Chapter 35: Awakening from the Abyss

Trapped in endless darkness—I could almost understand what that meant.
My consciousness sank into an abyss, aware I was sleeping but unable to wake, a nightmarish cycle.

Then, I started dreaming—simple dreams of working at Baby Bird Café.
So mundane, I wondered why I’d dream such things.
But they brought peace to my mind and body.

Snap. I awoke, my head foggy, body aching like I’d been glued to the bed and ripped free.
“Cough… ugh.”
My throat was so dry, my voice barely worked.
How long had I slept?

Beside me, the pig-bird curled up, sleeping soundly.
“How… long was I out?”
My body’s rhythm, usually clockwork from 12 to 6, was shattered. Without clocks or clear day-night cycles here, I could normally guess time, but not now.

“Ugh…”
Every muscle screamed as I tried to sit up.
“God, I’m dying.”

“Bbi…”
The pig-bird stirred at my movement.
“How long was I out?”

“Bbi!”
Fully awake, it clung to me, its eyes red from crying, staining its fur.
“Oh, those tear stains are tough to clean.”

Bang!
The door flew open, revealing Bernell’s worried face.
“Aileen! You’re awake!”
“You’ll break the door. Easy!”

With monstrous strength, he pried the pig-bird off and checked me over.
“Are you hurt? In pain?”
“I’m fine. I slept a lot, but nothing hurts. What about the evil god? I passed out mid-fight…”

His expression hardened as I spoke.
“Not ‘a lot.’ I thought you’d never wake, like before.”
His voice carried deep sorrow.

I knew what he meant—fearing I’d be bedridden like Aileen for years. My heart sank.
I really slept that long?

Trying to stand, my balance collapsed, legs powerless.
“How long was I out?”
Even the flu in a foreign land, bedridden for three days, wasn’t this bad.

“Time flows strangely here, but it was a very long time.”
I frowned, glancing at my hands and feet, remembering how they nearly vanished.
“They’re fine. I thought I was disappearing for real.”

“Bbi bbi!”
I pieced together why I’d slept so long: reckless Latte Art overuse.
The skill activated repeatedly, ignoring the One Dream cooldown.

In this space, my active time was day, sleep was night. Using the skill should’ve required a full sleep cycle to reset. Breaking that rule brought a penalty.
I wished it had been unusable instead, but it helped Bernell, so I couldn’t complain.

“Don’t push yourself. Rest.”
“No, do you know how much I lose by not working? I need to open the café today…”

A splitting headache hit, a lingering effect of oversleeping.
Seeing my pain, Bernell and the pig-bird’s worry intensified.
“It’s just from sleeping too much. I’m not hurt.”

Reluctantly, I rested in bed until some strength returned, then headed downstairs.
Looking out, I understood their concern.

Beyond my body’s rhythm, the garden’s growth marked time.
The jewel berry bushes I’d planted had ripened fully—at least nine days had passed.

“How can someone sleep that long?”
Bernell must’ve defeated the evil god, as the café exterior was quiet, though the garden bore scars.

The fences hadn’t fully protected the crops, but they prevented total loss. The jewel berry bushes survived the chaos.
The pond and grounds were torn up, the café’s walls gouged—a testament to the fierce battle.

Thinking of repairs, I clutched my forehead. The pig-bird and Bernell rushed to check on me.
“Shouldn’t you rest more? Isn’t there a healer here?”
“Bbi bbi! Bbi!”

“My body’s fine. My heart hurts, though.”
My precious Causality…
“Repairs will be a pain, but better than total destruction. Thanks for handling the evil god. You saved us.”

“…No. If I were stronger, I could’ve reduced the damage.”
I had no reply, having been stingy with his Causality upgrades.

“Are you okay? Any injuries?”
“I’m fine.”
“I was out for over a week just watching, and you fought and came out unscathed? I’m embarrassed.”

“I know you did more than watch. Your actions helped a lot.”
He knew about my Latte Art.
“But I wasn’t hurt because the evil god wasn’t as strong as expected.”

He might be right. Like the deities visiting the café, evil gods likely had ranks.
The one that invaded Catsy’s dimension wounded her and had powerful nightmare minions. These rats, reliant on numbers, suggested this evil god was weaker.

Maybe it matched my café’s low rank, attracting a lesser foe.
“Anyway, it ended well. Let’s keep it up. I’ve slept enough—time to work.”

I stretched my stiff body, tidied the garden roughly, and prioritized opening the café. Causality was running low.
Harvesting the ripe jewel berries, I returned inside.

While cleaning dust and prepping, I realized, “You took good care of the café while I was out.”
Bernell couldn’t run it alone, but the café was clean, and the crops were watered.

For a lofty noble who often questioned why he did such tasks, he’d done well. My fondness for him grew.
As I opened the café, an unusual sight greeted me.

Guests, who usually staggered visits, flooded in.
“Finally open?”
“What took so long, nya?”
Catsy arrived with her Nekomata, who bolted to the kids’ zone.

“Silver vine tea’s been on my mind so much I couldn’t work!” Thunderbird waddled in.
“You didn’t open for ages. I worried for you, milady. Why so glum? Did something happen?” Young Blue Sage asked, fussing over the pig-bird.

And…
“I’ll turn away. Come in.”
Wishstone, now pristine, stood at the entrance.

Except for Yama, nearly every past guest was here.
Catsy claimed a table, Thunderbird, Young Blue Sage, and Wishstone lined up at the bar stools.

I’d need another table soon.
Despite sleeping over a week, missing Causality, the guest rush would recover some losses.

I worked fast, used to peak university café hours.
Operating all machines and delegating tasks, I served drinks quickly, though my long rest left me fatigued.

Dipping my hands in cold water, I fought drowsiness and started catching up with the guests.
“An evil god attacked, but Bernell took it out. It was low-rank, thankfully.”

“Pretty pathetic, huh? Weak enough for Nekomata with charms to handle, nya.”
“Then why was the café closed so long?”
“I… had an issue. Slept a lot.”

Clink, clatter. Glasses clinked, Nekomata romped noisily—peaceful chaos.
Not still dreaming, right?

“There were so many rats. The void was riddled with rat-holes…”
I shared the evil god attack and my prolonged sleep from Latte Art overuse.
Except for Catsy, the deities genuinely worried for me.