"If that's the case..."
Hikari's hand paused as he glanced at the half-finished production line.
"The deadline still isn't enough."
They said time was like water in a sponge, but his schedule was already a sponge after being dehydrated. Squeeze it once, and it would crumble apart for you to see. There really wasn't a drop left to wring out.
"It's fine. I'll handle it."
Adam's gaze flickered.
Wasn't the reason he delegated repetitive labor to his clones so that he would have time for things that truly mattered?
That night, Klein prepared the Clown Potion in the staff dormitory behind the Café.
Inside a coffee cup—a container procured on the spot from the Café—the liquid displayed a clear interweaving of gold, yellow, and red. Yet the boundaries between the three colors remained sharply distinct, while fine bubbles continuously rose from within.
"Inhale—exhale—"
After taking several deep breaths, his heartbeat gradually calmed, and he relaxed considerably.
He had already notified Shopkeeper Tiga and Miss Soren. With two big shots protecting him, he did not need to worry about danger or interference from outside. All he needed to do was drink the potion and meditate with focus.
The moment Klein felt that it was time, he raised the coffee cup and drained the potion in a single gulp.
The instant the potion entered his mouth, Klein's entire face scrunched up.
Bitter!
So bitter!
Insanely bitter!
For a moment, Klein even wondered whether he had just swallowed a cup of concentrated espresso, or whether the Café's cup had not been washed properly.
But he knew that was impossible. He had prepared the potion himself, and he had personally washed the cup several times.
Not a single drop clung together, nor did any run down in streams. Even when washing beakers for his