Just as the businessman sighed in resignation, the café door swung open again.
Ding-ding!
A group of unfamiliar men in expensive suits walked in, looking around curiously. They were clearly from the city, their polished shoes and high-end watches standing out in the cozy countryside café.
Haru, Leo, and Riku instantly rushed forward to greet them—
…but, as expected, chaos followed.
"WELCOME TO OUR CAFÉ—!" Haru started, but his shoelace was untied.
THUD!
Haru tripped, crashed into Leo, who bumped into Riku, and together, they all went down like dominoes!
One of the businessmen jumped back in shock.
"Are they… always like this?" he whispered to Renji, who was sipping his coffee, completely unfazed.
"Yes," Renji replied calmly.
Meanwhile, the three boys quickly scrambled up, patting each other down.
"Ahem! W-we meant to do that!" Leo laughed nervously.
Riku, pretending nothing happened, quickly pulled out their handmade business cards and handed them to the guests.
"Here! Our special card! Please visit often!"
The businessmen looked at the doodled card filled with cats, tigers, and puppies.
One of them blinked. "...Is this... a café or a kindergarten?"
Haru beamed. "Both!"
The businessman couldn't help but laugh. The energy of these boys was just too contagious.
"Alright," one of them finally said. "We'll stay for coffee."
The café erupted in excitement as Haru, Leo, and Riku cheered and ran off to prepare the drinks.
Renji, watching them from the corner, shook his head with a rare, amused smirk.
"What a ridiculous place..." he murmured, but deep inside, he was already looking forward to his next visit.
As soon as the businessmen agreed to stay, chaos unfolded once again.
Haru rushed to the counter to prepare the coffee but forgot to turn on the machine.Leo was setting the table but tripped over a chair.Riku tried to carry a tray of cakes, but his sleeve got caught, sending pastries flying.
"NOOOO—!"
SPLAT!
One cake landed right on a businessman's sleeve.
The entire café went silent.
The man looked down at the frosting on his expensive suit, his face unreadable.
Leo and Riku froze in fear.
But then—
"HAHAHAHA!"
The man suddenly burst into laughter!
"You boys are unbelievable!" he chuckled, wiping his sleeve. "You remind me of when I first started my own business. It was just as messy!"
Haru, Leo, and Riku blinked.
"Wait… you own a business?" Haru asked.
The man smirked. "Not just any business. I run one of the biggest café chains in the city."
The three boys gasped.
"EH?! A COFFEE KING?!"
Renji, sipping his coffee, finally spoke.
"Took you long enough to realize. That's Lin Akihiko, the CEO of Royal Brew Coffee."
Haru, Leo, and Riku looked at each other, then at Lin.
And then—
"PLEASE TEACH US HOW TO BE RICH!"
They dramatically fell to their knees, clasping their hands.
Lin and the other businessmen laughed again.
But then, Lin's eyes sparkled with curiosity.
"Alright. How about this?" he said, leaning forward. "I'll give you a challenge. If you can double your café's profit in one month, I'll personally help expand your café business."
The three boys froze.
"Double… our profits?"
They looked at each other.
"THAT SOUNDS IMPOSSIBLE!"
Renji smirked from his seat. "I wouldn't be so sure."
Lin stood up, stretching. "Think about it. You have potential, even if you're a disaster. If you succeed, I'll teach you the secrets of the café business."
With that, he patted Leo's head and headed for the door.
Before leaving, he turned back. "Oh, and… be careful next time. My suit is worth more than your café."
And then, he was gone.
The three boys sat in stunned silence.
Then, Leo jumped up. "GUYS. WE HAVE TO DO THIS!"
Haru nodded, fire in his eyes. "YEAH! WE'LL BECOME RICH!"
Riku, still thinking about Lin's expensive suit, gulped. "Uh… first, let's not spill anything on rich people anymore."
As the café buzzed with excitement, Renji leaned back in his chair, watching them with an amused smirk.
"This is going to be fun."