39 The Hand of Warmth

"..."

"..."

Inside Isaac's café, the usual tranquil and calm atmosphere was present, as always. Anyone who enters would inevitably fall into a state of serenity, whether they like it or not.

It's not because of any supernatural factor— no, it's all because of the warm and cozy atmosphere.

On the counter, Isaac held a cup of espresso with a bit of steamed milk. He cradled it gently before taking a sip. "So..."

"Is there anything else, Lady Furina?"

Opposite of him, the Hydro Archon and the God of Justice, Furina, was holding a cup of tea. However, she was abnormally silent.

'Did something happen?' Isaac's eyes darted at her face and found her somewhat flustered expression. 'Hmm... Certainly odd.'

After a few moments, Furina, who had been avoiding Isaac's gaze for quite some time now, opened her mouth. She then wryly chuckled, "It's nothing much, really."

"Uh-huh, sure..." Isaac mumbled as he quietly took a sip from his cup. "You know, for someone who is always in court, you sure are a terrible liar sometimes."

"Hey, that's not true!" Furina exclaimed as she finally turned to look at Isaac. "You must have forgotten, my dear assistant, but I am the God of Justice! I can discern lie from truth, and likewise use them to my advantage!"

"Sip..." Isaac verbally expressed his response by taking an exaggerated sip from his cup. With a poker face, he spoke, "Suuuuure..."

"You..." Furina tried to retort, but Isaac quickly spoke, preventing her from speaking.

"If that's the case, then tell me..." Isaac stopped taking a sip from his cup and slowly stood up. He then stood in front of Furina before leaning forward and looking at her directly in the eye. "What is it that you truly want to say, Lady Furina?"

"What is he doing..." Mona, who was still around, looked at Isaac's actions while peeking from a manga. "He does know that she can imprison him for doing such things towards her... Right?"

Mona didn't dare to interject, as such, she decided to just be a spectator.

Going back to Isaac and Furina, the former was still looking at the latter with a sharp glare.

"What did you—" Surprised by Isaac's sudden action, Furina couldn't hold it in anymore and stood up. "Fine!"

"C-Congratulations, you passed my test. You actually discovered that I had other objectives." She said as she wryly smiled at Isaac.

'I appreciate the effort in lying...' Isaac smiled faintly and didn't say anything. He then stood straight.

Furina then took out a paper from one of her pockets and placed it in front of Isaac. She then smiled flamboyantly and smiled wryly, "I'm here to take you with me to investigate a man who's suspected to be connected to the Masked Clown."

'...another guy's borrowing Gehrman?' Isaac inwardly sighed, however, he kept his facial expression neutral. "Have you confirmed its authenticity?"

Hearing this, the ahoge on top of Furina's head swayed slightly as if it indicated her mood. She then smiled smugly, "Why of course, I even personally spent an all-nighter confirming this."

'...lady, sorry to inform you, but it's probably fake.' Isaac lampooned. 'It's because, aside from Navia, no one else knows Gehrman.'

Isaac was quite protective of his various identities. Unless it benefits his plans, he would never give out his fake name.

As for Isaac's decision to expose Gehrman and Moriarty to Navia, it was to open a way for potential operations in the future.

Moreover, Isaac believes that Navia too wouldn't expose his real name just like that. It's because Gehrman and Moriarty deliberately showed 'good intentions' towards them that would make them hesitate.

'I'm rather curious as to who this guy who wants to borrow my name is...'

"I understand." Hearing her words, Isaac lightly nodded his head. He then sat back down again, "Come back later in the evening on the other side of the café. We'll then speak of the details."

Hearing that Isaac agreed to the cooperation she offered, Furina's face became lively. "That's great! As expected of my dear assistant!"

She then giggled, "As I thought, you are really interesting."

"I could say the same," Isaac faintly smiled at her compliment.

"Hehe," Furina smiled at his words. She then looked at the mechanical wall clock nearby and clicked her tongue. "The next trial is about to begin in an hour..."

"Then you better get going, Lady Furina," Isaac said as he collected their cups, intending to wash them soon. "You wouldn't want to miss a show now, would you?"

"You're right," Furina rolled her eyes while crossing her arms. She then looked at Isaac's eyes. "Let's meet again... Later."

Isaac lightly nodded. He then curled up a sly smile, "I'm looking forward to this new date."

"That again..." Hearing the same word he used yesterday, Furina grumbled to herself. However, she soon looked away. She then whispered to herself.

"Why do you always think of dates with me..."

After saying this, Furina hesitated for a moment before finally deciding to pay up and leave.

Ding~*

Shortly after Furina left, Mona walked by the counter and glanced at Isaac. Her face seemed a bit reddish.

"Go easy on her..." She mumbled under her breath as she looked at Isaac's figure.

"Hm?" Isaac, who was cleaning up the counter, noticed her glare. He then looked at her and asked, "Is there something wrong?"

"...nothing." Mona decided to pay before also leaving the café.

Now, Isaac was left alone in his own company. After cleaning the counter and Mona's table, Isaac sat down with a heavy sigh. "What a strange morning..."

"By the way... why was the conversation so focused on my lust?" Isaac mumbled to himself before shaking his head and returning to work.

---

At one in the afternoon, Isaac patiently served the surge of customers that came during the peak of the day.

It wasn't much, but ever since he found out that his customers were a bunch of wealthy people, he subtly raised the price of his coffee.

A price is always paid for what fate bestows, after all.

After everything settled down, the café once more returned to its serene atmosphere.

Sitting down, Isaac was just about to devour a cake he bought when the door of the café suddenly glowed.

From it, a gray-haired child walked in, looking everywhere in the café.

The child then saw Isaac.

"So it's real... I wasn't dreaming..."

"Good afternoon, Nahida." Seeing who it was, Isaac instantly put on a cordial front and smiled faintly at her. "How have you been?"

"I'm doing great, thank you for asking." Nahida walked over to Isaac's table. She then looked at the seat opposite of him. "May I?"

"Please, go on ahead," Isaac didn't mind it at all. For Nahida, he was willing to do anything. He then looked at the strawberry cake he bought and nudged it towards her, "Do you want some?"

"No, I'll only be here for a while," Nahida quickly rejected it as she shook her head. Her emerald-green eyes which had unique four-pointed flower pupils in them soon reflected Isaac's figure. "Moreover, it seems like you were just about to mercilessly eat that cake."

Hearing this, Isaac's lips quivered before he curled up a wry smile. "Alright, if there's anything you want, just say so."

Without waiting for Nahida's reply, Isaac quickly took a fork and started mincing the cake into tiny bits and stuffed them into his mouth.

"By the way..." Amidst his chewing, he looked at Nahida. "Have you been doing well, Nahida?"

He was worried that the little radish he cared for might be experiencing negative emotions from being locked up.

"I've been doing quite well, thank you for asking," With her soft gentle voice, Nahida nodded softly. "But... It does indeed get a bit tiring rummaging through torrents of information in Sumeru's Akasha..."

"I see..." Instantly understanding what she meant, Isaac nodded as he picked up another piece of cake. "So you stepped back a bit and came here for repose?"

"Well..." Nahida averted her eyes and wanted to retort, however, a faint sigh only escaped from her mouth as she lightly smiled. "I guess you're right... I'm over here resting, leaving my citizens in Sumeru... I wonder if this counts as selfishness?"

"It's procrastination." Isaac pointed his fork at her as she chewed slowly. He then gulped down and smiled gently, "Everyone procrastinates every once in a while. It's our mind telling us to rest amidst a stressful situation, giving it time to wind up a bit."

"Winding up a bit..." Mumbling over this word, Nahida lowered her head as she started contemplating. She then nodded gently, "I see! So this is procrastination..."

That's right.

As someone who had always been trapped inside the Sanctuary of Surasthana, Nahida had very few things to do other than attend to the people of Sumeru.

To her, this was the first time she had truly 'procrastinated' in the truest sense of the word.

Seeing this, Isaac's smile turned mellow as his deep amber eyes softened. He then chuckled lightly, "That's right. As such, for the time being, you can hang around here for a bit."

"Would that be alright?" Nahida's ears subconsciously lowered as her emerald-green eyes looked at Isaac. "Perhaps my citizens might need me right now..."

'...sorry to inform you, however, that doesn't seem to be the case...' Isaac inwardly sighed. He knew too well about the Dendro Archon's situation. 'How pitiful... My little radish is such a strong person to endure five hundred years of negligence, and still have thought of caring for her citizens...'

Having thought of this, Isaac lifted his hand and extended it towards Nahida. Soon, it landed on her white hair.

He had head patted the radish.

"Don't worry. I'm sure they can wait for a while."

"This time... Just focus on yourself."

Isaac was speaking casually as usual, however, this time, his voice was firm and filled with warmth.

Nahida looked up and her emerald-green eyes looked at Isaac's face.

For some reason, she found Isaac's voice to be very comforting and gave her a sense of assurance. It was as if his every word told her that everything would be alright.

She then felt his hand touching her head.

It was warm.

It was comforting.

It gave her a sense of support.

It... was familiar.

Like an elder sibling soothing their younger sibling.

Nahida became momentarily silent as she looked at Isaac. Likewise, Isaac was smiling at her as he rummaged her hair.

After a few seconds of patting Nahida's head, Isaac slowly retracted his hand and lightly smiled at her. "Do you want some tea?"

"...yes please." Nahida, who had returned to her senses, touched her head and nodded.

"Alright, please wait." Nodding his head, Isaac picked up his plate and went to the kitchen.

Nahida, who was still sitting down, soon touched her head— to the place where Isac touched.

After a while, a faint warm smile appeared on her face. She then giggled.

"Hehe."

---

Meanwhile, outside the café, a person wearing a Steambird Uniform who carried a Kamera and stealthily looked from the window.

She then smiled brightly at what she had seen. "Such intimate interaction... Are they siblings?"

"The reviews weren't exaggerated... Isaac Alder really does carry an air of comfort and warmth around him, giving others a sense of serenity... Just his words alone gave me a sense of comfort!" The woman with a monocle on her left eye vigorously wrote on her notepad.

"I want to learn more!" As she said this, she stopped hiding and decided to enter the café.

* * *

A/N:

You gotta let the chef prepare before he starts cooking. You can't just jump straight to the lemon.

Calm yo dick down.