The coffee machine made a gushing sound. Bitter, hot-brew coffee came right through the orifice and fell straight into the ceramic cup. Two cubes of sugar and three dollops of whipped cream were plopped into the dark fluid. As it was being stirred, the original shade of brown turned lighter after every repeating motion. Sweet and tender aroma escaped along with the moistened mist from the coffee.
This cup of morning joe was now extremely sweet even for someone who had a sweet tooth, let alone an average person. But for a person like Mousumi, this was entirely normal.
Ever since becoming a university student up until she enrolled for an internship, it has comforted her and kept her motivated constantly throughout days and nights.
Although for a year now, her source of motivation has somewhat shifted to something else.
Or to be precise, 'someone' else.
Mousumi picked up her breakfast tray from the cafeteria counter and headed towards a crowded sitting area. She swept her gaze through all four sides of this hall filled with gossip and chatter but couldn't find a place to enjoy her steaming hot egg benedict and heavily sweetened coffee in peace.
Just when Mousumi had lost hope and turned around to leave, she heard a playful voice calling out to her.
"Sumi-chan! Here, here~" Shirotani waved her hands to get Mousumi's attention. Her mouth was stuffed wholly with a chocolate croissant.
"Ugh!-" Narumiya, who always followed ethics and etiquette devotedly, gritted her teeth and smacked Shirotani in the back of the head for her unruly behavior. Thereafter, she continued to wipe away the crumbs on her face which were ruthlessly spat out from Shirotani's mouth.
"Are you a middle-schooler? Swallow and speak."
"Sowwy~" Shirotani mumbled in a low voice and looked down at her food tray with a saddened expression.
Mousumi held the breakfast tray very close to herself and strode hurriedly towards their table. She carefully avoided bumping into people on the way.
She soon laid her eyes on the seat right across from Narumiya which was empty and ignored by the lively group of salarymen busy chattering away beside them. She swiftly placed her tray on the table and pulled the chair out cautiously without making a sound.
"You're late today, Sumi-chan! What kept you hanging?" Shirotani blinked her big doe-eyes and pouted in a listless manner.
Mousumi held the cup of coffee with her slender fingers and replied as she took a whiff out of it, "I was assisting the shift supervisor in the front office section with payrolls today. It seemed like he didn't keep track of overtime working hours for an employee and it caused quite a scene. Thankfully, the matter was solved with Manager Kaneshiro's help. I hope he'll be more attentive next time." The scent of coffee calmed her nerves and she finally felt like she could breathe after a stressful morning.
"Was it the shift supervisor of Verandah Cafe, Tetsuya Mori?"
Mousumi frowned and raised her head to look up in a confused manner. "That's right, how did you..."
The person who asked that question was neither Narumiya nor Shirotani but rather a dignified presence, fragrant of jasmine. Her lips were tinted plum red and her face shone like it was glazed in honey. Her hair flowed down to her waist, silky and smooth to the touch. The whirring of the fan above them made her hair dance lightly. Her overall appearance was nothing but enchanting.
Kanae Itou.
A name she often heard but never questioned. A person she often observed but never approached.
Mousumi was rendered speechless. Her breath hitched and her face flushed red. The distance between them was not too close but not too far. On the bright side, it was the closest Mousumi had ever gotten to this person. It was for the first time that their eyes met for longer than a minute. Mousumi's eyelashes couldn't help but flutter a bit.
Kanae shook her head in dissatisfaction, "He's always lazing out at work! We've already got our hands full with the recruitments this month. I've informed Kaneshiro-san to find a substitute for him already. Firing a mere unfaithful employee would only do good to the company after all."
Shirotani banged her palms on the table. Startled, Narumiya's shoulders shot up in surprise. "Kanae-san, I absolutely agree with you! This is the second time he has done it, you know. Last time, Narumiya and I, had a hard time cleaning up after him." Fury was clearly visible in her eyes. "I hope he finds stones in his rice."
"I understand your grievance but tone it down, will you?" Narumiya said languidly.
Kanae felt hysterical to see Narumiya bothered and responded, "Bwahaha Shirotani-san, you're quite entertaining! No wonder Nanase-chan has been sticking to you~" She glanced at Narumiya with a teasing smile.
"Don't act so casual with me." Narumiya glared at her and retorted coldly.
"Oh my! How scary~" Kanae proceeded to annoy Narumiya.
Meanwhile, Shirotani was purely surprised to see them speak this informally. "Uhm? Since when did you two start speaking on a first-name basis?"
"What? Nanase-chan hasn't told you yet? We were-"
Narumiya panicked internally. She quickly tried to find a subject to change the flow of the conversation. "I heard that you were resigning?"
Mousumi, who had been in a daze for a very long time snapped out of it. The one question which swelled up her anxiety and kept her awake from sleeping was finally going to be answered. Sweat started to collect on her forehead. She couldn't help stealing a glance at Kanae. Eyes fixated, she eagerly waited for Kanae to speak up.
"..."
Kanae narrowed her eyes, "Who told you that I was resigning?"
"Horishiki-san..." Narumiya trailed off after looking at Kanae's blackened face.
Kanae muttered under her breath, "That ***ker."
Mousumi : (• ▽ •;)
Shirotani : (゜o゜;
Narumiya : =_=
"I'm not resigning." Kanae sighed heavily and set down her tea cup on the table.
"Actually, I'm getting promoted to a new branch line. They promised me higher pay. Of course, I didn't refuse. By next week, you all will probably get offers to move too. The details are confidential so, I can't say anything further. All I can say is that, if you do end up accepting the offer, then we'll be seeing each other more often than you think."
Shirotani, being a simpleton, jumped up on her feet cheerfully soon after hearing the good part of the news, "A promotion?! That calls for a celebration!!! I'll go get some pastries~~"
"Eh? There's no need for you to get them, Shirotani-san. I'll buy them, and consider it as a bribe to accept the offer. Besides, Nanase-chan isn't fond of sweet foods. You'll be fine with a cappuccino, right?" Kanae looked at Narumiya for affirmation.
"Yes." Narumiya nodded lightly and continued to munch on her sandwich.
Shirotani was shocked to see Narumiya confirm the fact. "Nanase...since when did you not like sweet foods?"
"Since the beginning." Narumiya responded listlessly as she wiped her hands off with a napkin.
"You never told me..." The light in Shirotani's eyes flickered. It seemed as though she became low in spirits. All the energy from earlier dispersed in an instant.
"You never asked."
"..." Shirotani's eyes widened. Her lips bobbed up and down to say something. However, not a single word escaped her mouth.
Mousumi drifted into a daze yet again. The words, 'promotion', and 'moving', were everything that occupied her little head. She couldn't comprehend the emotions she felt; whether it was happiness because of the fact Kanae wasn't resigning or sadness because she'll no longer be working in this company branch. The chances of sending a newly promoted employee like Mousumi to another branch were quite low. Meaning, the opportunity to see Kanae every day would be lost. Moreover, this would possibly count as their last goodbye.
Mousumi never had the guts to confess. There were plenty of opportunities to do so. But, she was always concerned about breaking workplace etiquette. Confessing to a superior... was outrageous.
Maybe it wasn't that. Maybe she was concerned about herself. If she confessed and Kanae-san rejected her, what would happen after that? She was afraid of what would happen to her.
Mousumi, who had never experienced heartbreak in 22 years of her average life, was too scared to get hurt.
Now that Kanae Itou was going to disappear from her sight. She thought to herself, 'Ah, this is far more painful than any kind of heartbreak.'
"Sumi-chan, what kind of pastry would you like to have?" Kanae inched closer to get her opinion when Mousumi suddenly started to tear up. Kanae looked like an adult who bullied a middle schooler in a play park for her amusement. Even though she didn't commit any wrongdoings towards Mousumi she strangely felt guilty and started to apologize.
"Sumi-chan, I'm sorry...are you okay?" Kanae patted her shoulder to comfort her. Mousumi slightly trembled in her touch.
"Why are you apologizing...this is so...embarrassing." Mousumi quickly rummaged through her handbag and took out a handkerchief. She continued to speak as she wiped her misty eyes, "I...have this eye problem where I tear up...when I'm sleep deprived." Mousumi desperately tried to make up an excuse.
"So, there's nothing for you to worry about."
She smiled bitterly while dabbing away at her eye and wished Kanae goodwill, "Congratulations on getting promoted, Kanae-san. You definitely deserve it. I'm sure with your capabilities, you'll do well at your new workplace. Seeing you work hard at your job has made me feel motivated. Work was fun because of you...Thank you very much for your guidance so far. If it's not too much trouble, I'd be happy to have a cheesecake."
"My goodness! I'm really glad to have such a lovely kouhai at work. One cheesecake? I'll buy you two or three, as many as you want! Just say the word and this Onee-san will buy it for you anytime, okay?" Kanae smiled widely and patted Mousumi on the head. Her eyes glimmered with affection.
"What about you, Shirotani-san?" Kanae stood up to leave.
"En, what...?" Shirotani mumbled in a puzzled tone.
"Pastry?~" Kanae sang along to mimic Shirotani's cutesy way of speaking.
"AH! YES A BLACK FOREST PLEASE."
Kanae laughed light-heartedly, "Sure, you're adorable. But simmer yourself down, you're grabbing attention."
Shirotani immediately became self-conscious and stood up to apologize to the people seated at the neighboring tables.
*
That very afternoon, Kanae was summoned to the head office on short notice and hence couldn't make it back by the end of the lunch break. It seemed to be an issue related to her transfer procedure. Nonetheless, she didn't forget to deliver the pastries as promised through a sentry.
Narumiya and Mousumi both finished consuming their delicacies as soon as they were dropped off at their office in the steamy afternoon. On the contrary; though the sun set a while before, the usual bustling office started to dim and the smell of caffeine no longer lingered near her nose, Shirotani didn't even take a single bite of her fluffy and creamy black forest pastry.
Mousumi was an observer by nature. Normally, Shirotani would be the first person to hail an attack on food. No matter what cuisine or taste, she could never let the treasure escape her mouth. This time, however, Shirotani had a mouth-watering dessert right beside her for the past 5 hours and she didn't bother to spare a glance at it. Mousumi couldn't help but feel that something was off about her.
"Shirotani-san, you're working overtime today?"
"..."
"Shirotani-san, are you listening to me?" Mousumi tried to nudge her by the elbow.
"S-E-N-P-A-I-!!!" Mousumi let her voice out loud and snapped her fingers at Shirotani in an attempt to get her attention.
"Shirotani-Senpai!"
"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHH-!"
"...."
"WOAH YOU SURPRISED ME THERE."
"I'm the one who got a cardiac arrest hearing you scream."
"Huh? Are you okay....? I'm sorry, what...how do I help-"
"I'm okay, but it doesn't seem like you are doing okay."
"Is that so, I'm...okay...really....are you leaving?"
"Ah yes! It's the first time I'm getting off this early."
"That's great, go home and rest up. Good work today."
"Are you going to stay?"
"Probably for another hour, my project's due today. Did Narumiya leave already?"
"Yes, she took off at 5."
"I see...she didn't ask you to inform me about it?"
"Uhm, no."
"Oh well then, I don't want to keep you waiting. See you tomorrow, Sumi-chan."
"Yes, see you tomorrow." Mousumi was hesitant to leave after watching Shirotani's gloomy expression. Regardless, she turned and walked towards the exit with a heavy heart as she didn't want to be a hindrance to Shirotani. She stepped back and looked over once again to calm her worrisome soul. Shirotani waved at her in reassurance and mouthed a 'Good night' in coordination. Mousumi bowed politely and left without a word, only a smile lingered around the corners of her mouth.
Shirotani watched Mousumi's back disappear at the corner of a wall and continued typing away at her keyboard. Her fingertips pressed against the keys with ease.
Click.
And released in harmony.
Clack.
Click, Clack, Click, Clack...
Abruptly, her fingers slowed down and the subtle noise of the keyboard came to a stop. A certain memory was played over and over again in her head. Her thoughts were endless.
'Why didn't I know?'
'What else do I not know about her?'
'Have I always been this ignorant?'
'I'm her only closest friend and yet...Kanae knows more about her than I ever did.'
'How are they so close all of a sudden?'
'She never mentioned to me about this."
'Of course, she can have friends other than me...what was I expecting?'
'I'm so selfish.'
'I'm the worst.'
'It's not like we are...
'We...' Shirotani thoughts eventually trailed off. She couldn't continue her sentence. More likely, she didn't know how to. She didn't know what came after that.