Crowds of citizens parted as Kujou Sara, the general Shogun's army, made her way through after being recalled from the frontlines.
"Soldiers!" The shout of the general of the Tenryou Commission alerted the soldiers that Kujou Sara had arrived. "What is it so important that you needed my presence?"
"General Kujou!" The soldier stood upright as he saluted in respect to his superior. "The Tenryou Commission has received various reports of this mysterious building." The soldier then points to the building behind him.
"According to the reports, this building had simply appeared out of thin air with no prior warning. The Commission had requested that you be pulled back from the frontline to investigate it."
Sara was confused. "Investigate it? Shouldn't this case fall under Doushin's jurisdiction?"
"That would be the case, General Kujou, but I'm afraid that due to the mysterious nature of this building, the Commission only trusts you to investigate it safely."
"Very well. Men, guard the entrance of this place. If anything went wrong, make sure to wait for my signal for backup. Understood?"
"Yes, General."
"Oh, and one more thing, if Doushin Shikanoin requests to enter, make sure to grant his permission."
With those last words, Kujou Sara pushed open the door and walked in, her body tense as if expecting anything to happen.
.....
Gorou expected many things to see when he walked into this mysterious building after being personally tasked with investigating it by Her Excellency herself.
What Gorou didn't expect to see was the general of the Shogun's Army, Kujou Sara, walking in the door opposite him.
Instinctively, he drew his bow, which Kujou Sara also did after noticing him.
"By order of the Almighty Shogun, drop your weapon and surrender, or I shall be forced to unleash the might of the Shogun's army."
"Grr..." Gorou growled in frustration. He knew he would probably not be victorious against her, yet he still held his arrow, not backing down.
After a tense moment with no side backing down, the two had had enough and shot their arrow at each other.
Just as the arrows passed each other, a blur passed by and, to their shock, managed to stop the arrows in their tracks.
Before any of them could react, they suddenly found themselves at what seemed to be the front of this establishment with a draconic-looking boy watching them.
The draconic boy stood between Kujou Sara and Gorou, holding their arrows effortlessly in his scaled hands. His eyes flickered with amusement as he examined the two warriors.
"Now, now," Aiden chided, his voice calm but firm. "This is a neutral zone. No fighting allowed."
Kujou Sara's grip on her bow tightened as she summoned another arrow and aimed it at the newcomer who had casually interrupted the duel between two generals. Clearly, this one is not to be underestimated. "Who are you? Explain this place at once!"
Gorou, though wary, lowered his weapon slightly. "You're the owner of this building?"
Aiden nodded. "Indeed. Welcome to my Gaming Cafe. My name is Aiden." He gestured to the rows of strange devices behind him, some of which were currently being used by a few people from other nations. "Here, customers can play Genshin Impact, a video game that is set in Teyvat."
Sara's eyes narrowed. "A game? You expect me to believe this isn't some of the tricks by the resistance?"
Gorou frowned at Sara. "Her Excellency sent me to investigate if this place is a threat to Watatsumi."
Hearing that the Resistance's general also had the same goal as her, Sara lowered her bow slightly.
Aiden smirked. "Then why not see for yourselves? For 500 Mora an hour, you can witness the past, present, and even... future events for yourself."
Before Sara could protest, a familiar voice cut through the tension.
"Ah, General Kujou! Fancy meeting you here."
Shikanoin Heizou strolled in, hands behind his head. "And you must be General Gorou! What a coincidence."
Sara frowned at the detective. "Doushin Shikanoin. I'd known you'd slither in eventually."
Heizou grinned. "Can't resist a good mystery now, can I. So, what's the verdict? Trap or something else?"
Sara sighed, lowering his bow fully. "If this place is as neutral as the owner claims, perhaps a truce is in order, for now."
Gurou hesitated, especially at the presence of two people from the Tenryou Commission, but eventually relented. "Fine. But I'm keeping an eye on all of you."
The tension in the cafe was palpable as Kujou Sara and Gorou stood on opposite sides of Aiden, their mutual distrust simmering beneath the surface. Heizou clapped his hands together in order to mediate the situation.
"Well then! Since we're all here, why not test this 'game' ourselves? If this place is as it claimed to be, it'd be foolish to ignore it." He turned to Aiden. "500 Mora an hour, right? Here I'll pay an hour for these two."
Aiden nodded as he took the Mora. "Thank you. Let me set up your computer for a sec." He then gave Sara and Gorou a slip of paper along with a manual of some kind. "Go to your seat as indicated here. Hopefully you'll enjoy the experience."
Sara stopped him, however. She crossed her arms. "I didn't come here for games. Explain how the general of the resistance is here, even though this place is in Narukami Island."
Gorou's ears twitched. "Wait. What do you mean? I thought you two had infiltrated Watatsumi Island?"
Aiden chuckled. "Ah, the confusion is understandable. This café exists simultaneously in multiple locations. The door you entered corresponds to your nation of origin. Although for Inazuma, I had to do something a bit differently, considering the civil war." He gestured to the symbols above each doorway, the Electro Mitsudomoe for Inazuma, and a second, slightly altered crest for Watatsumi. "Think of it as... a crossroads."
Heizou's eyes gleamed. "Fascinating. So, if I walked out the Watatsumi door, I'd be on their soil?"
"No," Aiden corrected. "You can only exit through the door you entered. Physical travel between nations isn't possible, I'm afraid."
Heizou sighed in disappointment. "A shame..."
Sara's eyes, meanwhile, sharpened in suspicion. "So... Other people can still meet in here..." Her fist then tightened. "Which means the resistance could enter here as well. How do I know resistance wouldn't be using this place as a hideout?"
"I could say the same to you, General Kujou." Gorou sarcastically retorts.
"How about I propose a deal?" Aiden's words definitely managed to interest the three. "I suppose that this place is a neutral ground between your two factions. Not only that, if any of your injured soldiers are injured, you can bring them here for medical assistance."
"That's good and all, but how would we know you won't side with the others?" Asked Heizou.
"How about this, as a sign of good faith, I'll give you both a 50% discount on these two items. Wait here for a minute."
Aiden then went back to retrieve the two items in question, leaving Sara and Gorou in a tense staring contest with Heizou futilely trying to calm the two.
When Aiden came back, he placed the items on the desk, which caused a loud thud, causing Sara and Gorou to end their impromptu hostilities and lay eyes on the. Their eyes almost bulged in shock when they saw what Aiden had just brought.
"How do you like them? They're 1/2 scale if you're asking." On the desk were large statues, almost as big as Aiden himself, of Raiden Shogun and Sanganomiya Kokomi.
Sara was unmoving as she took in the sight of the massive Statue of Her Excellency in a pose of unsheathing her sword, the Musou Isshin, as if she was ready to unleash the legendary Musou no Hitotachi. The Statue of Her Excellency, the Almighty Narukami Ogosho, God of Thunder, that she owned 5 of pales in comparison to this absolutely majestic work of art.
From the hair, clothes, body, and the background itself, every attention to detail of Her Excellency was perfectly replicated to the point that Sara herself had to stop herself from outright grabbing the statue and leaving this place as fast as possible. That didn't stop her from poking the statue and finding out that the figure felt rather soft to the touch, almost like actual skin. Does that mean... Her face was bright red at the realisation.
Even Heizou seemed to come to the same conclusion, judging by a small blush forming on his cheeks.
Gorou, meanwhile, was embarrassed as he eyed the statue of Her Excellency, Sanganomiya Kokomi herself. Just by looking at it, he knew how high-quality it is and, in turn, how expensive it is going to be. He could feel his Mora thinning just thinking about buying this statue.
H-how much is it?" Sara visibly gulped after asking this question, yet inside, she is determined to buy this statue at all costs.
"5 million Mora." Aiden rather enjoyed the look on the three's face at the reveal of his price. "But, like I said, as a show of good faith for my proposal earlier, I'll reduce the price by 50%, so it's now 2.5 million Mora. So, do we have a deal?"
"Y-yes." Both Sara and Gorou said at the same time.
Just as they handed in the Mora, Aiden stopped them both. "Nuh uh. If you want to buy these, you must try the game yourself for an hour first."
Before Sara could say anything, Heizou beat her to the punch. "Let's go, General Kujou. If you want to leave as fast as possible with the statue, it will be better to finish playing this game as soon as we can. I'll stay here to question the owner further."
Sara reluctantly agreed and followed Heizou to their assigned computer, but not before eying the statue for a moment.
Gorou also seemed to agree with Heizou, as he also went to his assigned computer.
"Don't worry, I'll make sure no one buys them." Assured Aiden.
.....
After answering questions from Heizou, Aiden returned to the front desk as Heizou went to join Kujou Sara.
As Aiden waited for more people to come, he mused over how he got into this situation in the first place.
While he didn't know much except his name, he knew with certainty that he was dead one moment and the next, he was here, vague memories of the game that he must've played bombarding his head. Whatever the being's intention for bringing him here, Aiden will make sure not toss his second chance at life.
Now, if only the being that brought him here had left some sort of instruction, but he guessed learning the ropes by himself was also part of the fun, so he won't complain much.
His musing was interrupted by a figure reaching the front desk. Looking up, he was greeted by the new customer.
"Hello there. Nice to meet you, Knave. My name is Aiden, the owner of this fine place. I assume the Tsaritsa sent you to check on this place?"
The woman looked at Aiden unflinchingly. "It seems you already know who I am." She said.
"Believe me, I know you a lot more than you realise, Arlecchino. Or perhaps I should call you Peruere, or maybe even Perrie."
As Aiden listed off the names, he could feel something coming from Arlecchino, especially when he called her by her childhood nickname.
"Impressive. I won't ask how you knew those names, but I'm afraid I go by Arlecchino these days."
"Very well. So, what business would you like to discuss?"
"For starters, aside from how this building appeared from nowhere, there was a note sent to all of of the Harbingers."
"Oh, what did it say?" Aiden smirked, already knowing what she was talking about.
"Somewhere along the line of 'No Zandiks Allowed!'."
"Ah, that, let's just say, I'd rather not have him in my premises. I'm sure you understand."
Arlecchino chuckled in understanding. "That I agree. Very well, now, let's discuss business."
After answering all inquiries as truthfully as Aiden could, Arlecchino was now rather interested in this 'Genshin Impact'.
"How about it. 500 Mora an hour."
Arlecchino mulled over the offer. "Very well, you have my interest. I shall play this little game of yours."
Paying the Mora, Aiden begins setting up the PC for Arlecchino. He showed her the computer she was assigned to, along with giving her a manual on how to operate the devices.
As Arlecchino leaves the front desk, she eyes the statue of the Shogun and Kokomi that he had set aside with some interest. "Hmm..."
"Is there anything you want to ask?"
Arlecchino shook her head. "No. I'll be going."
Stopping, she stared at Aiden for a bit. "And please, call me Arlecchino."
Aiden said nothing, only nodding in agreement.
.....
"Psst!"
A sound alerted Aiden that someone was trying to get his attention. He looked around, finding no one, before looking down and seeing a splash of pink.
"Umm... Aino, right? Is there something I can do for you?"
"Shh... I'm hiding right now." Was Aino's reply before taking out a bag of Mora. "Do you have anything sweet on the menu?"
Aiden grabbed the bag and counted the Mora inside. "Sure. Let me whip something out for you." With that, Aiden went to the kitchen to make something for his pink, sweet-toothed customer.
It took a little bit over a minute, but by the time Aiden returned, there was another person next to a now pouting Aino.
"I swear I didn't come here to buy anything!"
"Don't lie to me, Aino. I've scanned your face, and your eyes are darting around and not looking at me. Not only that, I counted 2000 Mora missing before coming here. Conclusion: You are here to secretly buy sweets."
"Am I interrupting something?" Asked Aiden as he handed Aino the sweets he had made. A slice of chocolate cake and a milkshake topped with whipped cream and sprinkles, with a cherry on top to finish it off.
Before Aino's little hands could grab them, however, Ineffa's hand blocked them from reaching.
"Hey! I already paid for them." Aino complained as her attempts to reach for her were thwarted each time.
Deciding to break up after their little back and forth, Aiden coughed to get their attention.
Ineffa's eyes light up upon finally noticing Aiden. "Analyzing." As she was analysing him, Aino took the opportunity to snatch the dessert and began eating it.
"Analysis complete. Error. No information available. Scans indicate a draconic heritage. Possible origin: Natlan."
"Hello there. The name's Aiden, and no, I'm not for Natlan."
"Noted. Saving information. Initiating greeting. Nice to meet you, Aiden. I am Ineffa, a multifunctional robot for domestic application, and this here is my family, Aino."
"Hmm, hmm. Nhiche tho mheet yhou." Said Aino, struggling to speak with her mouth full.
Aiden nodded in acknowledgement. "So, Aino. You're the genius inventor and the founder of Clink-Clank Krumkake Workshop, right? Wanna try playing on one of the computers? 500 Mora an hour."
Aino looked confused for a second before realising why she was here in the first place. "Oh yeah. I was actually in Nasha Town to look for some parts when I noticed a lot of people outside. I asked what was going on, and apparently, this place just appeared out of nowhere. I got curious and decided to check it out."
Ineffa verified her claim. "Aino is correct. Currently, there is a small contingent of Lightkeepers guarding the entrance. I have personally volunteered to investigate the inside to see if it is safe and also to search for Aino. They are waiting for my verdict outside."
"Great. The sooner you get this done, the sooner you can calm the people outside." Said Aiden.
Aino agreed as she handed Aiden 500 Mora, to which Aiden began setting up her account, along with assigning them their designated computer.
When Aino and Ineffa made it there, Aino started to inspect the computer closely. "Whoa... I wonder if I could take apart one of these machines."
"Ha ha. No." Said Aiden as he handed the account information for both of them. "Here. I'm sure you know what to do, right?"
With Aino's nod, Aiden returned to the counter.
.....
Aiden lay back in his chair as he watched the people from the seven nations plus one special region play the game.
Silently, he waited for more people to come. If he is correct in his prediction, this place will be bustling with activities in the not-so-nearfuture, which means more work for him.
"Hmmm... Maybe I need to look for an employee or two."