Before he could say another word, Alina stepped forward and hugged him tightly, her arms wrapping around his shoulders with a warmth that caught him off guard. "Thank you," she murmured against his shoulder. "For letting me stay here and for giving me this."
Henry hesitated for only a moment before returning the embrace, his hand resting briefly on her back. "You're part of my team now," he said quietly. "And you'll stay with me as long as you want."
They stood like that for a breath longer than necessary, a quiet, intimate moment neither of them addressed. Then Henry pulled back, clearing his throat as he turned away.
Alina glanced around the café again. "This is from your world, yes? The lights, the AC—all of it?"
"Yes," Henry replied simply. "This is all from my world. Well, not all of it— the furniture is local, the plants were grown here. But the technology, the lights, the AC, the refrigerator—that's all from Earth. From home."
Alina's smile grew wider as she looked around the café again, her eyes lingering on the softly illuminated walls, the decorative plants casting interesting shadows, and the vent quietly circulating cool air through the room. "Then I officially approve of—what did you call it again?—modern technology? Consider this my formal endorsement of everything you've brought from your strange and wonderful world."
Henry laughed. "I'll make a note of that in my diary. Put it right under 'Alina officially approves of air conditioning' and 'Alina wants to live in the café forever.'"
"You should. It's a very important approval. Possibly the most important approval you'll ever receive."
"Ok, madam. Should I get it framed?"
"Absolutely. Put it on the wall next to the door so everyone knows the manager has spoken."
Henry shook his head, still smiling, as he grabbed his coat from the hook by the door. "Come on."
Alina blinked. "Where are we going?"
"To recruit more employees." He tossed her a knowing grin. "Can't run a café with just the two of us. Unless you're planning to cook, serve, clean, and manage all at once."
"Absolutely not."
"That's what I thought."
---
Mondstadt's Swift Bikes branch—yes, branch, since Liyue also had one now—remained as busy as ever, several customers occupying different areas of the showroom while a pair of adventurers examined one of the newer models near the entrance, and across the room, Anthony was deep in conversation with another customer, gesturing enthusiastically at the bike's features with the practiced cadence of someone who'd made the same sales pitch a hundred times by now.
Business was thriving, and Henry couldn't help feeling a small sense of pride seeing it—not long ago, bicycles hadn't even existed in Teyvat, and now people argued over which size they needed, whether the adult model was worth the extra Mora, or if the child's version could be adjusted for a teen.
Mona, meanwhile, sat behind the front counter looking thoroughly exhausted, the sort of tired that came from dealing with customers all day, answering the same questions, managing the same concerns, and smiling through it all until her cheeks ached. The moment she spotted Henry entering the building, her eyes narrowed with the precision of a hawk spotting prey.
"You disappeared again before telling me."
"I was busy," Henry said, offering a placating smile that did absolutely nothing to soften her expression.
Mona rubbed her forehead with a weary, practiced gesture. "Alright. Why are you here?"
Henry leaned against the counter, his grin widening. "Are you Interested in taking a new job?"
Suspicion immediately appeared on her face. "What kind of job?"
"Waitressing."
The interest vanished as quickly as it had appeared. "Never mind."
"I will pay you more."
Her interest returned instantly, her posture shifting as she sat up straighter. "I'm listening."
Henry leaned closer and whispered a number in her ear, and the transformation was immediate—Mona stood up, her eyes brightening with renewed energy. "I agree," she said without hesitation. "When do I start?"
"Soon. I'll tell you personally. The café is finished and furnished, though."
"Already?"
"Already." Henry leaned against the counter.
"The position includes higher pay, significantly better working conditions, and air conditioning."
Mona blinked. "What is air conditioning?"
"You'll understand when you see it."
That wasn't remotely helpful, and Mona's expression made that abundantly clear. She looked toward Alina, who nodded in response.
"He's right," Alina said.
"You understand it?"
"Not really."
"Then why are you agreeing with him?"
"Because I experienced it." Alina's tone carried the quiet certainty of someone who'd felt cold air bloom from a metal box and had never quite recovered from the wonder of it. "Trust me. You'll understand when you see it."
Henry turned toward Anthony, who was finishing up with his customer and heading over with a curious expression.
"Don't worry," Henry said, cutting off the question before it could form. "I'm planning on hiring replacements."
That got Anthony's attention. "How many?"
"Enough to lessen your load. And after Alina tests you and approves, I'll promote you to sales head of the shop."
Anthony's face lit up. "Really?"
"Yes, why not?" Henry smiled. "You've been here since the beginning, you know the products inside and out, and you've proven you can handle customers. That sounds like sales head material to me."
Anthony beamed, standing a little taller at the words, and Henry bid him goodbye before turning to Mona. "You're coming with us. Both of you—we need measurements from the tailor shop."
"But there's one more destination before that," he added, already heading for the door, and Mona and Alina fell into step behind him as they made their way through the streets of Mondstadt. Finding staff was suddenly becoming a very real problem, and the Adventurers' Guild was the most efficient place to solve it.
By the time Henry, Alina, and Mona arrived at the Adventurers' Guild, Katheryne was already standing behind the counter wearing her usual professional smile.
" Ad Astra Abyssosque. Welcome to the Adventurers' Guild."
"Hello again, Katheryne."
"How may I assist you today?"
Henry placed a long sheet of paper onto the counter, the surface covered with a lengthy list of required positions, and Katheryne's eyes moved down the page—waiters, kitchen staff, cooks, cleaning staff, a café manager position that Henry quickly crossed out after Alina noticed it, replacement salespersons for Swift Bikes, additional sales staff, and general workers willing to learn bike mechanics from Anthony to lessen his load.
She looked up. "...All of these?"
"All of them."
Katheryne studied the paperwork again. "You are opening another business."
"Yes."
I thought she was a bot-just a programmed receptionist. Why is she asking me questions? Or is she actually spying on me for someone?
Her gaze lingered on the crossed-out line. "We can certainly post these commissions."
"Perfect."
"Although..."
Henry's brow furrowed. "Although?"
Katheryne glanced toward one particular listing on the page. "You may not need to wait very long for one of these positions."
"Oh?"
"The bike shop managerial position." Katheryne paused. "As it happens, there is somebody currently looking for long-term work."
Mona looked interested. Alina looked interested. Henry, however, felt a surge of optimism rather than dread.
"And who would that be?"
Katheryne smiled. "Miss Fischl."
Oh, it's Miss Fischl von Luftschloss Narfidort.
Of course it is.
He remembered their commission together—the way she'd flushed when he'd kissed her hand, the way Oz had commented on her liking him, the way she'd stumbled over her words afterward.
Fischl was dramatic, theatrical, and prone to speeches that required translation, but beneath all that, she was intelligent, responsible when necessary, and surprisingly diligent. She could probably handle customers.
Maybe, hopefully, at the very least Oz could—the raven had always been the more level-headed of the pair, and Henry suspected the bird would handle the actual managerial duties while Fischl provided the theatrical flair that would certainly make the shop memorable, if nothing else.
"Please tell her about my offer," Henry said, and Katheryne looked pleased.
"I'll send her a message immediately."
"Please do."
"Then I wish you good luck."
"Farewell, and thank you for visiting the Adventurers' Guild," Katheryne said as they turned to leave, her voice carrying that same pleasant, professional tone that never seemed to waver.
---
📢 I have posted a new Patreon poll for Traveler choice.
It's free for everyone to vote.
I know I already held this poll before, but after giving the future plot a lot more thought, I've realized another direction could be even more interesting. On top of that, we have many more readers now than we did during the original poll, so I think it's only fair to ask one last time before I fully commit.
📖 Advanced Chapters on Patreon- we are ahead by 13 chapters (6 weeks ahead of public release)
https://patreon.com/A_Peverel