Couldn't My Reincarnation have been more Cliche!

Chapter 19 ( it takes place in a coffee shop.)

[Iris] "Huh??"

The explanation escaped my lips through no fault of my own. The situation was really just too incomprehensible. I mean, I could understand some punk coming to rob this place (though I doubted it would be worth their while), but the words they spoke dispelled most of my thoughts that were their attention. What in the world was a "manna stone"? My thoughts grabbed onto this term straight out of a video game. Despite this, it was said in all seriousness by the man standing menacingly in front of me. Besides that, their outfit didn't make the situation feel any more serious. Hadn't anyone ever told them that it wasn't cool to dress like an 80s movie gang? Despite my desire to laugh, I could tell from their demeanor that they weren't joking. Though for once, it didn't look like I was going to be the focus of events. Dylan? That sounded familiar. It took me a moment to recall where I had heard that name before. Going through the all too short list of names I had heard since entering this world, I soon realized that Mariam had mentioned that her brother had the name.

I was lost for words for a moment as the realization struck me. My estimation of Mariam as a reliable person lowered a little bit, but I mainly had a newfound grudge against her brother. Hey, hey, it doesn't matter if they're in the wrong or the right; he should have just done the gentlemanly thing and let these guys rough him up a little, or whatever. At the very least, don't lead them straight to your sister's shop to cause trouble for her otherworldly employees.

As my indignation somehow turned from the men causing trouble to Dylan, I noticed the lead man open his mouth again.

[Punk Leader] "Heh, most people know better than causing trouble for the Roaring Flame office. Guess you're a real idiot then, huh?"

[Punk Leader] "Last warning kid, come out now if all you want is for us to kick your ass."

He let out a ringing laugh before his words took on a newfound sharpness as he continued.

[Punk Leader] "Last warning kid, come out now if all you want is for us to kick your ass!"

To punctuate his words, he slammed his fist into a small table next to him.

His movements didn't look like anything special; it was the kind of untrained punch that any average person could throw, so I wasn't expecting much to happen; however, as the fist made contact, it was like a lead block had suddenly taken its place. The single leg of the table could only hold up to the force for an instant before it splintered in the middle, sending the top half crashing to the ground in a heap of jagged wood.

Witnessing this, my mouth, which I didn't think could open any wider, found a new low. As I stared, the shorted man, apparently just as caught off guard as I was, took a step back. The taller man, on the other hand, looked in my direction with a condescending smirk. Although I didn't know what he thought of me, I could tell his intentions weren't pure as he took a step towards me. With the same look on his face, he opened his mouth.

[Punk Lackey] "Yo babe, have you ever seen the inside of a rift? After we handle things here, we're heading to a level one rift. What do you say about tagging along? Don't worry, with us there, it would be like going to a zoo. I hear there's a new Albion-Zenistis fusion place that opened nearby too."

Hearing his words, I almost wanted to look behind me to see who he was talking to. I had heard this kind of stuff before, though only as a third party. Part of me wanted to give the guy some advice. Just thinking about the rift I had been in, I highly doubted it would make a good place for a romantic evening. It was always my principle to look for women outside of work hours, something I think this guy could have picked up on. You're clearly conducting a shakedown here. Is now the best time?