Cafe369’s New Buns

Brother Dearest… Please stay safe and wait for me. I’ll be there soon…

(He’s been praying for his brother’s safety this entire time. He must really love him…)

(It’s 10:55…)

Is everything okay, Toi-kun? It’s almost 11. Do you think we’ll find the place soon?

It’s okay. We’re almost… Ah!

I think it’s that restaurant!

This is…Cafe369…

You been here before?

Yeah, I went here with Akuta-kun a while ago. They specialize in pork buns, but they have other steamed buns with all sorts of unique fillings. They’re all really good.

Ah, so destiny already connects you to this building. That’s wonderful to hear!

I’m glad to hear you’re gettin’ along with the Asu High kids, but…was this kinda place always here?

Huh?

What are you talking about? It’s been here for a while. Right, Toi-kun?

Yes. I’ve never eaten here, but I’ve passed by the building many times… When did it open again?

Hm, now that you mention it, I don’t really know…

I swear it was just an empty lot not too long ago.

But, I mean…it’s literally right in front of us. Right?

Right.

Well, whatever. I mean, it is a real place, so maybe I just remembered somethin’ wrong.

Hm?

Is that…? Hold on, I’m gonna go check it out.

Huh? Daniel-san, where are you…?

He’s gone… Well, maybe we should just go inside for now. It’s probably closed at this hour though.

Okay…

Ah, there’s something on the door.

“We are temporarily closed for ingredient restocking”…? Oh no…

Wah!

…Huh…?

(I-It stopped…)

What was that? There were a bunch of weird noises in a row…

I think it came from inside…! Did something happen in there…?

Umm…

(We don’t know what caused those sounds, but it could be dangerous to go inside without Daniel-san…)

Toi-kun, can you wai⁠—

Boo!

Doo!

AAAAAHHHH!!

WAAAAHHH!

WAAAAAAAAHHHH!!

Eek…!

Ahaha, did I surprise you?

(Wait, huh? I know this person…)

Hmm… Yes, I do smell it…

……

Human, I require your assistance.

I am searching for a lost object. Do you know where it is located?

You’re the person who showed up at our house…!

Mmm?

Ahh, the house with the green pea puppy!

Yes. You left, saying that you wanted to eat some green peas. I didn’t know you worked here.

Um, do you know each other?

Not really, we’ve only met once. We talked to each other for a little bit.

…Is that your pet robot? Good evening.

Laa-iii-kaa.

Is your name Laika? It’s nice to meet you.

Much more importantly, are your hands free? I seem to have gotten myself into a little pickle…

Oh, what is it?

My own two hands simply aren’t enough for the job. I was about to blow the whole cafe to pieces just to smoke it out…

Huh?! That sounds more like a giant pickle to me!

We’ll do what we can to help! I’m sure this is what destiny had in store for us when it led us here!

Ohhh! Thank you soooo mucheries!

(Gosh, it’s so dark…)

Toi-kun, are you sure about this? You can wait outside if you want.

I’m scared, since my dear brother isn’t here with me, but… I need to see this through. This road will lead me to him!

HUUUSH! Hush, hush. The intruder will hear you if you don’t lower your voices!

An intruder…?! So it’s not another employee or a customer?

It is not.

Huh…?!

One fateful afternoon, just as I was about to drift off to sleep… I was contemplating what I could stuff my steamed buns with next, before my sixth sense went off with a ping.

I was being watched…!

Hiee…

Its gaze bore a gaping hole right into me. I swallowed down the gathering saliva in my mouth, steeled myself, and whipped around to look right back at it!

However, its presence disappeared like mist into the air… Said intruder may very well still be wandering around this cafe.

Wandering.

(…I-It’s not a cockroach, is it…?)

I hope it’s not someone dangerous… I’m not all that strong…

It bears wings, slurps on nectar, gathers pollen, and wields a poisonous stinger…

Hm?

That sounds like…

Buzzzz.

A bee?

Mm, you are correct!

Oh, yay!

Wait, so… All of that noise came from you trying to get rid of a bee?

Eheheh. I had an incredible desire to capture it, so I suppose I went a teensy bit crazy. I have never seen a creature such as that in my hometown.

The bee… An organism classified in the Hymenoptera order of Insecta. The order Hymenoptera includes bees and ants, both of which can be identified by their transparent, membranous forewings and hindwings…

They all undergo complete metamorphosis, but insects outside of the Formicidae family are most commonly known as Hymenoptera.¹

This order includes the Siricidae, Tenthredinidae, Pamphiliidae, Cimbicidae, Argidae, and Orussidae families, as well as the Evanioidea and Ichneumonoidea superfamilies…

Among others. As a side note, some humans of certain cultures like to consume them, and they are a most excellent source of nutrition!

Thus, I have set up several traps of my invention in order to capture it for use as a new bun ingredient. Here, take this!

Ah, woah…

(A fishing rod…?)

Do not lose your focus if you do not desire to lose to blunder. Keep your grip on it.

I’m sorry. This is all just moving so fast, so I got a little overwhelmed.

You’re such an expert on bees.

Hoh-hoh-hohhh!

What should I do with this, by the way?

Start turning it when I tell you to. If that creature starts to escape, I will have to give chase after it and eliminate it. So I want you to do the spinny thingy instead.

O-Okay. I got it. I mean, I don’t really get it, but as long as I can help…

Good luck on the spinny thingy!

Yeah, I’ll give it a go.

……

……

……

GOOOOOOOOO!!!!

OKAAAAAAY!!

*reeling* This reel’s pretty heavy…! It feels well-made, so it should be able to handle heavy loads no problem!

The handle’s easy to grip, and the line is nice and strong! The drag’s not bad either. This’ll be able to reel in a big one!

Wow! You’re like a pro!

Ahaha, I learned it all from Kafka… He’s one of my good friends…!

*reeling* Hup!

Come on, come on, come on…!

Gh…!

I got it…!

Yippiiiieee!

Wow, what a large bee…

(Huh…?)

That’s…a person…

That’s a-okay!

WHAT?!

Yo, I think the SR parked outside the place belongs to that g⁠—

……

Oh, he’s already here.

Daniel-san… Could you please help us get him down…?