Time passed.
The lemonade glasses were half-empty now. Rin had migrated from her stool to the space beside her father's chair, leaning against his arm while quietly swinging her feet. Momo had relaxed enough to rest her chin on her palm, listening rather than scrutinizing. Tsumugi, for once, wasn't firing questions every ten seconds. Her curiosity hadn't dimmed, but it seemed like she thought about it first before asking.
They had talked. Not about magic mechanics. Not about mana flow or portals or reincarnation systems. Those could wait. Instead, the conversation went into safer ground, the rule of the Checkpoint.
Ludwig explained that the restaurant was neutral ground. That no one could be forced to leave, and no one would be trapped if they chose to stay. That worlds were connected through the door and the restaurant, not colliding. Boundaries mattered here.
Aoki listened like a scientist encountering a new field, quiet, attentive, while occasionally asking precise questions that showed he understood more than he said out loud.
"So this place isn't a place that solved all the questions one world has." Aoki summarized it eventually.
"No." Ludwig chuckled. "I ran a restaurant business here, not hero agency."
Aoki glanced briefly at his daughters. "But the restaurant business you have not only sells food and drinks. It also sells hope."
Ludwig's dace turn solemn before he answered. "We didn't sell it. But if someone really need it, we will help."
In his mind, Konoha's attack played again. They had come with a pretext to force the restaurant to fix something that was not on its field. They came with politics and vested interests blazing, not with goods to trade and an accord to sign.
They failed. And now, they had to face the repercussions. From the restaurant, and maybe from the girl they used as the pretext. Not like he knew. Kushina hadn't visited the restaurant after she returned from Tempest.
Talking about the family in front of him, they had discussed food too. Ludwig explained what he could cook with what he had on hand, what ingredients he could source from elsewhere, and what not to expect.
Rin brightened instantly at the promise of fried food later. Momo asked if vegetables would still taste normal. Tsumugi wanted to know whether recipes changed across worlds.
"They do." Ludwig answered. "Good food survives world-hopping better than most things."
Eventually, the talk drifted toward plans.
Aoki made it clear they weren't interested in being suppliers or hunters, at least not now. Ludwig hadn't expected them to be. Survival was one thing, turning your world into a pantry was another.
But when Aoki spoke again, it was with a different kind of intent.
"If," He said carefully, "someday we wanted to leave our Earth, not permanently, just to see other worlds, would that be possible?"
Ludwig met his eyes. He was not surprised at all by the question. In fact, he had been waiting for that question since the moment Aoki mentioned ecology.
"Yes." He said. "But of course with conditions."
Aoki nodded. "Of course."
"The most important rule is never returning with things you don't fully understand. If you want to take a sample, you could. In fact, I did so as well last time I went to another world." Ludwig chuckled. "But make sure you can handle it. Else, it will be our problem."
Tsumugi perked up at that. "So we can't return with, say, alien germs?"
"Correct." Ludwig nodded.
Aoki nodded and smile. "Fair."
Nothing was decided. And that, Ludwig thought, was the right outcome for now.
After they talked about that, the conversation arrived at a natural pause. A lull where every question seemed to already have been asked. That was when the restaurant hummed again. This time, it whispered with familiarity. About someone who had been here a few hours ago.
The door opened.
Claire stepped inside, her movements smooth and unhurried, as if she'd left only minutes ago rather than crossed worlds and dropped a child off at a school that existed somewhere far away and entirely its own.
However, her steps were paused when she saw the unfamiliar faces at the bar.
For half a second, her eyes swept through the family in her usual assessing way. Then, some mana got channeled into her brown eyes, just a flicker not too much.
When it moved again the mana had all evaporated before it landed on Ludwig.
"I'm back." She said simply.
"How's Cless?" Ludwig asked with a grin. Half convinced that the little painter and her colourful fox had already made trouble.
As if his feeling was not really a feeling but a premonition, Claire let out a long sigh. "She's too excited for my liking."
Ludwig chuckled at her response. "What did she do?"
"Running around Tempest is enough trouble, don't you think?"
"Did she run into a goblin?"
"Nope." Claire shook her head and sighed. "Worse, an Orc."
Ludwig's chuckle turned into full-blown laughter after he heard that. Yeah, that's so Cless. The first time they went to Tempest, her excitement went to a normal level after The Voice Of The World incident, so she was quite manageable back then.
But seemed like today was not the case. She didn't feel nervous at all about changing school.
At that moment, Claire turned fully toward the bar, offering the family a polite, measured smile. Not warm yet. Not cold either.
"New customers?" She asked.
Aoki straightened instinctively. Tsumugi's eyes lit up again. Momo tensed, just a little. Rin waved.
"Yes." Ludwig said. "They came not long after you left."
Claire went closer to the bar before pulling one chair back and sat there. "Nice to meet you, everyone. My name is Claire. Just a customer here like you guys."
Aoki was the first to respond, standing just enough to bow his head politely without fully leaving his chair.
"I'm Aoki." He said. "These are my daughters."
He gestured gently.
"Tsumugi." He continued, indicating the eldest.
Tsumugi straightened immediately.
"Nice to meet you." She said, voice bright but measured. Her eyes lingered on Claire a fraction longer than polite curiosity strictly allowed.
"Momo." Aoki added.
Momo nodded once. "Hello."
"And Rin."
Like all children her age, Rin didn't bother with formality. She waved both hands this time. "Hi!"
Claire's expression softened just a little at that. Not enough to be called a smile, but the edge left her eyes.
"Nice to meet you too." Claire said, inclining her head slightly in return. "Welcome to Checkpoint. I hope this guy over here hasn't shattered anything in you."
The family broke into a dry chuckle except for RIn. In the meantime, Ludwig just looked at Claire, face contorting. "Hey, you hurt me. Whatever you mind by shattering something inside them?"
"Please. This restaurant itself is an anomaly. It shattered so many magic laws. So yeah, something in them must have shattered." Claire said dismissively before looking at the family again. "But you guys… You guys don't know about magic theory, do you?"
Ludwig chuckled at his mind hearing Claire's words. She was mentally ill, he was sure of it. How did she even think about assessing someone who has no mana in them? They were as harmless as air towards them.
"Y-yes…" Aoki answered. "We came from a world where magic is nothing but entertainment."
"Entertainment?" One of Claire's eyebrows went up.
"How should I put it…" Aoki murmured.
But before he could answer it, Ludwig chimed in. "They came from Earth, Claire."
The restaurant's hum snapped into attention. Claire too, her body went rigid before her eyes went sharp and looked at Ludwig.
Well look at that… Ludwig mused. She looked like a dragon hearing some poachers wanting their eggs.
Knowing he had to ensure she didn't go on a rampage by a misleading word from him, Ludwig opened his mouth again. "Different Earth, though. Their Earth is abandoned, or more correctly, the human on that Earth disappeared. They are the only ones left."
Claire's edge softened instantly. But, she still threw Ludwig a pointed look, maybe knowing what he just pulled at her.
"Earth, huh?" She said at last. "Someone will be pleased. But an abandoned Earth, yeah, he will be pissed."
Aoki looked at both of them and opened his mouth. "I take it that reaction means Earth is being waited upon?"
Ludwig nodded. "You are correct. In this restaurant, there's several people who have been reincarnated in different worlds. I won't name them, of course. But one particular guy is waiting for Earth to be connected here for a Cola."
"Cola!" Rin mimicked the words.
In the meantime, her elder sister asked. "Cola?"
"Yeah." Ludwig chuckled before resting his hands on the counter again. "We have Cola here, heck, we have everything on Earth here. The problem is the price. I don't mind spending my money to buy good things, but Cola? Yeah, it's too expensive to use my means."
Claire chuckled too as he heard his explanation.
"Just how expensive is it if I may ask?" Aoki asked, his eyebrows scrunching up.
Ludwig raised his index finger and showed it to the family. "One gold coin."
The eyes of Aoki and two of his eldest daughters went wide. "Gold coin? Like a coin made of real gold? How many carats?"
"That…" Ludwig's tone wavered before he blinked a few times. "I don't know. In my current era, no device to measure that exists."
"I see." Aoki nodded.
At that moment, sound of footsteps approached the room from the stairs. Aoki was the one who noticed first among his family.
When the first figure appeared, her steps paused as she saw the family who also looked at them.
"Oh?" Another demon peeked through the shoulder of the first one, tone chirpy and amused. "We have guests."
"Looks like it." The first demon replied, eyes sharp but not hostile.
Ludwig didn't turn. He didn't need to.
"Morning." He said. "You guys are early."
"Well… Today should be the first day you open the door for Miss Claire and Cless, Boss. So we thought, why not come down earlier to prepare?"
Claire hummed at the explanation. "Such good employees. Hope Ludwig pays you nicer than before."
Valerie skipped to the kitchen while answering. "Ehhh… I don't need more money. Though, more pudding is appreciated, boss."
"Valerie!" Vilera chided.
But the happy-go-lucky demoness just whipped her body at the twin. "What? I'm just saying."
While the two bickered again as they cleaned their hands, Aoki's voice echoed in the hall.
"…Ludwig." He said carefully, keeping his voice even. "I assume they are… your staff?"
"Yes." Ludwig replied. "My employees."
Valerie grinned and gave a casual wave at the family. "Don't worry. We don't bite customers."
A beat passed.
"…Usually." Then she added.
Rin gasped.
"Cool." She whispered.
Tsumugi looked like she might actually pass out from excitement.
Momo meanwhile, groaned softly into her palm.
However, Claire just leaned back on her chair, watching the family's reactions with quiet interest.
"Well." She said lightly, "Welcome to the second layer of the restaurant. Make sure you guys get used to them fast. If you decide to frequent this place, you'll often see bigger and meaner-looking people around."
And somewhere deep beneath the restaurant, Checkpoint hummed its approval.
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