I woke up with a massive gasp, my hands instantly shooting up to grab my chest.
"Ahhhhh!"
I waited for the blinding, burning pain. I waited for the feeling of hot blood soaking through my shirt. I waited for the cold floor.
But... nothing.
I was sitting in my own bed. My blankets were tangled around my legs. The morning sun was shining brightly through my bedroom window, making me squint. I was wearing my favorite blue pajamas.
I looked down at my chest. I frantically unbuttoned my pajama top and checked my skin.
Nothing. No blood. No giant hole. Not even a scratch.
"What the...?" I whispered, my voice shaking. "Was it... a dream?"
I fell back onto my pillows, taking huge, greedy breaths of air. My heart was beating so fast I thought it was going to break my ribs. It had to be a nightmare. It was just a stupid, crazy nightmare.
But as I lay there, the memories hit me like a train.
It was too real. I remembered walking home. I remembered the creepy girl in the weird, frilly magical girl outfit. I remembered her psychotic smile. I remembered the freezing cold feeling of her katana sliding right through my chest.
And then... Ard.
I remembered Ard barging through the front door. But he looked completely different. He was taller, broader, and his face... he looked like a supermodel. But it was definitely him. His voice, his eyes, the way he yelled my name.
And then I remembered him moving so fast he was just a blur. I remembered him pulling a massive iron sword out of literally nowhere. I remembered his fist glowing right before he punched that crazy girl so hard she flew through three walls.
"Ard..." I muttered, sitting up on the edge of my bed.
I touched my face. My skin felt... weird. Kind of cold. And the sunlight coming through the window made my eyes sting a lot more than usual. Actually, I felt really, really sluggish, like my body was made of heavy wet sand.
"That wasn't a dream," I said out loud to my empty room. "I died. I actually died. Ard picked me up, and he..."
I didn't know how I got back to my bed. I didn't know how I was breathing. But I knew one thing for sure. My friend had some serious explaining to do.
"Okay, flip the bacon, toast the bread, scramble the eggs... boom! Breakfast is served!"
I slid two perfectly plated breakfasts onto the counter of Café Sunrise. The smell of buttery eggs and crispy bacon filled the air.
"Eat up, Eu. You need your energy today," I smiled, leaning against the counter.
Eucliwood was sitting in her usual spot. She looked a little paler than normal, and her shoulders were slumped.
Last night was insane. I carried Ayumu's dead body into the cafe, freaking out. Eucliwood didn't even hesitate. She walked right up to him, placed her glowing hands on his chest, and used her crazy necromancer magic.
Watching someone come back to life is the wildest thing I've ever seen. The giant wound closed up in seconds. His breathing started again. He was officially a zombie now, but he was alive. We managed to sneak him back to his house and put him in bed before the sun came up.
I looked at my System interface hovering in the corner of my eye.
[Time until Transmigration Gate Opening: 2 Days, 4 Hours.]
Two days left. My arm was completely healed after I got some sleep and my [Vitality] stat did its thing, but last night proved I couldn't slack off. The enemies in this world were fast and crazy.
Eucliwood picked up her fork and started eating. She pulled out her notepad with her free hand and wrote: Is your arm okay?
"My arm is perfect," I said, flexing my right bicep to show her. "Good as new. But seriously, Eu... thank you. For what you did for Ayumu. I owe you big time."
She shook her head, took a bite of her eggs, and gave me a tiny, soft smile.
"Alright!" I clapped my hands together, feeling a surge of positive energy. "Today is going to be a good day! No magical girls, no crazy serial killers, just good coffee and happy customers! I'm going to open the doors!"
I walked over to the front of the cafe, grabbed the sign, and flipped it to 'Open'.
The second I unlocked the deadbolt, the door violently exploded inward.
CRASH!
"Whoa!" I shouted jumping backward before the heavy glass door smashed into my nose.
Someone dived into the cafe, hit the floor, rolled like a stuntman, and scrambled right behind the front counter.
"Hide me! Please, please, please hide me!" a panicked girl's voice shouted from the floor.
I stood there, blinking.
I leaned over the counter and looked down. Crouched on the floor, hugging her knees to her chest, was a girl. She had long, beautiful blonde hair tied back with a signature red ribbon. Her blue eyes were wide with panic. She was wearing casual clothes—a pink hoodie and jeans—but she looked like she had just run a marathon.
My jaw dropped.
No way, my anime-obsessed brain screamed. Chitoge Kirisaki?! The gorilla heroine from Nisekoi?! What is she doing here ?!
Before I could even say a word, I heard heavy footsteps pounding on the sidewalk outside.
"She went this way! Check the shops!" a gruff, angry voice yelled.
Three huge guys in sharp black suits stopped in front of the cafe. They wore dark sunglasses and looked like they chewed gravel for breakfast. Beehive gangsters. Chitoge's overprotective family bodyguards.
"Hey, kid!" the biggest guy barked, stepping into the cafe. He glared at me. "Did a blonde girl just run in here?"
Chitoge squeezed her eyes shut and grabbed my pant leg, shaking her head frantically.
I didn't even hesitate. My [Danger Sense] wasn't going off, which meant these guys weren't really threatning me nor had any intention of harming me.
Time to use my gamer speed for customer service.
I moved. I grabbed three coffee cups, filled them with steaming hot black coffee from the espresso machine, swapped a tray out of my sub-dimensional Item Box, placed the cups on it, and slid to a halt right in front of the three gangsters.
"Welcome to Café Sunrise, gentlemen!" I said, my voice booming cheerfully. "Three black coffees, on the house for our first customers of the day!"
The gangsters jumped back, completely startled. They hadn't even seen me move. One second I was behind the counter, the next second I was right in their faces holding perfectly balanced coffee.
"What the... how did you move so fast?!" the big guy stammered.
I dropped the cheerful act. I let my face fall into the "Scary-Eyed Delinquent" glare that anime protagonist use to scare people back in the shows I watched. I leaned in close, letting my massive, superhuman presence press down on them.
"I drink a lot of caffeine," I said, my voice dropping low and dangerous. "Now. I'm busy prepping my kitchen. I haven't seen any blonde girls. Just me and my quiet roommate over there." I pointed at Eu, who was calmly sipping her tea. "So, unless you want to order some pancakes, I suggest you take your coffee and have a great day outside."
The big guy swallowed hard. He looked at my arms, which were bulging under my shirt, and then at my scary glare.
"U-Uh, right. Sorry to bother you, man," he quickly grabbed the coffees. "Let's go, boys! She probably ran down the alley!"
They hurried out of the cafe, the door swinging shut behind them.
I let out a long breath, dropping the scary face, and turned around.
Chitoge slowly peeked her head over the top of the counter. She looked at the door, then looked up at me with absolute awe.
"Are... are they gone?" she whispered.
"They're gone," I smiled, offering her my hand. "You're safe. Come on up."
She took my hand, and I pulled her up easily. She dusted off her jeans and let out a massive sigh of relief, blowing a strand of blonde hair out of her face.
"Thank you! Thank you so much!" she beamed, her energy instantly shifting from panicked to super bright. "You totally saved me! Those guys have been chasing me for three blocks! I thought my lungs were going to explode!"
"No problem," I laughed. "I'm Ard. I run this place."
"I'm Chitoge! Chitoge Kirisaki," she smiled, bowing slightly. "I just moved to this town a few days ago. I'm supposed to start at the high school soon, but I can't even go for a morning jog without my family's 'friends' following me everywhere!"
"Overprotective family, huh?" I asked, walking back around the counter.
"You have no idea!" she groaned, crossing her arms. "They treat me like a baby! I just want to make normal friends and have a normal high school life, but how am I supposed to do that when I have guys in suits breathing down my neck?"
Suddenly, her stomach let out a loud, rumbling growl that echoed through the quiet cafe.
Chitoge's face instantly turned bright red. She grabbed her stomach and looked down. "Ah... um... running makes me hungry."
I busted out laughing. It was just too perfect.
"Hey, no judgment here. I'm a chef," I said, rolling up my sleeves. "And since you're the second official customer of the day, how about I make you the Ard Voldigoad Special? On the house."
"Really?!" Her blue eyes lit up like stars. "I would love that! I am starving!"
She ran over and hopped onto one of the bar stools, right next to Eucliwood. Chitoge looked at the armored girl, smiled brightly, and waved. "Hi! I'm Chitoge! I like your armor! Is it cosplay?"
Eucliwood just stared at her. She slowly reached for her notepad and wrote: It is real.
Chitoge blinked. "Oh! Cool! That's so hardcore!"
I couldn't help but smile as I fired up the stove. Chitoge's positive energy was contagious. It was exactly what this place needed after the heavy, dark stuff from last night.
I went to work. I didn't use any magic, just pure cooking skill. I threw thick slices of bread onto the griddle to make French toast. I whipped up some fresh cream, sliced up some strawberries and bananas, and brewed a fresh cup of sweet milk tea.
Ten minutes later, I slid a massive, beautiful plate of food in front of her. The French toast was golden brown, stacked high, and covered in fruit, whipped cream, and warm maple syrup.
"Whoaaaa!" Chitoge gasped, leaning over the plate. "This looks like it came out of a magazine!"
"Eat it before it gets cold," I grinned, resting my elbows on the counter.
She picked up her fork, cut a huge piece, and shoved it into her mouth. She chewed once, and her whole body froze.
"Mmph!" Her eyes widened. She swallowed and looked at me like I was a wizard. "This is amazing! This is the best thing I've ever eaten! It's so sweet and fluffy!"
She started eating like she hadn't seen food in a week. It was awesome to watch. There's nothing better for a cook than seeing someone genuinely enjoy their food.
"Glad you like it," I laughed. "So, you're new in town. Are you nervous about starting school?"
"A little," she admitted, wiping some whipped cream off her cheek. "I lived in America for a long time, so my Japanese is fine, but I don't really know how things work here. What if nobody likes me? What if I say something weird?"
I thought about my own situation. I was dropped into a world of devils and magic with a farming tool. I knew exactly how it felt to be the new kid who didn't know the rules.
"Hey, don't sweat it," I told her, my voice turning serious but kind. "Moving to a new place is always scary. It feels like everyone else has a manual for life, and you're just guessing. But you've got a great personality, you're energetic, and you punch bad situations right in the face. Just be yourself. The right people will gravitate to you."
Chitoge stopped eating. She looked at me, really looked at me, her blue eyes softening.
"You really think so?" she asked quietly.
"I know so," I smiled. "And hey, if you ever get stressed out, or if those guys in suits start bothering you again, you always have a place to hide out here. Café Sunrise is a safe zone. We have great food, strong coffee, and a very quiet bouncer." I pointed a thumb at Eucliwood.
Chitoge looked at me, and then a huge, brilliant smile broke across her face. It was the kind of smile that could light up a whole room.
"Thank you, Ard," she beamed. "That really makes me feel a lot better. I'm really glad I ran into this place."
"Me too, Chitoge. Me too."
We spent the next hour just talking. She told me crazy stories about America, and I told her funny stories about the weird customers that come into the cafe. I didn't mention the magic, the System, or the Transmigration Gate. For that one hour, I was just a normal guy, making a normal friend.
By the time she finished her tea, her phone started buzzing like crazy.
"Ah, shoot," she groaned, looking at the screen. "It's Claude. My head bodyguard. If I don't go back now, he's going to call the police to search the town."
She stood up and grabbed her pink hoodie.
"I better go face the music," she sighed. She turned to me and smiled. "Thanks for the food, Ard. And thanks for hiding me. I owe you one!"
"Just come back and pay for your meal next time, and we'll be even," I joked, waving a hand.
"Deal!" she laughed. "See you later, Ard! Bye, Eu!"
She waved happily, jogged to the door, and ran out into the bright morning sunlight.
I watched her go, feeling a warm, happy feeling in my chest.
Making friends in this world wasn't so bad.
"Well," I said, turning back to the sink to wash her plate. "That was fun. A nice, peaceful, completely normal morning."
Ding.
The blue System screen popped up right in front of my face, shattering my peaceful moment.
[Warning: Hostile Entity Detected.]
[Distance: 400 Meters and closing.]
I stopped washing the plate. My smile completely vanished.
"You have got to be kidding me," I muttered, my voice turning cold.
I dried my hands on a towel. Seems like I forgot something important, the debt my parents left me.