Zero sat behind the café ter, resting his on his palm. The soft glow of the nterns bathed the wooden interior in warm light, but his mind was elsewhere.

  His racial talent—e/Avatar—was still a mystery to him. Acc to Cecil, he could create a duplicate of himself. But how? Did it just appear out of thin air? Did he need a trigger? And most importantly—was there a cost?

  There was only one way to find out.

  Taking a deep breath, Zero closed his eyes and focused. He turned his awareness inward, searg for the magic deep within his core. It felt distant, like a dorma waiting to be awakened. Zero ched his fists and tried to push that energy outward—imagining himself splitting into two.

  For a moment, he thought it was w.

  Then—

  A sharp, searing pain ripped through his chest.

  Zero gasped, clutg at himself as his vision blurred. It felt like something was being forcefully torn away, like an invisible hoing his esse of his body. Something dark and wispy curled around his arms—bck mist seeping from his pores.

  Then, just as quickly as it came—

  It vanished.

  Zero colpsed onto his back, panting. Sweat beaded his forehead as he stared at the ceiling. "Okay," he muttered, catg his breath. "That sucked."

  Clearly, this wasn't going to be easy. Zero pushed himself up, rubbing his temples. What went wrong? It wasn't just magic exhaustion—it was like something had been forcibly removed from him. Maybe ing wasn't just about summoning a copy. Maybe he had to offer something iurn.

  His mind wao the stories he had read in his past life. In most fantasy settings, creation always required sacrifice.

  If that applied here, then—

  Magic alone isn't enough. I have to give something else. His stomach twisted as he thought about what that something might be. Blood? Flesh? A piey soul? He shuddered at the st one. "…Well. Only one way to find out."

  Zero reached behind the ter and grabbed a small kit knife. Rolling up his sleeve, he took a deep breath. He pressed the bde against his palm and made a small, precise cut. The pain was sharp but manageable. Warm blood dripped onto the wooden floor.

  Zero focused.

  Instead of simply pushing his magic outward, he imagihe blood as a catalyst—a fuel for his ability. For a moment, nothing happened.

  Then—

  The air shimmered. The blood on the floor darkewisting unnaturally as it spread outward in jagged tendrils. A shape began to rise from the pooling liquid. At first, it was just a shadow, flickering and unstable. Then, as if solidifying, the shape became clearer.

  Zero's eyes widened.

  Standing before him was—

  Himself.

  Zero slowly stood up, cirg the duplicate in front of him. The e was identical—same sharp features, same long bck hair, same golden eyes. Even its clothes were a copy.

  Zero raised a hand—

  The irrored him.

  He took a step forward—

  The e followed.

  "…Alright," Zero muttered. " you talk?" The e tilted its head, then smirked. " you?" Zero stiffened. His own voice had echoed back at him. "…Okay, that's freaky."

  Now that he had a w e, Zero needed answers.

  How indepe was it?2. Could it think on its own?3. What happened if it was injured?

  To test, Zero flicked the e's forehead. The e scowled, rubbing the spot. "Ow. What the hell, man?" Zero blinked. "Wait. So you feel pain?" The e shrugged. "I am you. I think what you think. I know what you know. I exist as long as you will me to."

  Zero hummed. "So you're not totally separate. You're aension of me." The e nodded. Zero smirked. "And if I dismiss you?" The e grinned back. "Try it." Zero focused, imagining the e breaking. The e instantly dissolved into mist, fading bato nothing.

  Zero exhaled.

  "Alright. So I make es, but I have to sacrifice blood to do it." His hand still stung from the cut, but the discovery was worth it. Now, he had a path forward.

  Zero sat in silence for a moment, staring at the empty space where his e had disappeared. Curious, he focused his mind and tried to will the e babsp;

  Nothing happened.

  He furrowed his brows and tried again—reag for the presence he had felt earlier when his e existed.

  Still nothing.

  Zero exhaled through his nose. So once a e is dismissed, it's pletely gone. He made a mental note of this limitation. I 't recall a dismissed e. If I want another, I have to create a new one from scratch. That meant more blood. More sacrifice.

  Zero gnced down at his palm, where the cut had already begun to clot. "…Probably not a great idea to push this too mu one night." He had learned enough for now.

  Stretg his arms, Zero let out a yawn. "Alright. That's enough experimenting for one day." He walked over to the café's entrance, flipping the OPEN sign to CLOSED. The warm glow of the nterns cast long shadows as he tidied up—wiping down the ter, adjusting the chairs, and double-cheg the coffee supplies.

  Everything was in order.

  Satisfied, Zero took o look at the cozy interior of Café Lebnorrow would be his first real day as a café owner.

  He smirked.

  "…Let's see what this new life has in store." With that, he turned off the lights and headed upstairs—ready to face whatever came .

  …

  The sounds of the city stirred Zero awake. Through the slightly open window, he could hear the distant ctter of hooves on cobblestohe murmur of merts setting up stalls, and the faint whistle of a passing train.

  Aetherion was alive.

  Zero stretched his arms above his head, yawning. As he moved, he caught sight of his left palm—the same hand he had cut for his experiment st night.

  The wound was gone. Not even a scar. He sat up, flexing his fingers. "Wow. Archdemon bodies heal fast." His new race was starting to show its perks.

  Standing, Zero made his way to the bathroom. The momeepped inside, his gaze fell onto the mirror.

  And for the first time in good lighting, he got a proper look at himself.

  Zero stared.

  His long bck hair framed his face, smooth and silky, casg past his shoulders. His golden eyes gleamed uhe soft m light. His skin was fwless, a sharp trast to his past life's more average plexion.

  But what stood out the most—

  His horns. They protruded just slightly from his forehead, curving backward, like the beginnings of a . Slowly, Zero reached up, running his fingers along the smooth, dark surface. They were firm, unyielding—a natural part of him.

  He exhaled.

  "Guess I better get used to these." Shaking off his thoughts, he bathed, dressed, and prepared himself for the day. He wanted something fortable yet casual, so he settled on a simple dark tunic with rolled-up sleeves, loose bck pants, aher boots.

  Once ready, he made his way downstairs.

  Zero stepped into the café's floor, expeg to sweep up some dust or a few tables.

  Instead, the pce ristine.

  Not a single speck of dust.

  The ter otless, the tables perfectly arranged, and even the floor looked freshly polished.

  Zero squinted. "…Did the café itself?" He tapped his . "Huh. Ceever mentiohis."

  That meant—

  He didn't have to worry about ing or maintenance. Another perk of his new life. Still, despite the café being ready for business, Zero wasn't in a rush to open. There was something else he wao do first.

  Stepping into the middle of the café, Zero took a deep breath. "Alright. Let's try the e again." Rolling up his sleeve, he grabbed a small knife from behind the ter. With a quick motion, he sliced his palm, allowing a few drops of crimson blood to drip onto the floor. The air shimmered. The blood pooled and twisted unnaturally, f a dark mist.

  And from that mist—

  A figure emerged. Zero watched as his exact duplicate took shape before him, blinking as if adjusting to existence. Zero smirked. "Hi again." The irrored his smirk. "Hi again." Zero raised an eyebrow. "Oh, so you're the same e from yesterday?" The e shook his head. "No, I'm not. But I have your memories, so I know what happened."

  Zero hummed. "Iing."

  So every new e wasn't truly the same entity—but it still ied everything from the previous one. Zero pulled the Sōma Yukihira card from his pocket.

  "Alright. Let's try something."

  The e g the card, then at Zero. "What do you wao do?" Zero frowned. "I thought you'd just… know, like st time." The e shrugged. "I uand how I fun as a e. But I don't know anything beyond what you do."

  Zero clicked his tongue. "Alright. Let's experiment."

  He started testing differehods:

  Handing the card to the e. Nothing happehrowing the card at the e. It just bounced off. Pg the card on the e's chest. ion. Zero groaned. "Damn it, how does this work?" Finally, i attempt, Zero reached out and pressed the card against the e's forehead—right between his horns.

  The moment the card made tact—

  It glowed.

  The e's body trembled, and then—

  A transformation began.

  Zero stepped back as the e's body shifted. His long bck hair shorteurning a vibrant red. His casual tunic morphed, transf into a modern chef's uniform—a simple white shirt with rolled-up sleeves, a bck apron tied around his waist.

  Within seds, the e's form had pletely ged.

  Zero's eyes widened.

  "…Holy shit."

  The e—now fully transformed into Sōma Yukihira—ran a hand through his new red hair before smirking. Zero let out a low whistle. "Well. That's one hell of a makeover." The newly transformed e cracked his neck. "Heh. Feels pretty natural."

  Zero folded his arms. "So? How do you feel? Do you still think like me, or…?" The e tilted his head. "It's weird. I still feel like you, but I also have… instincts that weren't there before." Zero nodded. "That means you gained Sōma's skills." That settled it.

  The Gacha cards fused with the e, giving it the skills, memories, and abilities of the drawn character. Zero smirked. "…This is gonna be fun."

  …

  The sound of a sharp knife slig through vegetables echoed in the café's quiet kit.

  Soma—Zero's newly transformed e—was fully focused on preparing a meal, moving with an effortless grace that Zero hadn't expected. Zero leaned against the ter, arms folded. "Are you even that good?"

  Soma didn't look up. "Hey, I feel it. I know what I'm doing." Zero smirked. "Still, I just think it'd be better to wait for Liu Mao Xing. Now that's a proper chef."

  The moment the words left his mouth, Soma froze mid-cut.

  Then, slowly, he turned his head toward Zero, a dangerous glint in his golden-red eyes. "…You know what?" Soma said, pg his knife down with exaggerated care. "I'm gonna make you the best damn hamburger ever. And after that, yonna take that statement back."

  Zero chuckled. "Alright, alright. Impress me, Yukihira." Soma smirked, rolling his shoulders befetting back to work. Then, as if just remembering something, he paused again.

  "Oh, and from now on—call me Soma. Soma Yukihira." Zero raised an eyebrow. "Seriously? You're just taking the name?" Soma shrugged. "I am him now. Might as well own it." Zero snorted, shaking his head. "Fair enough."

  As Soma worked, they bantered bad forth—Zero enting, Soma firing back.

  Zero couldn't help but feel… weird.

  It was ohing to talk to a friend or a coworker—but talking to yourself? Watg someone who looked, thought, and acted like you, yet wasn't you?

  Yeah. That was trippy.

  Soma seemed to pick up on it, not even looking up from the pan as he flipped the perfectly seared beef patty. "It's weird, huh?" Zero blinked. "What?" Soma smirked. "Talking to yourself like this."

  Zero scoffed. "You know what I'm thinking, don't you?" Soma finally g him, fshing an all-too-familiar smirk. "I am you, y'know." Zero exhaled. "Yeah. That's what makes it weird."

  Just as Soma pted the perfectly crafted hamburger, the sound of a bell chiming from the café d through the air.

  A er.

  Zerhtened up, turning toward the entrance.

  "Hey, wele to Café Lebnc."

  A tall human man stood at the entrance, looking around the café with mild curiosity. His sharp gray eyes nded on Zero, and he arched a brow.

  "…You're the owner?"

  Zero nodded. "Yes, sir."

  The man scratched his before sighing. "Make me something to wake myself up."

  Zero smirked. "ing right up."

  As Zero moved toward the ter, Soma caught his gaze and gave a small nod—a silent uanding passiween them. Without hesitation, Soma took the untouched meal he had just prepared for Zero and slid the pte across the ter to the er.

  "A little oration meal, on the house," Soma said. The man blinked, looking at the hamburger in mild surprise. "Huh. Well… thanks." But as he reached for it, he suddenly paused. His expression shifted, and he gnced up at Soma. "…Are you okay w for a demon?"

  Zero stilled.

  Soma, however, didn't flinch. "Yeah. My boss is a good person." The man scoffed, shaking his head. ". No self-respeg human would work for a demon." Soma didn't react, merely pushing the pte toward him. "Have a good meal, sir." The man frowned slightly but said nothing more.

  Instead, he picked up the burger, took a bite—

  —and froze.

  The moment the burger hit his tongue, something clicked.

  The fvors were rich yet bahe juicy beef, the buttery softness of the bun, the sharp trast of pickles and sauce, all melding together in perfect harmony. It wasn't just food. It was… fort. As if something had filled a hole in his soul—one he didn't even know was there.

  Instinctively, he took another bite. Then another.

  The previous tension in his shoulders eased, his earlier hostility fading with each chew. Zero pced a cup of freshly brewed coffee in front of him. "It's good, huh?"

  The man—who had been sid just moments ago—exhaled. His entire posture softened as he nodded. "Yeah… it's good."

  Zero smirked. "I know. Never had a doubt about him." Soma, who had been quietly , sneered jokingly. "Oh, now you have faith in me?" Zero chuckled. "What I say? I had to see it to believe it."

  The man—now much cheerier than when he had entered—smiling. For the first time siepping into the café, he didn't see Zero as a demon.

  Just a guy who served damn good food.

  **A/N**

  ~Read Advance Chapter and Support me on [email protected]/SmilinKujo~~??KujoW

  **A/N**