he had something to do and was going to leave.
"Something to do? Now?"
"Yes, I have something that needs to be dealt with urgently."
The look in his eyes was sharp, without a trace of a smile. It seemed that 'dealing with it' wasn't something like going to the post office or transferring money at the bank.
But both of us had been up all night. Wasn't he tired? People need to sleep on time.
Out of concern, I suggested to him,
"Would you like to have a cup of coffee at the shop before you go?"
"I really would like to, but I'll come another time."
Hmm, then there's nothing I can do.
After parting ways with Ki Yuhun, I returned to the shop, and it was already close to noon.
Despite being up all night, I wasn't tired thanks to the high-quality potion Ki Yuhun gave me. The joy of finally obtaining the Dark Ether item made my steps even lighter.
"I'm back."
First, I fed Miim and Lime, and then I called Choi E-chan to hand over the pendant.
"Did you guard the house well?"
But there was no response from Miim and Lime inside.
...Could it be!
I checked the floor first.
However, the floor was clean. Fortunately, they hadn't made a mess with footprints like last time.
Then where are they?
"Miim? Lime? What's wrong, are you still sleeping?"
Ah, there they are.
"Meow."
Miim appeared from the corner.
But instead of coming closer, she waved her front paws strangely from a distance.
"Huh? What's that?"
"Meow..."
I couldn't hear her.
"What's the matter? Miim, come here and tell me."
The response came from a different direction.
"You came quickly."
"Ah, ah!"
I was startled by the sudden, cold voice.
The figure who had been sitting in the chair stood up. As he did, Lime, who had been on his lap, tumbled to the floor.
The voice belonged to Kwon Ji-won.
I was taken aback. I thought a burglar had broken in. Why is Kwon Ji-won here at this time?
"Meow (Where have you been? That guy came this morning!)"
Miim flailed her front paws at me, clearly upset.
According to Miim, Kwon Ji-won had suddenly come this morning and had been waiting for me ever since, without a word, just sitting there.
For Miim, who wanted to play, this was a very concerning situation.
"Meow (Leaving us with that guy is irresponsible!)"
"I had my reasons."
While gently stroking Miim's chin, I asked Kwon Ji-won,
"What's the sudden visit? Aren't you busy?"
No matter how I thought about it, there was no reason for Kwon Ji-won to suddenly come see me.
He must be busy with guild affairs, so why did he wait for me for hours?
"......"
"......"
I flinched. His eyes wavered. Kwon Ji-won's expression was stern as he remained silent for a moment, only moving his lips.
I waited patiently for him to speak. After a long time, he said something unexpected.
"I just came to return this."
Thud.
Kwon Ji-won placed a stainless steel thermos on the table.
Ah, I remember. I had given him an Americano in the thermos last time. I had completely forgotten about it.
But... did he really have to bring it back in person? We weren't that close, like cousins or anything.
"Couldn't you have had someone else bring it?"
"Meow..."
Was it just my imagination, or did Lime's incomprehensible meowing sound like a reprimand?
"Or you could just leave it here."
"Meow..."
This time, Miim gave me a look.
What, why, what? Why is she looking at me like I'm clueless? Did I say something strange?
"Meow (No, it's fine)..."
Being treated like this by a cat made me feel strange.
Since he had come all this way, I couldn't just tell him to leave right away. Besides, I felt pressured by the silent gazes of Miim and Lime, so I offered him coffee.
"Well, since you're here, would you like a cup of coffee?"
I said it more out of politeness than anything else.
I expected Kwon Ji-won to refuse, as he hadn't seemed to enjoy the coffee I had given him in the thermos before.
"Sure, let's do that."
"Eh... Aren't you busy with guild affairs?"
"Not always."
Hmm, if that's the case.
Since he agreed, I decided to make the quest menu items, Vanilla Latte and Caramel Macchiato.
I took out the vanilla powder and caramel syrup I had bought from the dimensional shop.
The method for making a Vanilla Latte was similar to a Cafe Latte. First, I put vanilla powder in the cup, then poured espresso to dissolve it well. Next, I added steamed milk with a smooth foam.
[Item: Vanilla Latte (โ โ โ โโ)
Condition: Good (Time Remaining: 00:30:00)
Effect: When using a skill, there is a 100% chance of a critical hit.]
The Caramel Macchiato wasn't difficult either, but the order of adding ingredients was different.
First, I put caramel syrup in the cup, then added steamed milk. Next, I poured espresso, which left a brown dot pattern on the surface of the drink.
Finally, I sprinkled caramel drizzle in a honeycomb pattern to complete it.
[Item: Caramel Macchiato (โ โ โ โโ)
Condition: Good (Time Remaining: 00:30:00)
Effect: Randomly removes one status ailment.]
Both cups had quite good effects.
I kept the Vanilla Latte for myself and gave Kwon Ji-won the Caramel Macchiato.
"......"
"......"
Swallow.
The moment he took a sip of my coffee.
This moment always makes me nervous.
Especially with Kwon Ji-won. Maybe it's because he feels distant even though we're cousins.
After drinking the Caramel Macchiato, Kwon Ji-won was silent for a long time. He only gently caressed the cup with his fingertips. His expression remained cold and unreadable, making it impossible to guess what he was thinking.
"......Strangely."
"Eh, what, what is?"
I tensed up at the low voice.
"Whenever I drink coffee from you, my body seems to feel better. The potion addiction seems to have worn off."
"Ahaha, it must be a coincidence."
I laughed involuntarily, pleased that the coffee I made had the desired effect.
A bar of light slowly rose above my head. Although the notification 'Formed a deep bond through coffee' didn't appear, I still felt proud.
"......Kwon Ji-won."
"Eh, eh."
"About the suggestion to move the cafe to the first floor of our guild."
...Swallow.
"Let's forget about it."
"The cafe isn't moving... Wait, really?"
"Since you followed Grandma's advice, this is only natural."
The small murmur sounded bitter. Was it just my imagination?
"Good luck."
With those words, Kwon Ji-won finished his Caramel Macchiato and left.
Did I... receive recognition?
Like in cooking manga, where after drinking a cup of coffee, someone is moved to say, 'You can do well here too!'?
I was still in shock when a system notification appeared.
[Congratulations! You have completed the 'Main Quest: The Barista's Path (2)'.
Please claim your reward.]
[Main Quest: The Barista's Path (2)
You are now a proud barista.
Complete the basic 5 cafe menu items (Cafe Latte, Cappuccino, Cafe Mocha, Vanilla Latte, Caramel Macchiato) and add them to your menu.
Basic 5 cafe menu items completed: 5/5]
Reward: Experience (200exp), Random Recipe, ???]
The reward, other than experience and a recipe, was marked as '???'. I hoped it would be something good.
With a pounding heart, I chose to claim the reward.
[Experience: 200exp obtained.]
[Level up to 6.]
[New recipe for 5 Ice Menu items obtained.]
Thud!
A heavy sound echoed on the floor.
[The reward is too large to be received in the inventory.]
[The reward will be automatically generated outside the inventory.]
"Eh..."
This made me expect something.
While not everything large is good, how big could it be to not fit in the inventory?
Furniture?
Why not? Cafe management games always have interior decoration elements. It would be nice to place a piece of furniture in that empty spot.
With a pounding heart, I checked the reward...
And it was this sign.
"......Worm?"
"Meow (It's a worm)..."
"Meow..."
Miim and Lime's meowing sounded mournful.
The sign had a wavy line drawn on it. If you put a positive spin on it, you could call it an avant-garde design.
I don't want to believe it, but... could the cafe name <Cafe Riul> be represented by the shape of 'ใน'?
......
......
Hmm, maybe I'll just store it in the warehouse. There's no rule that I have to hang it on the wall.
As I was about to drag the sign to the warehouse, another system notification appeared.
[Special effects are applied when the sign is installed.]
[Item: <Cafe Riul> Sign (โ โ โโโ)]
Type: Sign
The sign for <Cafe Riul>. The name of the cafe is completed in a simple yet luxurious, familiar yet unique, classic yet modern touch.
Note: When installed, it has the effect of attracting customers' attention. More customers will notice the cafe.]
......
A choice between performance and appearance.
Everyone has faced the dilemma of choosing between an ugly but functional item and a beautiful but useless one.
The effect of attracting customers was tempting, but I didn't want to hang such a sign on the wall.
"When in doubt, there's only one solution."
"Meow?"
"What is it!"
"Postpone it."
I immediately shoved the sign into a corner. I planned to leave it there for a while.
Then I checked the remaining system notification.
[Achievement: 'Avoided the Second Death Crisis' obtained. Please claim your reward.]
This notification appeared when Grandma Kim's workshop caught fire.
The second crisis, after the first one... how many more are there? Why do I have to face death crises just for running a cafe?
Putting aside the eerie feeling,
The reward was 'Random Skill Point 1', meaning one of my skills would be randomly leveled up.
The word 'random' doesn't bring back good memories. Before claiming the reward, I checked my skill list. I had gained new skills, so I had a total of six skills.
My Cafe (C)
Details: (Lv.1) Increases the completion rate of drinks made inside the shop.
Shiny Floor (E)
Details: (Lv.1) Allows for quick bathroom cleaning.
Smile (C)
Details: (Lv.1) Makes you feel good when you smile.
Barista's Extraction (D)
Details: (Lv.2) Extracts desired substances from mixed materials.
Barista's Eye (D)
Details: (Lv.1) Allows you to discover ingredients.
A Cup of Coffee's Bond (B)
Details: (Lv.1) Allows you to copy the skill of someone who drinks the ultimate coffee.
Hmm, one of these will be randomly leveled up.
As long as it's not 'Smile' or 'Shiny Floor', it would be useful to level up any of the other four skills.
Four out of six. The probability is about 66%, which is quite high.
'Claim Reward.'
Was it a mistake to have such high expectations?
The result, which appeared with a ding, was far from what I expected.