Eleven o'clock in the morning.
Erdao Coffee Shop.
Cael sat on the sofa beside the street‑facing window, staring blankly at the menu like it might suddenly make sense if he stared long enough. At this hour the shop was pretty quiet, so Reze wasn't too busy serving other customers.
The moment Cael walked in, she spotted him.
"You're here. Done with your business?" Reze greeted him with a cheerful smile.
Cael snapped out of his daze slowly. "Uh… I guess so…"
"You've been sitting here forever without ordering anything. Does Cael have decision paralysis?"
"Maybe a little," Cael answered casually, not exactly proud of it.
Reze grinned slyly and plopped down next to him. "Since you're indecisive, I'll handle the ordering!"
Then she raised her left index finger high and called out loud.
"Boss Taketo, bring us two large cups of Freshly Smashed Today's Orange to wake up these taste buds!"
The coffee shop owner, Nanahara Taketo, frowned as he stepped out from behind the counter. "Reze, you work here. Why are you ordering drinks?"
Reze waved him off confidently. "Who cares? There aren't any customers anyway!"
Taketo sighed, but went to grab two large oranges, peeled them, and dropped them into the juicer.
"Reze's expenses will be deducted from your salary," he said without bothering to hide a smirk.
"Nyah nyah nyah," Reze said, sticking her tongue out and pulling down her eyelid playfully. "Got it, stingy boss."
Cael blinked and looked a little startled.
She's so cute… Huh?
Wait. Why did that even cross his mind?
Damn it, that charm is way too strong.
Soon the orange drinks were ready.
"Here, Cael, try the boss's masterpiece," Reze said, passing him a cup.
"Tha… thanks."
Cael took a cautious sip, then nearly made a face.
"So sweet…" he muttered, swallowing hard. "I don't think I can drink much more of this."
Reze tilted her head in confusion and gulped down most of her own juice.
"Clearly normal sweetness for 'Today's Orange,' Cael! Don't you like sweet stuff?"
"It's not that I dislike it. It's just… wow, that's really sweet," Cael said, spreading his hands in mild defeat.
Reze burst out laughing, slapping Cael's shoulder like it was the funniest thing she'd ever heard.
"What are you laughing at, Reze?" Cael asked, bewildered.
She was probably the most cheerful girl Cael had ever met, laughing at even the dumbest things.
"Hahaha, you acting like that little sweetness is too much… Cael looks like a kid who got told he can't have candy! Hahaha!"
Reze blushed a bit as she teased him, watching him squirm with dodging eyes.
"This is the first time I've met someone as interesting as Cael," she said warmly.
She really is cute… Cael thought quietly. Hiss.
Okay, he definitely did not need thoughts like that right now.
Cael took a deep breath and shook it off.
Suddenly, he had an idea.
Sometimes, people in relationships are too involved to see clearly, while bystanders see everything sharply. Reze was also a girl... as an bystander, maybe she could give insight into what was going through his head.
"Cael, you look like you want to ask something," Reze said with a perceptive smile.
"Well, you caught me," Cael said, awkwardly smiling. "Reze, I've got this friend…"
"Oh, a friend, definitely not Cael himself!" Reze teased, lips curling up.
"So what issue is your friend facing?"
"Okay, fine," Cael said, giving up the act. "It's actually me."
Since she already saw through him, honesty was easier.
"I had a conflict with my girlfriend over some stupid reasons, and I want to apologize, but she refuses to see me. Got any good advice, Reze?"
Reze tilted her head thoughtfully. "Oh, a relationship problem… but I've never been in one, so I'm not sure how helpful my advice will be."
"That's okay," Cael waved her concern away. "Just help me see things more broadly."
Reze pursed her lips with concern. "Before I suggest anything, can I ask something honest? Does she still care about you? Not your feelings, but hers."
Cael nodded confidently. "Yes. There's definitely still something there. All of this mess happened because of a misunderstanding."
"Then why not just clear up the misunderstanding?" Reze said simply.
At first it sounded easy — but Cael knew better.
If it were that simple, he wouldn't be sitting here asking for help.
The problem wasn't just the misunderstanding with Yoru; the bigger issue was Asa. If Cael let Asa turn him into a weapon by deactivating Dark Water's nullification, he could prove his love… but he'd die doing it. That wasn't something he could let happen. Asa would never recover from losing him.
If Cael died, Asa would fall apart. Based on what he knew about her, she might go completely mad without someone to protect her. And Cael had always promised not to let her get hurt again.
"This is tough," Cael sighed deeply. "If clearing it up were that easy, I wouldn't be asking you for advice."
"Oh… it is tricky, isn't it?" Reze frowned, tapping her cup thoughtfully. "Well, then maybe we need a different approach…"
Cael nodded.
Reze finished her juice, then poured all of Cael's leftovers into her own cup, because wasting it seemed criminal.
"If… I mean hypothetically…" Reze began cautiously.
"Mhm," Cael encouraged.
"If I were your girlfriend," she said seriously, eyes steady, "and we had a big misunderstanding like that, I'd want a grand confession."
"A grand confession?" Cael echoed.
"Yes," Reze nodded slowly, her tone earnest. "Something huge, something bold, something she can't ignore."
Cael considered her words, turning the idea over in his mind.
"But she's pretty introverted," he said. "I'm afraid something that loud might embarrass her."
Reze locked eyes with him, looking thoughtful.
"If she truly likes you," she said gently, "even if she's embarrassed at first, she'd feel mostly happy."
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