Inside the kitchen, Isaac solemnly cleaned the dishes that were on the sink, scrubbing them thoroughly to ensure cleanliness.
"Hummm... Hummm..."
He was silently humming to himself as he maintained a faint smile on his face. He was vibing.
After a while, he finished washing the dishes and dried his hands. He then opened his system interface out of habit. He looked at the quest window.
'Four more days...' Isaac mumbled as he saw his current main quest ongoing. '...do I have to do four detective plays with Furina during that time?'
Sighing, he shook his head. 'Well, no matter. At the very least, I'm enjoying her gimmicks.'
'For a week-long quest, I wonder what reward it will give?' Isaac pondered. He then smiled wryly, 'Since this system follows my form of serenity, it would certainly be something of use to me... I can't wait.'
Finishing his thoughts, Isaac went over to the fridge and took out a container. He then started making iced tea for him and Nahida.
---
Leaving the kitchen, Isaac walked over to the table where Nahida was and smiled. He then placed a glass cup in front of her and filled it with iced apple tea. "Here, it's great for beating the sun."
'Albeit this café is air-conditioned...' Isaac lampooned as he maintained his smile.
"Thank you," Nahida held the glass cup and looked at Isaac with a bright smile. "Though, I never actually have felt the sunlight in person..."
"...oh right." Remembering this, Isaac mentally face-palmed. He then mumbled to himself in regret. 'Gah, how could I have overlooked such a fact... Tch...'
As if sensing his inner mumblings, Nahida looked up with an apologetic look. "Oh, you don't need to blame yourself! It's fine, I—"
"No, no, it's alright," Isaac stopped her midway with a faint smile as he shook his head. His deep amber eyes then reflected her face. "I... I was being inconsiderate... It's not your fault. Really."
"Still..." Nahida looked at Isaac with worried eyes. Her emerald-green eyes kept observing his expressions. In the end, she softly sighed. "Alright... If you say so."
"That's more like it," Isaac chuckled. He then poured himself a cup of iced tea and cradled it. "Well then, cheers."
He then lowered his hand, ergo letting Nahida reach his glass.
"O-Oh yes!" Nahida nodded hesitantly before holding her glass cup with both her hands and raising it to touch Isaac's cup. "Cheers!"
Clink*
Isaac smiled faintly as he retracted his cup and took a drink. The cold sensation of the iced tea flowed down his throat and quenched his craving for a cold drink for quite a while now.
The refreshing taste of apples coupled with the coldness brought by the ice cubes in the cup made Isaac unconsciously heave a sigh of relief. Tingles soon went down his spine and spread across his body. "Ha...~"
"Ha...~" As if copying Isaac, Nahida too heaved a soft relief after drinking the iced tea. "It was delicious..."
"Indeed." Isaac smiled softly. Cradling the cup slowly in his hand, he and Nahida vibed under the tranquil environment of the café without any disturbance. "Life's good, no?"
"It certainly is." Nahida nodded with a gentle smile as she agreed with Isaac.
Under the serene atmosphere, the Dendro Archon and the feeble café owner chilled without a care in the world. They just sat down while holding iced tea in their hands.
'For the love of God, Murphy's Law, please leave me alone just for this one moment...' Isaac lamented in his heart. 'Let me rest with Nahida for a bit...'
Ding~*
At this moment, the door of the café chimed, and a figure entered.
Hearing this, Isaac inwardly sighed— on the verge of crying. '...Damn you Murphy's Law...'
Isaac sighed verbally and placed his glass cup down. He was about to stand up and greet the customer who walked in when the latter touched his shoulders.
"Good afternoon, Monsieur Isaac!" The turquoise-eyed, monocled Charlotte appeared behind him and greeted him with a smile. "I'm here for our appointed interview if you remember."
'...I forgor.' Isaac chuckled. "Of course not. Come, please sit down."
Charlotte nodded before looking at Nahida who was sitting in front of the same table. She then looked at Isaac again, "You two seem close?"
'...It's gonna be hard proving Nahida's identity...' Isaac sweated. Nahida had never appeared physically in the outside world for more than five hundred years, as such, it would be hard for her identity to be validated. 'Should I say that she's a customer? No— that's only a temporary solution... Err...'
While Isaac was amidst his thoughts, Nahida hesitated for a moment before she opened her mouth. With a soft voice, she spoke.
"I'm his sister."
'You're my what?' Isaac's mind went blank when he heard the small God of Wisdom's words. 'This... Is she serious?'
Isaac's deep amber eyes which seemed to contain reining repose and serenity looked at Nahida. Likewise, Nahida's emerald-green eyes which seem to contain insurmountable innocence and knowledge looked back at him.
For a moment, the two reached a consensus.
'What a charlatan...' Isaac chuckled wryly to himself. He then smiled at Charlotte, "Yes, this is my sister... Nahida."
"Ah, I see!" Charlotte said as she flicked her finger. "So my guess was right! No wonder you two seemed close."
"...you were watching for quite a while now?" Isaac looked at her with a wry smile.
"Yes," Charlotte didn't hide anything and smiled. She then sat down. "Now then, shall we begin the interview?"
Looking at Nahida who was drinking the iced tea, Isaac nodded lightly before picking up his iced tea and looking at Charlotte. "Go on ahead."
"Very well— Let's get straight to the point, then." Charlotte opened her notepad and took out her pen. She then nudged her monocle as she looked at Isaac. "First question, what made you want to open a café?"
'Well, I died.' Isaac lampooned. He then opened his mouth, "It stemmed from my desire to open a haven for those who are muddle-headed. A place of repose, silence, and tranquility— somewhere they can relax."
"It certainly lives up to your expectations," Nahida said with a smile as she held her iced tea.
Charlotte nodded at Nahida's words.
"It also matches your café's name quite well," Charlotte commented as she spun her pen before writing it down. "Next question, what do you think is the reason the customers always come back to your café?"
Hearing this, Isaac chuckled lightly. He then took a sip from his iced tea. "To be honest? I think it's the smell of the coffee that attracts them. No one can resist the aroma of finely ground coffee beans being served as an espresso in the morning, after all."
"This is a reasonable development." Isaac wished he had a quill right now.
"I see, I see..." Charlotte wrote down what he said as she nodded. She then lifted her pen, "Next question, is there any secret to your coffees? Like a secret ingredient or procedure?"
"Hmm... If I were to point my finger..." Isaac lifted his hand and grasped his chin as he began to ponder. He then smiled faintly. "It's motivation. I believe that to serve something good, you have to have a good mentality. Otherwise, with a stale mood, your meal would more or less feel stale."
"In other words, putting an effort in each brew," Isaac sighed softly. "I'm not trying to be pretentious... I just genuinely love what I do, and it reflects on my work."
What Isaac was saying was true. Not only was brewing coffee therapeutic for him but the joy of seeing his customers appreciate his work motivated him every day. Also the money.
"An owner who genuinely loves his work with passion..." Charlotte mumbled over this word after writing down Isaac's words. She then nodded with a faint smile, "How commendable..."
"Thank you," Isaac nodded gently as he lifted his iced tea and drank once more.
Charlotte continued to ask more questions and Isaac answered them honestly. Occasionally, Nahida would comment on some aspects.
Finally, the interview was about to end. However, Charlotte still has one more question.
"We ran out of iced tea..." Isaac chuckled wryly as he looked at Nahida.
"I... I drank more than intended..." Nahida's elongated ears lowered as she said this.
"It's fine..." Isaac smiled softly as he looked back at Charlotte. "Well then, is there anything else?"
"Yes, one last question." Charlotte, who was organizing her notes, nodded as she looked back at Isaac. She then straightened her posture and spoke with a calm tone.
"What's your relationship with Lady Furina?"
"..." Isaac's smile froze for a moment as he didn't know what to respond with. With a casual tone, he chuckled lightly. "Why, she's a valued customer, of course... What makes you ask that question?"
"Why ask such a question? It's simple!" Charlotte smiled as she said this. She then nudged her monocle and looked at Isaac with a solemn smile. "For you to attract even God Focalors says a lot about your business!"
"A brew endorsed by the Gods! Just think about this title!" Charlotte said as she wrote down her thoughts. "Oh! I can't wait to make a draft about this!"
"Thank you so much for this interview, Monsieur Isaac." Charlotte then stood up and shook Isaac's hand. "I assure you that this will reach the 'Golden Week' magazine as soon as possible!"
'The Golden Week magazine... Isn't that the one the rich privileged folks buy? Whoa...' Isaac quickly rummaged through his memories. He then smiled warmly at Charlotte. "That would be excellent, Miss Charlotte."
"Ah— but before you leave..." Isaac suddenly remembered something and stood up. "Hold on..."
He then went into the kitchen and returned a moment later. This time, he was holding a small box. He then handed it to Charlotte. "Please, have this. It's a box of assorted tea— There should be Earl Gray, Lavender, Chamomile, and Lemon Balm tea packs inside."
"Take it as a sign of gratitude from me." Isaac gently and warmly smiled at her, expressing his hood will. However, the small glint hidden in his eyes hid a different thought.
Charlotte looked at the box and hesitated for a moment. She wanted to reject it, but seeing Isaac's expression and his willingness, she could only softly sigh with a faint smile. "You're very generous, sir Isaac. If I have the chance, I'll make sure to come back here for a meal."
"That's great." Isaac nodded lightly as he handed the tea pack to her gently.
Ding~*
Soon, only Isaac and Nahida were left inside the café.
'That should do it...' Isaac heaved a soft sigh before returning to his seat with Nahida. Sitting down, he was just about to open a book when he noticed Nahida's glare.
"What is it?" Isaac moved his eyes and calmly asked Nahida.
"You're much more manipulative than I thought..." Nahida said as she looked at Isaac. However, contrary to her words, she wasn't looking at him with contempt or disgust. Rather, she was looking at him with curiosity. "Is this part of the vast tapestry of lies you surround yourself with?"
Hearing her words, Isaac blinked once before curling up a soft smile.
"Guess."
* * *
A/N:
Playing Reverse: 1999 made me start feeling a wee bit bri' 'ish.
...which made me make an impulsive decision to buy a pack of green tea.
Foolish, I know.