Unexpected Meeting

After walking for a while, we finally arrived at the café I had seen before and which had caught my attention. The place was quite spacious and its design was rather bland, like most cafes, although most of the furniture seemed too new, probably indicating that it was a recently opened establishment. Still, it had a very quiet and relaxing atmosphere, which I liked, and with almost no one inside, it was less likely that people would bother us because of our appearance.

As soon as we entered, Tamamo and I went to the counter to choose some pastries to eat and maybe something to drink. The lady who ran the place was a little startled to see her first customers and approached us with a smile to greet us.

"Excuse me, but you can't lean on the counter like that," she said.

As soon as she finished speaking, I turned around to see Tamamo doing exactly what she had just told us not to do, so I grabbed her by the shoulders and gently pushed her back.

"We are very sorry.
"We didn't mean to cause any inconvenience.
"We were just looking to see what would be most delicious to eat."
"Do you have any recommendations?"

"Well, in that case, I recommend these."
"They are quite sweet, but paired with tea, they would be perfect."

"Oh, excellent, all right."
" We'll order two of those then."

"Thank you very much."

After placing our order, Tamamo and I sat down at one of the tables in the back of the shop, away from the windows facing the street so as to attract as little attention as possible for being two fox girls.

"I'm surprised how well she took the fact that two Kitsunes came to her shop to eat."
"If we were in my original era right now, she would be running all over the city to alert the guards in fear," Tamamo said, thinking a bit.

"Well, times change, people too."
"For a while now there have been costume parties or something like that."
"I'm sure she thinks something like that."

"Oh, so people have lost their fear of Kitsines over time?"

"Um... I'm not sure, honestly."

"I'm pretty hungry, I can't wait to eat those sweets!"

"Well, you're right."
"We haven't eaten since this morning."

"It's a shame that we have to eat so little."

"......"
"I'm sorry... But there's not much we can do right now."
"We don't have much money to begin with."
"This will have to do for now."

I felt sorry for her, because of me she is now here in a completely strange place for her and I have to put her through this where I have nothing.

"Are you going to let your wife starve?"
"It shouldn't be like this!" She said to make me feel worse than I already did.

"And shouldn't we be together in good times and bad?"
"Right now we are in a difficult situation."
"But I trust we will make it through"
"You will see!!"
"Today we will sleep in a very comfortable place!" I said, trying to cheer myself up.

Right after that, the worker arrived with the two cupcakes and the two teas, she put everything on the table and made a gesture to indicate that we could start eating.

...

...

Doesn't she think about leaving?

...

...

"Excuse me, but is there anything I can help you with?" I decided to ask her directly to break the awkward silence.

"Oh, I'm sorry, I think I got a little carried away."
"I was just thinking how real those animal ears look."
"Or how your friend is able to move her tail behind her."
"Are you guys going to a costume convention?

Of course, that would be the first thing she would ask, Tamamo and I are too conspicuous for her not to ask. Quick, I have to improvise something that sounds convincing enough.

"Yes, actually we are."
"We like to make our costumes as realistic as possible."
"And well, we wanted to see what we could do with something like this."

"Oh, really?"
"So you dress like this for fun? Kids these days..."

"Hey, it's fun for us."

"Although I don't remember such an event being celebrated these days."
"Was there one nearby?"

JUST LEAVE ME ALONE! I just want to eat in peace!

"Yes, well, we were actually helping a friend with her dress."
"But something happened and she was a little late."
"So we decided to wait here for her."

"Oh, really?"
"Oh, well, that's going to be an inconvenience."
"Due to some problems in the kitchen, the shop owner decided to close early today."
"She should be here soon."

Seriously, I can't even enjoy my meal in peace?

"Okay, no problem."
"As soon as we finish eating, we'll leave right away."

"I'm very sorry for the inconvenience."
"And thank you for your understanding," the clerk said as she finally returned to the counter.

"You're really good with people," the goddess said as she began to eat.

"Does it seem strange to you that I can talk to people?"
"It's nothing special."

"I didn't say it for that."
"But for being able to go on, despite what happens to you."
"In spite of what you are going through, you are still considerate of others in some way."

"It's not a big deal."
"It's about not being a jerk to everyone just because of my personal problems."

"But it is!"
"You now have the body of a cute, small and thick girl; until this morning, you were in an unknown world."
"You have nowhere to stay, next to a girl you fought with yesterday, and despite her eagerness to love you forever, you responded with the same love, despite what your heart still feels for someone else."
"And even now, when you are in another country far from yours and without money, you still take care of me."
"Even though I am an almighty goddess, you still want to be the one to do the work."
"Even though I am a superior being, I can't help you here because I don't know anything."
"Despite all this, you can still afford to be calm and kind to others."
"Even though you barely have money to pay for our food, you still talk as if it's not a big problem."
"We don't have a place to sleep, but you still talk about taking care of all those details to take care of me."
"'As if you know exactly what to do to fix it.'"
"That all I have to do is trust the person I already trust the most."
"That's a strength any girl would fall for, being reliable even in the most uncertain times."
"You've already saved me, you've already earned my love, and yet you keep fighting to keep earning it every moment."
"All this goddess can do now is love and support my dear Goshujin-sama."
"Because I have nothing in this world, but with you by my side, I don't need anything."

"......."
"Wow, thank you."
"Although I still think it's no big deal."
"But I guess now that you're here with me, I'll try my best."
"I guess I should thank you for that, too."
"For being by my side despite my shortcomings or how strange and rare my story is."
"Like how despite my stubbornness to come here, you still decided to follow me and come anyway, without having anything to gain in return."
"You have no idea how much you support me and make me feel good just by being in the same room with me."
"....."
"....."
"Oh well, I guess we better start eating these pastries and see how good they are, don't you think?"

"Oh yeah, you're right!" She replied with her friendly smile.

As the two of us began to eat, the doorbell of the cafe rang, indicating the entrance of someone else. Although I felt the urge to turn around and see who it was, just to make sure it wasn't a threat like a thief, but that was mainly my habit as a soldier. But that era was starting to change from now on, I had to learn to become a normal person again, most likely that other person was nothing more than another customer, and if it was a problem I still had my gun and the skills to solve it quickly. Nothing bad is going to happen, so I should concentrate on enjoying the moment of peace and tranquility for these few minutes I had.

The girl who served us a few minutes ago left the counter to greet the person who had just entered and to speak to her.

"Good afternoon, Mrs. Adelis."
"I hope you had a good day at the office today."
"Come in, please."
"I was just about to close up shop completely."
"Right now, we just need to wait for the two ladies sitting at this table to finish eating, and then we'll have everything ready to call for someone to come and fix the kitchen stove."

Wait a second, that name isn't Japanese at all, and it's quite familiar...

"Excellent."
"Although it might be better to call and buy a new, better factory new."
"Buying a used oven wasn't the best idea; the one we have is very prone to breakdowns."
"It's better to spend money and have one that works than an oven that breaks down all the time and has to be closed every time it happens."
"We've only been open two weeks and it has already broken down 4 times."
"I don't want to waste any more time on this."

*Choking sounds*

"But what the hell! I know that voice! It's impossible to be mistaken! It can't be anyone else with that name."

I quickly turned my head to look at the person who had entered to confirm that it was indeed the right person, and as soon as I looked at her, I felt somewhat lost yet excited, as if what I was seeing was nothing but a lie. I couldn't believe what I was seeing with my own eyes, the urge to cry was consuming me, my heart rate was at its peak, it seemed like my excitement was so high that it was easy for Tamamo to notice that something was happening to me, so she couldn't resist asking me.

"Hey, are you okay?"
"You look even paler than you already were."
"And that's pretty rare for someone who already looked like a ghost before."

"Haha."
"I can't believe it."
"Stella actually did her job right for once."
"No wonder she insisted on this address."

"Do you know who she is?"
"Someone you happen to know?"

"Oh yes, someone I know all too well."
"And I think it's best that you treat her really well too."
"That person over there is Adelis."
"She is my mother."

She looked like a woman in her late thirties, perhaps, but in reality, it was just a huge effort to preserve herself despite her actual age. She was dressed in a formal suit, accompanied by her black hair and elegant makeup. Undoubtedly, her appearance was that of a strong and determined businesswoman, always in charge. This was reinforced by the fact that she was talking to the saleswoman without noticing us.

"She's your mother!"
"What are you waiting for to invite her in?"
"Excuse me! Ma'am?" Tamamo said, getting up from her chair and speaking loudly.
"Ma'am, would you mind joining us?"
"We have a few things to discuss with you!"
"Over here!"

"Excuse me, is there anything I can help you with?" She turned to us, stopped for a second when she saw us, and continued talking.
"I don't think we've met before."

"Please have a seat over here," Tamamo insisted.

"Alright."
"You have my attention."
"What do you need?" she walked over to where we were.

"Are you really Adelis?"
"Are you Cesar's mother?"

My mother stopped for a moment when she heard her and had a surprised face similar to mine.

"Have you met him?"
"Have you ever been with him?" she asked quickly.

"That's right!"
"He helped me a lot."
"I think if it wasn't for him, I don't know what would have happened to me in my future."

My mother seemed to be on the verge of crying as Tama talked to her. I did not know what to do, whether to speak or better hide under the table, I was completely paralyzed.

"Seriously?"
"I'm glad to hear that."
"Did you really see it?"
"How long ago was that?"
"What did my son do for you?"
"Could you tell me?"
"Do you know what happened to him?"
...
"I'm sorry"
"I keep asking questions"
"It's just been a long time since I knew anything about him."
"And when the news came that he..."
...
"I just want to know what he was able to do.
"To see that he was able to save someone is enough for me.
"Can you tell me how he helped you?"

"I have something better!"
"What if he tells you himself!" Tamamo points at me as soon as she stops talking.

"Hi, how are you?" I answer as shyly and calmly as possible due to my embarrassment.

My mother's eyes widen when she sees me, and her face changes from melancholy to anger in a matter of seconds. And how can I blame her, even I feel bad about this whole ridiculous situation.

"Ladies!" she is on her feet in less than a second.
"These kind of jokes are not made to someone who has lost her son in a war."
"You should never play with people's hearts!"
"And please take off those ears, they look ridiculous"
"We're closing already!"
"Please leave as soon as possible!"
"But ma'am"
"You must know that your son is alive!"
"Is here!"
"You must believe us!" Tama tried to keep them with us.

I had to do something, I couldn't leave things as they were. I finally met my mother after the news of my death reached her. How devastating that could be for a person, especially for her, who had already lost the person she loved as well. I wanted to keep my promise to reunite with my family, hell, that's why I'm here now, despite all the nonsense that happened to me. I want to talk to her, I want to tell her that I am here, alive, and that she should stop crying for me. But how can I do that, how can I tell her that I am Cesar? I don't think she believes me, it's stupid. I have to do something stronger, something that only our family would know, something that without a doubt she would know that I really am.

"That's enough!" My mother screamed.

"In..." I tried to raise my voice to speak.
"...."
"There were some very good cakes at Maria's birthday party."
"They were so tasty that I remember they even asked for them so much that they ran out right away.
"We thought they were made by cooks for the party."
"But it turned out that you made them."
"We were so surprised that Maria dropped the plate of dough and was completely covered in it."
"She even looked like a ghost.
"And when we took her to her cabin in the woods, Uncle Jose got so scared that she ended up breaking a glass door in the castle trying to escape."
"There was so much damage that an ambulance finally arrived.
"And when the paramedics asked what had happened, they could not stop laughing."
"Even Maria came to believe that there really were ghosts, even though it was her fault."
"How do you know this story?"
"Who told you?"
"Was it him?"
"Was it Cesar?"
"Answer me!"

"No"
"I was there when it all happened"

"What do you mean?"

All right, here I go.

"I'm Cesar."
"The same one who was there that day."
"Your son."

"Is that true?" she looked me in the eyes with a straight face.

"I know it's VERY hard to believe and there are many reasons against it."
"But it's true."
"I swear it."
"I am Cesar."

She looked me up and down, taking note of any detail that might indicate my background or motives. I couldn't know exactly what was going through her mind, but it was clear that she was thinking of something to make sense of it all.

"What color was the house before we painted it for the third time?" she asked quickly with the same serious face.

"Orange with white trim, which still makes me wonder why you changed it to red later," I answered without hesitation.

"What was the car your father crashed his first car with?"

"A bus, you were in it."
"It was a week before we found out that you were pregnant with me."
"Dad's car was a blue pickup."

"My little sister, your aunt, she has a reputation..."

"Damaris? Everyone knows she has bad luck."
"Like when we went to the beach and it was foggy."
"Or when we went to the volcano for the hot springs and it erupted."
"The gas tank that exploded.
"'She seems to be a source of natural disasters.

"Leon, your middle brother, when he was 5 years old..."

"He cut his hair himself because he wanted to draw his favorite superhero in his head."

My mother's face changed again. She was crying now, a lot. She slowly approached me and hugged me.

"What the hell is this?
"Is it some kind of strange dream?
"Shouldn't you be dead?"
"I'll take care of your funeral myself!"
"That was almost a year ago!"
"What the hell happened to you?"
"How did you end up like this?"
"Cesar"
"You have a lot to explain!"

"Yes, I know"
"I'll tell you everything!"
"Thank you for believing me"
"Mom," I told her while hugging her too, I think she could hardly hear me because I think I was crying too, I know.

"And who is she?"
"You said Cesar saved you."
"Is that true?" she asked Tamamo.

"It is true!"
"But the best thing is to talk while we eat!"
"Everything is better in the family."

"I already called them about the stove," the employee appeared and spoke.
"They told me they would come tomorrow to install it."
"But it will probably take all day."
"What should we do?"

"Tell them it's fine, no problem."
"We don't have tomorrow."
"And please close the shop now, I don't want to be disturbed, I'm in the middle of something very important."
" Oh and Saeko, please bring some of those leftover cakes, today is a very special day"
"Go ahead and try it, anyone who wants!"
"I want to know what you think of my menu!"

"Seriously!"
"Thank you very much!" Tama immediately appreciated the food she brought.

And so my mother, Tama, and I talked about everything that had happened to us so far. About why I had gone to war against the Empire, about the Angels, about the Codex, about Tamamo, I think I hadn't kept a single secret from her, I didn't want to have any more, I didn't want to bear the burden of having to hide something from her again. It certainly took us a long time to bring her up to speed. And even though it was late, we only had time to talk about our side of the story. I also wanted to ask her what she was doing all this time, because the fact that she was in Japan was no coincidence, she must have been here with something in mind, but that will come later.