"Tyr's Café and Sweets?"
A young woman in her late teens read the words carefully from her spot outside. The lady possessed long brown hair with amber-colored eyes and wore a school uniform consisting of a caramel-colored sleeveless sweater that covered her long white polo shirt. At the left chest part of the sweater presented the pentagon logo of the academy that she attended, a blue eagle wielding a sword in one hand and fire magic in the other. She's also dressed in a black skirt, knee-length black socks, and woman's dress shoes of the same color.
May Selestine eyed the sign clumsily from below as she could only wonder when this establishment was set up in the first place.
It was a new shop, that she was certain. When she came around here last week, the building was still for sale with a lack of furniture from the transparent glass window that she can see from outside. Now, there are tables and chairs set up orderly, an indication that this place is going to be a café or diner if no one bothered to even read the sign in the first place.
Normally, she was not particularly interested in such a place, but the growling of her stomach said so otherwise.
The new shop might turn out to be a blessing from the Gods themselves and if nothing else, then it's convenient timing that she ended up in this part of the city when she decided that a walk around would calm her nerves after losing a magic spar in class… again.
'I really do suck at other types of magic.' May sighed sadly when she recalled the events that happened in her spar. 'The only thing that I had going is my Healing magic.'
And another thing that frustrated her is that her opponent even went so far as to belittle her for her lack of combat skills and magic aside from healing.
May tried her best to learn other types of magic but no matter what effort she put into it, it was always in vain. Not even a spark of magic resonated from all the ordeal that she has gone through.
'Maybe I should just drop out from the academy and work at the local clinic instead, like how a Healer should be.' May contemplated as she bit her lip in frustration. 'Healing is just what I'm good at after all. Why did I even bother taking the Wizard course?'
With her wit's end, she decided that maybe she should just go home. The depressing thoughts lingering inside made her lose her appetite.
Besides, it was only three in the afternoon, so skipping snack time should be fine for her and her wallet.
"Hello!!"
As May was about to turn her back and go home, a cheerful voice of a child interrupted her.
Looking at the owner of the voice, it indeed matched the tone as it was a cute young girl who called her.
The girl in question exhibited an aura of sunshine and marvel, very much in contrast to the gloominess that engulfed May.
And once more, May could only wallow in self-pity at how a kid demonstrated more confidence than a teenager like her.
The female child possessed long white hair that reached her shoulders and is styled in loose twin tails hanging down. She is dressed in a long-sleeved sailor one-piece dress with a blue-white color scheme. A light blue ribbon is tied neatly on the collar. Her footwear consisted of a pair of white-blue shoes and short blue socks.
"Uhm… hi?" To her credit, May immediately recovered temporarily from her grief so she won't at least drive the child away because of how pessimistic she is. She is not that heartless. "May I help you?"
The girl tilted her head adorably and answered, "You look pretty sad, big sis. What's wrong?"
"It's nothing kid. No need to concern yourself with the problems of this useless big sis, haha." May replied gently with a forced chuckle, a bit touched by the concern that the girl expressed for her. It appeared that her reaction had been so obvious that even a child of a very young age of around six or maybe seven took notice.
"Hmm." The white-haired girl stroked her chin in contemplation as her blue radiant eyes bore straight into the teenage lady. Her eyes then widened and her smile returned, brimming with even more intensity. "Oh, oh… I know!! Whenever I'm feeling sad, papa would always make me cake to cheer me up. You should try one too!!"
"Huh?" Before May even realized it, her hand was dragged by the girl and she was led to the café that she was eyeing earlier.
Both of them ended up at the light brown front door of the café. The exterior of the establishment is simple in design, with wooden panels leading into glass windows that make up most of it.
And speaking of the door, a closed sign was indicated right at it. May was about to protest regarding the potential crime of trespassing but the girl was having none of that and continued dragging her.
'W-wow, she's quite strong for a kid.' May was baffled at how the child managed to pull her despite their age and size difference.
As they entered the café, the sound of the bell tinkled above them. The inside of the café looked clean and open. Round tables are the norm around. At the end of the interior resided the glass counter to display the sweets and cakes, but unfortunately, it was empty this time around.
Speaking of the glass counter, there are two men behind. One is checking the contents of a cardboard box while the other is supervising him with a paper and pen on hand.
"49, 50. That's all for the cups, Tyr."
The one who was counting is a stern and handsome man who seemed to be in his middle ages with ebony-colored eyes. He has long straight black hair and is dressed in a white polo shirt with a black bow tie. He also wore a pair of white gloves, black slacks, and black dress shoes. Laying on the counter is the man's long black suit, which he set aside temporarily so he can perform manual labor with more ease.
May's impression of the man is that he looked to be a butler of a sort from the whole set of attire that he was wearing. In addition, the man's hair was also well-maintained and trimmed rather neatly, evidence of how great he looked after for it.
'Wow, does this guy regularly go to a spa or something?' May thought with a sweat drop. 'I swear that he would be the subject of envy from many of the girls from school.'
Her thoughts were interrupted when the next man spoke.
"Good work, Al. Let's take a break for now."
The other man thanked Al with an appreciative grin. If May heard correctly from their conversation, then his name was Tyr. Unlike Al, Tyr was younger-looking but also handsome in a ragged fashion. He too had black hair but styled short instead and was slightly messy. The young man's eyes were blue, very much similar in shade to the little girl beside May. He wore a tucked-in black polo shirt whose sleeves were neatly folded. Black jeans with a leather brown belt and a pair of black-red shoes made up his lower apparel. Around his neck resided a silver necklace donning the symbol of a cross.
"Papa!!, Uncle Al!!" The girl merrily called out the two men. "Look who I got here, our first customer!!"
The child's energetic voice instantly caught the attention of the two adults. The pair ceased their work and turned their attention at the child.
"A customer?" Al set his gaze at the newcomer in confusion for a moment. Then he shifted his attention back at Tyr. "Didn't the sign said that we are close?"
"It did." Tyr sighed and looked at the child, his daughter sternly. "Lucia, dear, what's this all about? We are not opening until tomorrow morning, you know. The place is not exactly customer-friendly yet. There's still some work to be done before we can start serving people."
"I know, papa." The girl Lucia nodded and she took a glance at May while still retaining the precious smile on her face. "But I saw this big sis looking really sad while staring at our cafe. Then I thought of how your cake would always cheer me up whenever I'm feeling lonely."
She then unleashed her secret weapon, the bane of every adult that would break even the toughest of resolves.
And that weapon is-
"Please papa, Uncle Al." Lucia brought out the forbidden puppy eyes. "Let big sis eat one of your delicious cakes so she can be happy. Seeing her sad also makes me sad."
"Uhm, it's no big deal, really." May lifted her hands sheepishly at the girl who was doing this all for her sake. She was touched by the gesture, but there's no need to go so far for someone meek like her. "I, I can leave if you guys want. I don't want to trouble you any further."
"No, you stay, big sis. You are not leaving without a smile on your pretty face!!" Lucia asserted her dominance, earning an "Eep!!" from the older girl.
Huh, who would have thought that a child could possess such a dominating aura?
As Lucia's eyes resumed peering straight at the two men's very souls, both of them flinched and their wills indeed faltered with each passing second.
In the end, both men gave in… like they always do.
None are exempted from the almighty wrath of the puppy eyes.
Even when said two men are of former sinister backgrounds that can't exactly be disclosed to the whole public or public outrage will be inevitable.
"Well… we do need an outsider's opinion on the taste of your cakes, Master Tyr before our grand opening tomorrow. Preparation is the key to an inevitable victory after all." Al took the excuse to reason with Tyr, not wanting to display how he was utterly defeated by the puppy eyes of the little lady. His pride and ego simply won't allow it. "And such a grand opportunity has presented itself no less."
"Err, yes, you are right." Tyr smiled sheepishly in response, feeling the same way. "And perfect timing. Since it's our break, I'll whip up some snacks and coffee for us to eat."
"Then?!" Lucia immediately withdrew her puppy eyes and smiled brighter as a result of the two men's positive implication about the matter.
"Yep, we have a guest to accommodate, it seems." Tyrian nodded in agreement.
He then faced May, this time, an accommodating smile present on his face.
"We apologize for our unwelcoming behavior earlier." Tyrian bow his head. "We are still preparing our café, and we just want to make sure that everything is in order before we start our business."
"It's alright, sir. No need to apologize. I was the one imposing though." May smiled at the kind gesture. "Oh, where are my manners. My name is May, May Selestine. I'm a college freshman at Lendett University."
"The name's Tyr Bells, proud owner of this humble establishment." The man introduced his name. He also did the same to his companion and daughter, with the latter being first.
"This pipsqueak who invited you right here-"
He patted the child's head playfully, earning a sweet giggle from her.
"-is my precious daughter, Lucia Bells."
"Hello, big sis May!! Nice to meet you." Lucia greeted the teenage girl.
"The man with the ridiculous girly long hair is my colleague and family friend, Alexander Royce or just Al for short."
A tick mark appeared on Al's head at his hair being mentioned.
"You do realize that long hair does not pertain to the limits of the gender roles that hu… people have been used to."
Only Tyr noticed how Al promptly corrected himself, but the rest thought that "hu" is actually the word, "you", so no special attention was paid to the mistake.
"Not unless at the way you take so much time with that waste of space that you refer to as hair. Seriously, who spends around an hour in the bath just for that? Borderline psychopathic obsession if you ask me. Not to mention, the different hair products making up a significant portion of our budget." Tyr retorted playfully, inducing an embarrassed blush from Al. "I swear to the Gods, many people constantly mistook you to be my wife, especially with your back turn. And one time, when we cleared up that misunderstanding, they instead thought that we are a gay couple."
"Oh, fuck you. It was coincidentally Lover's Day on that particular day with many couples walking around the streets. It also did not help our case with Lucia accompanying us, them thinking that she was our child." Al instantly countered, earning a laugh from Tyr.
"Swear!!! You said the F-word!!" Lucia pointed at Al accusingly and quickly left the scene. A few seconds later, she returned with a small jar on hand that was filled with paper bills.
"You know it was a slip of tongue, little lady. Cut me some slack, why don't you?" Al tried to reason with her, but his pleas fell to deaf ears.
"No exceptions!! You know the rules, Uncle Al. If you said a bad word, you have to pay up." Lucia denied and presented the jar closer to him.
"Yes, Uncle Al." Tyr joined in with a grin. "The swear jar was initially made as a countermeasure against that vulgar tongue of yours, especially within Lucia's hearing range. Eventually, the whole guild decided that the rule applied to everyone since they often spouted needless insults against each other. Besides, the people back at the village found it rather cute and thus, decided to play along as well."
"Tsk, you are going to be the end of my wallet one day, little lady." Seeing that the father and daughter duo teamed up against him, Al had no choice but to comply as he brought out a one Hero Dollar bill and put it inside the jar.
"A pleasure doing business with you as always, dear customer. Thank you for your support and continuous patronage at Lucia's Anti-swearing Incorporated or L.A.I. for short. Making the world a better place and free of swear." Tyr was not done and added salt to Al's injury, playing along with the shenanigans.
"I hate you both." Al deadpanned, a motion indicating that he was done with the family pair's antics.
"Love you too, Uncle Al!!" Lucia grinned.
As May witnessed the whole scene before her very eyes, a smile involuntarily appeared on her face and it eventually turned to a soft chuckle at how entertaining their interaction is.
"Big sis, you are finally smiling!!" Lucia beamed as she quickly took notice. "And you are going to be even happier when you have a taste of papa's yummy cake."
May acknowledge the girl's joyful response with a nod as she was directed by the café owners to the table where she will be eating.
"Well, I'm glad that your spirits are finally lifted," Tyr said with relief. "Heh, it seems that our little comedic skit worked."
"Really? Using me as a scapegoat to entertain the masses? Wow, just… wow." Al was unamused but not necessarily angered. Their bizarreness is nothing new to him.
"Yep. You are the comedic relief while I'm the awesome protagonist with a daughter." Tyr laughed with Lucia joining in.
May's eyes slightly widened when she heard the Tyr's true intention. Who would have thought that he instigated a playful mockery on purpose just to cheer her up, a stranger no less?
She can't help but blush happily at the kind gesture and she unconsciously pressed her fingers like a shy delicate maiden.
'N-no, he is a married man!! Away impure thoughts, away!!!' May regained her composure by shaking her head.
Aside from her latest mind fantasy and maybe or maybe not, a new crush, perhaps spending time here at the new café together was all she needed to alleviate the stress from school.
Not to mention, the owners of the café are undeniably good people.
Alexander Royce, the family friend.
Lucia Bells, the cheerful and adorable daughter.
Tyr Bells, the carefree and kind father.
She looked forward to getting to know them more in the near future.
And this time, her appetite finally came back, excited to the taste of the cake.
What she does not know, however, is that these three individuals are more than what meets the eye, a dark past that allowed them to shape themselves to a better person for a bright happy future.
Only time will tell if completely knowing them would change her opinion.
However, May failed to notice the playful yet somehow sly look coming from Lucia who was now at Tyr's side, with the little girl's motive unknown to everyone but to her.