Chapter 4
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 4
Chapter Title: Intruder in Daily Life (3)
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That day, I had a bad feeling from the morning. In the last moments before dawn, when the purple sky began to tint faintly red from the east.
I finished roasting today's coffee, tidied up the seats inside the shop, unlocked the front door, and flipped the sign so the OPEN side faced outward.
Right at that moment, I locked eyes with a group of adventurers passing by—and unfortunately, one of them was a guy I'd beaten down before. Trouble nearly started.
"Hey, hey, hey! What the hell is this bastard! Why's he grabbing a sword barehanded!"
"That's hand combat! Sword energy coming from his hands! Why's this crazy restaurant owner a master!"
"That's why I said we should run!"
Actually, it wasn't just nearly—it did start. Of course, I didn't lay a direct hand on the five idiots. It had been a while since I'd drawn out my aura from my body, leaving me feeling stiff all over, but I was grateful no bloodshed occurred.
And right after opening. Finally craving the novelty of an ice Americano, Leimi made her first order.
The glass cup I'd polished until it squeaked—finally time to use it, I thought as I carefully retrieved the cherished vessel. But the instant I poured cold water in, it cracked.
Repair magic existed, of course, but I had no intention of patching something meant for people's lips. So I wrapped it in cloth and tossed it.
It was a cup I treasured.
And the final straw. Dras brought over a French press extractor without even ordering it, but the seal must have been faulty—hot water caused it to split, and coffee streamed down my clothes.
Dras apologized, and I wasn't offended, but with these bizarre misfortunes piling up one after another, my unease grew.
Superstition or not, days like this always bring something bad.
Even the day my former fiancée caused a massive scandal, a bed leg snapped from the morning. Maybe because this world's built on fiction, the foreshadowing is laid out flawlessly every time.
"Sigh. I hope that's the end of it."
"You believe in superstitions? That's surprising."
"It's like a jinx or something. I've got plenty of experience with bad luck piling up."
Seeing the glass shards in the trash made the back of my neck prickle. As I scratched it lightly, Leimi Big Sister spoke up with a pouty expression.
"Feels like it's my fault for no reason."
"No, my luck's been off since dawn. And those weird thugs got tangled up in it again."
"...Who did it?"
"No idea. Never bothered checking their identities."
Mina Big Sister raised an eyebrow and asked in a slightly angry tone, but truthfully, I never looked into adventurers' backgrounds.
To put it more bluntly, I didn't venture far from my shop in Labyrinth City all that often. No desire to wander and bump into familiar faces.
The mood had dipped a bit because of me, making things awkward, so I served Mina Big Sister a salad piled high with fresh fruits.
"That looks tasty."
"Mine."
"Not stealing it."
The three gathered here were all top talents in their fields and knew each other. When it came to how close they were, though, the answers varied.
We chatted idly for a bit until lunchtime rolled around, so I started prepping meals for four, including myself.
Today's menu: with an elf like Mina Big Sister here, sandwiches using bean meat for real... specifically, hamburger style.
I asked the other two if they wanted any, and curiosity about the bean meat won them over.
First, I sliced the onions into thin rings. On medium-low heat, as they started to color, I added a splash of balsamic vinegar and some sugar.
I stirred slowly until the onions' juices reduced, caramelizing them intensely so they wouldn't leak any liquid even in a burger.
For the patties, I chopped up some pre-made bean meat, mixed in a bit of oil, and shaped four round patties. Once they held form, I lightly pressed the centers to keep them from puffing up.
"Ah, rain's starting."
"I hate rain. Gonna hole up here."
"Same here. And coffee on rainy days hits different."
"Old Man knows what's up."
Now I laid the patties in the pre-heated pan and started grilling. Bean meat or not, the texture was close enough—no real issues.
Vegan concept, so plant-based oil instead of butter.
As they grilled nicely, a hunger-inducing aroma began to waft. I transferred the finished patties to a tray beside me, then added more oil to the pan with the meat remnants and toasted the buns golden.
For sauces: homemade ketchup from blended tomatoes, button mushrooms, and walnuts, finished with sugar, salt, and vinegar. The other was ground mustard seeds mixed with vinegar, seasoned with salt, turmeric, cloves, and pepper.
I spread both inside the buns, stacked on the veggies, tossed in a few strands of the cooked onions, topped with the bun, and done.
To keep it from falling apart, I skewered it with a long wooden needle.
"...Not quite meat in flavor, but fascinating that it doesn't clash with elven vegetarianism."
"Hmm. It's got everything. Not 'too delicious' level, but."
"Salvation for elves. Marry me."
Leimi Big Sister smacked the back of Mina Big Sister's head as she proposed idiotically again.
"You still pulling that?"
"Cuz there's no one like the Cafe Manager."
"Well, I agree he's a fine young man."
While the two women chatted, I turned to Dras, who'd already wolfed down his share.
"Objectively, it'd sell well if targeted just at elves."
"To do business with elves, you'd have to go to the Great Forest with the World Tree."
"That's just a polite way of saying no commercial viability."
Is that so. Well, making bean meat is inefficient to begin with, and all you get is elves' minor happiness.
Better not think about selling and just offer it to Mina Big Sister.
"Anyway, rain's pouring now. Weather's always crap near the desert, but today's a bit much."
"Yeah. Feels like someone cast weather magic."
"Rare to even think that. Can you do it?"
"Yes. Not fully, but a little."
"Then why's this guy running a cafe?"
I chuckled in lieu of an answer and gazed at the downpour outside—so heavy visibility was near zero. Thoughts drifted.
In visually stunning stories, weather mirrors the protagonist's emotions.
Rain for melancholy, thunder and wind for anger, clear blue skies for joy.
When I left, the autumn sky stretched endlessly high, without a single cloud.
Lost in my own musings for just a moment. The door bell tinkled as someone entered.
Drenched from braving the storm? The cloaked customer stood frozen inside, unmoving.
I grabbed a towel quick and prepped the magic dryer.
"Customer, could I take your wet robe?"
"...."
Once she shed the robe, she was a pink-haired girl in the neighboring kingdom's Royal Academy uniform. Instinct screamed this was the source of today's rotten foreshadowing. I hid my agitation, tossed the robe into the dryer, handed her three towels with instructions to dry off well, and backed off.
"How long a trip from the Royal Academy here, Manager?"
"Walking one way? Up to thirty days."
"She's awfully put-together for that."
"What's the point in prying into circumstances? Customer's a customer—serve 'em."
I brushed off Dras's pointless remark and approached her.
Not for anything else—just to check if she was up for a meal now and what she needed.
"Need anything?"
"...Something to drink, please."
"Any preferred drink?"
"Just... anything."
This one said "anything," huh.
My inner coffee maniac threw a fit demanding an espresso shot, but I ignored it and whipped up fruit juice.
Haha, vacuum blender. Dwarven tech really is the world's best.
Strawberries and bananas in, strawberry-banana drink served. One sip, and her expression softened a touch.
Strawberry banana, strawberry chocolate, banana chocolate. Miracle combos that never fail.
"Take your time. I'll give you the receipt for the bill later."
"Ah, yes. Um, that's not all."
"Yes."
"A little... hungry."
...My share of the vegan burger was doomed.
I just gave her the one I'd made for myself. Fortunately, the warming magic on the plate kept it piping hot, not cooled at all.
"...It's an all-plant-based elven burger. Sorry, it's the only thing ready to serve right now."
"No, that's fine. Thank you."
Her hair still not fully dry, wet pink strands hanging limp, she took a cautious bite of the burger.
Tears burst forth moments later.
The four of us fell silent.
We exchanged glances, all sharing the same thought.
Don't get involved.