Chapter 437: Fool Dream and Fool Dream Drink
After chatting casually with Sofiry and gossiping a bit about Dongli Yiren’s situation, I was finally ready to leave this place.
After asking for permission, I took some well-preserved fruits with me before heading out.
Once I left, I pondered how I could establish a connection with the Witch Cat Café. Should I just go directly and speak to that staff member? It didn’t seem likely they’d agree to that.
Actually, the Witch Deina I know, who is the extraordinary Store Manager of the Witch Cat Café, is definitely approachable, but our relationship… I’m not too sure about that. She should be considered a friend, right?
However, we’ve only met a few times.
But anyway, there is still a student-teacher relationship between us. After thorough consideration, I decided to reach out.
After all, her attitude towards the Fool Dream speaks volumes; her love for cats seems to come from the heart. Perhaps what she loves is not just the cat species, but the adorable essence of cats, a concept that includes catgirls and even the indeterminate Fool Dream species.
However, before that, I wanted to visit the Witch Cat Café. I could contact Tutor Deina later, but I had promised those Fool Dreams to teach them how to prepare Fool Dream Drink, and I had procrastinated for so long that I had barely seen them in this period.
Moreover, I felt that this skill seemed to have a deeper connection with the Fool Dreams, so I prioritized it above everything else.
With this thought, the glyph that conformed to the runes reappeared in my hand. This was the rune I had obtained from the inspiration of the Fool Dream Drink, but it wasn’t the ritual for concocting the drink but a deeper enlightenment ritual.
Upon arriving at the Witch Cat Café, I glanced around but didn’t see any Fool Dreams.
“Excuse me, could you tell me where the Fool Dreams in the Witch Cat Café are?” I called out to a service girl with cat ears passing by me.
“Hmm? Are you looking for Fool Dream services?”
“Uh, what’s the matter? Has the Fool Dream service started charging now?”
“Oh, not at all. It’s just that the Fool Dreams seem to be in a bit of a bad state recently. The Store Manager has given many of them a break to rest for a while…it’s been about a week, I think. It seems like they have been on and off like this. We have two Fool Dreams currently working, but whether they can provide service for you depends on your personal charm. After all, no one in the Witch Cat Café can compel the cats to do anything; the consequences could be serious.”
“Alright.”
After understanding the situation, my mood sank.
“What would you like to order, customer?”
“Oh, a cup of coffee, just bring it here,” I said instinctively.
I then stood up.
The Witch Cat Café wasn’t particularly big, and after walking around here once, I found two despondent Fool Dreams lying on cushions in a designated resting area for them.
They looked very listless, with their cat ears drooping on their heads.
Moreover, these two Fool Dreams synchronized perfectly, even their lazy postures were identical.
Upon noticing me, they slightly turned their heads.
“Hmm… is that a customer… huh? Sister Xiao Han?!” The Fool Dream closest to me instinctively glanced and immediately recognized the familiar figure she hadn’t seen for a long time.
Even she was a bit incredulous, standing up to rub her eyes, fearing she was seeing things.
“Right, it’s me! What happened to you?”
I hurried over to ask with concern. They couldn’t be struggling to adapt to the Witch Academy’s environment, could they? Or was the Witch Cat Café exploiting its employees?
But I had just heard that no one could force the cats to do anything in the Witch Cat Café, so Fool Dreams shouldn’t be subjected to such mistreatment.
“Sister Xiao Han, we haven’t seen you for a long time! Our good sisters have been saying they haven’t seen you either… sniff sniff, Sister Xiao Han, you smell really nice…” This Fool Dream came up to hug my arm, sounding as if I had abandoned them.
“I’m sorry, Sister Xiao Han can’t come over due to some uncontrollable factors. Look! I’m here to see you now, right?”
“Yup! I knew Sister Xiao Han wouldn’t abandon us!” At that moment, the other Fool Dream moved closer to say.
“Of course! If you run into any issues in the future, just reach out to me. But what’s happening with the Fool Dream Clan? I heard many of you are on leave, and you seem to be in bad shape.”
“Umm… we don’t know either… we just feel really tired… want to sleep… and whenever we sleep, we dream…”
“Dream?”
I quickly understood. Fool Dreams are dream creatures. Although my previous efforts had severed their connection to nightmares, they could now appear in reality, thanks to the Academy Head’s creation of their forms.
Could it be that they instinctively wanted to reject reality and return to the dream world?
But they had been fine when they were in Fool Village. There shouldn’t be such issues just because they came to the Witch Academy. Could it be that the academy’s seniors were being too harsh?
“Hmm…”
“Can you describe what you have been dreaming about?”
“Umm… we pretty much forget when we wake up, but it’s likely similar to our daily lives…”
“Was there anything particularly special in the dreams? Like nightmares?”
“Nightmare? Not that I know of…”
“No nightmares, only a feeling of oppression in the dream, and upon waking, we feel sleepy but can’t fall asleep. Plus, after dreaming, our mood gets worse…”
“I see…” At that moment, my brows furrowed even deeper. This was a dead-end… Should I consult the Academy Head?
She should understand this situation, right? Even if she didn’t, she would likely have the ability to understand.
“May I ask, what do you eat every day? Could it be a dietary issue?” I continued to ask, considering whether to concoct a cup of Fool Dream Drink for them here.
After all, it seemed that Fool Dream Drink had its secrets, and they were related to the Fool Dreams.
“Umm… dried little fish…”
“Sweet treats fed by customers, and… water.”
“Occasionally, we eat staff meals with the older sisters here.”
These two Fool Dreams took turns naming what they had been eating recently.
“That’s a bit of a mixed diet…” I commented.
After all, when they were in Fool Village, they ate those fruits, drank clear spring water and fruit wine, and of course, the essential Fool Dream Drink.
“By the way, didn’t I promise to teach you how to prepare Fool Dream Drink? Do you know about that?” I tentatively asked, considering I had spoken to one of them about it last time. I wasn’t sure how information circulated among the Fool Dream community.
“Fool Dream Drink? We know! Sister Xiao Han promised us that!”
“You mentioned this was related to our past, right?”
“Yes, it has been delayed for various reasons, but the fruits related to Fool Dream Drink have matured now, so I came to find you.” I explained.
“So, Sister Xiao Han has prepared Fool Dream Drink before? Just now… I smelled a faint, pleasant aroma from you; it really felt nice…”
“Yeah, I did try to brew it just now.”
However, I didn’t actually drink any. Sofiry had consumed it all; that fragrance merely clung to me. I didn’t expect the Fool Dreams could even detect such subtle notes of scent.
Or could it be they were subconsciously attracted by the power of that extraordinary ritual?
Since the Fool Dreams found it fragrant, it indicated their instinctive desire for such things. So… the issue truly lies with the Fool Dream Drink?
Could this be too much of a coincidence?
But now, if I were to inquire about how those fruits for the Fool Dream Drink came about, I doubted anyone would know; perhaps the Academy Head might, but clearly, I wouldn’t want to bother her over such a minor issue.
“Let’s go—I’ll take you to prepare Fool Dream Drink.” I cast aside those boring thoughts.
Overthinking doesn’t help much; instead of posing so many questions, it’s more practical to take action.
Let’s see if giving them Fool Dream Drink leads to any improvements.
If the problem truly lies there, I would need to ask Sofiry for help in producing a whole bunch of fruits, as there are over a hundred Fool Dreams, and my current stock wouldn’t be enough.
At that moment, I extended my arms, one hand wrapping around each Fool Dream, and they obediently nestled into my embrace.
They trusted me greatly, which is why they displayed such a posture.
When I carried them to the front desk, even the staff member had a surprised expression.
“Please open a themed cat room for me; any room will do, just charge it to my Cat Card.”
“Sure, I’ll register that for you right away… uh, you also ordered a coffee. Should I take it to your original table or to the cat room?”
“To the cat room, please.”
“Alright, this way please. I’ll take you there.” She guided me over, eyeing the two Fool Dreams in my arms, “You’re quite impressive, being able to get these two to cooperate.”
“This is Sister Xiao Han. I mentioned her when chatting with you.”
“Yup! Sister Xiao Han is the best friend of all Fool Dreams!”
At this moment, the two Fool Dreams perked up and spoke in unison, or rather, they drew a little closer to me, making the faint aroma even clearer; they instinctively felt comfortable.
“Ah? You are Sister Xiao Han?”
“Yeah, I’ve been a bit busy recently and haven’t come by for a while. Did you just start working here part-time?”
“Yes, yes. I’m sorry; I didn’t expect you…”
“It’s fine; just treat me like a regular customer. Also… thank you for bringing me here.” I smiled and interrupted her when she was about to say something, then pushed open the door to the themed cat room.
After closing the door, I glanced around at the decorations, filled with cat elements, warm and cute decor, and various cat supplies. It truly was a themed cat room for the Witch Cat Café.
I only took a quick look before heading straight for the table. After all, what I needed to do was prepare juice. While the witch cat café doesn’t prohibit bringing in drinks, they don’t recommend it either, so it wouldn’t be ideal to attract attention with jars and bottles in a public area.
I feared that those experimenting-like stunts might get me kicked out of the Witch Cat Café.
After waiting a while, when my coffee arrived, I completely closed the door, then took out the bottles along with the peculiar fruits.
However, after taking these fruits out, none of them emitted any scent that the Fool Dreams found particularly appealing, which meant they were genuinely uninterested in these fruits. Their only interest was in the finished Fool Dream Drink.
I didn’t waste any time. With the successful experience from earlier with Sofiry, I quickly got into the groove of it.
As the Fool Dream Drink gradually took shape, the two Fool Dreams had already leaned their bodies closer to me.
“Alright, alright, don’t get too close. I will let you try it first once I finish preparing it.” Given this almost instinctive behavior from both Fool Dreams, I couldn’t be too strict in preventing them from getting in the way.
At this moment, my gaze focused, and with the completion of the final step, the Fool Dream Drink finished its ultimate ritual. With a tap of the long stirring spoon against the rim of the glass, a crisp sound immediately alerted the two Fool Dreams.
“Done!” I shook the bottle containing the alluringly colored juice, then poured it into two small cups.
“Thank you, Sister Xiao Han!” ×2
Two identical voices expressed their gratitude in unison, eagerly lifting the small cups with their tiny hands.
They first took cautious sips, then their eyes lit up with joy, their expressions revealing how much they savored it. They lifted their cups to drink heartily.
“Slow down, slow down, you don’t have to drink that quickly.”
“Gulp… mmm~ this tastes so good!” At that moment, the first Fool Dream to finish instinctively licked her lips, her eyes filled with lingering satisfaction.
And just like that, all the previous lethargy vanished.
This improvement seemed too quick, didn’t it?
At this moment, I couldn’t help but think that if I hadn’t taken the initiative to learn this Fool Dream Drink concoction or thought to bring some seeds back to plant… what would happen to the Fool Dreams at this moment?
But nothing is for sure, and I was fortunate enough to have done all this. How should I describe this?
Perhaps Fool Dreams are destined not to perish?
Maybe.
I lifted the cup of coffee beside me and took a sip. It was somewhat cold, the lukewarm coffee was bittersweet with a hint of acidity.
“Do you feel better?” Seeing them finish, even seeming to want to lick the cups, I put down my coffee and hurriedly stopped them.
“Hmm… Sister Xiao Han’s Fool Dream Drink is really amazing! I feel… not so sleepy anymore.”
“I feel the same! Me too!”
“The preparation of this Fool Dream Drink—was it a technique you already mastered before, or did you teach it to me? Now I’ll also teach you this; perhaps this is your own redemption.”
“But regardless, if it weren’t for Sister Xiao Han, we wouldn’t have gotten better so quickly!”
“Right! All credit goes to Sister Xiao Han!”
After the two Fool Dreams finished speaking, they hesitated, quickly thinking of their other companions who were facing similar situations.
The situations they faced were even more severe than the both of them.
“What’s wrong? Why did you suddenly hesitate?”
“Uh, Sister Xiao Han, can you make more of this Fool Dream Drink? For everyone, not just the two of us, but other sisters as well…”
“Don’t worry, I still have some fruits left to make Fool Dream Drink. I will naturally not leave you behind. By the way, once I finish preparing it, please help me take it to where you all live. It’s best not to delay this any longer.”
“Yup! Yes!” The two Fool Dreams nodded repeatedly, their excitement evident in their eyes.
