"Ladies and gentlemen, we'll be arriving at Timeline-2 shortly. Not like there's any other ladies but me, and two special guests, that is."

A familiar voice can be heard from the speaker...

"DIRECTOR!?" Iggy and Pickle.

"Yes, it's me. I needed to return back to HQ; I'm stationed there, after all."

"How did she board the train without looking~ Pickle?"

He's nowhere to be seen. Iggy looks at the coffee mug right beside him.

"Heh, you're the coffee mug?" Iggy snickers.

"No???"

"Then... what are you?" Iggy asks as he looks around him.

"I'm... actually the coffee. Geezers, of all the things I can be, why do I have to be a beverage?"

Iggy temptingly looks at the coffee mug again.

"...You're tempting to drink."

"Is that foreshadowing?" Pickle replies.

Alas, the train comes to a full stop. Iggy comes down of the train, holding Pickle. Careful not to spill, he steps foot on Timeline-2 for the first time.

"Massacre should be somewhere here, right?" He says.

"Yeah! My senses track that he's heading towards a coffee shop named Yoshim's in a couple of hours!"

"You can sense the precise location?"

"Yeah! Any problem with that?"

"No... It's just that I learn something new about you every start of the arc we're in..."

Iggy and Pickle both walk towards the exit, not knowing that a teenage girl with brown and purple hair is headed for the same direction as they were, holding cups of coffee and a croissant along the way.

He bumps her on the way out, causing Pickle and the packages to flutter about.

Iggy, panicked, catches the mug. Pickle lands perfectly on it.

The coffee packages SPLASH! Spills all over her.

...She begins crying.

"My deliveries..."

"Umm... I'm really sorry! I didn't mean to~" Iggy is quick to apologize.

She looks at Iggy and grins; her sharp teeth exaggerating her expression.

"Is that... a fake grin? I can't tell~" Pickle asks.

"Shh! She's having a mental breakdown! Look at her face!"

PICTURE THIS: An uncannily detailed drawing of Puelle's near-snapping face.

"...Oh."

She stands up and calms herself down.

"Anyway... I'll just head back, and~"

"Wait, ma'am, I~" Iggy interrupts.

The girl snaps.

"YOU HAVE CAUSED ME ENOUGH TROUBLE TODAY. NOW SCRAM BEFORE I GRIND THE BEANS OUT OF YOU, JUST LIKE HOW I OBLITERATED THAT MANTIS BITCH." She says with intimidation.

"...Is she on her period?" Pickle really had to ask.

If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

EXPLOSION.

The lass's name is Puelle.

Later, the three are found walking together with ashes all around their bodies.

"Uh, miss, where are we going?" Iggy asks.

"To the cafe. If you really wanna help, then you're substituting as a barista." She replies.

Pickle interrupts yet again.

"So, child labor?"

Silence from Puelle.

"So, child labor?" He reiterates.

"No, Pickle, it's fine. I deserve this." Iggy says.

Iggy and Pickle eagerly enter the coffee shop, with Puelle following them. A middle-aged man with headphones is serving cups of coffee on the counter.

His name is Zachary.

"Oh, Puelle! How did the deliveries go?"

"Two Lattes, Three Cappuccinos, One Special, and four quaso to go, please... I spilled the delivery, so this kid's filling up for me."

"Uh, hi?" Iggy waves at Zachary, who is a tad bit silent after what Puelle just said.

"Uh, Puelle, I can't exactly... employ a child~"

"Treat him as a volunteer."

Puelle walks to the chair at the edge of the shop and sits down.

"Now please let me fall asleep, I'm so tired..."

She cries face down the counter jokingly. Zachary smiles at the commotion she's making.

"Kay! Two Lattes, Three Cappuccinos, One Special, and four croissants to go! You hear me?"

There's a small decimation from the kitchen. The door slowly creaks open. A curious Iggy lifts his head a bit. Smoke leaking from the kitchen door.

A ghost pops up from the wall.

"Nope!" The ghost said.

Her name is Kay.

Zachary crosses arms after what he just heard. Retaining a cutesy face, Kay slowly creeps back to the kitchen.

"And you, there's an apron in the kitchen." Zachary says upon looking back at Iggy.

Zachary throws an order ticket and a pencil at Iggy. He catches the order ticket with his vacant hand, the pencil landing on Pickle perfectly.

"You go take the orders, But I warn you. Things can get... explosive... around here."

"...For example?" Iggy asks.

EXPLOSION FROM OUTSIDE.

Iggy is in shock. Wind from outside barges in through the door. A very pissed Zachary is steadily standing behind the counter.

"That... example." He says, wiping the gunk off his face.

A few minutes in, Puelle had left for her delivery duties. Kay is putting croissants in the oven.

"You think the kid's up for the job, Kay? The Mantis incident was pretty recent, and I.." Zachary asks.

"Eh. who am I to refuse free labor? That just saves a whole amount of work for us three." Kay replies, smirking bombastically.

Back in the order station, A stressed customer is talking to Iggy. Pickle is just chilling on the counter.

"Ugh, I said... Cappuccino!"

"Uhh... How do you spell that?" A frantic Iggy asks Pickle.

"You're telling me that you're a scriptwriter but you can't spell Cappuccino!?"

"Is it a double P? Or a double C?" Iggy ignores Pickle's complaint.

"IT'S BOTH, IGGY! IT'S BOTH!"

Zachary and Kay look at the commotion from the kitchen.

"Yup, he'll blend in JUST fine." Kay sarcastically responds.

"Hey, child labor kid!" She added.

"...He's a volunteer, Kay." Zachary disappointingly grunts.

"Haha! Imma get you charged by the court! :D" Kay says with sarcasm written all over her face. She then serves two coffees at the counter.

> "Hey! Kid! Serve this at Table 3!"

"Uh... Okay!" Iggy blindly responds.

> "Serve this at Table 4!"

"Alright!"

> "Waiter! I need more creamer!"

"Coming!"

> "Can I have this for takeout?"

"Of course!"

Iggy runs out of breath.

"This job just got way too easy now..." Kay smugs.

"Hey, kid! Take this to Table 7. It's outside!" She added.

Kay recklessly gives the tray of coffee cups to Iggy. He almost loses his balance.

"On it!" He says, making his way outside.

"You sure you don't wanna rest? You're working yourself too hard!" Pickle tells Iggy.

"Nah, I'm fine."

Outside, a humanoid praying mantis and a man are having a conversation.

"Table 7... There!" Iggy says to himself.

He serves the drinks to the two customers.

"Here's your orders, ma'am and sir."

"Finally, something out of this sloppy cafe." The mantis complained.

"...Shut it. You've caused enough trouble to this place yesterday." The man told the mantis.

Iggy can't help but notice the heat of the sun. Coinciding by distance, he unknowingly looks at the cafe's signboard.

It says "Yoshim's."

He can't help but remember something Pickle had said before.

"Yeah! My senses track that he's heading towards a coffee shop named Yoshim's in a couple of hours!"

Iggy's eyes dilate in realization.

"Massacre's coming."

He rushed back to the counter. Pickle notices that he's sweating.

"Iggy! Is something the matter?" Pickle asks.

"Yoshim's... It's this coffee shop, Pickle!"

"Ouh." Pickle bites his imaginary lip. "How did we miss that!?"

Iggy sneaks down, his eyes peeking from the counter.

Zachary enters the order station from the kitchen, holding freshly baked croissants. He takes notice of Iggy as he puts the croissants on the counter's shelf.

"...What are you doing?" Zachary asks.

"Shh! He should be here anytime soon..." Iggy replies.

"Who, exactly?"

"The purge of uncreativeness..."

The cafe's door opens.

A heavy gust of dark wind comes from the outside. Massacre, full of intimidation in his face, appears. Iggy nervously ducks just a bit.

Zachary, confused, pulls Iggy out and makes him stand straight.

Faking a grin, he nervously picks up a pencil and some ticket paper and gulps.

...Massacre walks up to the counter.

"W~ Welcome to Yoshim's... Can I take your order?"

"Ah, so even YOU followed me here...~"

Iggy slightly shakes, squirming inside.

"Isn't that right... Iggy?"