Their drinks arrived first.
Shirone placed the caramel latte in front of Soren, steam curling up in thin wisps, the sweet scent of caramel hitting him immediately.
The black coffee sat before Esper, along with a plate holding a neatly cut sandwich and a lemon tart.
"Enjoy," Shirone said, then moved to the next table.
Esper stared down at the deep, dark liquid in her cup.
Then she looked up at Soren slowly.
"...Cutie, what is this?"
"Black coffee," he replied, struggling to keep his face straight. "You said you trusted me."
Esper narrowed her eyes.
"I take it back," she said. "I take it all back."
Soren brought his caramel latte to his lips and took a small sip, savouring the taste.
The warmth spread through his chest, sweet and soothing.
"This is bullying," Esper muttered.
"You'll live," Soren said.
She eyed the cup like it had committed a crime.
Then, reluctantly, like someone walking to an execution, she lifted it and took a sip.
Her entire face twisted.
"Bllllleeeeh—" she gagged lightly, sticking out her tongue. "It's so bitter!"
Soren burst out laughing before he could stop himself.
"Ahaha— You should see your face," he choked, covering his mouth.
"You're horrible," she complained. "Who drinks this willingly? Are you okay in the head?"
"I didn't say you had to like it," he said, still grinning. "You said I could decide. I decided."
Esper took another small sip anyway, expression pained.
"…Why are you still drinking it if you hate it?" Soren asked, genuinely curious.
"Because I'm not wasting it," she muttered. "I paid for this with my own hard-earned nepotism."
He blinked.
"That doesn't even make sense."
"It does in my heart," she said flatly, then grabbed the sandwich.
At least the food seemed to improve her mood. She took a bite, chewed, and her eyes brightened a little.
"This, at least, is good," she admitted grudgingly. "Fine. You get one point."
He took that as a win.
By the time she'd finished the sandwich and forced herself through the last of the black coffee with loud, dramatic groans, Soren had emptied his latte and was halfway through his tart.
He passed her the second half without comment.
"Here," he said. "You can have the rest."
"That's what I thought," Esper said, smirking as she stole the plate entirely. "Compensation."
He rolled his eyes.
"There, there, good job," he said, reaching over to pat her head, his tone deliberately patronising.
She scrunched her nose but didn't pull away.
"You're so mean, I'm never trusting your taste again."
"Fine," Soren said. "I'll buy you something nice to make up for it."
He raised a hand.
Ding—
The bell rang again, and Shirone reappeared after a short moment.
"Round two already? You two eat like Louise."
"Can we get two parfaits?" Soren asked. "One orange, one cherry."
"Coming right up," Shirone replied, jotting the order down again.
As soon as the parfaits arrived, Esper's earlier sulk evaporated.
Her eyes almost sparkled at the sight of the layered dessert made from fruit, cream, jelly, and ice cream.
She picked up her spoon, practically vibrating.
"Take whichever you want," Soren said.
"I'll take the orange one!" she declared, hugging the glass like it might escape.
"Then I guess I'll go with cherry."
They dug in.
For a moment, the only sound at their table was the quiet clink of spoons against glass.
Soren watched her eat.
The way she unconsciously swayed a little when she tasted something good.
The way her cheeks puffed slightly when she overstuffed her mouth.
'She really is gorgeous, even like this.'
When he had first stepped into the diner that morning, her energy had felt exhausting.
Too bright.
Too loud for his frayed nerves.
Now, after spending the day with her, he realised it was that brightness that kept dragging him out of his own head.
Of course, she also happened to fall perfectly into his ideal type in terms of looks, but that was secondary.
What he appreciated more was the easy rhythm of their conversation and the fact that he didn't have to pretend around her.
'I hope we can stay friends,' he thought. 'If someone like Essy is around, everyday life might not feel so heavy.'
"Hey, Cutie," Esper said, breaking his thoughts. "Give me some of yours."
"Sure, you too, though."
He scooped a bit of his cherry parfait and held it out.
"Ah~" Esper said, opening her mouth happily.
He fed her the bite, watching as her eyes closed in satisfaction.
"Mmm! It's good, now your turn."
"I can just—"
She cut him off, already lifting her spoon, eyes gleaming.
"Cutie," she said. "Say 'ah'."
He stared at her.
"Can't you just feed me like a normal person?" he asked.
"This is normal," she insisted. "Now. Say it. Or I'll aim for your nose."
He sighed.
There was no winning with her.
He just picked which way he wanted to lose.
"...Ah," he muttered, opening his mouth slightly.
She beamed and popped the spoon in, giving him a generous scoop of orange and cream.
He chewed once, twice.
"It's good," he admitted.
"I know, right! Want some more?"
"I'll… pass," he replied.
His ears felt strangely hot.
"Once is enough."
"Tch. Too bad. You looked cute."
He cleared his throat, trying to force his heartbeat back to its regular pace.
'Relax, you've done worse.'
They finished their desserts in companionable silence, chatting idly about nothing important: how awful morning lectures were, which professors were scarier than monsters.
By the time they stepped out of the cafe, the mood from earlier at the workshop had completely shifted.
Soren felt lighter.
Not healed.
Not fixed.
But lighter.
••✦ ♡ ✦•••
Swoosh—
The door to Hammond's Hammer creaked open as Soren pushed it with his shoulder, Esper following close behind.
"Hey, old man, we're back," Soren called.
The interior of the workshop was the same as before, stuffy, hot, and full of the faint ringing of metal cooling after being worked.
Hammond stood near the main bench, wiping his hands on a rag.
"Good timing," the dwarf said, glancing up. "I've just finished up with this. Come take a look."
"Ooh, already? That's a dwarf for you," Esper said, impressed.
Soren walked over to the workbench.
The two-handed axe sat there, but something about the way Hammond was standing made him feel like there was more to it than before.
"So, what's the deal?" Soren asked, leaning his hip against the table.
He could have simply pulled up his information window and checked the weapon now that it had been appraised, but curiosity kept him rooted in place.
"Its name is Labrys," Hammond said slowly. "I'm not sure about its exact rank, but it's high. Higher than what I can handle cleanly, at any rate."
Soren rolled the name around in his head.
"Labrys, huh…" he murmured. "I like it."
It fit.
Heavy, sharp, simple.
"As for the weapon itself…" Hammond continued, placing a hand lightly on the haft. "The mana conductivity is… astonishing. I've never seen anythin' like it. When you pour mana into it, it's like the weapon isn't separate from you anymore. It moves with you, not after you."
He spoke quietly, in that careful tone craftsmen used when they were half in love with a piece of work.
Instead of Soren, Esper reacted first.
"Wait, that good? That's insane… Most high-grade magic weapons still feel like you're forcing power through stone."
Hammond grunted in agreement.
"Aye. This one's different. If I had t' guess, I'd say whoever made it prioritised mana flow above everythin' else. Even above practicality."
Soren's eyebrows rose.
"Above practicality?"
"That's where the downside comes in. The blade's almost completely dull. Not chipped. Not damaged. Just… dull. Like it was forged that way on purpose."
"So it's basically… a club, in axe clothing."
"Yeah," Hammond replied. "Best to think of it like that. A mana conductor shaped like an axe. If you're swinging for cutting force alone, you'll be disappointed."
Esper tilted her head.
"Can't you sharpen it? You're the best smith I've heard of in this area."
Hammond let out a long breath.
"Flattery won't change the material, Miss," he said. "This thing's tougher than any metal or alloy I've worked with. I could blunt my best hammers on it for a week and still not change the edge."
"In other words, it was perfect for my sister."
Both Esper and Hammond glanced at him.
He continued, voice more level now.
"Everything I know about Freya says she just crushed things with raw power," he said. "No finesse. No flashy techniques. Just overwhelming mana enhancement and brute strength. A dull, unbreakable axe that responds perfectly to mana fits her more than a blade that cares about clean cuts."
Hammond nodded slowly.
"That… sounds about right, from what I've heard of her," he said.
Esper gave a small, understanding smile but didn't comment.
She knew enough of noble rumours to have heard Freya Arden's name before.
A monster on the battlefield.
Someone who pushed forward regardless of cost.
"So what about the skills?" Soren asked, pulling himself back to the present. "There's got to be more to it than just good mana flow and a bad edge."
Hammond sighed.
"Unfortunately, I couldn't pull out everythin'. Whatever enchantments are on this are… layered. Some parts are locked unless you meet certain conditions, but there was one thing I found almost immediately."
He tapped the axe head lightly.
"There's a skill called [Synchronise] bound to it," he said. "From what I can tell, when you activate it, the weapon adapts itself to its wielder. Shape, size, balance. It'll fit you perfectly, no matter who you are."
Esper let out a low whistle.
"That… is ridiculous," she said. "Do you have any idea how much something like that would go for at auction?"
Soren's thoughts, however, zeroed in on one thing.
"Does that mean I can make it smaller?" he asked.
Instead of answering, Hammond stepped back, gesturing grandly at the axe.
"Try it and see, this is beyond my station. Best way is with the hand of the wielder."
Soren stepped forward.
He placed his right hand around the haft.
The metal was cool under his fingers, familiar and unfamiliar at the same time.
He could almost imagine Freya's grip overlaying his, hands full of strength where his were still thin.
'Let's see what you can do,' he thought.
"「Synchronise」," he said quietly.
For a moment, nothing happened.
Then, in front of their eyes, the axe began to change.
The long haft shrank, metal folding inward with a muted shimmer.
The heavy double blade contracted, lines curling and tightening around an invisible core.
It wasn't like a physical mechanism; no gears turned, no joints clicked.
It was more like watching an image being redrawn in real time.
In the space of a breath, the massive two-handed weapon had condensed into something entirely different: a single-headed handaxe, compact and sturdy, just the right length for Soren's arm.
He lifted it experimentally.
"Holy shit," Soren said.
The weight was still there, heavier than the cheap iron axe he had been using, but it felt right.
The balance sat comfortably in his palm, as if the weapon had been designed for him and him alone.
He swung it up and down twice, testing.
Mana flowed through Labrys as smoothly as breathing.
When he sent it down the haft and into the head, the axe seemed almost eager, no resistance, no lag. It was like flexing a muscle he hadn't known he had.
'I can use this,' he thought, pulse kicking up for an entirely different reason now.
The full-sized version had been impossible for him.
Even if he pumped his stats for years, he still wouldn't be the kind of fighter who stood at the front and took hits bare-faced.
But this?
A handaxe that responded perfectly to his mana, that sat comfortably in his grip, that he could combine with divine incantations and magic?
That fit him perfectly.
"It's heavier than my current axe," he said aloud, still swinging it lightly. "But that's fine. I can work on my strength. The mana flow alone makes it worth it."
He imagined future battles.
[Ignition] in his left hand, Labrys in his right, mana enhancement shaping an invisible edge along the dull metal.
The blunt force of the axe combined with a temporary carved blade of mana.
Even the blade being dull wasn't a real downside for him.
He rarely relied on clean cuts in the first place.
Most of his attacks were about forcing reactions, breaking posture, and creating openings for magic.
'Once I learn mana enhancement properly, I can just form the cutting edge myself. The axe doesn't need to do everything.'
He gave Labrys one last test swing, then dismissed it into his inventory with a thought.
Whoosh—
His hand closed on empty air.
"Thanks, old man," Soren said, looking back at Hammond. "I guess I don't need that handaxe anymore."
Hammond's face crumpled into an expression halfway between embarrassment and relief.
"I once again apologise for earlier," the dwarf said, bowing deeply to both Soren and Esper. "My mouth ran faster than my head."
Soren and Esper exchanged a look.
They both shrugged almost at the same time.
"Just remember our deal, priority on our commissions."
"What he said," Esper added lightly. "Full price, no haggling. Just don't keep us waiting when we bring you something fun."
Hammond straightened and thumped a fist lightly against his chest.
"You have my word," he said. "Come by any time. I'll do right by the two of you."
With that, their business was finished.
Soren and Esper stepped back out onto the street, the air outside feeling cooler after the workshop's heat.
They walked together for a bit, talking idly about nothing important.
At a junction, Esper stretched her arms above her head and let out a big yawn.
"I'm beat," she said. "I'm gonna go flop somewhere. Maybe annoy Shirone again."
"That sounds like you. I'll head back too. I'm done for the day."
"Seeya, Cutie."
She flashed him a peace sign and started down another street.
"Don't forget, if you find something cool, I get first dibs on seeing it."
"Got it," he replied.
They split paths, and the noise of the workshop district slowly faded behind him.
"Ugh, what a tiring day," Soren muttered as he made his way back toward the dorms.
His body wasn't particularly sore, but his mind felt worn out.
The argument, the leftover anger, the appraisal, the social energy spent keeping up with Esper's pace, it all stacked together.
'The moment I get back, I'm collapsing on the bed.'
••✦ ♡ ✦•••
"I challenge you to a duel, Soren Arden"
"Eh?"
'What's going on?'
————「❤︎」————