"Master Kiriyama, you were there two years ago."
Finally! Some brief backstory from Kurumi Miharu herself before the thing starts to get out of hand.
Let's take back to summer of 2022, a dine in restaurant is not that quite busy even though it's summer break. In the city of Yokohama, Japan, there named a restaurant called, Miharyuko. Mainly, they serve desserts such as parfaits, cupcakes and macaroons, so we could say that they're more like a dessert and sweets shop. While also serving icecream and various cold desserts, we could tell that it would be a hit to the customers.
But the catch is that they don't. A year have passed since the owner and the owner of the shop have passed away due to some illness.
It's always her that create the food herself with her two daughters. There's this something different kind of taste in their desserts that made it a talk of the town. So you could say that a secret ingredient exist to make the most sweetest food known to passerbys.
Then that's where it starts to crumble apart after the passing of the owner. Her daughters cannot fathom the secret behind the success of her shop that led to disrupt of the flavor of the desserts when the two took on the lead of the restaurant.
Of course other family members tried to lend their hand with the business but what can you expect on two 14-year old girls? The meddling of others also caused a dispute between the ownership of the shop that led to various quarrels and debts.
The twins could not handle the babblings of their relatives that leaved them no choice but to give in the management to other family members. Plus the stress from school works since they're top students in their middle-school added to their weight to carry so they really have no choice.
The older twin, Kurumi Mihara and the younger twin, Shirumi Mihara, thought that it would just be a good choice since they know that their aunts know how to run the business and took in the job that's why they are in good shoulders that it will work out, of course they have to figure out how to get finances on their own since their mother's passing.
Now, I know that you wonder why there's older and younger sister if they're just twins themselves. Then, use your common sense, Dear readers! Kurumi came out in this world 5 minutes advance than Shirumi so that's that, no need to explain further.
I also know you're wondering why they have different hair colors if they're twins. Their father who left them while they're young have black hair and their mother has white, so it's up to you to figure out the biology behind this.
Months have passed since the transferring of the management to their relatives, the twin's found themselves holding again the keys of the shop's entrance door.
With a 400 thousand-yen debt in the business name, the two doesn't have any courage to hold out and insert the key to the door of the very own restaurant of their mother.
Apparently, the former managers were just all talk and just there for the benefit that came from the business insurances. But when the hard day strikes, the relatives shown no skill in reviving the shop and just few months of the ownership, they throw in the towel. The debt came from the lavish expense committed by those assholes who just there for the money.
"What are we gonna do now, Nee-san?", Shirumi asked with a trembling voice, not sure if they could really revive the shop again.
"Think what would mom would do in this times," Kurumi replied, of course her voice is also a bit shaky but she have to keep her cool since she's the older sister.
"There's nothing we can do even if we chase those bastards and make them pay. As if they can help us to put back again what they take away from mom, from us."
"But are we gonna really make it back to square one? On our own again with that huge debt holding us down?", Shirumi says.
The sky's gloomy and the rain is about to drop, the area is quite dark since it's just only 6 in the morning and there's an approaching storm.
"We have no choice to do it otherwise, or else we will go down to shame if we didn't do anything to save mom's reputation."
And thus the two work on day and day out sometimes taking turn to handle the store while the other is focusing on school. Well it went on like that for about months and surprise, surprise, they did well than those shitty bastards who took on the but found unworthy in the end.
"2 months have passed but we only managed to get 100 thousand. *sigh, I think there's nothing really we can do even if we work for the rest of our school days," Shirumi sighs cynically while wiping the counters seat waiting for customers to come.
"Meh! Now the time have finally reach the peak, this time customers will lose interest with our food if this keeps going on," Shirumi added pointing out that they still couldn't figure out how they can make desserts par to their mother's work.
The white haired sister turn on silence even if Shirumi would budge something like that, she just keeps doing her thing to complete the recipe.
"Just bear with it, Shirumi. You have nothing to do anyway," Kurumi says while behind she's behind Shirumi. She had that fancy white apron at the top of her elegant uniform, looks like she's cooking something so let her cook!
"Haah, it's always like this, Nee-san. I hope I could just take a break for myself on my own, huh? I wanna go out now!" Shirumi is babbling again waiting for her to slip in.
"Just shut up, Shirumi. I'm almost done with her so let's take turn after this."
"But it's already 10 in the morning but still there's no customer sitting, we look like an idiot here. Who's in the right mind to open the store 6 early in the morning?", Shirumi continues to wail, of course in her usual cute and innocent expression but Kurumi only kept her cool until she finish baking the cake she have been working to.
*cling *ka-chack
"Oh, there's customer now, Shirumi," Kurumi says after hearing the entrance door opens.
"Yes, yes, got it, Nee-san," Shirumi replied with a bit of complaint towards Kurumi.
She walks thoroughly to meet the customer with a modest manner, "Welcome, Sir, may we know what do you want?"
"Uh, sorry wrong restaurant." The guy mercilessly turn back from awkwardness.
"Eh! Wait, Sir, please don't leave," Shirumi uttered to the guy pleasing him not to leave.
"Please tell me what do you want?"
In front her is a guy having messy dark-brown hair, has brown eyes for a moment but immediately turned his face back upon realizing he have done an embarrasing mistake. He's wearing a black long sleeve uniform and black trousers just like the uniform for middle-school boys.
"Kiriyama?", Shirumi says to himself when she saw the name plate from his uniform. Oh my God! It's our boy, guys. Now, time for him to cook.
"Ah! Pardon me but I'm leaving," our man uttered while being hold back in the arm by Shirumi. "It's my fault to mistaken your shop for being a manga store. So could you please let me since I have to go now."
"Just wait, mister, how about you dine in first before going away," Shirumi is persistent to convince Toby to get in.
"Pardon for intrusion, but I have to go now. I'm not also hungry so thank you," he replied.
"Would you like to get our new limited cake to celebrate this day's special? Please give it a try for once," still Shirumi isn't giving up to Toby just like what will happen 2 years later, (you know what I'm talking).
"I'm not in for cakes now and I having something important to do after this." Hmm, now I wonder what this guy is up to.
"Please Sir, I'm begging you to at least give it a try," Shirumi says. Even though she's complaining from before, Shirumi is eager to help her sister in even just managing the shop since she could let Kurumi handle the food.
"Hear me out but my answer is still I refuse," he's persistent in evading just like with the cats but now with cakes.
"How about you try it now and you will get 1 free cake after this. You can have that for free, but at least buy this for once." She's making reasonable offers for Toby, if that would be me, I'm surely in.
"Sorry but I'm leaving now."
"Huh? What's this commotion all about?" Suddenly, Kurumi appeared out of nowhere near the two with a freshly baked cake on top of an elegant plate in her hands.
"Hmm? Shirumi, who's this? Is he a customer?"
"Yes, Nee-san, but he's trying to refuse my offer."
"I have to go, you two. I'll pass for now, I don't have sweet tooth," Toby says.
*woosh
Out of nowhere, Kurumi bow down to Toby and say, "I'm begging you sir, please have a seat with us even just for once." All of that with a calmness in her tone and sincere pleasing.
The guy scratches his head while being held by Shirumi in his hands. He letted out a sigh.
"Fine, fine, just this once, okay?", he uttered that deeply touched the hearts of the two.