Reincarnated Into A Dead Woman's Body In Another World-Chapter 395: Arc 6, - 11: Heart of the Matter

She kept looking back to the hands of her watch ticking away. This much coffee could not be bad for a person, could it? Wait, how many cups has she had?

Blanking on the number, Fumeko fluttered her lashes till she regained some clarity. The noises of the other café goers filtered into her ears and she glanced to the awning she was under. Propping up her arm on the glass table, she sighed and rested her chin on it.

Posters detailing safe evacuation methods were plastered on the glass of the café—the tape still fresh. Finally, Fumeko heard heeled footsteps along the bricks. "Tiffany," she got up.

The blonde in question had arrived, dressed to the nines as usual and in splendorous makeup. "Time has been unkind to oneself and as such, apologies to mine paramour for the delay," she curtsied in greeting.

Fumeko pursed her lips and took a deep breath as she took a glance at her attire. "It’s fine; sorry I ordered first," the next finished cup of coffee was taken away by the waitress.

"Seek not forgiveness, for thou hath been forgiven the moment thine endearing lips bore thine voice~" she smiled with a hand angled under her chin.

"..." Fumeko palmed her own face. "Will you sit down? I said we needed to talk..."

"Hm," Tiffany’s demeanour shifted before both took a seat. "One such as I strays far from being unmindful; what ails thee? The happenings and affairs of this fair city?"

"That’s been on my mind, a lot, but that’s not why I called you here," the brunette’s eyes darted to the right while her fingers fidgeted uncomfortably.

"Then pray tell mine paramour. If tis secrets thou wish to keep, impart them into mine ethereal ears and the void shalt be thine only witness," her bluish-grey eye tried to meet the other’s gaze.

"Paramour..." Fumeko mumbled under her breath. "Could you not call me that? It’s making this harder," she winced.

"O-okay..."

"You wanna order something first? I’m paying," she was not even fully sat in her chair, what with one leg out and her arm on the backrest.

Eventually, after ordering a drink, Fumeko with yet another cup of coffee, Fumeko sat proper in her chair and faced the blonde. "I..."

Tiffany’s one eye narrowed, "You’ve dragged this out long enough, would you just spit it out already? You’re making me stressed, did something happen?"

"You’re right... Nothing’s happened, well, a lot of things’ve happened, but nothing related to this- Look," Fumeko forced her head up, revealing more now the dark circles under her eyes and weary skin.

Tiffany raised a brow.

"I think you’re pretty and you know I like you, right? Like I genuinely do," her shoulders rose up so high.

"I, happen not to be unsighted to this detail."

"I think you’re great and cool, for doing the things you do and I really like spending time with you and it’s been a lot of fun. But I..." her breath stopped for a long time and yet her heartbeat grew ever more frantic.

Tiffany’s concerned face hardly helped the words to escape either.

She forced her lungs to spit out the words, "I don’t love you—not like that. Not the way you want..."

Tiffany sat frozen for a few seconds, till she felt her heart sink just as her concerned face broke apart like a mirror. Tears formed in the corner of her eye, "W-was it s-something I d-d-did? Is it t-the way I t-talk-"

"No, no," Fumeko legs tensed up and twisted around each other. "It’s not you, you didn’t do anything ’wrong’..."

Tiffany shrunk in her seat as the heartbreak bubbled up and spewed out as tears, "W-was I too forward? D-did, w-was it because I d-didn’t satisfy y-you in bed-"

"You did fine, it wasn’t that!" Fumeko tried to keep her voice low; fortunately they were in a corner of the café. "Maybe the too forward bit... It was all a little, too fast?"

Tiffany sobbed silently, though she was making an attempt not to. She laid a hand on her heart and grabbed a tissue to pat down her eyes.

"...Are you okay?"

"W-what a stupid question," Tiffany croaked.

"Sorry..."

Tiffany sniffled and looked down. The makeup on the tissue added salt to the wounds.

Fumeko kept her gaze away, eyes a bit watery herself. Her sleeplessness made each breath a heave. She had planned over and over what to say and even then her head was a mess. She closed her eyes for a moment.

Tiffany continued to clean up her face as her crying came to a stop within the minute. Whether was someone was watching this unfold or not was unknown to the two, lost in a hazy moment they wished was just a nightmare.

The brunette sighed and faced her—not with a shaky breath, not with teary eyes. Her expression was composed, her voice was soft, "I do care for you. And I do still like you, just not in that way.

I know I have problems trying to tell who’s a friend and who’s someone I like romantically, and I think those lines are blurred a lot of times too. But I do know that I like you as a friend, more than... anything else.

I... Thanks for being my first and I don’t really have regrets there, but, I don’t think it’s gonna work out. I’d rather not lie to you and I hope that can mean something."

"I see..." Tiffany’s breaths hitched for a few moments longer.

Fumeko felt a sting down her spine as inklings of shadows wisped from the corners of her eyes. In the moment, she could not tell whether to be relieved to have that weight of that confession off her shoulders or to feel the anguish of heartbreak. Either way, it was the truth.

"Well then," Tiffany’s chair scraped back.

"W-wait, I have more to say."

"If it’s another ’sorry’ I’ve h-had enough," a mixture of sadness and lingering anger was present in Tiffany’s squinted eye.

"No. I just wanted to say, I hope we can still be friends. I’m not saying everything needs to be resolved in a minute and I understand if you hate me right now, but I do want to spend time with you—a-as a friend."

Tiffany paused for a moment; her lips quivered, "I don’t hate you..."

"Well that’s good," Fumeko lifted her head a little.

The blonde’s eyelid fell and she continued to stay seated; at least to finish up her colourful drink. "A-at least you told me, I s-suppose."

A long awkward silence reigned over the two as other patrons moved in and out of the café, making the bell by the door jingle each time. The chatter of the public walking down and up the street kept them company.

Fumeko hid her hands in between her thighs, "I don’t know if this is fair to ask, but can we still be friends?"

Tiffany looked away, "I don’t know if t-that’s going to h-hurt me more or not." She looked back to the downtrodden brunette, "You’re certain? You don’t have any feelings for me?"

Fumeko looked her in the eye, "I don’t think I can pretend to understand romance. So I don’t know; I don’t think so? You’re, really romantic. How do I put it...

Not that I’ve seen one, but your romance is like a play. It’s really, poetic and nice. Your dramatics are fun from time to time, I never found them to be a problem—cause it’s you.

It makes you the Child of Void within the Sea of Stars," a small smile played across her lips. "But it’s not for me. I hope you find someone much better than me, that can love all of you."

The blonde took in a laboured inhale. Her lips were sealed while she pondered her words carefully. "Fumeko Namora, you are... my first proper friend. Although you may be rude and a brat at times, your h-heart is not that of an ingenuine person."

"Thanks—I think?"

"N-not so fun to hear, is it," Tiffany’s eye glazed over.

"I had that coming."

"But I believe... Yes. I’d like to still be friends."

"You don’t have to come to a decision right now," Fumeko picked up her cup.

"’Twill be an arduous time, wherein mine amorous sentiments shall be lost within the void. However, thou are friend nonetheless and the void sees no quarrel to remain as such," she forced a small smile as she proclaimed.

"So the void decrees," Fumeko replied.

Tiffany continued to finish up her drink and get up. "Farewell. May our paths cross once more, if destiny be so charitable. I require mine time to be unaccompanied."

"Oh, one more thing."

Tiffany’s eye rolled.

"Last one, I promise," Fumeko blew bubbles into the coffee she drank up. "I’m going to South End—with the rest. We’re continuing to go about the cult case, but less facing them and more trying to piece other parts together.

I’ll be leaving tomorrow, around the morning. We’re planning to go to the Adventurers Guild there and," she dragged it out longer than she needed to. "Would you like to come with me-? Us?

I don’t think anyone has objections to having you in our party, but it’s also a good chance for you to go the guild and you know, be what you wanna be. Just, think about it."

"Hm..." Tiffany’s brows furrowed.

"You can take your time and let us know by tomorrow."