Figuring out the use of his monocle Olivier felt a surge of confidence. Finally, there was something he solved without the black cat's help. In a great mood he finished brewing the coffee and brought a cup to Old Demon. At this point there was no need for the alien to ask.
Afterwards Olivier fetched his tools and went outside to take care of his little garden. Right now, he didn't have anything planted. Business was not that great. Ever since Valentino arrived for the first time, he only bought one more pack of green beans. Benjamin was somewhat more generous having bought three more packs of red beans. But this was already the extent of Olivier's sales. Thus, there was no need to waste his own lifespan on planting more. However, now that he was rather rich, he decided to cultivate some more red beans.
As Olivier began to till the land, he immediately noticed the advantage brought by his improved strength. A long trench was dug in no time at all, and he didn't even sweat. However, instead of feeling joyful he even thought this took away some of the fun. Yet this was a tradeoff Olivier was willing to make for an increased sense of security.
Subsequently Olivier scattered some seeds, closed the trench, and watered the soil. Next, he played some baseball with the meatballs. Although they only brought him 0,1 years of lifespan per day Olivier didn't look down on them.
Done with his work, the barista went back inside only to spot someone else sitting on one of the tables. Or rather they were laying down, resting their head on their arms. The person looked rather shabby. Their trousers looked as if they had been torn off at the height of their knees. The white shirt was drenched in multiple liquids. They reeked of sweat and alcohol.
Olivier scrunched his nose. It took him a few seconds to realize that this person was actually Valentino!
"Valentino? What happened to you? You look awful…"
"Boss? Coffee…"
Valentino's voice was hoarse. He didn't even open his eyes. Under normal circumstances Olivier would drag Valentino to a doctor, but he also knew that his coffee had a revitalizing effect. It might not be worse than medicine. Thus, he went behind the counter, poured a cup for Valentino and placed it on the table. A shivering hand reached out and took a few sips. Olivier watched as life gradually returned to Valentino. The customer drank faster and faster. When there was nothing left in the cup he was already sitting straight, looking perfectly refreshed.
"Haaa… exactly what I needed right now."
Olivier looked Valentino up and down as the man stretched his arms and couldn't help but ask:
"What exactly happened to you? Did you run into thieves again? Did you lose your painting? You looked terrible."
"Hahaha, boss, you couldn't be further from the truth! I'm feeling better than ever. Yesterday I finally sold my painting and afterwards celebrated together with the buyer. Boss, let me tell you, these young people nowadays really know how to party! It was amazing! It was everything I wished for and more!"
Valentino's expression was extremely excited, even a bit mad. He recalled last night. After listening to the peculiar music box Leon brought out, everyone felt energized, their bodies tingling all over. They were full of energy and every sensation felt at least thrice as intense. Afterwards Leon called some more friends, organized some music and they launched one of the best parties Valentino had ever experienced.
In a single night Valentino's life had changed completely. Leon's friends, people who normally wouldn't waste a second word on someone like Valentino, suddenly gathered around him. Everyone could tell how much Leon valued him and thus no one dared to look down on the poor artist. Valentino shared everything with Olivier in great detail. Perhaps even too much detail.
Olivier listened with a faint smile. He could tell that Valentino was in a great mood, but he found it difficult to emphasize. Many of the terms Valentino used were strange to him. For example, what was a DJ? Olivier didn't even know parties like the one described by his customer, but he could at least comprehend that it was a kind of get-together to sing, dance, and socialize. Such occasions also existed in Olivier's home world.
Valentino continued for a while. Finally, he recalled something more:
"Boss, do you know what the best part of it all is?"
"No, tell me."
"Didn't you suggest something to me a few days ago? You asked why I'm not buying my ingredients. So, I asked Leon if he has some… special… connections, and he really knows some people. He is willing to help me get in contact with them! In three or five days or so I will meet someone and perhaps I never have to worry about ingredients after that! Isn't that great? Hahaha!"
"Congratulations!"
"No, no. This was only thanks to you, boss. To be honest, I prefer you over the old boss. You are not so stoic and cold. Haha."
Olivier only smiled lightly. He didn't know much about the old boss. He had tried to ask the black cat before but as expected the feline didn't deign to answer. Even Valentino, a long-time customer, didn't know anything about the old boss. Even less about his mysterious disappearance. However, since Olivier was forced to go on a trip to Sam's world he had a suspicion. The old boss might have died on a mission in another world.
Valentino talked some more but Olivier was dealing with his own thoughts. Thus, the conversation gradually came to an end. Valentino left to deal with the money he earned yesterday while Olivier went behind the counter to continue reading.
It didn't take too long for a new customer to appear. It was Benjamin. Since the first time Olivier saw Benjamin, the latter had visibly aged a few years. However, he was still athletic.
Compared to Valentino, Benjamin had more reverence towards the mysterious barista. Usually, he didn't talk much and only bought his three cups of coffee. But today was a bit different. Benjamin sat down, let out a deep sigh, and massaged his temples.
Valentino raised his brows. Having recently recognized the importance of knowing more about different worlds, he thought this was a good chance. He poured a cup of coffee and placed it in front of Benjamin while asking lightly:
"Any troubles, customer?"
Benjamin raised his head, showing obvious surprise. He didn't expect the boss of this mysterious place to care. However, right now Benjamin was also in the mood to share his worries. And the Café of Dreams was actually a great place to do so, considering the probability was low that the words spoken here would ever reach the outside world. Thus, Benjamin didn't hold back:
"Yes, yes… I thought everything would be easier without my brother but there are so many people throwing stones in my path. All those damned…"
Benjamin gritted his teeth and balled his fists. Honestly, Olivier didn't have much sympathy for the man who used the red beans on his own brother. But he hid his emotions as he asked:
"What's going on?"
"It's still this Mister Grey. That bastard is like a dog, never letting go. Our charity organization should have long been established by now, but Mister Grey is blocking me at every step. And at the same time, he rejects meeting with me! Arrogant bastard! If I could just get him into my office, I could offer him your coffee and everything would be fine. But that guy… he makes me so damned angry! Do you know what I had to use your coffee for? I wasted it on Grey's subordinates only so they would have a favorable opinion of me and the company! But the result was lackluster. I can feel that Grey doesn't trust me…"
Olivier nodded lightly. He didn't understand anything about the issues Benjamin was complaining about. However, this didn't stop him from trying to give suggestions:
"Can't you do without this Grey? Do you need him?"
"Things are too far advanced now. Pulling back from the charity organization would be a massive loss. Furthermore, I like the idea of using it to save taxes. However… perhaps you are not wrong. It might be time to cut my losses. From the beginning I said that we don't need to do charity work in order to break into the Mecutis market. And with help of your beans…"
The more he thought about it, the more Benjamin felt that the barista was right. Although it hurt having wasted so much effort on the charity organization, he was obviously running into a dead end here. Slowly, Benjamin's cloudy expression cleared up.
"Thank you, barista…"
The two men nodded at each other. Benjamin felt much better. He drank three cups of coffee while Olivier asked a few seemingly random questions about his world, which Benjamin gladly answered. Afterwards the customer left with new plans forming in his mind.