Chapter 18: Lullaby

After the waiter left, Shin Garei picked up the empty glass. "Warm the glass with hot water first," she explained, using her free hand to make a subtle pouring motion over the glass, as if filling it with water. "Once it warms up, pour out the excess water." Saying that, she tilted the glass and mimed pouring out water. "Grind the dark-roasted coffee beans, pour the ground coffee into the portafilter, level it with a tamper, and lock the portafilter into the espresso machine group head to extract the espresso."

She paused, then added with a dreamy tone, "Steam an appropriate amount of milk under the steam wand of the espresso machine until warm. Pour the steamed milk into the glass, gently shaking it up and down to let the microfoam rise, and finally pour the espresso slowly into the glass. Of course, you can also add a layer of cold milk foam. Personally, I prefer Starbucks’s American style. Because..." She paused, her voice drifting like a sleepwalker’s, "...rapid changes in temperature mirror the unpredictability of life. The layered visual effect of the cocktail is just like society—sharply defined. That’s life... sigh!"

For a long time, neither of us spoke. An ambiguous atmosphere softly drifted between us.

"Is it not?" she asked in surprise, her tone certain.

"With a Latte, rather than calling it drinking coffee, it’s more accurate to say you’re drinking milk," I said, shaking my head lazily.

"Could it be a Mocha then?" she asked, no longer so sure.

"So that’s your answer to me? Is integration really better than polarization? Hmph, I get it now. You think I should take a unconventional path. Our country rarely serves authentic Mochas—they always brew them far too sweet. An unconventional path... are you telling me to show off my sharp edge?" I pressed her with a sharp glare, causing her to look flustered and uneasy. I knew that inside her tough exterior, a seed of love had already been planted. Next, I had to figure out how to make that seed sprout.

"What could it be then? A bitter Blue Mountain?"

"When a coffee becomes a mere commercial commodity, it loses its true value. Just like when diamonds turn into currency—do they still hold true aesthetic value? Japan is really something, manipulating supply to restrict Blue Mountain sales, then exporting it at sky-high prices to rake in massive profits. Clever—a toxic kind of cleverness. Once it’s used to pull in huge profits for Japan, do you honestly think I could like it?" I said, displaying my patriotic streak.

"Then what on earth is it?" she asked, feeling a bit defeated.

I looked at her without saying a word. I knew she had already begun viewing me as a soulmate; I had taken another step toward success.

"Is it Kopi Luwak?" Shin Garei lowered her head so low it almost touched her chest.

"Haha!" I laughed, then explained unhurriedly: "This coffee comes from Sumatra, Indonesia, where coffee trees have a long growing season. When the coffee cherries ripen, local farmers deliberately release civets into the plantations to let them feast freely. Not every animal gets to enjoy a coffee feast, though; the farmers believe only a specific species of palm civet native to Indonesia can get the job done right. Once those palm civets eat their fill, the farmers bend down, hold their noses, and search everywhere for civet droppings. Once a target is spotted, they kneel on the ground like archaeologists, digging through the dung. If they’re lucky, they’ll find a few whole, undigested coffee beans. The civets digest most beans, but the ’survivors’ have thicker, harder outer husks that resist digestion—just what the farmers want. After gathering them, the farmers thoroughly wash these special beans. Through deodorizing, processing, and several other steps, the beans are finally ready to serve human taste buds. That’s Kopi Luwak."

"Don’t you think it’s like a phoenix rising from the ashes?" Shin Garei remarked with a hint of lamentation.

I bloody think it’s disgusting, I thought to myself.

"I’m not a koala."

"What do you mean?" she asked in confusion.

"Baby koalas grow up eating their mother’s poop."

"You...!" She raised her fist and swung it in the air toward me a few times, then dropped her arm and glared at me angrily. Because she sat up straight, her chest appeared even fuller. I stared blankly at her bust. Noticing my silence, she followed my gaze and realized I was staring straight at her chest. Flush with intense embarrassment, she blurted out, "Where are you looking?!"

"Two pears hanging high in the tree, a child watches, anxious as can be."

"What did you say?"

"Ah? Nothing!" I snapped out of my perverted state. If she flew into a rage, my previous gentlemanly act would be totally ruined, and all my effort would go down the drain. To smooth things over, I looked out toward the coffee shop view with a dreamy gaze, as the sunlight streaming through the floor-to-ceiling glass draped me in a golden coat. After staring for a moment, I withdrew my gaze and looked at her with a dreamy, provocative glint, staring straight into her eyes: "You can guess it. What is the most beautiful music in the world?"

Just as I was about to deliver an even more emotional line, Athena’s frantic voice echoed in my head: "Little brother, hurry up! The possession time limit is up, big sister has to go!"

Hey, why are you leaving just like that? How am I supposed to wrap this up?!

"What is the most beautiful music?" Shin Garei asked in a dazed tone.

"Uh... well, I gotta go!" With that, I bolted for the door, ignoring Shin Garei’s calls behind me.

Sprinting all the way home, I summoned Athena out once again.

"Sis, what was that all about? Why did you suddenly leave? What did you mean by ’possession time limit’ at the end?" I looked at Athena, quite annoyed.

"I forgot to tell you—normally, when I’m just like this, there’s no real time limit. But whenever I possess your body, it can’t exceed two hours. We are gods; our souls are far stronger than yours. If it lasts too long, it’ll damage your soul, and you could end up in a vegetative state!" Athena explained.

"Oh, so that’s why!"

"So from now on, you need to learn things yourself instead of always relying on us. Only the knowledge you put into your own brain is truly yours!"

"Yeah, I understand, Sis!" I nodded.

Ring-ring-ring... A sharp telephone ring rang out. Picking up the phone, I answered: "Hello, who’s calling?"

"Fuitsu, it’s Garei-san."

"Huh? Garei-san, is something wrong?" I was stunned to hear her voice on the line.

"Nothing really... are you asleep yet?" Shin Garei asked hesitantly on the other end.

"Oh, not yet. I’m taking a shower soon, then going to sleep!"

"Oh, I’m not asleep yet either..." Then came a stretch of silence on her end.

"Garei-san, is everything okay? If not, I’m gonna hang up and take a shower!"

"Don’t hang up! I... I just wanted to ask why you left so suddenly today?"

"I..." Caught off guard, I didn’t know what to say and fell silent.

"I wanted to ask you... what did you mean by the most beautiful song?"

Scratching my head, I blurted out off the top of my head: "A lullaby."

"What kind of lullaby?" Shin Garei asked in confusion.

"A lullaby sung by Mom!"

"Oh, so that’s what it was! I get it now. I’ll hang up, good night!"

"Good night!"