Chapter 7 Human or Ghost

The guy in the trench coat was super skinny, wrapped up in it like a long sword.

When I handed him the coffee, under the lamp's light, I noticed his face had turned this weird yellowish-black, like dried tree bark, full of wrinkles, with sunken eyes. But his eyes, man, they were locked on that Worry-Free Coffee in my hand like he was staring at a supermodel.

At that moment, he looked like a demon straight out of hell.

"Give it to me," he ordered.

I couldn't help but step back and put the coffee on the bar, letting him grab it himself.

The guy suddenly smiled at me. "As usual, bring the second cup of Worry-Free Coffee to my office at midnight."

Then he downed the coffee in one gulp, placed the black jade cup on the table, and turned to leave.

I was a bit stunned, not really sure what he meant.

Footsteps sounded upstairs, and Alicia, wearing Spider-Man pajamas, appeared.

She stood at the staircase, looking at the empty café, and asked, "Did those four people leave?"

I nodded, "Yeah, they left."

She glanced at the black crescent coffee cup on the bar, "Did that ghost leave too?"

Hearing this, I thought of the guy's deathly face and felt a chill down my spine, "W...what ghost? That guy was a ghost?"

Alicia didn't answer me but kept asking, "Did he tell you to bring him coffee at midnight?"

I nodded, "Yeah, he did. Do ghosts drink coffee?"

Alicia laughed, "You believe he's a ghost? That's about as likely as pigs flying!"

The guy's face lingered in my mind, and as I hesitated to speak, Alicia walked up to me and said, "Did you make the coffee for those guests tonight?"

I nodded, and Alicia seemed a bit surprised but continued, "Then, you must bring that ghost coffee at midnight."

I couldn't help but ask, "Who's that ghost?"

Alicia glanced at me, "You'll know when you see him tonight."

She made herself a cup of Blue Mountain Coffee, took a few steps, then turned back to me, "The five 'monsters' you saw earlier, their coffee cups would give an ordinary person a burning sensation just by touching them, let alone making coffee."

Alicia sighed, "So, you are the chosen one, only you can make coffee for them."

Watching Alicia's back as she went upstairs, I couldn't help but feel scared, "Hey, can I not bring the coffee?"

Alicia paused, not turning back, "If you don't go, you'll die."

I was dumbfounded, standing at the counter for a long time until someone opened the door and walked in. "How's business?"

Following the voice, I saw a woman in her thirties standing opposite, rubbing her frostbitten hands.

I glanced at the empty café and forced a smile, "What can I get you?"

The woman looked at me and whispered, "I want to buy something."

I was taken aback, thinking this was a café, what else could she buy besides coffee?

"What is it?" I asked.

The woman lowered her voice even more, "Malifact."

I couldn't help but exclaim, "Why do you want to buy that?"

"What else! Of course, it's for..." The woman stopped, looked at me carefully, "You're not the boss here?"

I scratched my head, "No, I'm not the boss. Mr. Williams will be back in a few days. I'm just holding down the fort for him."

The woman frowned, "When will he be back?"

"If all goes well, in three days."

The woman calculated, "Alright, I'll come back in three days."

She turned and left. I wondered what Malifact was and why others knew about it and came to the café to buy it.

It was already nine o'clock in the evening. Seeing no one on the street, I closed the shop, went inside, and took out the leather book to read.

It wasn't until I reached the last page that I found it only contained drawings of Beneware and Malifact, with no other explanations.

After all, my greatest interest was still the image of Quetzalcoatl on the title page.

I always felt that the things happening to me over the years were related to it.

The ajar door was suddenly pushed open, and Alicia walked in with a lollipop in her mouth. She didn't seem to be wearing a bra, and with every step, her breasts jiggled, making me, a young man full of energy, swallow hard.

Alicia didn't seem to notice my reaction. She sat on the stool across from me and glanced at the leather-bound book in my hand with mild curiosity, "Is this book interesting?"

I shook my head, "I don't understand it."

"Well, I just remembered I forgot to tell you, bring that ghost coffee, he's at the crematorium."