The Max Level Hero Has Returned!-Chapter 1159
Chapter 1159
Goddess Freyja quietly gazed at the soundly sleeping Reina.
[So pitiful, so tragic.]
She hadn’t spoken the words aloud, yet it felt as though her voice echoed with her will conveyed.
Reina, who had fallen asleep with Nightmare nestled against her chest, looked far more at peace than before.
After settling in Heins Territory and regaining a sense of peace, the guilt of being the only one able to find comfort had begun to tighten its grip on her.
She dreamed of the past once or twice every three days. Davey had once tried to seal those memories, but it hadn’t lasted long.
Now, there she was, sleeping peacefully.
As a Celestial, Reina didn’t age, and barely ever showed signs of fatigue. Had she been human, the chronic insomnia would’ve left her with deep dark circles under her eyes.
Goddess Freyja silently gazed at Nightmare, who had scribbled all over her face and then fled. When she saw Reina falling into an even deeper sleep, she quietly turned her gaze away.
* * *
The cafe owner Ju-Seok smiled with satisfaction as he looked at Reina, whose expression seemed especially bright.
Despite her usual blank expression, Reina had always managed to draw people’s attention. Seeing her smile like that made it feel like business was already booming.
“By the way, what was that bug we saw back then? I haven’t heard anything about a gate opening nearby.”
“Mr. Jung, I’ve finished organizing the supplies!”
Ju-Seok frowned slightly after Super Ribbon gave a cheerful with a bright smile.
“
Geez.
I told you I’d take care of that.”
“There’s still stuff I can help with, though.”
“
Tch.
You already do enough. Just rest when it’s break time, and only work hard when it’s time to work.
Oh,
right. Do you want a cookie?”
Super Ribbon flinched at the opportunity. “C-Cookie?”
“Yeah. A food distributor we recently signed with sent some samples in, and they’re pretty good.”
“
A-Aaah...
” Unsure of what to do, she flinched again and then quickly bowed her head. “I’m sorry!”
She bolted out of the room. Ju-Seok, watching her run away with a puzzled look, lifted a supply box. “Well... I guess I’ll just give it to her later.”
It didn’t take long for Ju-Seok to pick up on her strange behavior. He found it odd that Super Ribbon, who usually ate well, had reacted in such a dramatic way to his offer.
“
Oh,
hey Reina, I’m happy to see that smile of yours today!”
“
Ah,
thank you, Manager.” She beamed with a brightness unlike her usual self.
She had only started the part-time job on Super Ribbon’s suggestion. Considering who she was, Reina could’ve easily held a much higher-level position than a simple cafe part-timer.
However, she liked how things were. The days of being a hero were behind her, and she was now just a regular Celestial woman who needed to learn things one by one.
She had always shown great interest in Earth, partly due to its connection to Davey, and she consistently found Earth’s culture fascinating.
“Hey, Reina.”
“Yes, Mr. Jung?”
“Does Super Ribbon not like cookies?”
Reina’s head tilted at the question. Super Ribbon wasn’t a lifeform in the traditional sense, but a sword with an ego or will of its own. Eating in general was thus a strange act for her, but cookies were usually different.
‘Red Ribbon and Blue Ribbon both go nuts for them...’
Since Super Ribbon was essentially the fusion and adult version of those two, cookies to her were nothing short of a sweet ambrosia. She even had trouble controlling herself around them.
“She likes them. In fact, she loves them.”
“Then why isn’t she eating any? They’re delicious.” Looking confused, he popped a cookie into his mouth. “If you also want some, let me know. I’ve got plenty.”
“Thank you, Mr. Jung.”
“No need to thank me! I should be the one thanking you and Super Ribbon. Business is going great thanks to you two. Break time’s coming up soon, so take it easy till then.”
“Okay.” Free from guilt and nightmares for the first time in a while, Reina looked so bright that anyone could see it.
The cafe’s popularity stayed strong, even after the recent bizarre incident where a bug suddenly popped out onto the main street. Since there were no casualties, most people didn’t even consider it that strange or noteworthy. After all, monsters had become a familiar presence to the people of Earth.
While some of the customers came just to catch a glimpse of the still-famous Super Ribbon and Reina, many ended up becoming regulars because they genuinely liked the atmosphere and coffee that the cafe offered.
“C-Cash receipt? J-Just a second!” Still not used to the register, Super Ribbon fumbled at the POS system, pecking at the keys awkwardly. “Okay, your cash receipt has been issued. Thank youuu...”
Unlike Reina, who had been free of bad dreams thanks to Nightmare, Super Ribbon was suffering—she hadn’t been able to eat cookies recently. The smell of cookies filling the cafe was constantly torturing her.
The first thing she had eaten after forming an ego had been a cookie. For Super Ribbon, cookies held a deep emotional significance, almost like a comfort object.
Of all times it could happen, she was surrounded by the smell of cookies while being unable to eat them. The customers, knowingly or not, teased her about it, and her craving for cookies kept growing stronger.
Just as her suppressed desire reached its limit, someone had offered her another cookie.
“Super Ribbon, you love cookies, don’t you? Here, have one.”
“N-No!” she suddenly shouted, backing away in a panic. Everyone in the cafe turned and looked at her in surprise.
Overwhelmed by all the attention, her body trembled.
“
Uh?
Super Ribbon?”
Suddenly, light began to pour from her body. Gasps filled the room.
“Super Ribbon!”
It wasn’t just the customers who were shocked. Mr. Jung and Reina also had their eyes glued on her.
A loud burst rang out, followed by a brief cloud of smoke that quickly dissipated. In its place, everyone saw two little girls wearing mini versions of the beige uniform Reina always wore.
Super Ribbon’s fusion had broken apart under the strain of cookie temptation.
The two girls groaned and shook their heads vigorously, then instinctively sniffed the air. Their eyes sparkled as they sprang up.
“
Wowww!
Coookies!”
One had bright red hair and looked incredibly adorable. The other, with blue hair, held her hand tightly as they both moved forward.
“C-Cookies goood??”
People wore confused expressions for a moment as they looked at the two children gazing up at them with sparkling eyes, struggling to make sense of what they were seeing. The customer who Red Ribbon asked the question to looked flustered but eventually nodded.
“
Uhhh.
Yeah, they’re pretty tasty. Want one?”
“
Woooow!
I-I wanna eat!”
Overjoyed, the two girls scurried over and eagerly accepted the cookies, capturing everyone's attention in an instant.
“
Uhhh.
Reina... what exactly is going on?” Ju-Seok questioned with confusion.
“Super Ribbon is a fusion of the two girls Red Ribbon and Blue Ribbon. I’m sorry, Mr. Jung. She’s been trying to cut back lately, so she hasn’t been eating cookies. I think she got overwhelmed by the smell...”
“
Wow...
”
It was an absurd situation. Mr. Jung already knew who Super Ribbon was, but he never imagined what it was she could turn into.
The two kids pecked at the cookies like baby birds. They were so adorable that one customer forgot about cherishing their own cookie and split it in half to give each girl a piece.
“Want some more?”
“Uhh. Y-Yeah... but Daddy said I’m not supposed to take stuff without asking...”
The entire situation was surreal, but their overwhelming cuteness shattered any sense of disbelief the onlookers had.
“Hey there, little one. Want to try this too?”
“
Yay!
” Red Ribbon rushed over as a woman offered her a strawberry drink.
“Here, try this too.”
Not wanting to be left out, Blue Ribbon hesitantly crept over as well, climbed onto the woman’s lap, and began sipping through a straw.
“
Ahh!
So cute!”
Their charm was so overwhelming that even child actors seemed laughable in comparison. The two instantly became the center of attention in the cafe.
“
Uhmm.
Mr. Jung, I’m really sorry, but I don’t think Super Ribbon will be able to work today.”
“
Hm? Ah,
that’s fine. I don’t really know what’s going on, but if it’s happening because she pushed herself too hard, then she needs to rest. Why don’t you take her to the break room? I’ll bring some snacks over, then we can let her rest and head home early.”
“Are you sure?” Reina asked.
Ju-Seok waved it off. “Don’t worry about it. We’ve already made a killing in sales today. Besides, the last thing I want is for the Saint of Tionis to blow a fuse because I overworked you guys.”
Reina let out a dry laugh at his chuckle. Just then, Red Ribbon’s eyes sparkled as she sipped her strawberry drink.
“
Oh,
right! Super Ribbon was working!”
“Right!” Startled, Blue Ribbon quickly got down before the two of them scampered over to Ju-Seok.
“R-Red Ribbon wants to help with work!”
“Blue Ribbon can help too!”
The sight of the two kids standing side by side and looking up at him left Ju-Seok flustered. He turned to Reina for help.
She paused for a moment, then offered a suggestion, “They’re capable kids. What if we let them try serving?”
“But... they’re still just kids...”
“Red Ribbon and Blue Ribbon aren’t ordinary kids.”
He cautiously nodded. Then, after placing coffee and cookies on a tray, he spoke up, “Okay, R-Red Ribbon?”
“Yes! I’m Red Ribbon!”
“Can you take this to that table over there? Make sure you don’t sneak any cookies on the way. If you do a good job and come back, I’ll give you a bunch of cookies later.”
Normally, Super Ribbon would’ve done other things along with serving. However, he knew it’d be ridiculous to expect kids to handle other tasks. He decided to run things a little differently, just for the day.
He was a sharp businessman, and his decision paid off immediately.
“Okay!!”
Tray raised high in both hands, Red Ribbon cheerfully scampered off toward the table. The customers inside the cafe smiled contentedly while watching the two girls bustling about.
“You’re working hard,
eh?
Here, try one of these.”
Serving customers when adorable came with the bonus of being handed cookies. Perhaps due to the two girls, the customers began ordering more cookies than they originally intended, leading to increased sales.
It had been an unexpected situation, but Ju-Seok had turned it to his advantage and couldn’t help but smile. “
Hehehe.
I’m rich now.”
That was when it happened. The soft bell rang as someone stepped into the cafe, instantly capturing everyone’s attention.
A woman with sky-blue bobbed hair and a slightly eccentric dress walked in, drawing the eyes of every person in the room as if she had cast a spell.
“
Wooow.
Pretty!”
Red Ribbon, carrying an empty tray back to the counter, gasped with wide eyes. The woman smiled warmly and gently patted Red Ribbon on the head.
“Thank you.” She then walked over to the counter.
“May I take your order?” Reina asked.
“
Hmm.
What do humans usually like?”
“How about a caramel macchiato?” Reina said with a smile.
“
Hmm.
Alright, I’ll have that then,” the woman told her.
“I’ll ring you up.”
With a small smile, the woman pulled out some bills from inside her dress. “Will this be enough?”
“Yes, thank you. Please have a seat, and we’ll bring it out to you shortly.”
The woman nodded silently and took a seat at an empty table.
Red Ribbon came trotting over and held out a tray with a cookie on it. “T-This is on the house!”
“
Ah...
” The woman stared at her in a daze for a moment, silently observing Red Ribbon before speaking, “Little one... would you like to come live with me?”
“
Huh?
”
“
Ah!
Forget I said anything.” Flustered, the woman waved her hands and shook her head vigorously.
“Humans really are terrifying...” she muttered to herself as she turned away.
Chapter 1159
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