Maguro's POV
It was a slow morning at the café.
Which, honestly, was a miracle.
Nothing haunted was growling from the storage room, Chiyo wasn't floating mugs around in passive-aggressive protest, and Takashi hadn't broken anything (yet).
I was behind the counter, humming to myself and wiping down the espresso machine when the front door jingled.
A man walked in.
And by "walked in," I mean strutted in like he was in a music video where the main lyrics were "I command oceans and moisturize with sea foam."
He had long dark brown hair tied up with sea-glass beads, sea-colored eyes way too intense for a Tuesday, and was wearing a perfectly pressed navy coat with golden trim.
Very royal. Very suspicious.
And most importantly—
I had no idea who he was.
"Good morning, welcome to Maguro's—wait, uh... have we met?"
The man smiled.
It was the kind of smile that could either mean "I rule a kingdom" or "I'm about to order a coffee that takes thirty minutes to explain."
"I would like your finest cup of coffee," he said in a deep, rich, theatrical voice.
Chiyo peeked out from the back and froze. Her pupils dilated like a cat seeing a cucumber.
Takashi dropped a spoon and whispered, "Why do I feel like I should kneel."
I squinted.
"...Okay, are you one of those retired theater actors who gets into character before ordering?" I said, grabbing a mug.
The man chuckled softly.
"Would you happen to have kelp milk?" he asked.
"Kelp milk?"
"Kelp milk."
I blinked.
That was when it hit me.
The tone.
The stupidly shiny eyes.
The weird ancient aura of authority and sadness and mildly smug dad energy.
I slowly placed the mug down.
"Sea King?"
He beamed. "Maguro."
"OH MY COD," I shouted, nearly slipping behind the counter. "WHAT—YOU'RE—WHY DO YOU HAVE LEGS?!"
He held up a golden pearl with a gentle glow. "Temporary transformation. One day only. I wished to walk among your world and sample your caffeinated rituals."
Chiyo leaned over the counter, poking his cheek. "You look like if Poseidon had a skincare sponsor."
Takashi, still frozen, just whispered, "Do I bow? Do I curtsey? Do I… genufish?"
I slapped his back. "Snap out of it, Takashi."
The Sea King took a seat at one of our booths with all the grace of a man who had absolutely never sat in a booth before.
He stared at the cushion like it was a rare coral.
I brought over a simple cappuccino.
He stared into it as if it were a prophecy.
"Do you… drink it?" he asked.
"Put it in your face hole, yes."
He took a sip.
His eyes widened.
Then closed.
Then opened again with a tear.
"This is better than victory at sea."
We sat and chatted. Just the two of us. King and tuna.
He told me of how the palace was slowly recovering. How the currents had calmed. How the song of the trench had changed.
"How long can you stay?" I asked softly.
"Until sunset," he said, finishing his muffin solemnly.
He looked around the shop like it was the most magical place in the world.
"I see why you chose this," he said.
And I smiled.
I was about to make a heartfelt reply when—
The door burst open.
A tall man in an oversized white coat and an obnoxiously long scarf practically fell into the shop.
He had wild, windblown dark green hair, a big book strapped to his side, and the permanent expression of someone who just woke up from a nap he didn't remember taking.
"HELLO!" he declared, throwing both arms up dramatically.
I blinked. "...Hi?"
"I was told this café serves espresso strong enough to knock out a demon," he said, still panting. "I don't like demons. They steal socks."
The Sea King leaned over to me and whispered, "...Is he possessed?"
"I think he's just weird," I whispered back.
The stranger looked around and gasped loudly at the Sea King.
"Oh wow, you have amazing cheekbones. Are you famous?"
"Only below sea level," he answered calmly.
"Cool. I'm Jashin, wandering noble, part-time mage, full-time scarf model."
He twirled his scarf like a cape and then tripped over it.
"Do you want coffee?" I asked, because frankly, I didn't know what else to do.
"Yes! One—uh—how many shots before it counts as a potion?"
"Three."
"Perfect! I want four."
"Chaos," the Sea King muttered.
"Comfort," I corrected.
As I made the drink, Jashin wandered around, gently poking decorations like he was shopping at a magic antique store.
He stopped at the haunted coffee grinder.
"Ooh, this one buzzed at me."
"Don't touch it. It bites."
"It what now—?"
BUZZZ"AUGH."
"Yeah. Told you."
He sat down near the Sea King, completely unaware he was sitting across the literal monarch of the deep.
"This is a nice place," Jashin said, sipping his coffee like it was a fine wine.
"Have you tried casting with espresso foam? I once summoned a squirrel."
The Sea King blinked. "Why would you summon a squirrel?"
"I needed emotional support."
"...I understand."
They sipped in silence.
Two beings from opposite worlds, united by bean juice.
I watched them and realized... this was it.
This was exactly the life I wanted.
A magical café.
Strange guests.
Ancient kings pretending to be tourists.
And complete weirdos with scarves.
As the sun began to dip, the Sea King stood, golden pearl in hand once more.
"It is time."
I followed him to the door.
"You know," I said quietly, "you're welcome back. Any time. I'll save you a seat."
He smiled.
"Then I shall return. Next time, perhaps... with cookies."
And with a shimmer of light and a swirl of seawater, he was gone.
I turned to Jashin.
He was upside down on the couch reading the coffee menu backward.
"You know," I said, "you're weird."
"Thank you," he beamed. "Do you validate magical parking?"
"…Do I what?"
"I think my horse teleported."
I blinked.
Paused.
And then just said
"Would you like a muffin?"
"Yes, please!"
End.