When he opened his eyes, the world around him became both closer and farther away, extending through his field of vision. Right in front of him...
"Sleeping on the job again…?"
Was a tall woman dressed in the Cafe's maid uniform of a green shirt, brown skirts, and white knee high socks. Her hair was long, but it only came halfway down her back. She was leaning against the cashier's counter, looking at the newly awakened Kazehaya.
"Ah―! My bad"
"Anyway, there's a customer over there"
"Yea yea, I'll take their order…"
Kazehaya reached under the counter for a sheet of paper and a pencil from his pencil case. Then he walked over to the table where the customer was sitting.
―oh? It's the same girl as before…
Every time she visited the cafe for the past four months, the same girl came in and ordered the same drink. Every time she comes to visit, she dresses differently than before, and this is how everyone perceives her. But every time she came to the cafe, she wore the same clothes, but in a different way—a blue sweater and a long white skirt—it was easy to infer that she only wore something on top of them.
The girl was looking out of the window. The view was great, you could see the city of Tokyo lit up in the night.
"May I guess... you're here for the signature coffee, am I right?"
The girl turned around, waving her black hair in the air.
"Haha… I guess I've been caught!"
"Not really, would you also like snacks?".
"Maybe… I'll get fries".
"Alright, fries it is,".
Kazehaya returned to the counter and pressed the tablet's keys. He then goes on to make the girl's favorite drink, their signature coffee. For the fries, the aforementioned girl was in charge of the cafe's kitchen.
"Sara! One order for french fries!"
"understood!"
Sara yelled. She was not only dressed in the cafe's uniform, but she also wore a ribbon around her neck, which she used to make bunny ears.
He didn't work in a very large cafe. The Cafe was also on the outskirts of Tokyo, almost on the edge of a cliff.
"Kazehaya! One french fries!"
Kazehaya quickly grabs the fries and coffee, then walks over to the table where the girl was sitting.
"Here's your coffee and the fries. Have a nice time eating!"
"Thank you very much!"
After that, the girl ate the fries. She places her hands on her cheek after taking one bite.
"Mmmm... It's delicious!"
The girl then started to eat the fries while making a cutesy smile. All the while, Kazehaya was staring at the girl, as if he was scrutinizing every move she made.
The girl then became aware of Kazehaya's anxious gaze and turned her head to face him.
"Why are you looking at me like that? It makes me feel uncomfortable while I eat my fries"
Kazehaya explained that he was caught up in the moment he was in.
"You know how cute you are when you're eating those fries?"
The girl blushed when she heard Kazehaya's comment and went back to eating the fries. Kazehaya kept staring at the child.
Kazehaya shifted his attention away from the girl and chose to gaze out the window. There were water droplets on the glass, which meant just one thing.
"It's raining..."
He approached the window and put his hand on the glass. He thought to himself, "Cold."
Kazehaya shifted his gaze back to the kitchen. Sara kept an eye on him through the kitchen window.
"...."
"...."
Both of them didn't say a word.
※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※
It was the end of Kazehaya's change when the rain ended but the sky remained gloomy.
In the employee's office, Kazehaya was. He quickly changed his clothes while waiting for the clock to strike 7 p.m. He removed the cafe uniform as well as the cafe shoes and hung them in his locker. He snatched up his white sweater, formal attire, and shoes.
His phone rang unexpectedly, but Kazehaya expected it to because he had set an alarm for 7 p.m.
"...what should I get for dinner...?". Sara was standing in front of the employee's room door when he opened it.
"What are you doing?" Kazehaya inquired. His tone was icy and irritable.
"The girl wants you to accompany her..." As she entered the employee break room, Sara answered.
Sara's mouth opened just as Kazehaya was about to walk away to see the girl. She returned her gaze, requesting Kazehaya.
"...could you please take a break...?" Since you've been here, you've been working nonstop."
"I can't believe I'm getting advice from a freshman... I'll take a break, but can you handle the customers on your own?"
"This month, we haven't had many customers; it's only been that girl and maybe one or two others..."
"You make an excellent case, but how about the other stations? Are you ready to take on all of them?"
"Are you forgetting that we have some coworkers?"
"I've been working every day, and it's always been just you and me. When I return from my break, maybe you could introduce me to them?"
"Have you seen them before?".
"Wait, what?"
Despite the fact that he has worked with Sara on a regular basis since the beginning of his job, there are occasions when three people work there, but because the Cafe was a little empty, only Sara and Kazehaya remained.
"All right, when I pay you a visit. Prepare a cup of strong black coffee for me...!"
"Let me guess... without sugar?" says the narrator.
"As usual," Kazehaya said as he entered the cafe's dining room, where the girl was waiting for him. When the girl saw Kazehaya's present, she turned to face him.
"Are you Kazehaya Shouta?"
"You're right,".
"My name is Takanashi Ichika..."
"All right, then... What exactly are you looking for?"
"Would you like to join me for a walk?"
"Eh...?"
Takanashi Ichika, who had just introduced herself to Kazehaya Shouta, had asked him to join her on a stroll. Kazehaya's mind was all over the place, and he couldn't process what Takanashi had just said.
"Is this a date offering?"
"Wait, what? No, no, no! This isn't going to be a date...!"