Final Chapter
Translator: Skythewood
Editor: Hiiro
I exited the shop, and the place was completely dark, and the crowd was much sparser when compared to the day. But it wasn’t completely deserted, there were still adventurers wearing light armour and weapons entering bars.
I didn’t have much chance of seeing the streets late at night, it was more energetic than I imagined.
The shops I usually see in the day had closed shops, while the bars and other shops were brightly lit, and I could hear noises from everywhere.
This was the world of adults. It was too early for me to join the late night shops, but I decided not to mind it
I turned the sign at the door from 「Closed for the day」 to 「Open for business」.
I then hung up a huge lamp I bought for late night operations. I turned it on, and a warm light shone in through the shop’s entrance.
I stood some distance away to observe.
Hmm, the atmosphere wasn’t bad, running a late night cafe felt great.
Satisfied, I returned to the shop and checked the tables for cleanliness, arranged the chairs, then returned to my usual spot at the counter.
I surveyed the shop.
It was a lonely sight of an empty shop.
The shop had been filled with tourists recently, and it was so noisy that my regulars didn’t come anymore. And now, the hours had been changed to late night.
The tourists wouldn’t come like they used to, and maybe my regulars wouldn’t come too.
I was filled with unease, which hung heavily over my mind.
Maybe no one would come, and it would have been better if I took up either Momon or Corleone-san on their offer.
However, I suppress that feeling of unease.
It had always been like that in the beginning.
On the first day of the Café’s opening, there weren't any customers either, and that continued for several days. I continued running the shop despite that, so I just needed to do the same here.
「Back to square one huh, let’s work hard then.」
I perked myself up and slapped my cheeks.
What did I usually do at times like this?
Oh right, I would wipe the glasses, wiping glasses was calming. Good, let’s go with that.
I took the glasses out from the cabinet and arranged them, then wiped them carefully one by one.
When I was half done, the door chimed softly.
I turned and saw a woman peeking in with a thick book in her hands. She was the Elf big sister who was always reading by the windows.
「...... Are you open?」
She asked in a mumbling voice.
I nodded with a smile:
「Yes, we are open. You are my first customer, please come in.」
I gestured for her to enter, and remembered something.
「Speaking of which, you were my first customer back then too.」
「......?」
Shortly after I opened my shop for the first time, the Elf big sister also peeked in while holding a book, then became a regular.
I suddenly realized that I still didn’t know her name.
「May I ask your name——」
Before I could finish, the door chimed again and drowned out my voice. It was another customer.
「Hi, Café master, you’re finally open.」
It was Arbel-san, followed closely by a buff body in dark clothes.
「I can finally visit. Yu, give me a cup of Coffee. It’s been a while since I last drank Coffee, and my body is feeling weird.」
It was Falluba-san, a dragon man who loves Coffee, and would show withdrawal symptoms if he didn’t drink Coffee.
「Long time no see, I will get right to preparing it.」
「Really now, it’s troubling for the world to learn the charms of Coffee too. The shop was always crowded, so I couldn’t come in at all.」
Falluba-san sat down and crossed his arms with a gloomy face. Arbel-san sat down beside him and said:
「That’s right, the tourists lack etiquette, which is troubling. It’s a problem for me if I lost this abode of mine.」
「When did this place become your abode? This is my turf.」
「Oh, then before I enjoy my blissful Coffee, let’s have a go.」
「Great, I always wanted to settle things with you.」
The two of them started arguing over trivial matters as always. They were more jumpy than usual, probably from Coffee deficiency.
Their conversation was nostalgic, which made me happy for some reason. It gave me a feeling that I had truly returned to this shop.
「Erm, please stop things at that.」
I was going to stop them when the door chimed again.
Momon came in with his belly swaying around, followed by the Director and Corleone-san.
「Good Evening, Shopkeep Yu. I heard you are starting your late night operation, so I came to visit.」
Momon said while patting his stomach.
「I never visited as a customer before, so I came to visit too.」
The Director said with a face more refreshed than I had ever seen. His troubles had been solved, which made him look younger than before?
「...... How noisy.」
Corleone-sam looked towards the arguing Arbel-san and Falluba-san, then sighed.
「It’s fine, having noisy moments can make times of quiet more prominent by contrast, right?」
Momon said cheerfully and walked to the dining table at the back. The other two joined him, the three of them seemed to be getting along well.
Customers then came in one after another. They were all familiar faces and regulars.
「Long time no see, Yu-chan——! I hadn’t visited in a while, and heard you changed to late night operations. I thought it would be pitiful if no one came, right? So here I am!」
A big sister I knew came in, and the shop erupted with voices of 「Oh, long time no see!」 My regulars had gotten acquainted with each other, then seated together for idle chatter.
I was the only one working now, without the help of the maids.
I could only brew a little bit of Coffee each time, but the two at the counter drank them like a pair of fishes.
However, the shop had a serene mood, no one was anxious or impatient, they were even enjoying the time they spent waiting.
Some read by themselves, others chatted happily. After seeing this scene, I felt that my decision was right.
Momon approached the counter with light steps, probably to avoid disrupting the atmosphere in the shop. He said:
「This is an incredible shop, it is neither a bar nor a restaurant. It is hard to describe, but it put me at ease ...... although it was a pity that there aren’t any maids.」
I nodded with a smile.
「This is my shop, the only Café in the world. I will let you have the maids.」
「Oh, I finally understand why Corleone-san wants to get this place back. My company doesn’t run any shops that can let my patrons relax like this.」
We needed to accept changes.
That might be so, but it was great to have a place that resisted change. Being unchanging could soothe people’s pain, and a haven to rest your wings.
I had always rejected living in this world. In order to do that, I created this place. Before I realized it, it had become a place to reject the changes in this world.
That was why people who liked this place appeared.
And now, it was time for me to choose. I wanted to live on in this world, but I didn’t want to accept any changes. I had decided my path in life, and took my first steps, under the principle of not changing this shop.
For the sake of all who treat this place as their own abode.
For the people who think of this shop as a place to return to.
And also, for the girl who would soar in the sky for her dream.
I resolved to protect this shop.
The customers came and went, I wondered who they heard it from, or maybe they saw the notice, there were even some who came bearing gifts to congratulate me on my late night opening. Gramps Goru barged in with a huge luggage too, but that was a story for another time.
The door then chimed again. The girl I knew very well seemed a little tired. I smiled and said to her:
「Welcome—— No, Welcome home.」
Bonus Chapter: When Will I Make an Appearance!?
「This sucks——!」
In the quiet shop, a wail suddenly came from the bar counter.
As the Café master, I probably should ask if she was well. But that would only apply if the patron was normal.
「This sucks this sucks this sucks!」
「......」
「Sucks! Sucks! Sucks!」
She started waving her hands, then hung her head as she ran out of battery. And then…
Peek.
She was trying hard to say something with her gaze.
She was like a lost puppy. Her eyes were so sad that the description was completely adequate. But I couldn’t be bothered with her and continued wiping the plates I just washed.
「Hey, Yu-chan.」
「......」
「Listen to me, Yu-chan.」
「......」
「Can you ask me『What’s wrong』——!?」
She started throwing a tantrum, swinging her arms so wildly that her hair was a mess. It was unsightly.
「...... What’s wrong, Ria-san?」
「Yes, I’m Ria!」
「I know......」
「I have something to tell you, Yu-chan.」
「I see, what is it?」
Ria-san flicked up her golden locks and stared right at me.
From close up, Ria-san was a beautiful mature lady who would turn heads when she walk on the streets.
But her face that was saying「I am unhappy!」 felt really childish.
「Yu-chan, listen.」
「Yes.」
「Why didn’t I make an appearance?」
「What appearance?」
「Do you even need to ask!? In the first and second volumes!」
「This is getting complicated, can you change the subject?」
「Isn’t this strange?! I’m a patron that showed up at the start! I made my debut in the second chapter! And I left a really deep impression on my debut too!」
Ria-san smacked the table.
「Don’t spend time on the weird hare and weird grandpa, introduce me to the world——! Give me an illustration——!」
「What a bothersome person......」
「So what if I’m a bother! I want to make an appearance in the book too!!!」
「Basically.」
I put aside the cleaned plate.
「Even if you make an appearance now, everyone had already forgotten about Ria-san.」
「 Σ( °△°||)」
Ria-san stopped moving.
Cold sweat rolled down her cheeks.
「Y-You’re lying… They won’t forget a cute big sister like me——」
「Survey.」
「!?」
「After publishing the first volume, Fantasia Bunko did a survey, and the chess player Aina and Loli Princess Lieta all received support. But Ria-san...... None of them mentioned you......!」
Ria-san staggered two steps back, as if pushed by some kind of force. Her chair was kicked over in the process.
「How...... could this be...... You are kidding me...... I even make appearances occasionally......!」
「Your first debut was 8 years ago… The character setting had not firmed up back then.」
「What!? What!?」
I lowered my gaze.
「You’re, outdated.」
「......!?」
Ria-san opened her eyes wide and stood there in a daze.
She was shaking all over, and finally, tears welled up in her eyes.
「Ugh...... W-Who’s an old woman damn it! Is everyone a lolicon!?」
She wailed and then ran out of the door.
I could only watch her go.
Ria-san.......
「I will put this on your tab.」
Who knew if she would ever be featured in an illustration.
But it would be great if that day ever comes.
The sky was clear outside the window.
「I want...... to give this story an elegant conclusion… But it won’t work, huh......」
At the window, Nortri who was basking in the sun muttered. Her relaxed demeanour had a hint of dignity behind her.
「...... Because...... I’m on the book cover......」
Hehehe...... An eerie voice that seemed to come from the bottom of the well was echoing today too.
Bonus Chapter: When Will I Make an Appearance!? 2
「Awesome——!」
In the serene shop, a shout suddenly came from the bar counter.
As the Café master, I should probably ask 「What’s wrong?」 But that was only applicable to normal patrons.
「Yu-chan, did you see it!? Did you read it!?」
「Ria-san, your panting face is really scary.」
「Because I’m very agitated! I! made an appearance in the third volume!」
Ria-san smacked the table with a girlish smile, although her nose was still flaring.
「That’s great, huh.」
「Yeah!」
「Then, which page did you appeared in?」
When I asked that, Ria-san immediately stopped moving and averted her face. She whistled badly, and fidgeted with her hair to fudge things over.
「...... Listen, Yu-chan. Making an appearance is the most important thing here. The number of pages and paragraph are just trifling details.」
「So, how many paragraph did you get?」
「......... Two paragraphs.」
......
I quietly put the glasses back to the cabinet and continued working, pretending I didn’t hear what she said.
「But but but! I have lines! I have lines, you know? Isn’t that amazing!?」
「Yes, that’s amazing.」
「And it’s towards the end too, that’s the most important part!」
「It is important indeed.」
「A beautiful, gentle and cute big sister, that’s how it felt!」
「Is that so?」
「...... Not really.」
So that didn’t happen.
「But making an appearance is amazing, right!? With that as the starting point, I will work towards a short story next......」
Ria-san leaned forward and looked at me with sparkling eyes.
I wouldn’t know if a short story featuring Ria-san would come true, but it was important to have hope. I wouldn’t deny that.
—— The door chimed, and a woman walked in, wearing a silk dress with a low cut, emphasizing her figure and chest.
「No time no see, Celi-san.」
「...... Yes, it feels like it had been years.」
The woman furrowing her brows was a teacher from the academy, and Ria-san’s good friend.
Ria-san pressed a finger on her lips, and looked at Celi-san with a mischievous smile.
「Oh, isn’t that Celi who had not made an appearance yet? Is it fine for you to appear suddenly? Maybe everyone already forgot about you? Want to make a self-introduction?」
「......」
I could hear Celi-san gnashing her teeth.
「...... No, it’s fine. I’m more popular than Ria.」
「I can’t ignore that! Where did you get that idea from!? The survey!?」
「Do you even need to ask? Because of my feminine charms.」
With that, Celi-san winked at me. I didn’t know what I should do, but her eyes were filled with temptations, and I couldn’t help looking away.
「Ah! Hey! That’s foul play! Can you please not look at my Yu-chan with those creepy eyes!?」
「Ohoho, it must be hard for a woman without charms to be jealous all the time.」
「What!? It’s just that much, I can do it too!」
Ria-san stood up and stared right at me.
「...... H-How’s that?」
「...... Even if you ask me…」
She was still the usual Ria-san. Her face had a hint of childishness, and looked really cute.
Celi-san was holding her stomach and laughing.
「This kid doesn't know when to give up… Oh right, I’m not here to take part in this rom-com skit.」
Celi-san cleared her throat, changing the atmosphere around her, then stared at me with her arms crossed.
「When will I make my appearance?」
「...... You want to make an appearance?」
「Of course. Let’s see, and also an illustration. So everyone will know my charms.」
「Oh, I want an illustration too! And more lines!」
「You have enough. Isn’t 2 lines plenty for you, fufu.」
「Why are you laughing!? I don’t want to hear that from someone who isn’t even mentioned!?」
「Because I will be making an appearance later. I have been building up my power before this.」
「Hmmp~ Sounds like making excuses for your failure~」
「...... Since you said that, I have to let you understand which one of us is more charming.」
They started squabbling like always, completely ignoring me. Squabbling was a sign of their close relations. But I hope they can take it outside.
I decided to ignore that and continued cleaning the glasses.
「Yu-chan, who do you think should have an appearance!?」
「You can be honest, pay Ria no mind.」
「I will always make an appearance, so it doesn’t matter… Ah.」
I misspoke. I turned and saw the two beauties staring at me with big smiles. I felt a chill rise up my spine.
「Yu-chan, come have a chat with your big sisters, okay?」
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