Clemency

chapter twenty four | café

"Achoo!" A small sneeze was let out by Lyra. I whipped my head around to see her staring at her black coffee in mild disgust. "Too bitter..." she muttered.

"I told you that you won't be able to take it, and what did you do? You ordered it anyway." Grim said in disapproval.

"Hey, my coffee is suitable for all ages. It's not my fault she's sensitive to bitter stuff," a girl said. "That will be 4.92 Jewel, sir," she said as she exchanged a plate containing a piece of chocolate cake for two notes and a coin.

"Hey Amber?" I asked.

"What?"

"Do you think I could have that strawberry shortcake for free?"

"No. You've been asking me this for two years now."

"...A discount? Pleeease?"

"Out of the question." The girl shot me an exasperated look.

I grumbled a 'fine' and went back to drinking my mango smoothie.

Just yesterday, we managed to defeat Morrison pretty easily. After we returned to Princess Crystalline's palace to check on the guests, we each received a reward from the Princess and returned back to Nightingale, which was when we decided to call it a day and go to sleep.

It was a common routine, and we were used to this.

After all, I've been in this guild for three years now, although it feels like I just joined it a few weeks ago.

"These pancakes are great! I should try making them some time for you guys," Kaito remarked. Akuma nodded in agreement, pouring a bottle of maple syrup into her agape mouth.

"You've only been in this guild for two weeks and you're already contributing. Thank you, Kaito." Sienna stirred her coffee as she smiled serenely.

"No problem, er..."

"Sienna."

"Sienna. Right. Sorry, I remember faces better than I remember names... Sometimes, I wish my memory would improve for once..." Kaito sighed.

"What are you talking about?" Reaper questioned. He stabbed the yolk of an egg, causing it to spill out.

"Well, you know when you recruited me for the guild?" said Kaito. "I was actually searching for someone. That someone was my sister."

The girl who was also recently recruited one week later than Kaito, placed down a coffee macaron and looked up. Her name was Hikari. She was willing to join the guild but became ice cold afterwards. So far, our attempts to get to know her were all in vain.

"I don't know why... But I can't remember her name... Or how she looks like... I just know I have a sister." Kaito's face fell as he put down his fork. "I'm hoping that when I see her, the memories would come back and I would be able to recognise her."

"So your memory really is bad," commented Reaper, snickering.

"That's not the point!" Kaito insisted, his eyes open wide.

From where I sat, a small frown was visible on Hikari's face as she went back to eating her macarons.

"Man, your lives are all so interesting. I'm jealous. All I have is college and I'm barely surviving on three boxes of takeaway per day," Amber crooned, shoving a pile of ice into the café's blender.

"Yeah, but they're not all good, you know," Akuma said after finishing the bottle of maple syrup.

"I can't believe you just stole the café's maple syrup," the café barista groaned.

"Believe it."

"Whatever, you're paying for that."