Three days ago, only fragments of that memory remained in Lucian's mind. After that, everything was blurred.
Why can I only remember part of Kyle's memory? he muttered. It's so strange... But still, they were both too careless, investigating mystical things just out of curiosity. It was only natural that it ended in death.
Lucian stared at Flove for quite a while. There was something in his eyes, calm, but as if hiding something.
He always smiled like that... but for some reason, today it felt different.
"Forget my request," Lucian finally said, staring at Flove without any clear expression. "Today I want to apply for a job. Thank you for the tea."
Flove was silent for a moment, her smile stiffening for a split second before returning to normal.
"All right," she said softly, her voice sounding flat. She turned towards the kitchen and shouted, "Mum, don't cook! Kyle is coming home!"
The sound of hurried footsteps could be heard. His mother appeared from the kitchen, her face slightly panicked. "Are you leaving already? The food is almost ready, Kyle."
Lucian lowered his hat and smiled politely. "Thank you, but I'm in a hurry. Next time I'll stop by and try your cooking."
He bowed slightly, then turned and walked out. Flove accompanied him to the door. Lucian glanced back briefly, smiled faintly, then put his hat back on. Today, he intended to investigate everything himself.
From a distance, Flove still stared at his back. When Lucian had disappeared around the corner, she smiled slightly and went back into the house.
"I'm going out for a bit, Mum," Flove whispered, and walked straight to his room.
His mother was surprised and said, "Where are you going, Flove? Don't you want to have breakfast first?"
"No need, I'll just buy some bread..." Flove shouted from his room.
After that, his mother turned around to continue cooking. Meanwhile, Flove came out of his room wearing a black coat, stepped outside the house and left.....
Lucian walked past several people; the city centre was very crowded. This time, he planned to go home first, rest and think about his next plan.
He chose not to ride a horse, walking instead to save money and also to enjoy the atmosphere of the city centre. After about thirty minutes, Lucian saw the entrance to his house.
Turning right, he arrived at his house. As his hand reached for the door handle, he was about to pull it open. Lucian was startled; the door was locked.
"Hmm, did she leave?" He turned around, a little annoyed, and gave up on his plan to rest in his room.
Lucian did not know where Nana, his mother, had gone. Earlier that morning, while they were eating together, Lucian had not been told anything.
Standing still, he reached into his coat pocket and took out the few banknotes he had left.
"Only forty sen left..." Lucian muttered. "Is this enough for a drink at the pub?"
With no other choice, Lucian calmly walked away. He wanted to go to the pub, relax and wait for his mother to return.
He walked out of his house and headed for the pub on the main road. It was not far from his house, and now he had arrived, staring at the sign above it.
Lucian immediately entered, the door opening accompanied by the ringing of bells echoing in every corner of the room. He walked towards the cashier to order something.
"Please, how can I help you?" whispered the cashier, a woman. She handed him a book containing the menu for this bar.
With a smile, Lucian accepted it. He opened the book and began reading.
"Hmm. The prices are quite reasonable for a café that looks this luxurious. But what should I order?" He pondered over what food or drink would be tasty.
After a moment's thought about what to order, he closed the menu book tightly and returned it to the cashier.
"I'd like to order herbal tea and grilled meat, please," said Lucian, adding, "Do I have to pay for this order first?" Lucian was curious whether the system at this shop was the same as shops on Earth.
The female cashier smiled slightly and said, "You can pay now or later, whichever is more convenient for you."
Due to the influence of his life on Earth, where you have to pay after ordering, Lucian put his right hand in his pocket and asked about the price of his order.
"Is it the price listed or is there an additional tax?" asked Lucian, ready to take out his money.
"Since you are the first customer at this shop, just pay the listed price," replied the cashier, smiling.
Hearing this, Lucian smiled, happy to save a few percent of his money. He handed over three banknotes, each worth ten pence.
"Thank you, please take a seat over there, sir," she said, pointing to an empty seat with her right hand.
Lucian turned around and sat down to wait. About eight minutes passed, and his order still hadn't arrived. He was getting bored and turned to his left, watching the people passing by through the shop window.
Suddenly... The door opened, accompanied by the ringing of a bell. Lucian was silent, staring at the woman who had just entered the shop, not far from where he was sitting.
She had long, jet-black hair that fell to her back, with bangs covering part of her forehead. On her head, she wore a black headband that gave her a neat and feminine look.
Her eyes were large and bright blue, matching her beautiful appearance. She wore a black lace dress in a noble style, paired with brown ankle boots that gave a modern and stylish impression.
The woman walked towards the cashier to place her order. Lucian, who had been bored, now shifted his gaze and glanced at the woman. In his mind, he thought of something he couldn't say when he first saw her.
Shortly after thinking that, the woman turned and approached him. She sat next to him and glanced at Lucian with a sly smile.
Seeing this, Lucian looked away to the right, staring at the people passing by on the street.
"May we get acquainted?" the woman whispered, continuing, "Let me introduce myself, my name is Hana Voltiane. And what is your name?" she asked, smiling and staring intently at Lucian, who looked away.
Shortly after that, a bearded man wearing an apron arrived. He carried a plate of grilled meat that emitted hot steam and formed a small cloud.
And in his left hand was a tray with a cup of herbal tea on it.
Lucian turned and saw that his order was ready to be enjoyed. On the other hand, he felt cynical after the woman's arrival. He did not respond to Hana's words and wanted to enjoy his meal.
"Hey, that's very rude. Why haven't you said a word to me? My heart feels pierced by a thousand arrows, ahh." Hana sighed slightly, wanting Lucian to speak.
Lucian still ignored her words. He stood up, carrying a cup of tea and a plate of meat. He moved to the left, trying his best to get away from the strange woman.
Seeing this, her face wrinkled and her jaw tightened. Hana stood up and followed Lucian from behind.
Annoyed by the woman's presence, he turned around to warn her.
"I don't know who you are. I hope you don't do anything strange to me..." After saying that, Lucian sat down and put the plate and cup on the table.
Hana, who heard those words, immediately fell silent and did not move at all. On the other hand, Lucian held a knife, intending to cut the meat. He directed the fork towards his mouth and was about to eat it when he glanced to the right. He saw the woman leaving with a gloomy expression on her face.