Chapter 18: Chapter 18: Himeko's Coffee = Suspicious Stew
The moment Himeko mentioned the word "coffee," Welt and Dan Heng, who had just settled down at the bar counter, suddenly shuddered.
Welt adjusted the glasses on his nose and was about to get up. "I suddenly remembered I have something to take care of..."
Himeko immediately shot him a glance. "Oh dear, we came back together, what could possibly have been left behind? Welt, as a senior Nameless, the juniors haven't even left yet. Shouldn't you set an example as a senior?"
Welt sighed helplessly and sat back down. "In that case, I'll have tea."
"We don't have any."
Fu Zhu and Xing sat down confusedly in the empty seats nearby. As soon as they sat down, they could hear Dan Heng muttering something under his breath. "This is a trial... This is a trial..."
Fu Zhu felt a sense of solemn respect arise. Although he didn't understand why, it was clear that both Welt and Dan Heng strongly resisted Himeko's coffee.
March 7th, however, cheerfully waved at Himeko. "Big Sis Himeko, I want juice~"
"Alright."
Himeko smiled and poured a glass of juice for March 7th. Seeing this, Welt immediately raised his hand too. "Himeko, since there's no tea, I'll have a glass of juice then."
But Himeko covered her mouth and chuckled lightly. "Sorry, that was the last glass. We'll have to ask Asta to restock the inventory later."
Welt's old face darkened. He clearly saw Himeko hide more than half a bottle of juice behind her back. Obviously, she was upset because he had shown distaste for her coffee.
After dealing with Welt, Himeko turned to Fu Zhu and Xing, asking with a smile, "And you two?"
Fu Zhu was just about to make up an excuse to avoid drinking Himeko's coffee when Xing, beside him, raised her hand first. "I want to drink Big Sis Himeko's coffee!"
Xing's eyes were full of curiosity. She was extremely curious about how potent coffee that could make Welt and Dan Heng this scared could possibly be.
Himeko naturally nodded with a smile and agreed, then looked at Fu Zhu. "Fu Zhu, what about you?"
Fu Zhu sighed helplessly. Things having reached this point, refusing the coffee again would probably upset Himeko. "I'll have the same."
"Okay, please wait a moment."
Soon, Himeko placed four cups of coffee in front of everyone.
Fu Zhu squinted, picking up the coffee before him and examining it carefully. Whether by smell or appearance, it looked like perfectly ordinary coffee.
However, just as he thought this, a system prompt immediately popped up.
[Himeko's Coffee]
[Currently Convertible: Suspicious Stew]
Fu Zhu jerked backward abruptly. Holy crap, it can actually be converted into Suspicious Stew! The power of Himeko's coffee is plain to see!
"Fu Zhu, why aren't you drinking yet? Coffee tastes best when it's hot, you know." Himeko urged Fu Zhu with a gentle smile.
Fu Zhu broke into a cold sweat and turned to look at the others. Xing, sitting to his left, had somehow already slumped onto the bar counter, a trace of coffee still lingering at the corner of her mouth. As for Dan Heng and Welt, one sat rigidly in place with an ashen face, while the other repeatedly adjusted his trembling glasses with his fingers. The only thing they had in common was that the coffee in front of both of them had already been drunk completely clean.
Fu Zhu gritted his teeth, steeled his heart, picked up the coffee, and poured it directly into his mouth.
For an instant, Fu Zhu felt like he had fallen into a mud pit. No matter how he struggled, the thick, viscous mud always found a way to seep into his body.
[Blindness: 00:30]
"Fu Zhu, how does it taste?"
Fu Zhu grinned, gave a thumbs-up, and said, "Delicious!"
March 7th, who was savoring her juice, saw Fu Zhu giving her a thumbs-up and couldn't help muttering, "Fu Zhu, I didn't make the coffee, why are you giving me a thumbs-up?"
Do you expect someone blind for thirty seconds to aim correctly?
Fu Zhu speechlessly 'savored' the taste for thirty seconds, then couldn't resist looking at Himeko again. "Big Sis Himeko, can I have another cup?"
Putting aside the mud-like texture, Fu Zhu was extremely curious about how many different buffs Himeko's coffee could provide. After all, Suspicious Stew in MC could grant a total of nine buffs: Fire Resistance, Blindness, Saturation, Jump Boost, Poison, Regeneration, Night Vision, Weakness, and Wither!
Although, due to the various Path powers currently enhancing him, most of the positive buffs from Suspicious Stew, except for Jump Boost, wouldn't affect him unless the effects could stack.
Judging by how the Blindness buff duration he received from the first cup changed from the original few seconds to thirty seconds, perhaps other buffs would change too?
This point sparked intense curiosity in Fu Zhu! If it's something edible, it doesn't count as being Steve if you don't put it in your mouth to taste it!
Himeko looked at Fu Zhu with some surprise. Usually, after one cup of her coffee, no matter how she persuaded them, people would politely decline. She had always been the only one appreciating her own creation. She never expected someone today would actually want a second cup!
"Of course, you can."
Himeko worked quickly, and soon a second cup of coffee was brewed and placed in front of Fu Zhu.
Fu Zhu picked up the coffee and downed it in one gulp.
[Poison: 00:30]
Fu Zhu immediately raised his hand to cover his mouth, coughing up a few mouthfuls of blood. However, from Himeko's angle, she couldn't see the blood Fu Zhu coughed into his palm; she just assumed he drank too quickly.
"You drank too fast. Whenever you want to drink, I'll brew it for you."
But March 7th, Dan Heng, and Welt, sitting beside Fu Zhu, clearly saw the splash of crimson inside Fu Zhu's palm. Their eyes widened.
Himeko's coffee has gotten even stronger?!
Fu Zhu endured until the Poison effect passed, silently placed his right hand by his side, then raised his left hand. "Himeko, I'd like another cup."
He refused to believe it! Nine buffs, and he couldn't get a single positive effect!
Seeing this, March 7th immediately pushed Fu Zhu's raised left hand down, saying to Himeko with a forced smile, "Big Sis Himeko, don't brew it just yet! Didn't you say we were going to have a small meeting?"
"That's right," Welt quickly chimed in. "It's better to let them understand our upcoming itinerary first."
As he spoke, Welt couldn't help but lift his glasses with a finger, reaching up to wipe away non-existent tears from the corner of his eye.
Fu Zhu is such a good kid!
Purposefully drinking so many cups of coffee just so Himeko wouldn't be embarrassed!
Hearing them say this, Himeko could only apologize to Fu Zhu. "Alright then, let's first tell you about the Astral Express's upcoming itinerary."
At this moment, Xing, who had been lying prone beside Fu Zhu playing dead, immediately sat up straight, casually wiped the coffee from the corner of her mouth, and acted as if nothing had happened.
"Where are we going next?"