75 The warmth of the cafe [2]

Tss—

"Raining again..." Looking out the window, Isaac couldn't help but comment. "It's been happening more frequently than it usually does..."

'Is it Fontaine's rainy season or is Neuvillette okay?' He half-jokingly thought to himself as he watched the dark clouds outside bring down droplets of water onto the city.

The cold humidity of the rain slightly seeped into the cafe, mixing with the air-conditioned room, resulting in a slightly freezing temperature. Nonetheless, the combination of a hot brew from Isaac counteracts this temperature with a delicious warm drink.

Retracting his gaze from the glass pane window, he looked back at his café. Once more, only a few customers were present, each minding their own business.

In this tranquil cafe that shielded many from the rain, only the calm peaceful atmosphere was present.

"Mister Isaac!" Just then, a voice drifted over to his ear. Turning his head, Isaac found the little elf Klee trying to take a seat on the stool in front of the counter.

"What is it, Klee?" He asked as he helped her get up from the chair. "Weren't you playing with Nahida?"

"I know, I just wanted to talk to you!" Klee, who nestled on the stool, nodded her head as her innocent smile permeated her face.

Finding himself with nothing else to do, Isaac shrugged and agreed to her. Placing down the teacup he was cleaning with a clean cloth, he spoke to her. "Sure, why not? What do you want to talk about?"

"Umm... Well..." Klee hesitated at first, seemingly trying to find the right words for her sentence, but then she continued. "Can you... Tell me a story, Mister Isaac?"

"A story?" Momentarily taken aback by Klee's request, Isaac grasped his chin in contemplation. "I can do that, but why all of a sudden?"

"It's because of a promise I made to my friend, the traveler!" Explained Klee as she recounted her memories. "Before the traveler left, we promised to share stories!"

'Ah...' Immediately understanding what was going on, Isaac subconsciously nodded his head. "I see... Was that friend of yours a blonde traveler with a floating companion, by any chance?"

"Huh? Mister Isaac, you know her?" Surprised by Isaac's accurate description of the traveler, Klee's eyes glimmered with curiosity. "That's right! The Traveler helped me out so much when she was in Mondstadt!"

"She said that she would visit from time to time, so that's why I have to collect as many stories as I can before we meet again!" As Klee said this, she reached out for her backpack and took out her book full of scribbles, before placing it down on the counter.

She then opened the book and flipped to a specific page and showed it to Isaac. "See, Mister Isaac? I've already gotten a lot!"

"This one's from Albedo, oh, and this one's from Master Jean!" She said as she pointed at the neatly written words that were not her's in the book. "This one's from Bennett, it got burned a little! And this one's from Kaeya! Look, he even drew a pirate on the side!"

Seeing the child happily share the stories given to her, Isaac couldn't hope but let out a warm smile. "That's nice, Klee. You have a lot of friends to share stories with you— how fun."

"That's right!" Klee nodded her head happily as she looked at Isaac. She then took out a cute pen from her backpack and gave it to Isaac. "Since you're also my friend, it's now your turn, Mister Isaac!"

"Alright, I'll see what I can share." Accepting the cute pen from Klee, Isaac chuckled lightly. "Well then... Where should I start?"

At that very moment, innumerable stories flashed through Isaac's mind. There were so many that he genuinely couldn't decide which to pick.

Finally, after a few moments of contemplation, he decided on a story. 'I'll try this one.'

Lifting the cute pen, he placed his hand down on Klee's notebook and began writing while speaking. "Say Klee... You know what a monster is, yeah?"

"Of course I do!" Klee responded with a nod. She then reached for her backpack and took out a small scale. "Look, this one's from a monster I got when I visited Liyue with Albedo one time!"

'Is that a geovishap scale...?' Seeing the item Klee brought out, Isaac momentarily paused before nodding his head with a wry smile. "That's right. A monster like that..."

"Anywho, the story I'm going to tell you tackles about a person who suddenly became... half a monster." He explained as he wrote down a summarized version of the story he was thinking.

"Half a monster? How would that work?" Curious by Isaac's story, Klee stood up from the chair and leaned over to the book to see what he was writing down.

"Careful, don't fall."

Helping her stand up, Isaac helped her sit down on the counter. He then continued with an explanation, "As I was saying... This person who suddenly became half a monster became confused about his predicament. He was full of fear and disbelief about what happened in just one night."

"That sounds awful... Mister Isaac, would this be a good story to share?" Sensing the somber vibe of the story Isaac was sharing, Klee couldn't help but ask with a worried expression. "It sounds like a sad story..."

"I won't lie, it indeed is a sad story..." Pausing his writing, Isaac chuckled for a moment. Thinking for a moment, he then continued writing. "But it's also a story about discovery and acceptance."

"Over time, that person discovered the other monsters that he was once afraid of," Isaac spoke with the same melancholy feel around him that everyone had been accustomed to. "Those monsters also had their own lives and stories, and motivations for their reason to live."

"That half-monster person then grew close to those monsters, gradually becoming close and even becoming one of them."

Isaac then paused and put down the cute pen he used. Turning his head over, he saw Klee attentively listening to him.

Klee, who was immersed in Isaac's story, realized that he stopped and looked back at him. "And then? What happened after, Mister Isaac? Did that half-monster person become friends with the monsters?"

"Yes— they became his new friends and became very close." Isaac nodded his head. He then looked out the window as his eyes fell into deep contemplation. "They became his new pillars of support... In that new dark world he found himself in, he saw them as new hope."

"That man, who didn't have a clear purpose and where he wanted to go when he was thrust into that new world, decided to henceforth protect the new hope he found no matter the costs." As Isaac spoke, his voice grew heavier. His gaze then glanced over to Klee, Yae Miko, and Nahida.

However, even when he looked at them, a familiar figure with grayish-white hair still flashed through his mind. Thinking of this, his eyes fell heavy.

"All... For their sake..."

"Mister Isaac..." Sensing Isaac's doleful expression, Klee couldn't help but ask out of curiosity. "You sound sad... Is the story that sad...?"

Realizing that he was tainting the serene atmosphere with his melancholic attitude, Isaac quickly assessed himself.

Shaking his head, he quickly removed his previous sorrowful look and smiled softly at Klee. "Haha, I apologize. Looks like I became too immersed."

"If the story's not to your liking, I can stop here." He suggested as he rested the cute pen down. "What do you say?"

"Hmm... I think you should continue, Mister Isaac." Klee, who was looking at the words Isaac had written down in her book, hummed. She then lifted her head and looked at him in the eye. "Because I think you really wanted to tell this story."

'What a sharp child.' Hearing this, a faint smile appeared on Isaac's face. "Alright... Then I'll continue."

"Now... where was I... oh right! Later on, that half-monster kept his promise and protected them, going as far as to even leave them just so his ideal peace would be achieved." Isaac continued after picking up the cute pen.

He then turned towards Klee and asked a question, "Can you guess what happens next?"

"Does the half-monster reunite with his new friends?" Klee, sensing Isaac's change in tone, quickly guessed.

"Clever you." Praising her, Isaac chuckled lightly. "That's right. After a few arduous adventures... He ultimately returned to his friends."

"Well then." Placing down the cute pen for the last time, Isaac closed the Hoon he was writing on and gave it back to Klee. "My job here is done. Did you like the story?"

Although it was an ultra-condensed version of the story Isaac was thinking of, he felt like he made out the important points.

"Hmm!" After listening to Isaac's intriguing story, Klee nodded her head with a satisfied smile. She then took back the book she gave. "I feel like this would be a great story to tell the traveler!"

"Thank you, Mister Isaac!" A sweet innocent smile permeated throughout her face as she thanked him.

"It's nothing." Looking at Klee's thankful face, Isaac smiled faintly. He then helped her get down the counter. "Alright, let's get you down, shall we?"

"Alright!" With the help of Isaac, Klee successfully got down from the counter and returned to her seat.

Just as Klee was about to get out of her seat, she stopped for a moment as a thought crossed her mind. She then looked back at Isaac and asked a question. "By the way, Mister Isaac... I want to ask a question."

"What is it?" He responded.

"What did that half-monster do while he was distancing himself from his friends?" She asked innocently.

Upon hearing this, Isaac stayed silent for a moment. However, he then answered with a faint smile on his face. "He met an inspiring figure that woke him up from his fake dream while away."

Isaac stayed silent for a moment again before gesturing to Klee. "Wanna hear the name of that person?"

"Eh? Sure!" Curious as to what the person's name was, Klee went back and leaned over, listening to Isaac intently.

Isaac, who was smiling faintly, then whispered silently.

"[The Nameless King]... Arima."

"The Nameless King..." Hearing this name, Klee thought for a moment before turning back to Isaac. "Mister Isaac, do you want to write down that person's name?"

"...how about we keep it a secret for now?" Winking at Klee, Isaac chuckled wryly. "Let's keep it a secret from the traveler until the right moment, yeah? A little secret between us, if you will."

"Would that be alright, Klee?"

"Oh!" Realizing that it was a secret, Klee immediately nodded her head. Seeing Isaac's secretive actions, she followed along. Whispering, she replied, "I'll keep it a secret, Mister Isaac!"

"Thanks, Klee." He thanked her with a genuine smile. "Well then, why don't you go back? I'm sure Nahida's getting teased to oblivion by that sly fox by now."

"Alright! Thank you again for the story, Mister Isaac!" Waving at Isaac, Klee ran back to the table where the other two were.

"No worries." Seeing Klee leave, Isaac watched in silence for a moment before letting out a small sigh.

'Confiding to others like this... Is really thrilling, isn't it?'

Unbeknownst to Klee, Isaac had just told her one of the most important details about his grand plan.

Looking at the world outside the glass pane again, Isaac let out a small sigh.

Such was the life of a fool.

Just then, while Isaac was in the middle of gazing outside, the door suddenly opened, and in came a person. "Hm?"

"Oh?" Seeing who it was, Isaac couldn't help but raise an eyebrow. He then greeted the new guest that just entered. "A bit rainy today, innit? How do you do..."

"Xiao?"