Chapter 16
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: penny
Chapter: 16
Chapter Title: With Joey!
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Unfortunately, the friends at Paradise Kids Cafe weren't the sharpest tools in the shed.
I offered to make it way more fun and enjoyable, but they just couldn't accept it right away!
So, I had no choice but to lend a little 'hand'.
"Now it's nice and quiet!"
As a result, the staff became a lot cuter and nicer, so isn't that a good thing?
Silence means consent, so they must all agree with me!
"Alright! First things first, the most important one!"
What should I change first to make the kids cafe more fun?
The name, obviously!
"Paradise Kids Cafe? That's way too complicated! How are kids supposed to know what 'paradise' even means!"
Sure, kids come with their parents anyway?
But it's a kids cafe! Kids are the priority!
So, something super simple and straightforward.
Joey!
Joy!
Nothing fits a kids cafe better than that.
In the end, isn't fun the most important thing?
But changing the name like this left one thing lacking. The mascot!
There was already the cute mascot Whitey, but he's a 'guest' now.
So, I need a new mascot.
I can't be the mascot myself since I'm the operator.
After some thought, I came up with a great idea.
"Joey!"
The hint was right in the name.
And by pure coincidence, don't I have a friend with the exact same name?
So, I reached out toward the shadow.
I wouldn't want to scare the young, weak kids back at the Foundation, so I'll leave the form behind and just bring the essence.
I can reshape the form from the shadow as much as I want.
Sssshhh—.
Soon, the shadow writhed, and Joey emerged.
My very cute, kind friend.
The little Pierrot Joey.
-Hi! Hi!
Joey beamed happily at her new body and greeted me.
"Hi! You're the Joey Kids Cafe mascot now! Watch closely and explain the rules!"
-Got it! I'm a good friend!
Joey grinned reassuringly at my request.
I could see the new guests waiting off to the side trembling.
They must be shaking with excitement they can't contain.
Man, they're really hyped up.
Better hurry and get ready to reopen.
"Huuuuh."
I took a deep breath and started growing bigger.
Using this much power outside is tough.
It consumes too much energy and draws too much attention.
But this place is fine.
It's not reality here.
If anything, it's half-between that world and reality.
"Let's see."
Before long, the kids cafe shrank dramatically.
No, the opposite.
I'd grown that much bigger.
The entire cafe looked palm-sized now.
"Mmm."
First up, fix the ball pit.
Sea crocs and sharks are too gross. Realistic is fine, but that gross? Kids hate it.
"I'll change them into cute friends!"
So, I turned the sea crocs and sharks cute. Then added octopuses too.
Just crocs and sharks would be boring.
No need for food either.
There are guests, after all.
"Wipe out the mirror room completely. Combine the lava and the slide!"
The useless mirror room got scrapped clean.
In its place, I put the lava room and installed a super-fast slide on top.
This way, they can enjoy thrills and pain both on the slide and after.
"And the toy room needs more fun stuff!"
Dolls chasing with knives? Too cliché.
So, I swapped them for way more fun and exciting dolls.
The hide-and-seek room didn't need much change.
Just swapped the mascot for Joey's clone.
Rumble rumble rumble!
I grabbed the kids cafe and reshaped it this way and that.
Completely new vibe.
Drawing from my experiences in that world, I created something awesome and fun.
"Done!"
I shrank back down and asked Joey confidently.
"What do you think?"
-Perfect! The best!
Joey immediately gave a thumbs-up.
The guests' trembling intensified. They must be dying to play ASAP.
Good. Can't keep the guests waiting too long.
"Come on in! Finish all the courses, and you'll get cake!"
I beckoned the guests.
They used to be Paradise Kids Cafe staff, but now they're Joey Kids Cafe guests.
This new space I made will definitely help them out.
They'll finally learn what real fun is.
"Man, I was gonna relax and enjoy it myself!"
Where else would you find a guest going this far?
Still, it feels great.
They're all gonna have so much fun!
"Let's take a closer look."
No need to walk over. I remade this place myself.
I can see everything from right here.
Start with the ball pit.
-Come on, friends! No fighting—everyone jump in nicely!
Our friendly Joey smiled and called to the guests.
But the guests kept backing away, yielding to each other to go first!
They all seem super considerate.
Of course—these aren't their original bodies.
To really enjoy it, normal bodies are better!
So, I made dolls that feel every sensation and pain fully.
"Aw, you're all so considerate! Don't worry—Happy Ball Pit is huge!"
Joey read their minds and took action.
She started grabbing the hesitant guests and tossing them in.
-Aaaahhh!
The first one tossed was the friend who'd played 'monkey soldier' in the toy room.
A monkey doll similar to his original form splashed into the center.
The others followed one by one.
Sssshhh—.
A nearby shark caught the scent and zoomed in fast.
Of course, the shark looked totally different now.
Splash!
The shark leaped out of the ball pit—adorable and kawaii, with a pink body and big cute eyes.
Like it jumped straight from a picture book.
That shark pounced on the doll right in front.
Crunch, chomp!
-Aaaack! Aaaah! Aaaack!
The guest screamed happily at the shark's play.
The other guests looked thrilled at the shark's cuteness too.
-Ah, aaaah!
-Save me!
-Aaaaack!
Save me?
The doll bodies might break, but they don't die!
They can feel joy forever until the kids cafe ends!
To show that, I fixed the doll that went into the shark's mouth.
Chomp chomp!
-Aaaaaack!
The guest screamed in joy again.
So heartwarming.
I shifted my gaze to the lava slide next.
-Hngh, hngh!
-No! No!
The guests there were yielding turns just like in the ball pit.
Truly touching.
-Launch!
Still, Joey grabbed them one by one and tossed them down the slide in order.
-Aaaaaaaaah!
The first guest on the slide loved it so much they nearly passed out.
The highlight? The lava at the end, obviously.
The guest who plunged in stayed happy until their body fully melted.
-Oh my paradise!
-How is that possible!
The other guests whispered from above.
They must have gotten jaded from working here so long, but as guests now, it's fresh.
They don't know it, but crafting these new bodies was tricky.
Our guests aren't normal humans, right?
Even the same rides feel less thrilling and painful to them!
So, I cranked up their senses super sensitive and amped the fear emotion way up.
Thanks to that, the guests are feeling true terror for the first time ever!
-Aaaaaah!
-Haaaaah!
-Kgh, kghh!
Happy screams and moans echoed through every corner of the kids cafe.
A whole different league from the lame old Paradise Kids Cafe they made!
A kids cafe for non-human anomalies?
I bet I'm the first to think of that.
I'm just too talented!
"Hm."
But something's missing.
Not enough guests!
It couldn't be helped.
I sent the old guests home and test-ran with staff.
Still, to pack it with more joy, I need new guests.
Maybe scatter a ton of invites?
So everyone can enjoy it?
They'll all love it.
Fill the kids cafe to the brim...
Ding-dong—.
Ding-dong—.
The bell rang.
I blinked.
Suddenly, I was back in the containment room.
I stood, walked to the door, and opened it. There stood Yuna.
"Uh, as thanks for helping me, I brought a gift."
Yuna cautiously showed me something.
"A gift?"
"Yeah. A three-tier cake!"
It was a three-tier cream cake loaded with strawberries!
Looked super tasty and appetizing.
"Yuna, you're the best!"
Well.
Thinking about it, fussing over the kids cafe nonstop seems like a hassle.
The guests are plenty now anyway!
"I'll let you in right away! Just a sec!"
"Okay!"
Yuna's cake was delicious!