Although Dan Heng and Welt didn't say anything, their eyes told Caelus that they, too, would stand firmly by his side.
The crew's reassurances warmed Caelus's heart, and an unconscious smile spread across his lips.
"Well, who knows, maybe I'll be the one protecting you guys in the future? 'Devouring Paths' sounds pretty badass!"
Caelus's lighthearted, joking tone made everyone, who had just been quite tense, burst into laughter.
Himeko smiled and nodded. "Mm, we'll be in your care then."
"No problem!"
Afterward, Himeko told Caelus to sit and rest while she went to pour everyone some drinks, after which she would give him a tour of the train.
The moment Caelus sat down, he noticed the expressions on March 7th, Dan Heng, and Welt suddenly grow tense again. This made his heart tighten. Could there be another problem he wasn't aware of?
"Caelus!"
March 7th, sitting beside him, suddenly tensed up and called his name. Caelus quickly turned to her, waiting for her to continue.
With a deadly serious look on her face, March 7th stared at Caelus and spoke in a grave tone.
"Let me tell you an unwritten rule of this train: Don't drink Ms. Himeko's coffee! You'll die!"
---o---
Caelus couldn't help but lean back and suck in a breath. Why did that sound like something out of a ghost story?
Was Himeko's coffee that bad? Even if it was terrible, it couldn't be lethal, right?
Caelus couldn't resist turning to Dan Heng and Welt, hoping for an explanation, but the two of them just nodded in solemn agreement with March 7th.
This only made Caelus more curious about Himeko's coffee. What kind of unholy creation could make all three of them react as if they were avoiding a venomous snake?
Before long, Himeko returned with a tray. On it sat five neatly arranged cups of coffee, still steaming and fragrant.
"Here you go, Caelus. Your timing for joining the train was perfect. You get to try my latest hand-ground coffee. It's a masterpiece of mine, if I do say so myself."
Himeko smiled as she sat down across from the four of them, carefully placing the tray on the coffee table and setting a cup in front of each person.
As soon as the coffee was set down, its aroma wafted into Caelus's nostrils. It wasn't anything special, just the simple scent of coffee beans.
This puzzled Caelus. It smelled like coffee, it looked like coffee, so wasn't it just a normal cup of coffee?
How could it possibly kill someone?
Just as Caelus was about to reach for his cup, he suddenly heard three distinct gulps from beside him. He turned his head to see March 7th, Dan Heng, and Welt all wearing expressions like prisoners about to face their execution.
March 7th, with a look of utter despair, turned to Himeko and asked with a quavering voice, "Ms. Himeko! Can we not drink it?"
Himeko smiled gently and shook her head.
"Little March, it's been so long since you've had my coffee. And this time, it's my masterpiece."
Gulp! Just kill me now!
March 7th hung her head in utter defeat, the light gone from her eyes.
Meanwhile, Dan Heng picked up his cup with his usual composure, but he held it to his lips for a long time without taking a sip. Just as Caelus was wondering if he was worried about it being too hot, he faintly heard a tiny voice from Dan Heng's direction.
"This is a trial... a trial."
Then, Dan Heng tipped his head back and downed the coffee in one go. After that... after that, he just remained frozen in that position, not moving a muscle, having ingested every last drop.
Whoa, is it really that terrifying?
This made Caelus even more curious. If it was just bad, that would be one thing. But for it to be this bad, he had to give it a try!
Caelus picked up his cup but didn't drink it immediately. First, he used his JEI item manager to take a look.
[Himeko's Coffee (Suspicious Stew)]
Wait a second? What was that in the parentheses? Suspicious Stew?
And he didn't see any strange or unusual ingredients in it either...
Caelus swirled the coffee in his cup, trying to see if there were any hidden materials inside. He then discovered that the coffee was so viscous it barely created any ripples.
Hiss... this is something else!
Caelus grew even more intrigued. He raised the cup, preparing to drink, but March 7th immediately shot out a hand and grabbed his arm, her face a mask of terror as she warned him.
"Caelus, that's hell you're about to drink!"
Himeko, sitting across from them and sipping her own coffee, gently tapped March 7th on the head upon hearing this.
"Little March, that's a very hurtful thing to say."
March 7th clutched her head, her misery unspoken. She didn't want her junior, whom she had waited so long for, to walk the path of death so young.
No longer held back by March 7th, Caelus lifted the cup to his lips. The moment the first mouthful entered his mouth, he felt less like he was drinking coffee and more like he was drinking a mouthful of sludge!
As the coffee went down, Caelus's vision went black.
In that instant, a long string of negative status effects appeared in his status bar.
[Blindness: 00:30]
[Poison: 00:30]
[Nausea: 00:30]
Caelus slowly set down the now-empty coffee cup and sat on the floor, closing his eyes.
March 7th, seeing this 'peaceful' look on Caelus's face as his eyes closed, immediately panicked. She grabbed his shoulders and shook him with all her might.
"Junior! Don't die on me, junior! If you die, I'll have to do all the cleaning by myself!"
Thirty seconds later, Caelus's eyes fluttered open.
"I'm fine."
A little poison, that's all. Not enough to kill him.
Across from him, Himeko watched Caelus with great interest. Seeing his eyes open, she immediately asked, "So? How was it? How did my hand-ground coffee taste?"
Caelus thought for a moment, then broke into a wide grin and gave Himeko a thumbs-up.
"Ms. Himeko, it's got character!"
He can drink Suspicious Stew like it's water. That's character! Even Steve would have to think twice before drinking this stuff, wondering what debuffs he'd get.
And Himeko looked like she drank her own coffee all the time, completely unaffected!
You're even tougher than Steve!
Hearing Caelus praise her coffee so highly, an indescribable, radiant smile spread across Himeko's face. She happily raised a hand to half-cover her lips, her laughter full of joy.
"You sweet talker, stop telling me the truth. See, your taste is so much better than Little March's. Would you like another cup?"
"Sure."
Caelus agreed in a heartbeat. It was the first time he'd ever had coffee this vile. Logically, hand-ground coffee didn't have that many extra ingredients. It shouldn't be this bad.
Maybe Himeko had given him the wrong cup? Or maybe he was hallucinating?
Caelus decided to try it again.
March 7th, seeing Caelus actually ask for another cup, looked horrified. She then glanced down at the cup in front of her.
Could it be... Ms. Himeko's coffee turned out normal this time?
Otherwise, she couldn't imagine anyone drinking one cup and then immediately wanting a second.
With this thought, March 7th hesitantly lifted her cup and took a tiny sip. And then... she shakily placed the cup back on the table, went stiff as a board, slumped against the sofa, her eyes vacant, and her head slowly slid down to rest on Caelus's shoulder.
"Little March? What's wrong with you?" Himeko asked, a little surprised.
Caelus poked her slightly chubby cheek. "She's probably asleep."
"But... isn't coffee supposed to keep you awake?"
Yeah, coffee keeps you awake, provided you can first survive the 30 seconds of poison it comes with.