"Ms. Kingsley, are you suggesting that we should start making our own pastries?" Maximilian asked with a wry smile.
"If that were the case, it would be great. But I know you’re not skilled in pastry-making, otherwise, you might’ve done it already," Kiyomi replied. "You must understand that organic food is very hard to co by.
Those cheap imitations can only mimic the taste and texture to a certain degree, but they can never truly replace real food." Kiyomi said this with a smirk, her confidence practically radiating off her.
Is this girl alright in the head? Why is she suddenly so passionate about food, pastries, and whatever else? Is there a point to all this? Maximilian wondered.
"What are you trying to say, Ms. Kingsley?" Maximilian asked, his smile now strained.
"What I’m trying to say is..." she paused, "Since you enjoy running this café, you should put your heart into it. Using store-bought pastries gives the impression that you’re just too lazy to care. But... I don’t think that’s true."
She looked deeply into Maximilian’s eyes before continuing.
"Your coffee is quite good, and it’s obvious you enjoy making it. So I’ve concluded that the cakes you serve are just an afterthought, sothing for custors to snack on while they enjoy your coffee.
That contrast between the quality of your coffee and the cakes is glaring. The cake brand you chose is a V-grade synthetic food, it imitates the original taste at a higher cost.
But the fact that you were genuinely surprised when you learned what it’s made from ans you were neglecting the details. That shows one of two things: either it’s an afterthought, or you were too lazy to care.
However, the fact that you’ve trained yourself to the level where you can rival the top twenty heroes shows how much discipline and commitnt you have. Soone like that isn’t lazy.
So... I think you lied to when you said you don’t want to teach because you enjoy running this café.
No... you don’t enjoy running a café. You just enjoy making coffee for people. This café is rely your outlet for that passion.
The real reason you don’t want to teach , it’s not because you’re lazy. Far from it. It’s because you don’t want the trouble that cos along with my identity. That’s why you refused . Am I right?"
[Damn... this girl is good. She figured out you hate troubleso things with just that little bit of info. (;￣Д￣）] Said Atherna.
Maximilian rolled his eyes at Atherna’s comnt.
"Maybe you’re right," Maximilian admitted. "Maybe I do just like making coffee for people. But that doesn’t change the fact that I don’t want to teach you martial arts."
"No, it changes everything... because now I have a chance." Kiyomi said confidently as she raised one finger, emphasizing her point.
"The mont you realize teaching might actually be worth the trouble... you will change your mind."
With that, Kiyomi pulled out her na card and handed it to Maximilian.
"If you change your mind, please contact ," she said, placing the card into Maximilian’s hand, who was still stunned by the girl’s antic.
"Oi, Princess, wouldn’t it have been better to just say that and leave your na card with Max? What’s the point of all that analyzing?" Rebecca retorted after witnessing everything.
Hearing Rebecca’s comnt, Kiyomi paused, seemingly startled, as if she had just realized sothing.
"Oh! You’re right! I was planning to do exactly that, but I couldn’t help myself after tasting the butter cake. It was just too much. Please forgive if I seed a little out of control," Kiyomi said and politely bowed in apology to Maximilian, while still completely ignoring Rebecca.
After the commotion, she finished her coffee, ordered a few cups to go, and then left the café.
"What was that all about?" Rebecca asked Maximilian once Kiyomi had walked out of the shop.
Maximilian shrugged. "Maybe she’s just a foodie and couldn’t help venting after tasting that kind of butter cake," he said, taking a guess at the real reason behind Kiyomi’s sudden rant.
— IHB Local Branch —
Inside Strauss’s neat and ticulously organized office, the man himself sat at his desk, reading over reports and approving operations as usual.
Knock! Knock! Knock! Knock!
"Co in," Strauss said without looking up from the paperwork.
"Hello, Mr. Strauss," Kiyomi said as she walked into the office and placed the takeaway coffee on the table.
"How’s your analysis of Max Sterling Graham, Ms. Kingsley?" asked Strauss.
"To be honest, Mr. Strauss, if I didn’t already know who he was, I would’ve thought he was just a simple salaryman, or maybe a small business owner, judging by his aura.
Also, he cos off as lazy. But considering he’s trained himself to the point where he can take down a Behemoth, I don’t think ’lazy’ is the right word to describe him.
That’s why I believe he’s soone who hates unnecessary complications—things like politics or bureaucracy. The structure of an organization, hierarchy... maybe that’s sothing he grew to dislike due to his past or wherever he used to be.
When he ntioned my father, I let a bit of my personal emotions show. I’m sure he noticed it—but he chose not to ask. That may be because we’d just t, and he didn’t want to push boundaries.
But I have a hunch: if we weren’t close, he wouldn’t say anything. If we were close, he might’ve asked."
She paused for a mont, eyes narrowing in thought.
"Moreover, he’s very observant. The mont I walked into his café, his eyes were on my hands, my posture, how I carried myself. He must have noticed I have martial arts training."
"As for why he suddenly opened a café..." Kiyomi paused again, reviewing all the information she had on Max Sterling Graham.
"I think he just needed sothing to do. And it seems like he enjoys making coffee for others. Maybe this is sothing he does for enjoynt... or perhaps... to rehabilitate himself from sothing... sothing he escaped from." Kiyomi finished, her tone tinged with nostalgia.
"Do you know sothing?" Strauss asked.
"No... I don’t," Kiyomi replied. "I’m just basing this on experience. You know about my mother, right, Mr. Strauss?"
"Yes. You told she’s so kind of heiress from an ancient ninja clan," Strauss replied.
"Yes..." Kiyomi nodded. "If my hunch is correct, then Max may have a similar background to my mother. Maybe he’s a genius disciple from so ancient martial arts school. Or..." She paused, letting the weight of her words settle.
"He’s a mber of so ancient assassin organization," she said quietly.
"If that’s true, then why isn’t Max Sterling Graham hiding from them? Unless..." Strauss trailed off, thinking aloud.
"Unless he’s the strongest of them all," Kiyomi finished. "And he doesn’t care if they co after him. He can take care of them... or maybe... maybe he welcos them."
— Night —
After a mostly peaceful day at the café, and once Maximilian and Rebecca had cleaned out all the pastries in the fridge, Maximilian quietly slipped out.
Tonight was the night he planned to finish the main quest he had been putting off for so ti. He wanted to complete it as quickly as possible, so he could return to his old world, see his daughter, and make sure she was okay.
It must be said: Inorganic Animation was an incredibly useful ability. He could ’animate’ a wall to open a path for him, then return it to its original form.
With this power, Maximilian had easily avoided detection from the team monitoring the shop.
He now stood atop one of the city’s high-rise buildings, overlooking the bustling city center below. He glanced at the ti on his visor and smiled. It was midnight, the perfect ti to begin.
Maximilian raised his hand and aid at a section of the large statue below, deliberately targeting an area with fewer people. This was instinctual. Even though he was considered a villain, that didn’t an he needed to indulge in pointless killing.
Fwip!
Boom!
A massive spear made of shadow launched from the darkness near him, piercing the statue’s head, the least crowded area, sending a clear ssage to the people who witnessed this.
[Statue destruction progress: 10%]
Seeing the system update on the main quest, Maximilian conjured several more giant dark spears, each one the size of a pillar.
Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!
Four more dark spears pierced through the statue. By this ti, the people around the monunt were fleeing in panic. Maximilian carefully avoided aiming anywhere near the crowds.
So far, no one had died—though several were injured. Still, it was an acceptable outco.
[Statue destruction progress: 60%]
Currently, the dark spears had struck the statue in the head, heart, stomach, chest, and at its base. Each one emitted a dark glow, making the entire structure look ominous and terrifying in the eyes of the onlookers.
Yet the statue still stood.
Now that the crowd had fully cleared out, if the statue were to collapse, it wouldn’t hurt anyone.
But... the only reason Maximilian hadn’t finished it off completely was because he was waiting.
He was waiting for the heroes to show up—so he could complete the quest’s bonus objective.
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