Arc 3 Devica Part 3
1147 Words
Devica PART 3
Lin Ye accompanied him to the house a few days later. It was already fully furnished. The real estate office kept the key for a long time. It was a good thing that the original vessel hadn't gone to see it yet. Or he would even ask his uncle to move here.
The house was a two-storey single detached. It has three rooms, one large kitchen and dining room, and a large front yard. It was obvious that Raven’s father made it with the idea of building a family. Nephrite sighed.
After Lin Ye Left, Nephrite went out to job-hunt.
The owner’s body was not that good. So work that requires physical strength was out of the question right now. He reminded himself to start improving the body as soon as possible.
He decided to try his luck in coffee shops.
He visited a few shops but luck was not on his side. After running around in the university circle, he decided to walk a bit further to the central business district.
As he checked each shop he passed by, someone collided with him. Nephrite staggered a few steps back but the other person lost balance. Without further thinking, he instinctively grabbed the person's arm.
“Are you alright?”
Dizzy because of the impact, the girl swayed a bit.
"I'm so sorry. Please ex—," the girl in a white and black jumpsuit looked up and saw his face. gaped at him.
Gaping at him, she finished her words in a whisper, "—cuse me."
Nephrite helped her stand properly. “Sorry for not paying attention.”
The girl was still staring at him, wide-eyed. Nephrite smiled awkwardly and decided to give a nod. But as he was about to leave, the girl suddenly grabbed him in the arms.
“W-Wait! Wait, don't go yet!” she pleaded, her face flustered.
“Uhm,” Nephrite replied.
Seeing his reluctance to stay, the girl composed herself. “Hi, I’m Mary! You look really good. Do you have time—”
“I’m sorry but I still have things to do,” Nephrite awkwardly said.
Quick-witted, Mary noticed the misunderstanding. “W-Wait a second. I’m not hitting on you. Well, let me get straight to the point then. Are you looking for a part-time job?”
_______________
Mary brought Nephrite to a three-storey building nearby. He looked around at the interior of the shop. The interior was just like any other coffee shop with a bar counter on the side, a glass-walled kitchen a bit similar to the Core’s Ciao restaurant. There was a red sectional sofa at the corner, probably for a larger group of customers. But what caught Nephrite’s attention were the eye-catching posters of different comics.
“A themed cafe?”
Mary smiled at him awkwardly, “I know I just bumped into you on the streets and all of this took you by surprise,” she gestured at the entire room. “But could you give me a chance and hear me out?” she winked.
“Sure.”
She led him into one of the tables. “Do you want coffee, tea or lemonade? I insist!” she added when Nephrite waved his hand.
“Then lemonade, please.”
As Mary went to make their drinks, he gave the cafe another glance. It looked cozy and relaxing. The single tables and chairs were situated at an appropriate distance. The table style was also easy to move in case of group visits.
Nephrite had just gotten over his social anxiety after the last world. Though he can now properly interact with people, he's not sure if he can handle customer service.
“Here, here!” Mary returned with a glass of lemonade. She smiled at him.
“Thank you.”
“Okay, as you can see, this is a themed cafe. Did you already notice most of the posters here?” Nephrite nodded. “I want to create a place where people can relax and be themselves while enjoying the things they like. It is also a place for comic fans to discuss their love for the genres they like. So, uhm, are you the type who prejudices specific genres?”
“None at all. I know themed cafes are favored right now but won’t receive contempt from the masses. Are you not afraid?”
Some look down on people who have this hobby.
Mary’s eyes suddenly dimmed. She forced herself to maintain a smile but there’s a clear sadness in her eyes. “I want to spread appreciation for this hobby. Genre acceptance is one thing. I want to use this opportunity to introduce some queer genre. Other than that, it’s for a friend. He passed away many years ago. I just thought that if at that time, would he choose the path he took if society had been kinder towards people with the same preference?”
Mary stared at his eyes, “I don’t want to see another one like him, falling into an abyss of despair. If back then, we had a better understanding of his feelings, maybe he would still be here.”
Mary fell in a daze as if she traveled back in time. Memories of that person flooded in her. A gloomy atmosphere surrounded them.
Nephrite felt heaviness in his heart. Losing someone like this will always leave a sense of loss. It was like you wanted to find comfort in something to mend the hole left by the person you care about. A part of you went missing and doing things related to this person was the only way to fill the hollowness inside.
Mary blinked. As if she suddenly snapped out from trance. She awkwardly laughed, “I’m sorry, where are we again?”
She snapped her fingers, “Oh, right. As for why I did not pick just one type of theme, it would be easier to communicate with other people with different preferences in a wider audience, right? Well, our shop aims to earn through good food, costume rentals for the ‘characters’, BL books, and merchandise. A special monthly event that includes cosplaying or contests. And we change the theme every week or two depending on the demand.”
She grinned at him, “So, technically, this is just a simple cafe. They can also rent books at the counter. The ‘characters’ that are not attending a guest will have to look after the books and make sure that it’s returned to the counter.”
Nephrite smiled, “You’ve said too much already. I still haven’t agreed. Are you not afraid that I will steal the cafe’s idea?”
Mary blushed, “W-Well! You won’t do that right?” she smiled awkwardly.
Nephrite chuckled, “No. But, may I ask, do you already have a chef?”
- Writer
