NOVEL NEXT Chapter 19 - Episode 019: Serious Glasses-Wearing Youth, Being Honest with Oneself
Episode 019: Serious Glasses-Wearing Youth, Being Honest with Oneself
In the adventurer guild’s staff area, there was a young man employee. In his early twenties, he wore glasses and had a very serious appearance. From head to toe, he was neatly groomed, with no wrinkles on his uniform vest, shirt, or slacks, presenting an impeccable appearance.
“Good morning.”
“Morning.”
“Good morning.”
The young man arrived 15 minutes before the start of his shift, greeted his colleagues properly, and took his seat. Not only in appearance but also in action, he was a serious and diligent man. And so, as usual, the young man began his office work at the start of his shift.
“This and this are incorrect. Please correct these after checking.”
“These items have not met the requirements, so I cannot accept them.”
“This is a private meal, right? It cannot be covered by expenses.”
He carefully checked the documents submitted according to the rules, pointed out any shortcomings, and returned them to the person who brought them, sometimes even looking for the materials himself.
“That person always complains so much…”
“He’s too serious, not flexible at all.”
“I wouldn’t want to be like him.”
Despite being faithful to his duties, he was resented by his colleagues for his excessive seriousness, and they often talked behind his back, making derogatory remarks loud enough for him to hear. Living like the young man was supposed to be the right thing to do. However, sometimes correctness can be suffocating. When there is a serious person nearby, one might feel inferior in their lack of seriousness and become aggressive towards that serious person, often conspiring with similar-minded individuals to attack them.
Why do I have to be disliked just for doing my job…?
*Sigh*
While working, the young man let out a dark sigh. His appearance and serious behavior were actually like a suit of armor protecting his heart. If he lived earnestly, he wouldn’t be disliked. That’s what he thought. But because he was too serious and inflexible, perhaps, everyone began to dislike him. And the young man didn’t know any other way to live, nor did he have a chance to change.
“Hey, there’s a drinking party today. Why don’t you come?”
“No, I have something to do. See you later.”
“I see. Well then, another time.”
Although there were seniors who cared about him, he didn’t want to ruin the atmosphere by going, so he declined the invitation and went home alone at the usual time, feeling envious of his cheerful colleagues. The bespectacled young man lived a stifling daily life. However, one day, a sudden opportunity arose.
A towering man, larger than himself, was distributing flyers. Surprisingly, he wore a frilly white apron like a girl’s. The young man was shocked by this sight as if struck by lightning. It seemed to represent a way of life completely opposite to his own.
“We have a café. Please come.”
“Ah, thank you…”
The young man received a flyer from the large man. The flyer contained information about the café run by the large man. It advertised being able to interact with fluffy creatures. With that, the man finished handing out flyers and left, carrying an extremely cute girl.
“Fluffy Café…”
The young man muttered as he stared at his back. From that moment on, the young man couldn’t get the Fluffy Café out of his mind, but a week passed without him taking the first step.
It was a week of being constantly criticized.
Perhaps the hope that such days might change prompted the young man to take that first step. On that day, after finishing work on time, he hurriedly left through the city gate and ran to the outskirts. And there he found the shop he was looking for.
“So this is the Fluffy Café…”
He took a deep breath and slowly opened the door.
*Ding-a-ling*
The bell on the door made a pleasant sound.
“Welcome.”
“Are you still open?”
Although the sign said “OPEN,” it was still time, so he wanted to make sure.
“Yeah. Please take any seat you like.”
Feeling relieved that he made it in time, he took a seat at a corner table.
“Here’s the menu.”
A little girl brought a menu and water on a tray.
“Thank you.”
He smiled at the girl who was working hard, feeling warm inside.
The young man opened the menu and his eyes widened. It was because each menu item had cute illustrations to indicate what it was. It was so fresh and surprising.
“This is… *cough*”
He coughed to cover up his surprise.
“Is your order ready?”
“I’ll have a ham and cucumber sandwich and an iced coffee, please.”
“Understood.”
After a while, the proprietor came to take the order, and the young man informed him of his order before scanning the interior of the shop.
As the name “Fluffy Café” suggested, there were several fluffy and adorable monsters lounging around the shop.
“Kyuu?”
One of them caught his eye—a white rabbit-like monster with round, adorable eyes.
I want to touch it… No, no, what am I thinking? I was dangerously close to being captivated by its fluffiness.
The young man shook his head to dispel such thoughts.
After enduring the temptation of the fluffy white creature for a few minutes, the sandwich and iced coffee were brought over.
“Delicious…”
As he took a bite, the deliciousness seemed to melt away his pent-up frustrations. Before he knew it, he was disregarding table manners and gobbling up the food, finishing it quickly. It was that delicious. The coffee blend was exquisite, tailored to the taste preferred by those living in this area.
“Kyuu?”
“Wh-what’s wrong? Do you want food?”
Lost in the taste of the coffee, the white rabbit he had made eye contact with earlier approached him.
The young man didn’t know what to do, but the proprietor provided an answer.
“It just wants some attention. If you’d like, you can pet it. It won’t mind being lifted up if you handle it gently.”
It was like a devil’s whisper. If he succumbed to it, there would be no turning back.
“No, I’ll pass on that.”
With a gut feeling, the young man rejected the temptation.
“Kyurun!”
However, the white rabbit lay down and looked at him with an alluring pose, as if mocking his resolve.
“Ugh…”
Just that was enough to shake the young man’s determination, but his inherent seriousness helped him withstand it somehow.
“Kyururun?”
But then, the white rabbit hopped onto his lap.
This direct contact shook the young man’s heart.
“Guh…”
The strength of the temptation almost made him reach out.
…No, no.
However, more than two decades of living a certain way rejected it.
The young man bit his lip and endured the temptation.
But that was the limit.
“Kyunn!”
Snow rubbed its head against the young man’s body.
“Uwaaaah!!”
The cuteness overload caused the young man’s rationality to collapse.
“Suppressing it isn’t good. I’ve stopped resisting too. It’s okay to be honest with yourself.”
The proprietor placed a hand on the young man’s shoulder, wearing a gentle expression.
With that, the young man felt affirmed that it was okay to live more selfishly.
“Sigh… Okay, understood. I’ll be honest with myself.”
The young man petted Snow’s head, feeling a blissful sensation he had never experienced before.
It was like ascending to heaven, so blissful.
The young man continued to savor that sensation as he pleased.
“Thank you for the meal. I’ll come again.”
“Yes, I’ll be waiting.”
By the time he left, his face had changed to a calm expression, as if a burden had been lifted from him.
“Alright, I’ll come here every day!!”
After leaving the shop, the young man made up his mind.
And from that day on, the serious bespectacled young man changed. His actions became more lively, his smiles increased, his way of communicating became softer, and his reputation improved among those around him.
“How about it? Won’t you join us for drinks today?”
A senior colleague who was concerned about him invited him again today.
“Sorry for declining even though you kindly invited me. I have somewhere to go afterwards!! Well then!!”
However, the young man, though his cheeks relaxed, apologized with a hint of regret and hurried away.
“Heh, he’s changed…”
Watching the back of the young man, who had started to smile warmly, the senior smiled happily.