kscans

Chapter 216 - The Treasure That Was Always Nearby

A week after the Sweets Festival was held, Hayato and Esha were in their real-world cafe, preparing for work.

And today, Ash and Ren were here as customers for the first time in a while. They had finished a part of their movie shoot and had a little free time.

Though it was before opening hours, Ash ordered a coffee at the counter, and Ren a pudding.

The coffee was free. Ash was drinking it as part of Hayato's training. Ash's rating was low, but he said it was getting slightly better. Albeit with a biased eye.

And Ren was eating her pudding while talking with Esha.

"So it was a love triangle between Relic-san, the Maid Chief-san, and Sonia-san? I barely know Sonia-san and the Maid Chief-san, aside from Relic-san, so it's, you know, hard to picture it."

"I only heard the story afterward, so I didn't understand it at the time either. But I must say, as expected of the Maid Chief. She must have been hiding it quite well for me not to notice at all."

(Was that a love triangle? And I think anyone could have told what was going on with the Maid Chief, though...)

Ash, who was listening to Esha and Ren's conversation, glanced at the entrance and then looked back at Hayato.

"I don't really get that stuff, but are Relic and the others coming today?"

"Yeah, they are. In the end, it seems Relic-san is going to live in both the real and virtual worlds."

That's what Relic had told Hayato afterward.

He had apparently come to the conclusion that while he had no reason to live in only one world, he had no need to abandon either. However, he also said that his time in the virtual world would likely decrease.

The reason was that the gap between reality and virtual reality was too great. In reality, unlike in the virtual world, there was physical pain. He said that if he got too used to the virtual world, he wouldn't be able to return to reality.

When Hayato expressed concern about the pain, Relic laughed and said that it was proof that he was alive.

He couldn't move like he used to, but it wasn't as if he couldn't move at all, and his mind hadn't dulled. If he took care of himself, he could still live a long time. That's what Relic said with a laugh.

And Sonia also decided to live in both worlds with Relic.

Their relationship hadn't particularly changed, but Hayato thought that was just on the surface, and various things had likely changed. They were apparently spending more time together as well.

(That's a good thing, but the Maid Chief-san...)

To put it simply, the Maid Chief was in a slump.

Not in a way that she was rampaging, but she was eating and drinking on par with Esha.

The frequency of the Sweets Festival had increased since then. He was getting paid for the ingredients, so he wasn't losing money, but for some reason, Hayato was being summoned to the Maid Guild to make massive amounts of sweets.

She seemed to have gotten over it to some extent, but she often sighed, and each time, she seemed to be eating sweets. And recently, she found out about the Wine Brewing Kit he got with his Treasure Coins, and now he was being pestered to make five-star wine.

He had gotten it for Relic and Mist, but lately, you could call it the Maid Chief's exclusive kit.

There was nothing Hayato could do, so all he could do was hope for a chance encounter with someone new.

Just as he was thinking that, the cafe's doorbell rang.

There stood Relic, dressed in a rather light black suit, and Sonia, in a similar pantsuit. Both were wearing fedora-type hats, making them look like people from an intelligence agency.

Relic and Sonia each took off their hats and bowed to Hayato and the others.

"So this is Hayato-sama's cafe. It's a wonderful shop."

"Yeah, not bad. I like the calm feeling it has."

"Welcome, Relic-san, Sonia-san. It must have been a long trip, right?"

"Not at all. Since we are acquaintances of Ney-sama, we were provided with various conveniences for our travel. It was quite easy."

"I'm glad to hear that. Oh, my apologies. Please, this way."

Hayato led Relic and Sonia to a table by the window. Ash, Ren, and Esha also moved there.

"Yo, Relic. It's been a while."

"Ash-sama, Ren-sama, it has been a long time. I was a bit surprised when I heard that you both had your memories back as well."

"That's right! A lot happened, and now I'm helping out at the cafe while shooting a movie! It's just a small role for now, but please watch it if you can!"

"Oh, a movie? That sounds enjoyable. I will certainly look forward to seeing it."

Relic and the others, meeting for the first time in a while, seemed to be having a lively conversation about recent events. Sonia was also introducing herself, and things were getting exciting.

Relic and Sonia had decided to work for Ney's Foundation. Their hacking skills had been recognized, and they would be doing security work that utilized their knowledge. There was also the matter of keeping the Scorpion Foundation in check.

However, they wouldn't be working on Earth, but in this colony, "Factory." A place to live had already been arranged, and today was also their moving day.

And Relic had said this.

"Anneliese left her mark by helping Ney-sama's Foundation grow. In a way, that came full circle and saved me. I thought that perhaps I could leave my skills and knowledge to Ney-sama's Foundation as well. I would be happy if that could have a good influence on Hayato-sama's and everyone's descendants someday."

No one knew what the future held, but with that hope in mind, Relic had decided to work for Ney's Foundation.

Once their conversation had wound down, Relic alone approached the counter. He sat on a stool and faced Hayato.

"It's been about three days, I suppose. I was busy with various preparations, so I haven't been able to log in for a while."

"Yes, it's been about that long. How are you feeling, physically?"

"Compared to the virtual world, reality is quite inflexible in many ways. But it's not bad. By the way, I haven't seen her recently, but is the Maid Chief-sama..."

"Well, she's doing fine. Though she's been requesting sweets more often."

"I see. She deserves someone more suitable than an old man like me. It may be unsettling for a while, but time will solve it. Unlike me, she has a lot of time, after all."

Relic was over seventy years old. Even if he got together with the Maid Chief, there was no telling how much time they could spend together. That was likely a factor in his decision.

When he told Esha that thought, she had retorted, "You can think about that later. What's important is the now," and Hayato had thought that the female heart was a difficult thing.

"Honestly, don't talk like you're going to drop dead tomorrow. You're going to be working for Ney's young lady from now on. Besides, weren't you the one who said you could live longer if you took care of yourself? Or what, do you think I don't care if you die whenever?"

"N-no, that's not what I meant..."

Before he knew it, the women had gathered behind Relic. And at Sonia's words, Esha and Ren were nodding in agreement.

"The Maid Chief could get a boyfriend or two in no time if she put her mind to it. I don't think you need to worry about her, Relic. Besides, you know what they say, a woman's love is an overwrite save. She'll forget all about you and start a new romance in no time. She'd better, or the training she puts me through will get worse, and that's a problem for me."

"That's right. Besides, Relic-san, you should be worried about Sonia-san, not the Maid Chief-san. Making her wait this long, what's wrong with you? To put it mildly, I think it wouldn't be strange if you got stabbed. If it were me, I'd definitely curse you."

For a rare moment, Relic was being hit by concentrated fire from the women. The always calm and composed Relic was at a complete loss.

If he said anything unnecessary here, the spear would be pointed at him. Hayato said nothing and began washing dishes that didn't need washing.

Leaving the thoroughly chided Relic behind, the three women returned to the table by the window. For some reason, Ash seemed to be the next one being chided. The topic he could hear was about how he was handsome but a complete disappointment.

Relic, sweating slightly, gave a wry smile and asked Hayato for a coffee.

Hayato worried that making him drink his coffee in this state might be the final blow.

"Um, for coffee, maybe it's better when you're feeling a bit better..."

"Please don't mind me. I'm feeling fine. Besides, what just happened was like a purification ritual. My handling of the Maid Chief-sama, as well as my attitude towards Sonia and Anneliese... I can say that I was far too selfish towards those around me. It's the price I pay for living as I pleased, or perhaps I should have paid more attention to my surroundings. To think of such things at my age, I can't complain if Diite-sama called me a third-rate man."

Hayato didn't know how to respond and could only manage a wry smile.

"But, at the very least, I want to make Sonia happy. A long time ago, Sonia said that my actions towards Anneliese were self-sacrificing devotion, but it is Sonia who embodies self-sacrificing devotion. I must respond to that. Of course, not out of obligation, but because I truly want to. Though I feel sorry for the Maid Chief-sama."

"...That's true. Esha and I will handle things with the Maid Chief, so please don't worry. Relic-san, please respond to Sonia-san's feelings. And please drink the coffee as penance as well. It might lessen your guilt a little."

"Thank you. I must admit, it's troubling to be told something so self-deprecating. But I will have it. Of course, not as penance, but because I want to drink the real coffee made by you, Hayato-sama."

Hazato prepared the coffee with a slight smile.

During that time, Relic said nothing in particular and had a gentle expression on his face.

With a tense look, Hayato placed the coffee in front of Relic.

"Here you go. But please, don't force yourself..."

"Thank you for the drink."

Relic took a single sip and returned the cup to its saucer. His expression didn't change.

"H-how is it...?"

"To be frank, it's just bitter. I suppose it has the taste of coffee, though."

"I-I see... That's the best it's tasted so far, though..."

"Are you perhaps using beans produced in the Colony?"

"Eh? Yes. All our food products are from the Colony. There are some from Earth, but they're far too expensive."

"However, isn't your brewing method the Earth method?"

"Eh?"

"Well, if you're using Colony beans and brewing in the Colony, I think you need to use a method appropriate for that... Are you perhaps unaware?"

"This is the first I'm hearing of it..."

Hayato had a favorite cafe on Earth.

He had learned how to brew from the master there, but indeed, that cafe's coffee beans were from Earth. The coffee he made at that time wasn't as good as the master's, but it tasted decent and he recalled it wasn't this bad.

"B-but, the other ingredients are fine, you know? The chocolate parfaits and everything are made with Colony ingredients, but they taste good and are quite popular."

"I'm not an expert, so I can't say for sure... but actually, I used to like wine and looked into how to make it. It seems there are various differences between Earth-grown grapes and Colony-grown grapes, and I've seen information that the aging methods are also different between Earth and the Colonies. Could it be the same for coffee?"

"O-oh..."

In other words, Hayato was brewing with Colony coffee beans in a Colony cafe, but his method was the Earth method.

The Colony generated artificial gravity and the temperature was constant. The coffee beans grown in the "Farm" Colony tasted different from Earth-grown ones. And the storage methods were likely different as well. There was a high probability that the same method as on Earth wouldn't work.

"It may be that both wine and coffee require their own methods to be made in the Colony. Therefore, I think you'll have to do a lot of trial and error, like changing the steaming time, or the amount of water and beans, to make delicious coffee."

Hayato had been trying various things, but he hadn't done enough trial and error to deviate from the basics. And it seemed there were more things he needed to reconsider.

"...Relic-san, you look like a god to me."

"I'm just an old man... But allow me to give one piece of advice from this old man."

"Please, say anything. For the sake of delicious coffee, I'd sell my soul to the devil..."

"It's not about coffee. It's about treasure."

"Treasure?"

"I heard various things earlier, so I wanted to talk... This is something Sonia said, but apparently, you are similar to me, Hayato-sama."

Long ago, Diite had told him that he and Esha were similar. Now, to be told by Relic that he was similar to him, Hayato was a little surprised.

"Um, do you think so? But what are you talking about?"

"Well, please listen. It's not about our looks, of course. It's our way of life, or rather, the way we get so focused on what we like that we don't see what's around us, that's what's similar."

"That might be true, now that you mention it."

Hayato had his own thoughts on the matter. When making production items in the game, there were times he became so absorbed he lost track of time. And he was particular about it. It wasn't that he didn't compromise, but if he had the time, he would repeat it until he was satisfied.

It was the same with coffee. He had been trying again and again. He felt like he had finally seen a glimmer of hope, so much so that he had planned to try various things starting tonight.

"I'm not saying that's a bad thing, but if you're like me, you might not notice the treasure that was always nearby. I won't stop you if you want to be like me, but I think it's also necessary to stop for a moment and take a good look around."

"The treasure that was always nearby..."

Hayato thought that for Relic, that treasure was probably Sonia.

Immediately after, Hayato turned his gaze to the table by the window. There was Esha, looking like she was having fun.

Esha had helped him again this time. Especially on the floating island, if Esha hadn't been there, he would have had trouble breathing and been in quite a dangerous situation. Hayato had thanked her for that time, but one could also say that's all he did.

"You are young, Hayato-sama. You have all the time in the world. But while it may seem like you have a lot of time, it slips through your fingers before you know it. When you have only a little left, you may find that your treasure has slipped away, and you have nothing left in your hands. Fortunately for me, mine stayed with me."

"...Yes. I think I understand, somehow."

Relic smiled at Hayato's response.

"I would be happy if you took it as the ramblings, the advice, of an old man. Even now, I don't think my life was a mistake. No, I want to believe it was right. But there are times when I wonder if I could have lived a better life, even in the harsh era of resource depletion. I don't want you to feel that way, Hayato-sama."

"Yes. I will take it as advice from a senior in life and think about it carefully."

Relic smiled.

When they first met, he had a scar between his eyebrows and seemed like a butler with a story, but now, he only had the image of a kind old man. Hayato didn't want to live a life similar to Relic's, but he did want to become a man like the Relic of today.

He had planned to do some trial and error with his coffee tonight, but he changed his mind and decided to invite Esha out to eat somewhere.