Just a Coffee Bar

Sean Dayward POV:

It is truly unexpected… to see him out here, in the real world.

How many times did I dream of this scenario? Where I'll get to meet him in person, go adventuring together, hang out together, eat together, bicker with each other, and talk about his and my life.

The main character of my favorite series itself, Elias Ayla.

In fact, this is actually quite the opposite of the things I've thought of.

I thought of all those things to happen in his world, Nexus. Not here, in this boring shithole. Overall, I've got to say, it still doesn't feel real.

I've known this guy only through letters, I thought of this guy's reactions through them. There were some illustrations about his face and body, but a failed novel can only have this much quality.

How many years has it been since I read and reread this novel? I don't know exactly, but what I know, is that this guy helped me through the journey of my life, while suffering on his own.

The ending of it was quite shit, but the author said it will continue so I still have a glimmer of hope.

***

As for where we are headed to, I don't know, just a place to hang out. We're getting a treat by her after all… a thing that doesn't happen by this stingy person, "Hurry up, Sean!" She urged me to move quicker with that exciting tone screaming of positivity and happiness.

She read the novel too. After I bugged her day in and day out, that is. But in the end, I was successful. Look at her brimming with light like that, it's like I'm a father seeing his daughter get a boyfriend or graduate, it brings a tear to my eyes *sniff*.

She isn't the type to watch anime or read light novels, so I was surprised she finished all eight volumes of it in six days, and they have more than two-hundred pages each.

Oops, we're getting off track here, let's get back to the main topic.

As we followed her trail, we kept quiet most of the time, I was on her right and Luke was on the opposite side. Elias kept his distance from us, around three meters.

It's still weird though. Seeing him walk, move, and talk, his voice is kind of different from what I expected but still, this is straight perfection, like aren't I the luckiest guy? To meet my favorite mc out here on Earth, and it's weird, he's just a piece of fiction. He shouldn't be here…

***

We've been walking for quite a while now, and it's late, I want to go home and laze around.

Finally, we were in front of a coffee bar, I scanned the outside, and it seemed normal. The sign wrote, "Golden Coffee".

What a straightforward name, I looked inside and it was filled with gold-looking decorations, and why is it giving a wintery vibe when we're in the middle of Summer?!

Finally, she moved in front of the gates and looked back at us, at Elias, and proclaimed with open arms, "Welcome, for the first time, to a coffee bar!"

Elias Ayla POV:

It's been around twelve minutes and forty-six seconds since we started walking, I know it's weird that I am following these guys, but it seems that they know something about me, and of course, I should gather information.

I'm still feeling weird though, ever since being flung out from the earth like that, I've been feeling somehow lucid, as if this isn't real.

And finally, the girl I fell in love with in such a clichéd way, stopped, turned around to face me, and said proudly, "Welcome, for the first time, to a coffee bar!"

This is a coffee bar? It seems similar to the bars and guild objects back in Ayla, though the design of the venue is looking totally different. The object doesn't seem to be made of bricks, the structure appeared to be rather thin, and most of the entrance was made with… glass?

Damn, this place is on another level. They don't have to carry lanterns through night, there are so many castles, I don't see anyone with carriages, and the place seems peaceful, a little too peaceful in fact, that it's making me uncomfortable.

"Golden Coffee?" I voiced the name of the store, I don't know if I should call it a store in the first place.

"Yep, Golden Coffee. Ah, my name is Sean by the way," The dark-blue haired boy approached me from the side and gave me his name, so he's called Sean.

"Ah, hey there, Elias is the name." I smiled and gave my name back.

"Yep, Elias Ayla, grandson of the mighty Dragon Slayer-Oliver Ayla!" He puffed his chest and a grin was written over his face.

"Ah, stop that, it's embarrassing…" I averted my gaze out of embarrassment, I've been called that way a lot of times back in Ayla, and yeah, they're my grandpa's legends.

I want to make my own legends too and be known generation after generation as a figure to take after.

"Well, let's go seat ourselves and give out introductions properly!" The scarlet haired asked us to move our legs, and we did.

"Wuha?!" I gasped, startled. The reason for that are the automatic doors that opened themselves when we got near the gate.

"Pff, lame," The girl looked back at me in lament and with a mischievous grin. Ngngn I didn't know it was this frustrating to be called lame by the person you like.

After we sat down, "Ehhh, are you pouting, hey, hey, ooiii, heeey, Eli Elii, Elyyy," She started bugging me, poking my body and face was in the same deluxe pack.

"Ah…"

I grabbed her arm, pulled her face close to mine, and quietly whispered, "Stop this, or I'll make you do so myself."

"Okay…" She pulled her arms back and started staring down at the table.

What, that worked?!

She covered her face in the meanwhile and shrieked quietly.

"That was a critical attack, Elias, it isn't fair." She mumbled.

"I don't know what you mean by a critical attack but let's introduce ourselves, since I'm the one speaking, I'll do so again. My name is Elias Ayla, I come from the Ayla village as a candidate to receive chieftain, I'll pass the word to Sean." I pointed towards the guy who seemed tired of living.

"My name's Sean Dayward, and uh, I'm particularly a boring person that doesn't have many friends, but let's try and get along from here on. I pass the mic to Luke." He finished and his gaze locked on the other guy.

"Well, it's finally time I guess. My name is Luke Crimson, I know my hair has an unusual color but please do try to not discriminate against me." He smiled as he finished.

"Huh, but I don't think your features are weird at all though. I've met dozens of people with different hair colors and eyes such as green, light blue, yellow, red, purple, gray, and many others, so don't be too rough on yourself." I vocalized my thoughts.

"How cool, I've fallen for you!" He acted as if he was crying tears of happiness.

"Huhuhm! How could anyone not fall for this me?"

"I know right, well, I pass the mic to the only person left." we all looked at the girl which appeared to be sulking.

"Ah, me? Yeah, you can just call me sweetie or something, you know, call me something special and keep thinking of me." She was resting her face on her hands, while staring at me. Why did she seem so affectionate?

In the next instant, intense heat took over my face up to my ears, "Huh?! Hell no, I won't call you that… but… in that case, I'll call you Seren…" I trailed off while covering my face to not see her blinding beauty.

"Seren, huh, why?" She asked me.

"It's a part from the word Serendipity… Tt just means an occurrence by chance in a happy way…" What am I saying?!

"Hmm, so you think of me as a happy occurrence, huh? How cute. Try calling me once more!" I peeked at her a little and she was still looking at me.

"S-Seren…" I said quietly,

"Yeah, Elias, do you need help with anything?" Her sweet Raven eyes were still locked on to me as she asked that.

"Well, I need some information first…" I trailed off, "I want to know where I am, how I got to get here, how do you guys know of me…?"

"Well then, listen. This is Earth, not Nexus, it is a whole other planet that is hundreds of years more advanced than the medieval Nexus. I don't know either how you got here, but the way I know about you is because I read a no--ow! What, Sean?!" She got interrupted by a kick from Sean.

"Well, we can't tell you where we know about you from, but what I can relay to you with one-hundred percent, is that you can trust us here. I can also tell you that you are from a different dimension where fantasy is like a reality, for example, your adventuring clothes and the long sword on your back.

"You don't ever get to be met with someone like that here, because this is a place where monsters don't exist, the same goes for guilds and magic. This planet is a slave-driving one, where if you don't work eight hours every day to have an income, you die off because you can't even secure your food.

"I know it is a shock to you, to not be able to see your grandfather and your brother again, but trust me, we will do everything in our power to get you back… Well, that is meaningless considering magic doesn't exist here… Ahh I wanna die." By the end of his sentences, Sean seemed already sucked off of his vitality.

"Ah… well, it sure doesn't feel real…" I thought out loud, "What am I going to do about money, home, and the basics of living…?"

"Hey, Elias…" Seren called out to me.

"Yeah?" I replied.

The next thing she said, surprised me more than the fact I am on another planet.

"Why don't you live with us?"