By: Reyhan Arsyad Basori
That day, I returned to Komorebi with a slightly lighter step.
Even though Dad's face was still cold, his words from yesterday echoed in my head. "That's a good start."
Yukari greeted me as usual. "Morning, Rei. It's a bit busy today, okay?"
I nodded. "Ready."
As I stood behind the counter, the system flashed a new message:
[Active Skill: Emotional Resonance (Lv.1) Activated]
Duration: 10 minutes
Effect: You can feel vague emotional cues from people in the form of keywords
The first customer was a young man in a sharp suit. He smiled politely, but when I triggered the skill…
[Emotion Detected: Anxious – Burdened – Rushed]
"Latte… and a croissant. Takeaway."
I looked at him for a second.
"Would you like to add something? Maybe a bottle of cold water?"
He stared at me, surprised, then gave a tired smile.
"...Yeah. Please. One water too."
The transaction ended.
But the system notified me:
[Empathy +1]
[Social Influence +1]
The day went on as usual, but I felt different.
Not because I could sense emotions—
But because I truly began to care.
I wasn't just serving.
I was starting to connect.