Chapter 55: A Hangover and New Horizons

Opening my eyes, a pounding hangover greeted me.

I must’ve downed over eight glasses of wine.

“Ugh… I’m insane. Drinking like that when I have work tomorrow?”

At that rate, the cask might be empty.

Half-propped up in bed, I tried recalling last night. I remembered almost everything.

Making a fool of myself in front of someone at my age—I could die of embarrassment.

“If I drink like that again, I’m a dog. A dog.”

Thank goodness Bernell put up with me. Probably because he sees me as his sister?

If he left the café thinking his sister couldn’t be such a mess, I’d have no defense. I’d lose a capable employee.

“Right before I passed out, I saw something… what was it?”

I opened manager mode.

Manager Mode Activated!

Bernell Abelgart [Manageable]

• Recognized as 「■■」

“What’s this?”

The window in my mind showed glitched text, flickering like a broken screen. It gave me chills.

“Is this because of last night? Did I act so badly that Bernell can’t stand me?”

Trembling, I pulled up his management window.

Management Activated

Target: Bernell Abelgart

Presence Level: 4 (Same as Baby Bird Café)

…

Alignment: Good 95% / Evil 5%

“Oh no… I’m screwed.”

I buried my face in my hands, screaming silently.

How awful was I to spike his evil alignment by 3% overnight?

“Did I say something terrible I don’t remember? Or is he just fed up with me?”

Maybe that’s why the sibling recognition glitched.

“Should I apologize now? Will he accept it? Without him, I can’t fend off evil gods. Just Pig-Bird and a little snake to protect the café?”

Knock knock.

“You sound awake. Come down,” Bernell called.

“W-Wait a sec!”

I couldn’t face him. I wanted to hide.

“But I have to work… earn causality.”

I slapped my cheeks to clear my head, but the gloom lingered.

In the bathroom, I dunked my face in cold water. It jolted me, easing the hangover slightly.

“…”

My legs felt like stone as I trudged downstairs.

“You’re up?” Bernell said.

I was surprised to see him in the kitchen.

He’s supposed to be behind the bar in the morning. Last night was after hours, a special case.

“Why are you…”

“Here, drink this. You drank a lot; your stomach must be upset.”

He set a steaming cup on the bar. Hesitantly, I sat on a stool.

“Cloudmilk?”

“With sugar. Sweetness helps with hangovers.”

“Mm…”

Yesterday, he refilled my wine; today, he’s making this.

Is kitchen work fun for him? Should I teach him drink-making?

Sip sip. I cooled and drank the milk.

The sweetness, like jewel berry sugar, reminded me of last night’s wine, turning my stomach. But I drank, not wanting to refuse his kindness.

“Bernell… about yesterday.”

“You should cut back on drinking.”

Embarrassment flooded back, and I shut up. Missed my chance to apologize.

Sipping the milk, I watched him.

If he’s making hangover cures, maybe he’s not completely done with me.

Wait… didn’t his tone change last night?

He’d spoken more casually, like a friend, but now it was different. How drunk was I to hallucinate that?

“Phew, I’m sorry. I was a mess yesterday.”

He opened his mouth to reply, but I rushed on.

“Really sorry. It won’t happen again. I won’t drink in front of you—no, I’ll quit drinking altogether. Yell at me if you want. But please don’t think about quitting. You don’t have anywhere to go—wait, that’s not it. Without you, the café…”

“Stop.”

I bit my lip. His gaze felt cold.

I couldn’t look at him.

“Sorry…”

“No need to apologize. You did nothing wrong. I’ll never leave your side. Don’t worry about that.”

He won’t leave? Relief washed over me. He’s giving me a pass.

The glitched text in manager mode might be from drinking too much. Alcohol does mess with your head.

He probably still sees me as his sister, thanks to my acting in Catsey’s dream dimension.

“So… am I still your sister, Aileen?”

“You’re not Aileen…”

“Master, I’m here!” Blue Child’s arrival cut our talk short.

Employee “Bernell Abelgart” Alignment Shift Detected

Alignment: Good 94% / Evil 6%

Why now?!

I stared at Bernell, horrified, but his bowed head hid his expression.

What did I do? Did mentioning his sister push him over the edge?

No time to dwell—there was a customer.

“Welcome!”

I jumped off the stool to greet Blue Child, who scampered in and hopped onto a stool.

“The place smells sweet.”

“I’m working on a new menu—liquor this time.”

“Liquor! Perfect! My master loves it. Can I get a bottle?”

“Uh, one sec.”

I headed to the kitchen. Bernell stood, head still down.

“Bernell.”

I tapped his shoulder to ask him to man the bar, and he flinched.

“What’s up?”

“A customer’s here. Take your usual spot.”

“Got it.”

He walked off without looking at me, which bothered me.

Good thing a customer showed up.

I checked the wine—nearly empty, as expected.

Then the fruit liquor. It smelled stronger, its color deeper.

I poured a sample into a glass. A small galaxy swirled inside.

Registerable Menu: Luminaberry Nectar

Ingredients & Method: Jewel Berries / Brewing

Quality: B (B)

Tip: Longer aging improves the liquor.

Effect: Pending

Evaluation: Pending

Preferred Guest Type: Pending

A menu card appeared, with a fancy name.

“Nectar, like the drink of the gods?”

A sip stung with intense sweetness, like lying in a ripe jewel berry field, its concentrated aroma filling my nose.

This should do.

I asked Blue Child, “Is very sweet liquor okay?”

“My master loves sweet drinks. He’s not picky about liquor.”

“It needs more aging, but I’ll give you a bottle.”

“No, you deliver it.”

“Huh?”

“I came because my master finally approved. He’s inviting you—and the little lady—to his dimension. It’s a rare opportunity.”

“Yakmyeongdosa’s dimension?”

“Yes. He rarely invites outsiders—only a handful ever have. Where’s the other one?”

He looked around, searching.

“Who?”

“The Frostginseng’s owner. My master insists they come too.”

“Oh, the white snake? Over there.”

I pointed to the greenhouse window by the kids’ zone. The snake, banned from entering, always stared inside.

I gestured for it to come in, and it vanished, probably slithering excitedly.

“Pig, I told the snake to come in.”

“Bbiak!”

I meant it could hide or flee, but it stood firm, its cry resolute, as if saying it no longer feared the snake.

Slither. The white snake glided in through the open door, still wearing its beret and ribbon. I’d planned to replace them if they got dirty, but it seemed to cherish them.

“Are we going to Yakmyeongdosa’s dimension now?”

“When you’re ready.”

“Okay, give me a moment to bottle the liquor.”

Good thing I had a fitting gift for a god.

I grabbed a glass bottle from the kitchen shelf I’d eyed before.

Wish it was crafted by Wishstone’s artisans. Oh well.

The plain bottle bothered me, but it’d do. A bottle’s a bottle.

I aligned it with the barrel tap and turned the valve. A red galaxy poured in, stunningly beautiful.

I filled it, then added some candied berries from the cask for further aging.

As I popped one in my mouth, an idea hit.

Garnish!

The candied berries would be perfect for jewel berry drinks.

I hadn’t focused on garnishes before, but I’d research them after this trip.

After Yakmyeongdosa’s dimension, I’ll dive into garnishes.

I corked the bottle and left the brewing room.

“I’m ready.”

My heart raced at the thought of visiting Yakmyeongdosa’s dimension. What could I gain there?