The Dragon Princess from the Manga Doesn't Know Love (1)
"What is that?"
"That's..."
As Karmine pointed with her finger and asked, there she was, clapping enthusiastically over something trivial, exclaiming how amazing and wonderful it was.
Karmine, who had come over from a world on the brink of destruction.
While Lilith and Hanjo were holed up in the bedroom for two straight days without coming out, and even Hoaran was so fixated on that she was spacing out, Karmine had come to me asking if I knew anything about a "young blue dragon" she was looking for.
A young blue dragon.
Among the eight dragons in this world, the only young and blue one was me.
So when I told her there was no one else in this world who fit that description, Karmine relayed a message that someone she presumed was her great-grandfather wanted passed on to me.
It was probably my great-grandfather for real.
Asha and Anya...
More precisely, Ashaneo and Anyaseos.
Only my great-grandfather would affectionately use nicknames for those two direct great-grandmothers of mine and tell me to at least get in touch so they wouldn't nag him. No doubt about it.
He'd probably sent word about our well-being roughly 200 years ago anyway.
Forgetting about contacting them in some unknown dimension was one thing, but even thinking about what to write was a hassle. Still, while I didn't mind my great-grandfather, if those two great-grandmothers got upset, it'd lead to even more headaches. So I thanked Karmine for passing on his message.
And the result was this.
With Hoaran looking mentally drained in every sense, and Lilith and Hanjo busy with all sorts of things, I ended up being the one showing this newcomer—who'd only just arrived in this world, and was visiting the city center for the first time—around. That was the reason.
Coincidence? Or fate?
Karmine, who had been led here by my great-grandfather's hand, ended up coming back to me with Hanjo.
I had no idea why someone who should be off enjoying a belated honeymoon with my great-grandmothers, twisting the family tree in knots, had stopped by Karmine's world.
Anyway, now that I knew, if I didn't at least think about what to say when checking in on them, it would be a problem.
"Yustitia, Yustitia. What is that? Everyone coming out from there is holding one in their hand."
Once again, Karmine pointed and asked, so I looked. It was a fairly common café, but known as a slightly odd spot run by harpies.
A place I'd visited myself out of curiosity about how harpies—without arms or hands—roasted coffee beans and brewed them.
Anyway, since what people were holding as they came out was clearly from that café, I answered her question.
"Yeah... that's called coffee. It's the devil's drink that keeps you from sleeping at night..."
"What...? It prevents sleep at night, yet people drink it...?"
"It's fine. Actually, it only really keeps pure humans, goblins, and a few other races awake. For most others, it's just a normal beverage."
If it wasn't magically processed or anything special, regular coffee wouldn't affect someone transcendent like Karmine at all. When I explained that, she finally nodded with an "I see" and looked at the café with interest.
"Hmm, coffee..."
Seeing her pure, curious eyes, I couldn't help but smile.
Learning something new is such a joyful thing.
No one knew that better than I did.
Before meeting Hanjo, the only real pleasure I could feel was that thrill of filling the void with new knowledge.
So, to someone like Karmine—who was already fidgeting with curiosity about the taste—I dropped some tempting info.
"And they mix all sorts of things into coffee, making it super sweet, like your tongue's melting. They load it with werehoneybee honey, then sprinkle fairy-processed sugar on top. It comes out incredibly sweet and sparkly pretty..."
Even for me, it was the kind of sweetness that felt over the top, but as soon as I mentioned it, Karmine gulped hard.
But I didn't stop there.
"And on top of that, they pile on even sweeter, prettier pastries—tons of them. The pinnacle you can only see in a world full of artisans who've baked for centuries... It's called..."
Before I could finish.
"Karura, let's go at once! I must have that coffee right now!"
There she went, eyes sparkling, tail wagging furiously as she dashed toward the café.
"Ph-Pharaoh. We don't have this world's money... Um... Wait..."
Karura, who hadn't even had time to react, sighed deeply as Karmine flung open the café door, shouting that she'd arrived.
"...Our Pharaoh is so sorry..."
I shrugged at Karura, who looked mortified.
"It's fine. I've got money anyway... If she likes it, I could even buy the whole café...?"
"No, even for the Pharaoh, that's... that's not... Probably not..."
She mumbled uncertainly, bowing her head even lower in apology, and I spoke up.
"Anyway... Aren't you curious too? Why not go try some? And... since you're family now, sort of, you don't have to hold back like Karmine."
"But."
So rigid.
She reminded me of the stuffy old retainers my father and grandfather had assigned me—sharp, no-nonsense types.
"......"
Still, comparing her to those fossils was unfair when she glanced at the café, lips pursed, clearly tempted.
"It's okay. I'm just repaying the favor for the message from my great-grand... whatever. Don't hold back—if you want something, just say it. It'd actually be more awkward if you didn't ask."
If someone gave you something, you paid it back properly.
An unasked-for debt was uncomfortable.
Especially when they already felt indebted.
Saying they wanted nothing... just put you in a bind.
In that sense, Hanjo was a great partner.
He always stated his desires outright if he had them.
I liked how he bared his cravings without hesitation when the chance arose.
At my words, Karura bowed gratefully and headed toward Karmine, who was wagging her tail while waiting for whatever she'd ordered.
I stretched, looked up at the sky, and yawned.
"Yawn... So sleepy..."
The sun was blazing.
Times like this, a nap was best.
But even I wasn't so shameless as to break my promise of showing her around as thanks for the message—especially when everyone else was busy—and just flop down for a snooze.
Plus, it was a rare outing, so it wasn't boring.
So, as the coffee came out.
Not the super sweet parfait I'd described, but pitch-black, bitter-looking stuff in a huge mug. I approached Karmine, who was beaming with anticipation.
"Heh, this should be fun to watch...?"
I strolled over lightly, curious what she'd say to the bitter brew that wasn't what she'd expected.
"Yustitia...! You deceived me...! I trusted you, believed in you...!"
This was better than expected.
Right as I reached the café, she'd gulped down the entire mug with eager eyes, face twisting in horror. Then she whipped around to me and wailed.
Her reaction was way more entertaining than I'd hoped—pure delight.
"I didn't deceive you... You just ordered the wrong thing."
I wanted to see more, but kept it to myself and explained. Karmine clutched the empty mug tightly.
"But I clearly ordered coffee! The one at the very top...! The top spot means it's the best, right?!"
She jabbed at the menu. Sure enough, the very first item was coffee.
Just plain, unadulterated coffee.
The base of all coffees—brewed extra strong, no additives.
They used beans famous for their intense bitterness here too...
And somehow she'd gotten it in a mug way bigger than usual, chugged in one go. No wonder she looked like that, expecting the sweet parfait I'd hyped.
That aside.
"That's the bitterest one."
I told her the truth.
"Such...!"
Karmine pouted, tail drooping between her legs. Karura fussed beside her—"Pharaoh, even if you're disappointed, not like that..."—while the harpy manager panicked, wondering if she'd messed up with the customer.
I ordered what I'd had before.
"There, I just ordered the one I mentioned. Try that when it comes out."
"...You won't deceive me again, will you?"
"I never deceived you to begin with..."
I knew she probably wouldn't order right, and I hadn't stopped her mad dash to the café, but I hadn't given wrong info either. It was true—they sold super sweet coffee parfaits here.
Karmine nodded with a hum.
"Very well, I'll trust you once more."
I gave a casual "Thanks a bunch" as she wagged her tail again, pestering the harpy about when the parfait would be ready.
I'd thought she liked sleeping, so maybe like me, but nope—total opposite. Surprising.
Still, we matched on taking sleep seriously, and since we'd see each other more, no point souring things.
Better to get along.
Even so.
I grabbed Karmine's shoulder as she kept bugging the manager every two seconds about if it was done.
"...Shall we sit? It takes a bit to prepare."
I pointed to an empty table. She nodded, and we sat.