Coffee Out Of This World

Nir and Rain made contact with “Grandpa”. They part with him after hearing his story and discussing a possible deal.

Nir and Rain exit the worship house and head back to the castle.

-”Say, Rain, since we didn’t decide on a specific time to meet up with Grandpa… You know… Besides agreeing it’s going to be tomorrow… We can just meet him at night… And all the time before that… I think… We could use for…” - Nir is obviously trying to suggest something.

-”Are you asking me on a date?” - She interrupts him. “Or something else?”

-”A DATE! I meant to ask you on a date!” - He clarifies. “When we walked around the market, I spotted this shop that seemed really quiet and felt relaxing. I think it might have been the equivalent of a coffee shop in this world, but I don’t even know if they have coffee here”.

-”Oh! So we can check if they do! If they really have coffee we can have our date just according to plan, and if they don’t, we can still have whatever they are serving in this world!” - She says with excitement. “I just hope it’s at least in the coffee-shop category”.

-”Yea, it sounds just like the change of pace we wanted to have, but even if that place isn’t good and you end up preferring someplace else, I’m just glad to go out with you anywhere, really”.

-”I feel the same way”. - She replies with a smile.

They keep walking. It gets really dark outside.

They reach the castle and see the main hall is mostly empty, besides some guards who stayed behind to keep an eye on the castle. They turn to the residency area and go to sleep in their room.

The next day.

They wake up from natural sunshine entering the room.

-”Nir, let’s go to the maybe-coffee-shop”. - Says Rain.

-”I would surely go for some maybe-coffee”. - He replies.

They prepare to leave and head out.

As they exit the castle, they look at all the scenery of the town. They take a moment to breathe that magical air, knowing war is waging outside and they have no idea when they may have to join.

They then look at the statues.

-”They really do look like us, don’t they?” - Rain says.

-”Yes, but the fact that you look like the goddess catches more attention”.

-”Really? Why?” - She asks.

-”It’s just like school. You genuinely look like a goddess regardless of any statue”. - Nir says with confidence.

Rain is suddenly blushing. She is bright red.

-”I’m… Not used to compliments that are… This… Bold…” - She says.

-”Should I stop?” - He asks.

-”No!” - She replies, still blushing. She grabs his hand and leads the way to the market.

They walk around the market, looking for the place. They aren’t rushing to find it and instead take their time slowly to enjoy the town’s life. The people greet them frequently. They are very loved everywhere they go. However, they don’t get bombarded by a ridiculous amount of attention anymore. It seems most people have generally gotten used to them being part of the empire. Besides their resemblance to the two gods’ statues - their connection to the empress doesn’t seem to heart either, as she is so loved by the people.

-”Isn’t it crazy that Grandpa heard underground conversations?” - Nir asks.

-”Yea. Life in that body must be rough”. - Rain replies.

-”Oh, definitely. But I meant… I somewhat forgot to consider that there may be some bad actors inside the empire… I imagine they don’t like the empress… As she is very protective of the empire”.

-”Hmm…” - Rain considers. “I didn’t really think about that”.

-”And regardless, I wonder if any good people who don’t like the empress even exist within the borders, seeing she has so much support”.

-”Or… Bad actors inside the empire who still like the empress!” - Rain says, jesting.

-Haha, I guess it’s technically possible”.

They look at the market stands, seeing some of the baby dolls for sale. They also feel a strange presence nearby.

-”This is so weird to know the truth”. - Nir says.

-”Yep, definitely”. - She replies, trying to help break the ice around the “Grandpa-baby” discovery.

Their getting used to the market has become somewhat of a special feeling. As if they are truly native to the place.

-”There it is!” - Nir spots the possibly-coffee-shop.

There doesn’t seem to be any sign or indications for a name to the shop.

They open the door and enter. A young looking man who is wearing a red apron and standing behind the counter says: “Oh! It’s… You! Please, come in”.

-”Thank you”. - Says Rain. “Do you serve coffee here?”

-”Absolutely! Which kind would you like?” - The young man asks.

-”Two lattes please. Is it okay if we sit outside?” - Rain asks.

-”No problem! Give me 2 minutes! You can choose a table outside in the meantime”.

They exit the shop and take the seats next to a small round table that is located right by the entrance.

-”Wow”. - Rain says as she looks at Nir, sitting on the opposite side. “I can’t believe they have coffee, let alone understood what I meant by ‘latte’”.

-”Yea, this world keeps surprising me”.

“By the way, that guy had 25 hearts.” - He mentions. “I guess he is a bit older than us. I’m seeing hearts more frequently in the town’s market. Maybe I can only see the hearts of people who didn’t transform them?”

-”That might be it. Besides mine, of course, which you could see even before you got the skill, just like I can see yours - without even having the skill now. If we put ourselves aside, I think you are correct. Eventually, you might get a skill that lets you see transformed hearts. Ranmei mentioned that investing too many hearts in killing a low-heart target would not be worth it more often than not, right? Maybe there’s a skill to hide hearts too…” - Rain says. “You know… To avoid getting picked as a target”.

-”I guess even my skill is relevant, since it’s possible that anyone who could attack us in the future may have not killed before, especially now that they are likely to only be from the villages. If anything, it’s when I don’t see their hearts that they are likely to have more experience. I hope that I could differentiate which is which once I get that skill”.

-”If we’re right about how it works, anyway”.

-”Yes. If we are right. I did see Ranmei’s hearts increase by 1, concluding it was his birthday”.

-”Which means we are right!” - Rain responds. “Since his hearts increased, it means they aren’t transformed and you can see them”. - She replies.

-”But it does mean he is a soldier without transformed hearts, meaning - he has never killed before. I guess he does carry a unique background in the empire. Did he tell you?”

-”Yea, he did. He is such a nice guy, and he likes the empress so much. It makes it even easier to trust her”.

A young looking blonde woman with a ponytail and a white apron comes out of the shop, carrying two glasses full of coffee. She approaches Nir and Rain’s table, saying: “Your order is here!”

Nir and Rain can see the coffee, as the glasses are transparent. The coffee doesn’t seem quite like latte. It looks dark in color and very watery.

“Are you sure those are lattes?” - Rain asks.

-”Oh! You ordered the lattes! I confused the orders! I’m so sorry… These americanos must be for the couple sitting inside… I’ll get you your order right away!”

Nir and Rain look at each other.

-”Americanos?!” - Nir asks.

-”Literally containing the name of a land from another world…” - Rain completes his narrative.

-”What the hell is going on in this world? Honestly… It doesn’t even matter that much”. - Nir says. “As long as we can be like that… Whichever world is fine”.

The lattes arrive. They thank the lady and start drinking. They still have this feeling there’s an extra pair of eyes that keep watching them, but they ignore it.

-”I just wish… We spent more time like this back in our old world”. - Rain says.

-”Don’t worry”. - Nir reassures her. “We will be fine”.

-”It is quite nostalgic”. - She says. “Remember when we were sitting just like this in the big city?”

-”I do. I looked at you in the same way… And I knew we were going to end up like this… I mean, without the other world part, of course. Maybe I knew even before that”. - He replies.

-”Maybe I did too”. - She says. “Maybe even before I almost shot you. It’s a really good thing I didn’t”.

She gets up and takes her chair, puts it next to his and sits by his side. She leans with her head on his shoulder. They know they are being watched but pay no attention to it.

“Nir, I just want to tell you… That I’m ready. I want us to be able to take our time. But just so you know…”

They look at each other. Then, they kiss.

Grandpa who was spying on them the entire day to see if he can truly trust them, is blushing, as he isn’t used to seeing such sights.