episode_0153

152

A young woman, elegantly poised at a table for two, a single cup resting before her. Warm steam rises from the drink, carrying a fragrant aroma. It’s a familiar scent, yet not entirely so.

She appears barely in her twenties, with a charmingly cute face. Her slightly sharp eyes are captivating. Overall, her build is closer to that of Aries, somewhat youthful. Yet, her body is fully mature.

“Hmph. Sit. Sit.”

“Who are you?”

“Me? You’ve been looking for me, haven’t you? We were supposed to meet tomorrow.”

“……Wasn’t it I who was supposed to be looking for you?”

*Slurps*. She takes a light sip before the warmth dissipates.

“…Ugh. What’s with this bitterness?? I expected so much from this local specialty.”

“There’s a reason, you know?”

“Basic drinks should be sweet or refreshing. This is completely awful.”

“Excuse me.”

Testing someone’s patience like this would trouble even the good-natured Erina.

“It’s me.”

“What??”

Even after such a short conversation, the flow is erratic; it’s hard to keep up. I’ve never met anyone so unpredictable. I question whether we’re even speaking the same language.

“The person you’re looking for. It’s me. Can you hear me? Hello?”

“……So, you are.”

“A retired nun, you said ♡ I was curious because a lousy nun like you said you needed to see me. But, you really *are* lousy, aren’t you? Lousy ♡ Kukukuk―♡”

Erina is speechless. The words she needs to say, the questions she wants to ask, seem to have completely vanished from her mind. Not a single word will come out; her thoughts can’t process anything.

“Slurp….Ugh. Still tasteless. Wasted money. Wanna try some?”

“……Let’s go back to the beginning. Who are you?”

After using appraisal to check her stats, I feel like my eyes are about to close from the sheer volume of…stuff. I’m not even sure she counts as a proper human; things are so tangled it’s hard to decipher each one. Like a mass of black fur, bristling menacingly.

“Coffee…was it? This.”

Coffee, hearing the name, reminds me. Hanna had developed—or at least commercialized—it. I vaguely remember her explaining that it was made with drinks from her world, meant to be an easy way to wake up.

“Just calling it bitter would be too dull…Piki? Yeah. Call me Piki.”

“…Could you keep your muttering to yourself?”

“Whatever-coffee.”

“What on earth does that mean??”

Getting on someone’s nerves is her specialty, and nothing less. I’m about to punch her lights out, when Levi interrupts.

“What are you doing?”

“Levi-ssi. Have you booked a room? It turned out we don’t need to…?”

Movement halts. It feels like time has infinitely stretched, with countless versions of myself within it. Everything is stopped and everything is moving—a deeply upsetting sensation that pushes my brain past its limit, before Piki speaks.

“When you’re talking to me, focus on me.”

The sensation of being cut off from the outside world; as if space itself had separated. Her cold, sharp voice, delivered with a snap, makes my hair stand on end.

Her voice is unnervingly pale, even menacing. To compare it to anything, it’s the complete opposite of a goddess’s benevolent tone; a chilling voice.

“Understand? Where were we?”

“……Nowhere. We haven’t talked about anything.”

She laughs shortly, a mocking sound.

“Oh really? But you’re a really boring, lousy person. So different from what I imagined.”

“What were you imagining?”

“Isn’t it obvious? If you’ve got a dick, you gotta swing it. Lousy.♡ How many women are here?”

“…Th-that’s…wait, how did you know I have one??”

She’s known all along. I haven’t mentioned it, nor is there any rumor to spread. It’s specially treated to be invisible; it shouldn’t even be visible.

Smell might give it away, but with so many people around, it’s hard to say for sure.

“Ah, boring. Did you call me to ask pointless questions?”

“……! What did you do in the northern region?”

“That’s the bottom line, isn’t it? You’re one of the goddess’s chosen ones, too, aren’t you?”

“You too? What, what are you talking about??!?”

Piki smiles enigmatically and drinks the coffee in one gulp.

“Too much information for your dull little brain ♡ I’m getting tired, so let’s stop here♡ This was something I had to do.”

“Wait, just a moment!!!”

“There’s a ruin…on that mountain. See you there, lousy dick ♡”

The oppressive atmosphere disappears, and time returns to normal. Simultaneously, Piki vanishes, leaving behind only an empty cup.

“Are you alright? What…happened?”

“I, I don’t know?!”

Levi is bewildered, but Erina is even more disoriented. She feels as exhausted as if she’d fought a long battle. It feels like a bizarre dream, yet Levi saw it too, and the cooling cup proves it was real.

“Nun, this way!!”

“No, this way!!”

The cacophony is deafening. With my already scattered thoughts, the noise makes me nauseous. Seeing her complexion drastically worsen, Levi pushes everyone away, grabs Erina, and pulls her out of the crowd.

“Phew. Are you okay? Anything hurt?”

“…Yes. Thanks to you.”

“I thought I was talking to you…then she suddenly disappeared, and you look like you’ve died and come back to life…….”

Erina tries to recall what happened, but she’s still clueless. It can’t be explained with just a sentence or two.

She simply shakes her head. The sweat on her forehead speaks volumes.

“We need to go back to the church. She said…something about speaking again at that ruin.”

“Ruin….The one we were at before we met Hanna?”

“……!!”

Erina’s eyes widen. The same unnerving feeling she had before; she still doesn’t know why, but she met Hanna in—apparently—the distant future, guided by the goddess. The feeling was similar to this, bizarre and distorted.

It’s strikingly similar to that strange, unsettling feeling she can’t quite articulate.

“Your face is really pale. Let’s go rest.”

Her words, “…you too,” hints at a connection with the goddess. They seem linked by some major thread.

There’s no clear answer. Even that suggests that this is no ordinary problem—time itself appears entwined in some causal chain.

“Should we…?”

My brain is overheating from having so many cognitive processes simultaneously running. My former peaceful life feels like a lie. I fear I’ll collapse if I relax even slightly.

“To the church? Or…”

“Let’s rest somewhere nearby. Ah, If Levi-ssi wants to go back, you can.”

The church would be the most comfortable, but the foreboding feeling of something happening at the ruin bothers her. She usually rushes to do what needs to be done, but her instincts are resisting this; something that transcends logic and understanding.

“Where should we rest? The guild’s lodging is too noisy. This church?”

“……I want a cup of tea.”

Erina forces a bright smile. Remembering Piki sipping her drink earlier makes her uncomfortable, but it’s the best way to calm her down.

They ask a passerby for a nearby tea shop and settle into a random one. She’s always made her own, so she’s momentarily at a loss for what to order. Then, a newly posted menu catches her eye: Coffee.

“A cup of coffee, please.”

“Nun, how would you like it? We offer various combinations.”

“Combinations? Hmm. What would you recommend?”

Enthusiasm flickers in her eyes at the prospect of a new hobby.

“I’m sorry, we haven’t finalized everything yet. Based on internal staff feedback, milk and sugar is currently the most popular.”

“Milk….? Sounds familiar….Anyway, that combination, please. What will you have, Levi-ssi?”

“Fruit juice….lots of honey…”

“Heehee. You haven’t changed.”

After ordering, Erina and Levi sit down. She vaguely recalls Hanna explaining coffee, but too many events made it hard to remember—it’s merely a blurry memory, something that once existed. The return to normalcy is pleasant, but the anxiety soon creeps back.

Her period is starting, though not heavy, making her empathize with those who suffer more intensely.

A fragrant, warm cup arrives. She thanks the staff and takes a sip. The sunlight streaming through the window is pleasant.

`…It’s smooth. Bittersweet, with hints of sweetness that balance it out.`

It’s less about tasting and more about inhaling the aroma. A fragrant scent that lets her forget her troubles for now.

`Coming to think of it, this journey began…with semen in tea…It feels like that.`

Who was it? She can’t remember.

“Hmm. Should I open a tea shop?”

“Suddenly?”

“It made me think of when I started my travels. Plus, I have a good idea.”

“With enough money you can do anything. I won’t stop you.”

The elegant afternoon break ends. What remains is the start of new endeavors.