In an endless plain full of flowers.
Isaac's lone figure stood amongst the beautiful and pristine flowers that were present everywhere.
However, his mind was vacant. He didn't know where he was nor why he was there.
He couldn't even utter any words.
He just stared blankly at that one flower stained with blood.
Just then, the soft and melodious voice of a woman entered his ears.
'How pitiful.'
'For you to bear all the tragedies of the world...'
Soon, the blood-stained flower that Isaac was looking at started twisting. It then transformed into a humanoid figure that looked like a woman.
Right now, she was turning her back on Isaac. The only thing Isaac noticed was her cold demeanor.
'This time, make sure to make choices you know you won't regret...' With her cold tone, it seemed as if she was reminding him. 'Live the peaceful life you always wanted.'
Isaac stared blankly at her figure. He didn't recognize who she was, but just by seeing her figure, he felt his heart turn heavy.
It was as if a thousand bricks were layered upon his chest.
He didn't know her... Yet she felt familiar to him...
It was odd.
Why can't he speak?
Who is that woman?
Why... Why is he feeling like this?
A lot of questions surged up Isaac's mind at this moment.
It was as if massive amounts of bottled emotions inside of him suddenly showed signs of erupting.
Before Isaac could verbally ask any of his questions, the entire world shattered and Isaac's vision darkened.
The last thing he saw was the ice-cold statues being erected around the woman and...
...the Eleven individuals who were bowing behind her.
*
*
*
In the cafe, Isaac, who had mistakenly taken a nap, slowly opened his heart. 'What the...?'
He rubbed his eyes and felt like he just dreamed of something— but he can't remember it. 'Weird... It must've been one good nap for me to dream of something...'
He tried to recall what dreamt of, but each he did, they would just dissipate and never return. In the end, he gave up. 'Oh well.'
"Mister Isaac!" Suddenly, a lively voice woke him up more.
Isaac looked at who it was and saw the familiar Klee. Looking at her, he suddenly remembered what he was doing. 'Right... I gave Klee some cookies and was supposed to brew tea for her...'
Not long after Isaac started another day of business after last night's mission, Klee came back with the entrance fee of 100 Mora.
Fearing what would happen if he gave a hyperactive child terrorist that can make bombs any she wants, Isaac decided to give her some tea— and he plans to keep it that way.
However, before he could start brewing, he unknowingly fell asleep.
'Can't believe I fell asleep on the counter.' He shook his head. He made a mental note to never do this again as it might prove to be a major flaw in him. 'Good thing nothing exploded while I was taking a nap...'
He stood up and warmly smiled at Klee. "Sorry, Klee. I fell asleep. Did you finish your cookies?"
"Yup! I didn't leave a single one!" Klee presented the tiny plate that Isaac gave her.
Looking at the small plate with only crumbs left, Isaac nodded. "Alright, as promised, we'll watch something on the TV."
"Yay! Can we watch it now? I wanna pick one!" Klee cheered. Truth be told, Klee entered the cafe when Isaac was watching an anime.
She quickly for curious and asked him about it, to which Isaac honestly replied. Shortly after that, Klee wanted to have a turn and watch something.
Isaac told her that he'd only let her watch one animation if she bought one thing from his cafe.
...Hey, can you really blame him? Deep down, he's still a merchant at heart. Profits are the top priority.
"Fret not for I am a keeper of my words." He said with an unchanging soft smile. 'Most of the time.' Isaac silently thought.
He then took the remote and started browsing the home section of YouTube.
Klee sat on one of the seats and looked intently at the screen as if looking for the perfect video.
After a few minutes, the two of them finally settled on a particular video.
[Zhongli Character Demo]
"Oh, a classic." Isaac softly chuckled to himself at the sight of the familiar thumbnail.
"This one! I wanna watch this one!" Klee pointed at Zhongli's face while looking at Isaac.
"Alright." Isaac gently smiled as he pressed the remote, letting the video play. "Now sit back and relax."
"We last left off with ancient Liyue..." Soon, the trailer started playing.
While Klee was busy watching, Isaac's mind couldn't help but wander off.
'When will new story-related people would enter my cafe? I need a lot of points right now...' Isaac internally sighed as he vibed to Rex Incognito.
System points were important to him. After all, most if not all the items he possesses came from the system.
Even the coffee beans and tea packs. Isaac bought them all from the system and restocked them through the system.
As such, if he runs out of system points, he has no choice but to buy coffee beans outside!
How could he do that?
The coffee beans and tea packs sold by the system are way cheaper! Not only that, but they're also high-quality!
'Please, to whoever is thinking of entering my cafe right now... Make up your mind!' Isaac silently prayed while watching the CEO of Geo.
*
*
*
"Agh, we can't find anything!" Walking down the street, a trio can be seen talking to each other.
They were a young woman with blonde hair, an elderly man with gray hair, and a refined man with sunglasses.
"It's to be expected, Demoiselle..." The elderly man said while shaking his head. "This case is practically a national crime. They wouldn't just let anyone near the crime scene to look."
"Haaa... You're right, Melus." The woman with blonde hair sighed. "But that doesn't mean I'll give up! Maybe we can find other means of how the Masked Clown stole the painting."
"I can break into Palais Mermonia if the boss wishes me to." The man with the sunglasses solemnly said. "Just give the order, boss."
"No, no, that's too far, Silver." The blonde woman quickly rejected the notion.
She then sighed before grasping her chin and started pondering. "What we need right now are clues relating to the Masked Clown."
"People just don't disappear like that." She said with a solemn tone as she remembered the vivid descriptions of the Melusine about Isaac's disappearance. "My father investigated the case of the Serial Disappearances Case and met his demise because of it..."
The Serial Disappearances Case was a case in Fontaine that had been present for twenty years now. It revolves around young women mysteriously vanishing and never being found ever again.
"Now that there's someone who appears to have the ability to vanish, he might very well be my only lead to the Serial Disappearances Case..." She mutters to herself while walking. "Now that a trail had opened itself for me, who am I to reject it?"
"Your determination is unyielding as the sea, Demoiselle." Melus, the elderly man, shook his head with a smile.
"The boss' motivations motivate those around her." Silver also praised her.
"Haha, enough you too." She accepted their praises before shaking her head.
She then looked around and saw something not far away. Having an idea, she then looked at the two of them. "Right, why don't we take a short break and have some coffee?"
"Very well, Demoiselle." Melus nodded as he also looked at where she was looking.
"I shall follow the boss." Silver crossed his arms.
"Alright then," She turned around and walked towards the cafe she spotted. "Let's enter~!"
*
*
*
Ching~!
The bell of the door chimed, bringing a certain melody to drift inside Isaac's humble cafe.
Isaac, who was preparing lunch for himself, stopped whisking the eggs in the bowl he was holding and rushed to the counter.
"Welcome... What would do you have?" Right after Isaac uttered those words, when he saw who the new customers were, he felt like his words got stuck inside his throat.
"Hmm, what a great smell." The woman with blonde hair smelled the fresh earthy smell of coffee drifting in the air. "I can tell that this place uses fine-quality coffee beans, how come I've never heard of it before?"
'It's Taylor Sw— Err, I mean Navia.' Isaac quickly recognized who it was.
The current president of Spina Di Rosula, Navia.
Spina Di Rosula, for the lack of better words, is a mafia. But not the one littered with criminals— no, instead, they dedicate their time to helping the people of Fontaine and investigating matters that the Gardes would not or have difficulty with.
Originally founded by Callas, Navia's father, Navia serves as the second President of the group following her father's demise.
Currently, the organization is funded by donations from its supporters.
'...this should serve as my introduction to the second main quest...' To be honest, Isaac still didn't want to do the next main quest. It was because planning and actually doing the plan is exhausting for him.
'However, I am not someone who passes chances like this.' Then again, he is also someone who knows how to grasp opportunities.
As such, he decided to entertain fate for a bit.
With a warm polite smile, he replied to Navia. "Thank you for your kind words. As you said, only the finest ingredients would befit my customers."
"Now then, what would it be?" And so starts another game.
"Hmm... Let me think..." Looking at the menu hanging from the top of the counter, Navia grasped her chin.
She then glanced at her two companions. "Melus, do you still like the strong type?"
"As always, Demoiselle." Melus nodded solemnly. "The smell of a strong espresso in the morning always brings the best results for me."
"Oh? It seems like you're quite the connoisseur, dear sir." Isaac couldn't help but comment with an amused yet polite smile.
"You too love this type, sir?" Melus was also a bit surprised. Looking at Isaac, Melus added, "Very few young sirs like you know the excellence of such brew."
Isaac nodded. It felt like he had just found his people. "The rich, complex aroma of a strong newly brewed coffee is a rich sensory experience. It's robust and bold, which can be invigorating and stimulating to the senses."
At this moment, a tacit understanding formed between the two. They then realized— that the person they were talking to was a true connoisseur!
"Haha, it seems like this young sir is an expert in his craft, Demoiselle." Melus couldn't help but be amused and shaking his head while talking to Navia. "We might have just chanced upon a good service."
Contrary to Melus and Isaac's quick friendship over coffee, Navia was left speechless.
"To think someone would agree with Melus and his coffee taste..." Navia whispered to herself before shaking his head. "Anyway, I'll have uhh..."
"What's a Café Macchiato? It sounds good." Navia looked at the menu before looking at Isaac.
"It's an espresso with a small amount of milk, either steamed or frothed," Isaac explained politely.
"It sounds great! I'll have that one! As for Melus and Silver..." She then looked at the other two for their order.
"One Café Allongé for me." Melus crossed his arms while looking at the coffee menu that was labeled as strong.
"I'll have Café Crème." Silver solemnly said, while also looking at the coffee menu that was labeled as sweet and mild.
"I didn't you liked mildly sweet coffee, Silver." Navia was genuinely surprised. She had never seen her attendant eat or drink anything sweet, after all.
"They are great for the mood, Boss." Silver solemnly said with his solemn face.
"Oh? Something we both agree on." Navia smiled while nodding her head with approval.
Isaac memorized their order and looked at Navia, his deep languid amber eyes landing on her. "Would that be all?"
Navia thought for a moment before looking at the glass case not far away containing some bread. "Hmm... Oh, also, can we have some Pain d'Épices?"
Pain d'Épices is a spiced bread that would complement the robust flavors of the Café Macchiato quite well.
It's a traditional Fontanian bread made with honey and a blend of spices, giving it a warm, aromatic taste.
"No problem." Isaac calmly nodded at her order. "It would take a few minutes to prepare everything. In the meantime, why don't you all sit down over there?"
He then gestured to the empty seats in the room. Right now, on one of the tables, only Klee is seen watching the TV while swinging her legs while sitting.
"Alright," Navia understood and nodded at Isaac. She then looked at her two companions before nodding and walking to one of the tables.
Isaac didn't waste any more time and went into the kitchen to brew the coffee and heat the Pain d'Épices.
He heated some water, took out a bag of coffee beans, ground it, and placed it into the coffee machine.
Meanwhile, on the tables, Navia sat down while Melus and Silver stood still behind her.
"Can't you two sit down?" She turned her head and looked at the two of them.
"We're fine, Demoiselle." Melus shook his head while crossing his arms.
"If an enemy were to appear, I can quickly try to restrain them." Silver, as usual, said with his solemn face.
"..." Navia fell silent at her two companions' words before sighing with a wry smile. "Fine, just don't blame me for your sore legs later."
She then turned her head again and looked at the child in red who was distracted watching something. 'A child? Is she that barista's sister?'
She then looked at what the child was looking at.
On a screen, an animation of a woman having an internal monologue about besting her elder brother was present.
[Tsubaki in Thawing Snow]
'Huh? Is this a new invention?' Navia couldn't help but ask herself. Every day, new strange inventions kept being created in Fontaine, it's hard for her to keep up sometimes. 'I've never heard of this before...'
Curious, she continued watching them. She didn't know what kind of machine it was, but she figured it was for entertainment.
[+5]
[+5]
Isaac, who was busy filtering in the kitchen, glanced over to them and smiled softly. 'It works...'
With a satisfied smile, he continued making their coffee.
*
*
*
After about ten minutes, Isaac was finally finished and placed three cups on a silver plate.
He then opened the oven and pulled out a tray containing the Pain d'Épices. He used tongs to place the five pieces of bread on the plate, along with the coffees.
'...and done.' After arranging them to make them look appetizing, Isaac nodded and picked up the silver plate.
He held the silver plate and walked out of the kitchen.
He then walked over to the table of Navia and her two companions and noticed that the three of them were busy watching.
'The TV worked too well. But hey, I ain't complaining.' He wryly smiled before placing the silver plate on their table and speaking. "Your orders."
"Oh," Navia, engrossed in watching, didn't notice Isaac until he approached them. She then looked down at the silver plate before looking at Isaac. "Thank you."
"Do enjoy." Isaac gently nodded before deciding to walk away to leave them alone.
'It's great that she didn't ask about the TV...' Isaac secretly thought with a wry smile while walking away. 'Otherwise, I was prepared to say that it was something given to me by a friend or something...'
Shaking his head with an amused smile, he once more entered the counter.
Navia looked at the cups of coffee on the silver plate in front of her and saw that they had labels on each of them to indicate whose coffee was whose.
"This should be mine," Picking up the cup labeled as 'Café Macchiato', Navia held it inches away from her lips before blowing on it to lower the temperature.
While blowing, she took a whiff of the smell, and a strong coffee aroma, with a hint of sweetness from the steamed milk, entered her nose.
The smell of it cleared her mind for a moment and she anticipated to taste the coffee.
She then looked at the drawing on the milk foam on top of the coffee and smiled. 'Is this meant to be a rose
? It looks lovely.'
Truth be told, Isaac was never that skilled in drawing. As such, his rose looked more like a failed attempt at a thorned flower.
After cooling it down for a few moments, Navia finally decided to take a sip
She brought the cup in front of her delicate lips before taking a small sip.
Soon, the warm coffee entered her mouth, and the slightly bitter taste of an espresso was sensed by her tongue. However, the bitterness was subdued by the small stains of milk, not only balancing the taste but also giving a robust taste.
After sipping for a while, Navia put down the cup and slightly nodded her head with a satisfied smile.
"My, it seems that my judgment of that dear sir wasn't wrong," Melus, who was also drinking his coffee, commented. "I can tell that the beans used for this were of fine quality."
"..." Silver didn't comment anything as he fearlessly but cautiously chugged down the still steaming-hot coffee down his throat.
Not forgetting the Pain d'Épices on the silver plate, Navia extended her hand and took one slice of bread.
She lifted the bread and took a bite, and soon, a combination of honey and spices created a comforting, almost nostalgic feeling. It's like a warm hug for Navia's taste buds.
"Delicious." Finishing the bread, Navia nodded with a bright smile. Cradling the cup of coffee in her hand, she smiled as she looked at the TV that was still playing an animation.
The warm ambiance of the café soon settled in. The lively buzz of the streets was visible from the café, but the isolation and lack of commotion inside created a unique environment.
It was as if she was having a good time watching the everyday walks of life in a leisurely manner.
For a moment, Navia forgot her worries and her mind cleared of stressful thoughts.
'...how nice.'
[+20]
[+10]
[+10]
[+5]
[+5]
[+5]
Meanwhile, Isaac, who was in the kitchen, was genuinely surprised at the amount of system points he received. 'Whoa... That's a lot...'
However, he wasn't complaining. Everything was welcomed.
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