Ch.29 Koseki Bijou

"You seem to know everything." Bijou stared at the bartender jealously.

"Oh, you're mistaken. I don't know everything."

"But, you seem to have the right words for every situation."

"Oh, perhaps I am used to life more than others. But I don't know everything."

"I just feel like you're not telling me your secrets." Bijou booed childishly.

"Oh. Hmm. I do have one fact that may help you ease your accusations." The bartender chuckled and drank some water to clear his throat.

"I really don't know everything, miss. I don't know everything about what is important in life. I don't even know everything about my job. I don't know everything about you."

"But.."

"But.." the bartender softly cut her off, "You don't need to know every important thing to be safe."

"Huh? That..sounds too good to be true."

"Oh, but it is true. You see, I used to be paranoid about knowing everything. I thought knowledge would relieve me of my stress. So I tried to think in any ways I could possibly think of. I tried to learn how I would survive. I tried to learn everything there can be to tend my customers well."

"So that's where you got your knowledge."

"True, but that's not the point. The point is, not only there were endless things to study, I didn't have the time. Life is a priority after all. Secondly, it was close to impossible to predict everything I would do when I wasn't faithful to myself."

"Now that, I can relate to." Bijou giggled.

The bartender smiled and grew passionate. "Failure teaches you you won't get success even if you try. Failure proves trying was meaningless. But failure either leads you to give up, or keep trying, and both teach you something good about this world. In this case of learning everything, failure taught me that I wouldn't learn everything regardless of having tried or not. And I learned that 'perhaps, I don't need to know.' And I was right. I learned to live regardless of knowing, and that gave me peace from working fruitlessly."

As if he concluded his grand lecture, the bartender took a deep sigh. "This is quite tiring to talk about. It is making me sleepy."

Bijou uttered in concern. "Oh, are you okay?"

"Yes. Want another strawberry milk?"

"Yes please!"

Bijou gulped on the new sweet milk topped with chopped strawberries.

Ch.30 Ninomae Ina'nis

"I feel too busy." Ina complained. She nuzzled on the bar top, feeling the coolness radiate towards her cheeks. She could feel the excess heat of her hand slightly rub off the icy part of the glass, her heat exchanged with the chill of the cubicles that hadn't melted. She was often annoyed by this chill that was supposed to give her comfort. Perhaps she expected warmth from an impossible object. But instead, she was distracted by her business in the idol industry.

"Quite chilly there isn't it?"

"Ah nah. This is fine." She waved off his concern by shaking her drink.

"Ah, no. I meant where you work."

"Huh? You mean my job?"

"Yeah."

"No. It's fine."

The moisture on the glass slightly annoyed Ina as each droplet got absorbed by her already moisturized skin. She rubbed off the wetness with the hem on her wrist after effortlessly noticing the harmless effect it will have on her cloth.

"What do you think of the luxury your company provides?"

"Eh..it's good."

"Really? Because excessive luxury can have an opposite effect. It can even bother you."

"Huh?"

"It's like the moisture you just rubbed off."

"This? Oh it's harmless."

"True. It's an annoyance, albeit a minor one. Isn't it annoying how thorough the moisture seeps through your skin?"

"Yes!" Ina felt herself let out a huff of seamless frustration. "It's annoying how my dress gets wet too."

"In that case," the bartender gave her a piece of cloth. "How about wrapping this around the glass?"

"Oh?! Genius!"

And Inanis wrapped the cloth around the wet surface of glass. Despite its roundness, the roughness of the cloth locked tightly on the glass.

"Feel better?"

"...well, it is just a cloth."

"That it is."

"Haha. Are you joking?"

"No! By no means. This solution is clearly an improvement, albeit a small one. But it is such a little improvement, that you can't bother with every single thing. You want a big and complex solution, a solution that takes clear efforts to reach. But complex that is fine, but instead of 'big of one', how about replacing it with 'many of small'?

"...but small is insignificant by itself."

"That it is. It is quite hard to concentrate on every insignificant detail to conclude one big conclusion. If you don't like this idea, then I'm out of ideas."

"Does it even work?"

"Oh? What's the point if you don't want to try?"

"I want to try it if it works."

"Well, I don't even know what you're doing, miss. Nor can you explain it to me."

"That's…a shame."

"But that didn't stop me from trying."

"...why?"

"My case was easy. It was the only way to escape my predicament. Trouble is harsh, but it makes choosing easier."

"...I guess I'm not in so much trouble."

"Not a clear trouble. But I bet, as a city worker, you can hustle something up. Life is a hustle without clear instructions. The predicament you're in is tough. Not only the little things are insignificant, you don't know where to start. But the thing is, truth is a law that is general and timeless. The good thing is that order does not matter and the effort inevitably builds up towards completion, the bad news is…?"

The bartender gestured for Ina to answer. "I…don't know whether it will be complete."

"That it is."

"Then, that method seems so hopeless! How did you go through all that?"

"Well, my trouble was more hopeless than the hope the effort could give me."

Ina drooped down powerlessly in front of the obstacle she saw herself in front of. A cold obstacle that seemed to not budge, a wall with little intention to budge.

"You're doing fine. I won't pay for your drinks this time. You are capable of paying for your drinks."

"...Thanks for your words." Ina's soul drifted listlessly through an inescapable contemplation, seeking hope from her childhood dreams of ever teaching someone something important about life. Despite the cold obstacle, she could feel the heat pump out of her heart, leaking with chaos that had meaning. The warmth of the alcohol powered her soul, and she gripped her fist in determination.

"I bid for your best." said the bartender as Ina left with burning eyes as she stared bravely into the void of darkness. She was scared. She was even scared she would forget the danger she was in, and just treat this as another day. But another part of her assured her. Even if you forget today, life will remind you of its troubles. If life is always there for you, won't it also remind you of your need to become the best part of yourself?

Ch.31 Ouro Kronii

"Why didn't they give me a tiara!" Kronii shouted, crying like a baby.

The bartender was wiping the moisture off the bar top, but was keenly listening.

"I want a tiara too!"

The bartender did nothing but do his job.

"Yo, Bartender!"

"Yes, miss Kronii!"

"Give me a Tiara!"

"Hmm. I can't make one. I am not a jewel maker. But I can make you feel like a princess."

"...really?"

"How about I give you one of my favorites for free?"

"...that would be lovely.." Kronii grinned and leaned on the bar top.

Ch. 32 Dokibird

"This one SC annoys me…"

"Oh what was it?:"

"It says something like, every girl deserves to be a princess. So, I will call you…a dude. Isn't that terrible? I want to be a princess too!"

"Oh…I sent that SC."

"...What?"

"Sorry. It was just a joke. Much apologies."

"...It wasn't funny."

"Very truly sorry. I didn't know you wanted to be one. I thought you were more of a person who wanted to be best friends with your viewers."

"But I can still be a princess..."

"...yes. I was wrong. You proved me wrong. For that, I will treat you to some food from the neighboring restaurant. Want some Ramen?"

"Yes Please!"

The Bartender grinned, and went out the door to visit his good acquaintance.

Ch.33 Nanashi Mumei

"I want my throat to stop hurting.."

The bartender gave a gesture while tending to the bottles.

"I want to spend more time with my fans, but my voice doesn't follow."

"Okay. I'm done. What were you saying?"

"...it's nothing."

"...Please say it. I couldn't hear what you said, but I could hear the distress in your voice."

"Then why didn't you listen?!"

"Because I wanted to serve you better."

"Then, liste…"

"And I rather finish what I already started than listen to you when I am busy."

"..."

"I did give you a gesture to wait, right?"

"...I.."

"...I'm sorry. I am too cold. But, the drink was for you. Can you give me 3 minutes to make it? Much apologies."

"...Don't be sorry."

"...you're so kind."

The bartender shook and swirled, and made a drink within 1 min 32 seconds. Mumei was delighted how pretty it looked.

"...I am like you, and how you look at this drink."

"Huh? What does that mean?"

"If you were this drink, I would like to stare at it like you do right now."

"...thanks."

"Haha. I'm just complimenting the drink I made."