The twins were taken aback, looking at each other's faces before turning to me again.
"R... regular?"
"Yeah, isn't he?"
"He is a regular, Onee-san! I want to be a regular too."
"Me... me too!"
They nodded their heads vigorously. Looking at them, they really seem like ordinary kids.
"Kids, and this is Kwon Jiwoon, the deputy guild master of the <Silver Guild>. He's my cousin."
"......!"
"Cousin?"
The twins looked at each other's faces, then at me and Kwon Jiwoon again. Soon, bright smiles bloomed on their round cheeks.
"Hello!"
"Hello!"
Their eyes sparkled. The wary expressions they had earlier were gone, replaced by lively ones.
I invited the twins to join us for lunch, but they said they had something to do and promised to come next time.
However, before they left, Jushinwoo was fidgeting with his fingers for a while. It was obvious he had something to say.
"Why are you doing that?"
"Um... Onee-san, is he okay?"
"Who? Oh, As?"
The last time we met was in front of the dungeon gate, where we were running away from a black slime. It seems he was worried.
"Yeah, he's fine. Come play next time."
"......! Okay."
With a relieved expression, the twins ran off. I watched their backs and thought to myself.
'He's fine, but... he's a bit strange.'
* * *
"Kids, I'm here."
After having lunch and dessert with Kwon Jiwoon, and packaging desserts for As and the animals, more time had passed than I expected.
"Whyyyyy! You're late, human! Why are you so late!"
"Meowww!"
As soon as I opened the door, I was greeted with Meeum's kitty punches and Lime's body slams.
The force of their attacks really hurt.
"Don't be so angry. Look, I brought snacks."
I took out an Earl Grey cake from a famous dessert shop from the box in my hand. I'm glad I chose the largest size with the reward money. Meeum put down her front paws at the sight of the large cake.
"Meeum, you really love snacks, even though you're a cat."
"Whyyyyy?! That's cat discrimination! There's no law that says cats can't eat snacks!"
Well, there isn't...
I suddenly remembered what the saint in the vision had said.
"Your cat will guide you."
Really? Him?
"Hmm..."
"......Gah?! Why are you looking at me with such a suspicious eye all of a sudden! I didn't eat it, Whyyy!"
"Meow! Nyaow!"
"Meeum, I can see the cream on your mouth."
"Kyaa!"
I dodged the heavy kitty punch that came flying at me and then cut the cake into pieces for everyone. But one person was missing.
"But where's As?"
"He's in the next room, sulking, Whyyy!"
"......?"
As Meeum said, I went to the next room and found As sitting with his knees drawn up, watching TV.
The movie on the screen was <The Black Priests>. As the protagonist ran with a black pig, As shed tears.
Oh... is it a sad story...?
Anyway.
I lightly knocked on the already open door and spoke.
"Kim As! I brought cake. Come out and eat it with us."
"......"
"It's really delicious. Come quickly."
"......Okay."
Reluctantly, As got up but avoided eye contact. All I could see was his blushing neck and ears.
"As, are you running a fever?"
When you have a fever, your tear ducts become loose. Maybe that's why he sniffled even though the movie was heading towards a happy ending.
I knelt on the floor and met As's eyes. Then I reached out to feel his forehead.
"Ugh...!"
Just as my fingers lightly brushed As's bangs, he roughly pulled away. Then, with an even redder face, he quickly ran out and sat at the table.
He was always distant when he first came here, but something is different now.
It's hard to describe, but he's changed.
The trigger... was it that day?
After confirming that Kwon Jiwoon was safe, I returned to the shop once.
To take As out of this space.
How anxious must he have been, being alone in there? With nothing but a large coffee tree and sugarcane, it must have been boring too. I needed to meet him and tell him it was okay now.
Kwon Jiwoon was hugging and crying, his eyes swollen. Meeum and Lime, who were sitting on the floor, were surprised to see my face.
Then I immediately entered this space.
As was sitting with his knees drawn up under a tree, just like before.
Seeing his calm expression, I realized it was really over, and I hugged As.
"As, you've waited a long time. It's okay now."
With a thud.
As's small, thin body fit snugly in my arms. He was startled, and his shoulders and back stiffened.
I slowly patted As's back. I could see his shoulders gradually relaxing and his ears turning red.
After he completely relaxed, As slowly spoke.
"Why didn't you ask?"
"Huh? Ask what?"
"You know now. I'm... not human."
The rest of the sentence took a while to come, and he barely whispered, "I'm not human."
When I didn't seem to hear, As opened his mouth again but ended up only breathing out a thin breath.
Yes, as As said, I know he's not an ordinary human.
Looking back, I should have realized it when I found him collapsed in front of the shop.
I thought he was just a sensitive kid...
It's not that I felt sorry for As and decided not to question his identity. I'm not that kind of person.
The system no longer asks me to deal with As.
I don't know the details, but it means that having As with me doesn't threaten me.
As's black eyes tried to look calm, but the anxiety inside was clearly visible.
The guilt I would feel if I questioned and chased away As, who looked so sad.
The uncertain safety I might gain from it.
After weighing As and the uncertain safety, I chose the former.
Besides, he's a genius part-timer...
Running the café without As is unimaginable.
So I held As tighter and said,
"Are you the entity known as Asmodeus, the Incarnate Form?"
"......!"
As's eyes widened. His expression seemed to say, "You know, so why are you asking?"
"Come to think of it, you said that when we first met. I thought you were just talking."
"......"
"Do you not like it here?"
Startled, As slowly shook his head.
"Then it's settled. As is our part-timer, that's all."
"......Okay."
Bringing As out was good, but he's been like this ever since.
He seems distant, shy, and restless...
Maybe it's just a difficult age.
In such times, there's only one thing to do.
I took out the roasted coffee beans.
The incident that plunged the city into chaos is over. Although the threat of the rift and the dungeon still looms, things are peaceful for now.
However, <Café Reul> still has one problem.
[Fresh Milk: Out of Stock
* Currently preparing for restock. We will notify you when it arrives.]
The fact that milk isn't coming in at all.
Even after eating several of my rubies, the dimensional shop still doesn't sell milk.
A café without milk... The menu has drastically decreased.
To make a new menu, I looked through the recipe list I've collected so far and found this one.
Hmm, this is it.
It doesn't require milk, and it seems perfect for now.
First, I picked a lemon, which is the fruit of the purification tree, from this space. After washing it clean, I sliced it thinly.
Next, I made an espresso.
The menu was simple: put the espresso in a coffee cup, add the sliced lemon, and it's done.
I placed one cup in front of As and one in front of me, and the status window appeared.
[Item: Café Romano (★★★★☆)
Status: Good (Time Remaining: 01:00:00)
Effect: Increases enchantment success rate by 200% for one use and prevents item destruction once if the enchantment fails.]
Enchantment is another term for imbuing magic.
It means casting a spell on an item to permanently enhance its effects.
The problem is that items can break if the enchantment fails. It would be frustrating if a high-value item I worked hard to obtain broke due to enchantment.
I thought this menu would be good to give to Grandma Kim Deok next time.
The fresh lemon scent complements the espresso. After taking a sip of coffee, I spoke to As.
"As, do you want sugar?"
"I'm fine. It's good as it is."
Although he said that, As had a complicated expression after taking a sip. Only after eating a large piece of cake with a fork did his satisfaction bar fill up, so it seems he doesn't like bitter coffee.
"As can drink bitter coffee well."
"Of course."
...I decided to pretend I didn't notice.
"Urrrr (Me too! Me too, sweet!)!"
"Meow! Nyaow!"
When I put the cake plates in front of them, Meeum and Lime quickly ate them and started playing, smearing cream on each other's bodies.
Hey, how are you going to clean that up...
Well, with 'Sparkling Floor,' it might not matter.
Leaving the cream-covered duo to their own devices, I also took a bite of the cake.
It's delicious.
* * *
"Still no plans to join the <Silver Guild>?"
It was during lunch with Kwon Jiwoon.
Though it sounded casual, I knew he was serious. So I quietly shook my head.
"No, sorry."
"Alright, I understand."
It was a proposal I had already refused once. It seemed he was just confirming, as Kwon Jiwoon didn't ask again and only took a sip of water.