They say fate works in odd ways.

Coffee grounds and syrup hung in the air, coating the back of Yui's throat as she shuffled in and out of the kitchen- serving some of the last customers of the day. She beamed a few niceties here and there, bowing as she left the glossy keyaki-wood table of a young woman who spoke vaguely of becoming a novelist. She was a regular, prone to ordering the Café au lait.

People came and went here, some willing to fraternize and others simply trying to escape their cubicles for a few measly minutes. The atmosphere the café held was warm and inviting, often seeing more regulars or people that returned in contrast to the aforesaid office-workers.

Yui had been working there for only a few months, though felt as if she had integrated quickly. While the manager Reiji was strict and the head-cook Laito was quite a character, she enjoyed working at the café. It felt like more of a home than she ever had after leaving her father. Even then, while she was always devout to him, their relationship become distant as the girl grew older. On the other side of the spectrum, the café was always bright and comfortable, and even if the staff were abrasive at times, they were livable. Smelling nice when she went home for the day was just a bonus.

As she passed the kitchen, the muffled sound of the head cook chiding one of his lackeys slipped from the doors. Laito generally was a laidback individual, but never seemed to get along well with the other cooks. Of course, he'd normally tease them if anything, but on his bad days he was known for throwing quite a fit. Today seemed like a prime example.

One of the other waiters, a smaller young man whom had become almost obscenely popular among high school girls, stood clacking away at the register, his eyes traveling back and forth from a receipt and the log the café kept for queued orders. Noticing Yui lingering behind him at last, he adjusted his glasses and vaguely motioned to her. "There is an order at table three..two people this time. Definitely not regulars. You should take them." With that, he returned his attention back to his work, idly brushing a stray strand of lavender hair from his face.

Yui scanned the room as subtly as she could before shuffling through her pockets for her notepad, spotting the two new customers as aforementioned. They were both men, perhaps a year or so older than herself. Most probably university students as well. Their visible personalities clashed, however; one being reserved and almost somnolent while the other fit the archetype of clamorous and rowdy perfectly. Hopefully they wouldn't be too much trouble serving- though it's not like Yui ever looked down on difficult customers.

With a pat to fluff her dress, then a struggle to secure a few stray wisps of hair, she at last left the safety of the counter and approaching the table with a warm 'いらっしゃいませ!'

"Welcome to Café Rosen! Today's specials include our French Toast & Chef's Omurice- which can be personalized upon your request. May I take your order..?"

The darker haired one of the two- who was the one emanating the rambunctious aura, practically jumped from the booth once the young woman finished reciting her lines, his thumb skimming straight to a specific place in the menu. "I'll have an order of Earl Grey and…is your cheesecake any good? If so, I'll get that! What about you, Neet?" He motioned to the fellow sitting opposite of him, staring almost impatiently. However, the blonde young man had a pair of earbuds in- showing little concern or even willingness to place an order. The other man huffed, waving his hand in dismissal and giving a look of exasperation. "Just ignore him. He's paying whether he buys something or not."

This response took Yui by surprise, though she gave a wobbly curtsey nonetheless and assured him that his order would be out soon. As she turned her heel, the same boisterous voice called out again- if it were any louder, she would've sworn it would have grabbed her wrist.

"Oi! Waitress? Can you make sure to bring extra sugar cubes?"

Again, she reassured the customer that she'd bring as many sugar cubes as needed and rushed back to the kitchen. Indeed, Laito had been giving the secondary chef, Ayato, an earful; the latter of whom had resorted to sulking in the farther reaches of the kitchen as Laito handled the saucers and cups near the sink.

"Ah- sorry for interrupting you! There are two orders from table three, a single early grey and a slice of cheesecake." Her voice chimed in non-falsified hesitancy. She couldn't avoid it, as it would mean making someone wait for their order, but she could almost feel Laito's bad mood seeping through the floor's tiling and coating the dishes. All the same, Laito gave a tepid smile in Yui's direction and nodded. "Anything else, Yui-chan..?" he implored, prodding Yui to save himself future hassle. "Well, there is a second person at said table, but..he refrained from ordering. There's a chance he'll ask for something later, in which case I'll handle whatever he needs." He gave another nod, unusually quiet for it nearing the end of his shift, and continued gently washing the dirtied cups.

Yui went straight to work following their brief interaction, brewing the tea before having to stop midway through- leaving a huffy Ayato to watch over things while she tended to the table, as they rang the small dining bell left at each buffet. "My apologies! May I help you?" This time, Yui directed her attention solely to the darker haired man, as the blonde continued to show little interest in anything aside from dozing off.

"Would you mind bringing out the sugar cubes now? The tea is taking too long." Sugar cubes alone? What an odd thing to ask for.. But, if she wanted to be tipped well, or receive her paycheck for that matter, she would comply. "Again, my apologies. I'll be right back with them." She turned again, ambling once more to the kitchen. The blonde happened to be looking up this time, whose glance Yui only met for half a second. Admittedly, she almost stumbled after realizing he had been looking at her; which was a tad absurd minding that that's what she had been trained to become accustomed to; however…

It was something in that brief gaze. That fraction of a glance.

Yui's heart gave a beat so loud that she couldn't even hear Ayato's incessant complaining as she went back into the kitchen, nor the continuance of his whining as she left with a small bowl of sugar cubes which she placed down infront of the duo. "Can I get you anything else?" she questioned with an airy tinge to her voice. Picking up a few of the sugar cubes from their confines and plopping them into his mouth, the only one of the two who had yet to respond shook his head, seemingly content with his current state of being. Yui nodded, curtsying again in the same monotonous pattern as she returned to the safety of the kitchen.

Laito and Ayato were once again at each other's necks, this time as result of Ayato's negligence to watch over Yui's tea for the single minute she was away. Of course, because of the high standards of quality that Café Rosen kept, the whole batch had to be scrapped and Yui was forced to rebrew everything. Once she finally finished- making sure to grab the slice of cheesecake that Laito set out for her, she rushed to the table in as courteous of a way that she could, only to find that the blonde sat alone. He was, however, awake this time, watching Yui with a bored expression.

"I'm sorry for the wait!" her voice flopped to a mere mumble as she served the orders, drenched in guilt while attempting her best not to show it. She gave a quick glance about the room following this, as if to catch a glimpse of wherever that other man had gone off to. "Ah? Your friend is still here, right?"

The blonde, who was still intently watching Yui, shook his head and spoke up for the first time. "He left. He said you took too long." She nodded dolefully, her stomach churning with wild vigor. "That's my fault, I apologise.. Shall I clear this away, then? You're paying, yes?"

He shook his head, reaching out and pulling the tea to himself. "I am paying, but I don't want my money to go to waste.." He grabbed a single sugar cube, placing it gently towards the center of the cup and stirring.

"Ah, well..unfortunately, we're closing for the day rather soon, sir."

"Shuu."

"I..beg your pardon?"

"My name is Shuu."

"Er-..we happen to be closing soon, Shuu.." Yui fidgeted with the hem of her dress. Never before had she squirmed under the scrutiny of any other customer. That is to say, never had she been so late regarding an order, either.

"Aren't you going to share your name as well..?"

With a weak smile, she shook her head. "My name is Yui."

Shuu took a sip of his tea, almost completely brushing her off.

Yui pursed her lips, her hands knotting around the wooden serving tray that the held to her chest. "I'll leave you be, then-"

Wait.

His eyes were elsewhere, drifting off into the depths of his teacup most likely, though he had most definitely spoken up.

"..The tea tastes bad. Too sweet." He placed it back upon the saucer, pushing it outwards with a frown.

Yui's heart dropped once again. She cleared the table without a fuss, despite this- including the uneaten cheesecake, and scampered away to clean it off. Kanato should have taken that table after all…

She halfheartedly trashed the dessert, placing the dish in the sink and leaning against the counter with a heavy sigh. The day was almost over. One bad happening with a customer doesn't ruin everything, right?

With both Laito and Ayato nowhere to be seen (probably getting ready to leave, as rebrewing the second batch of tea took quite a while longer than she had anticipated), Yui resorted to checking back on Shuu. Remarkably enough, he was still there- though just standing up and preparing to leave.

She was hesitant to speak up at first, though tore through herself to muster up the courage to bid him farewell. "Thank you for coming to Café Rosen! Please come again." She bowed, hoping that it would in some way makeup for the mishaps. By the time she looked up, Shuu was half way out the door and contently on his way. She was crushed, her face flushing a nice shade of pink in embarrassment. Oh well. At least the day was over.

Yui continued about her business, not even bothering to check the table any further; being reminded of his stare would send her into another tremor of uncomfortable pain.

In the back room, she changed and brushed out her hair, lingering in front of the mirror momentarily longer than she usually would have.

Just walk home now.

Yui steered herself from the dressing room and in the direction of the door without the thought of stopping so much as crossing her mind. She was simply going to go home now- go home and rest.

"Oi- Chichinashi. "

What is it now..?

"You're forgetting your tip."