PUELLA DE VERMILIO AVES ARC
CHAPTER ONE
As the clock's short hand strikes at four in the afternoon, old man George had already finished plating the curry that he had just finished cooking.
For a fifty-year old man like George, he is now fulfilling his lifelong dream of showcasing his culinary skills which he boastfully pride himself with.
That is...managing his own cafe.
Arriving in this current state of affairs was not an easy task per se. For the most part of his life, he had worked in an unfamiliar job which requires a certain set of skills. It was not until he hit 50 that he decided to leave his older job and pursue his passion on making pastries and other cuisine which he would serve to his valuable customers.
As a European, it wasn't that easy for George to establish a small restaurant in Japan, especially in Kyoto, considering the protectionist stance of the government against foreign business ventures owned by foreign nationals. His former job did not help either to his situation, having his past association being conflict with those person who have greater influence in the area that he was operating.
But at the end of the day, he was able to convince them he was here for a new chapter of his life and his passion for cooking. He was very thankful to the head of the family who have strong influence within Kyoto for allowing him to establish his small business.
"Kishinami-san," George called out as he placed his newly plated curry on the serving aisle. From a distance, a certain dark brown-haired lad wearing the cafe's standard butler uniform immediately reached for the aisle. "Give these two servings of curry to table number four."
"Right away, Boss." The lad replied politely as he picked up the plates and went to serve the dishes to its customers.
As he watched the brown-haired lad putting the curry dishes on top of the patrons' table with a smile on his face, George just shook his head while his lips twitched upwards as a thought came to his mind.
"It's all thanks to you that I have managed to live my dream, lad." George mentally said to himself as his eyes silently observed at the figure of a young man who was now catering to the newly arrived customers with a smile and then proceed to guide them to their respective seats.
His mind then went back 3 months ago where he met this young lad in the streets of Kyoto.
Hakuno Kishinami, a young man in his late teen years adorned with brown hair and a pair of dark brown rondures. A man with a definite Japanese descent, and have a height reaching 190 centimeters. As much as for his looks, well...there is nothing to be noteworthy or outstanding about it unfortunately.
The best description about it would be...average and mediocre.
On the other hand, what he lacked in the facial department was rather compensated by his overall demeanor; cold yet warm, dim yet bright, distant yet approachable, calculating yet kind. His entire personality was a plethora of contradictions, of opposites, and George was impressed by his complexity.
And besides, there is something he have that other humans, regular or gifted, don't.
In general, human beings were very complex creatures. A truth that George had known to well, but the man named Hakuno who helped him build Ahnenerbe raised the bar of what it means to be complex.
His inner monologue was disrupted however when he realized that Hakuno had been staring at his direction, making him to react puzzled.
"Hm?"
His eyes, which were covered by a pair of eyepiece, then captured Hakuno's fingers pointing discreetly at the two newly arrived people occupying Table No. 6. He then proceed to observe the customers which happens to be a pair of male and female.
The male was wearing a blue shirt, the woman in a pink frilly dress...
He kept on assessing their physical appearance from head to toe until something did clicked inside his head. His eyes blinked twice under his black shades before delivering a defeated sigh under his breath, his left hand withdrawing a Yen bill from his pocket and brandishing it in the air as if a police officer serving a speed ticket to a reckless driver.
"It's a pleasure doing business with you, Boss." said Hakuno as he took the paper bill from old man George's hand with a slight smile on his face.
"Heh," George snorted, displaying a smirk of his own, "You're being sarcastic. It was worth a try for my part but anyway I guess I need to prepare something for our incoming customer like you said earlier this morning. I reckon its the usual?"
"Hn," the lad retorted as he began wiping the glasses displayed at the back bar with a paper towel, "Dark chocolate and green tea. The usual. You might wanna add an extra bit of chocolate in there, she badly needs it right now."
"Oh? I see. Well then, off to prepare some delicious green tea and chocolates then."
As George began to prepare green tea, his mind then went back to the last thought he had before he was interrupted.
That his employee, Hakuno Kishinami, have a gift.
A gift of predicting the future.
If George did not retired from his former job, he would surely associate Hakuno's ability as a form of magic. Well, in this world magic do exist and among other things related to the supernatural and predicting the future is also associated with it.
In his old line of work, future prediction is labeled as a form of precognition which is mostly associated with Seers; people who can see the future. And his employee did exhibit this rare kind of talent with one hundred percent accuracy.
Every. Single. Time.
At first he thought that such ability was bestowed on Hakuno by the Shinto Gods, considering that he was of Japanese descent, though the brown-haired lad explained that he wasn't a practitioner of Eastern Magic System, or let alone a follower of Shinto religion.
Anyhow, it was this ability of Hakuno's to predict the future that allowed George to establish and maintain his small restaurant. Hakuno's ability can be technically used as a detector, able to pinpoint good fortunes from bad, and bad customers from good ones.
It even serve as a warning system for the entire cafe!
Of course, the old man did not coerced Hakuno to do such. On contrary, it was the brown-haired lad's decision to make use of his ability, saying "Burglars are bad civilization" and "narcissistic customers are not always right."
The cafe owner snorted as he remembered the lad's emotionless expression while stating such claim three months ago.
Such nostalgia.
The moment that he had finished stirring the green tea on the tea cup, the silvery chimes hanging above the door reverbrated smoothly as the cafe door sprang open, prompting him to direct his eyes at certain figure entering the small establishment.
Long black hair tied in a ponytail by a white ribbon.
A pair of red eyes that glistened like fiery embers.
A face that exudes womanly charms and kindness.
A buxom figure garbed in an elegant crimson red blazer and short black pleated skirt.
Simply put, a gorgeous woman bearing a high stature within the society. Not to mention, that George knew this woman and the symbol she exemplify. The old man then glanced at Hakuno, who did not paid attention at the customer but instead focusing on mopping the floor.
Old man George just left an exasperated yet knowing sigh, remembering the description that the lad told him earlier this morning about this young lady.
"He is just too accurate for his own good."
His employee's predictions can be quiet scary sometimes.