AN: This is honestly the fastest I've ever written a piece. This took me two days to write through, and I have no idea what motivated me to do such a feat (if only that kind of motivation stayed with me through all my other stories...). This will be a multi-chapter too, but since I have one and a half multi-chap stories running at the same time, piled on top with other oneshots and the bs from life and school, I'm not sure how I will update this story. I'll try to keep it at least once a month if I can, because I feel very confident in this. I really hope you guys can follow me until I can see the end of this one. c:

This idea, however, couldn't have been possible without my friend. She's Sensitive Soybean on here (i don't think she even uses it though), and also idiototakus on Tumblr. Check her out-she's aesthetic af.

That said, I hope you guys enjoy.

Thank, and ciao. c:

To those who knew Kousaka Honoka knew her as a lively, endearing girl that most loved, but somehow managed to teeter on the edge of obnoxious without ever stepping over the thin line.

To those who really knew Honoka knew her as a teenage girl with a dangerous love for coffee, up to the point where it would be considered an addiction. But like every other addict, Honoka would always deny their accusations...while sipping on a mocha.

But what most people didn't know about Honoka was her love of trying out new things, especially if it involved coffee. Honoka could never explain it, but there was a certain thrill of trying out a new activity, of tasting a new food, of doing something unfamiliar. Even if it was the most mundane of things, she acted like she discovered the answer to life and the universe itself whenever she did something new. There was always a certain heart-pounding excitement and the rush of adrenaline that always coursed through her, and God, the anticipation of what was to come was something she could never get enough of.

And that was exactly what she was feeling as she stood in front of the cafe in front of her.

It was a small cafe. It stood timidly in between the four-way interval and a bookstore, as if it didn't want to attract any attention. It succeeded for the most part: there was no such thing as rush hour in this particular establishment, the seats were almost always empty, and its wearisome appearance was more than enough for passerbys to walk past without a care in the world.

But it was those certain aspects of the cafe that caught Honoka's eye.

With the bustling town and sidewalk going on behind her back, the orange-haired girl looked up at the name of the cafe that was tattooed on in white paint.

μ's

"U's," Honoka mumbled under her breath. She smiled to herself and reached for the doorknob-she liked the name, albeit unusual.

Like the outside, the cafe was rather simple and shied away from any sort of gaudy decor. Everything was hued in various shades of brown, with splashes of white on the walls. A bell rang twice as the door opened and closed, announcing Honoka's arrival.

She took a deep breath.

The aroma of coffee filled her lungs.

God, she loved that feeling.

Honoka walked over to the counter and noticed that the register was unmanned. She raised an eyebrow in confusion and turned her head, this way and that, and realized that there were no customers sitting at the counters or tables or even in the comfortable-looking armchair that stood in the corner, basking in the sun's rays.

She was the only one there.

Honoka frowned to herself, taking in the sad sight before her.

For the first time in a long while, she felt an incredible sense of loneliness wash over her.

"Whoa, first customer. And a first-timer too."

Honoka turned and nearly doubled-over; a blonde woman, her hair up in a ponytail, had suddenly appeared out of nowhere behind the register.

"Gah!" Honoka exclaimed, "Where'd you come from?!"

The barista raised an eyebrow and looked off to the side before flitting her eyes back to Honoka. "I came from the back?" She said, pointing over her shoulder with her thumb. The orange-haired girl looked over her and saw a door leading towards a room.

Honoka gave a shaky laugh. "Ah, that makes a lot of sense…."

"So what's your order?" The blonde asked, her blue eyes looking like they were about to glaze over with boredom.

Honoka stared at the barista. "My order?"

The barista stared at Honoka. She said nothing.

"Ah, right! My order!" The orange-haired girl laughed again and scratched the back of her head. "I'll take a vanilla macchiato and a slice of chocolate cake."

"For here or to go?"

"For here."

The blonde looked genuinely surprised. "Really?"

Honoka blinked. "Is...that a problem?"

"N-no," the barista said, "it's just that it's been awhile since someone decided to stay for a drink here."

"Well there's always a first time for everything, right?" Honoka said, grinning widely.

And for the first time since she appeared, the blonde's stoic mask managed to break into a little smile. "You're right on that," she muttered as she punched the orange-haired girl's order into the machine. "Your total comes out to be-"

Honoka zoned the price out, and instead chose to gaze into the blonde's eyes with a very serious expression. Despite the slight dullness in their luster, Honoka couldn't deny that the woman in front of her was very pretty and her eyes were no exception. Her grin came back with full-force.

"You know, you're really pretty," she announced.

The barista raised an eyebrow and scoffed. "Flattery isn't going to give you a discount, kid."

Damn.

At least it was worth the shot.

-x-

"Hey, lady-"

"My name is Eli."

"-how come your cafe is called U's?" Honoka asked, swaying her legs underneath the counter as she impatiently waited for her order.

The sound of blending beans and the clatter of china abruptly stopped. Eli, who had her back turned towards Honoka, slowly turned around. It was hard to see it, but Honoka saw the intense effort it took the other to swallow her smile.

Honoka stopped all movement.

"W-what did you say?" Eli asked. At this point her mask was beginning to crack and the corner of her lip twitched; Honoka was confused with this unusual behavior.

"I asked why your cafe called U's."

Now the blonde lost it. She exploded into laughter, one that rang through the entire cafe and in Honoka's ears. There were times when the barista would try and force down her mirth, but she would end up throwing it back up again, this time even louder than ever. It took a long while for Eli to calm down, and when she did, she wiped away the tears that managed to bead in the corner of her eyes.

Honoka blinked. "Was it something I said?"

"Y-you i-idiot," Eli gasped out, turning back to her work. Honoka could see her shoulders shuddering. "It's not called U's."

The orange-haired girl gave a frown to the blonde's backside. "Yeah it is. There's a letter U outside-"

"But it's not pronounced U's. It's called Muse, after the nine Greek goddesses of inspiration."

"News?"

"Now you're just doing it on purpose."

Honoka laughed, giving the blonde a thankful smile when she finally received her drink and dessert. The macchiato was a very pale brown and lived in an adorable white porcelain cup, which stood on an adorable white porcelain saucer. The smell of vanilla was beginning to mix with the air.

And although she loved her coffee, Honoka couldn't stop staring at the cake.

It was a simple thing: a plain chocolate cake with a drizzle of chocolate frosting cutting its surface into little triangles, the grandest object being the lone strawberry that stood near the edge. But there was something about it, something that charmed Honoka.

"It's cute," she found herself saying. She looked up at Eli, who was staring at her with a raised eyebrow.

"So...you're going to eat it now or…?"

"I don't know if I can."

Eli handed Honoka a fork and the latter begrudgingly took it, her cheek puffing out. With much reluctance, the orange-haired girl sliced off a piece of the cake, only to be surprised to find melted chocolate oozing out from inside.

"Lava cake?" She asked as she stared at the pooling chocolate with wonder.

"Yep. Our chocolate cake is one of our specialties."

And when Honoka ate her piece, she could understand why. The cake was deliciously moist, the chocolate providing a nice impactful flavor without being too overwhelming. There was an amazing balance between the frosting and the actual cake itself, and when she drank her macchiato, Honoka was surprised to find that the coffee complimented the cake very well.

It was no wonder she managed to clear her food and drink in record time.

"That good, huh?" Eli asked with a chuckle as she gathered Honoka's mess into her hands.

"It was amazing!" The orange-haired girl exclaimed, her eyes sparkling with wonder and awe.

The sound of running tap almost drowned out Eli's laugh.

"I'll be sure to tell the chef that." Even with her back turned, Honoka was still able to hear the smile in the blonde's voice.

"It's homemade?"

Eli nodded. "Everything on the menu is homemade by one girl, and her name's Nico."

Honoka's eyes widened with surprise. "Only one chef?"

"I mean, we're not exactly bustling with activity all the time, so it works."

The orange-haired girl did a sweep of the cafe with her eyes. "How do you manage to keep this place running?"

The sound of running water halted. For some reason, Honoka felt the need to hold her breath too-there was something heavy in the air, and it hung over their heads like a pendulum.

"That's kind of a funny story," Eri said as she turned around to face Honoka. Her blue eyes seemed much darker than before. She looked like she aged centuries, right before Honoka's eyes.

"...How so?" She whispered.

"The owner is actually considering shutting this place down."

A deadly unease filled the air. The only sounds that Honoka heard were the slow drip, drip of the faucet and her heart plummeting to her gut like a rock.

"Shutting it down?"

Eli sighed and nodded, leaning back so that she was against the sink for support. Her eyes were completely fixated on the ground. "Take a look at this place, kid. You're the first customer we've had today. Barely anyone comes here, and we have almost no regulars. We can't compete with the competition in this area, despite how lucky we are to have such a great spot." She finally looked up and turned her head to gaze out the window. Honoka followed her movement.

Then everything the blonde said made sense.

There, right across the street, was a restaurant. It was busy, up to the point where the line was out the door. Even through the tinted windows of the restaurant, Honoka could tell that every spot in the restaurant was filled. She looked at the name of the establishment.

A-RISE

She had heard of the restaurant before. It opened recently as far as Honoka knew, somewhere around a month or so ago. During its opening week, most of her school had been talking about it non-stop: rumors of fantastic food, great customer service, and charming waitresses almost compelled Honoka and her friends to check it out for themselves.

The only thing that stopped them was the line.

"We've been around much longer than they have," Eli began, "but just look at the difference between them and us. It makes us look like we're the newbies, not them." She gave another laugh, but this time it was cynical; it made goosebumps rise on Honoka's arms.

"You sound like you've given up," she said quietly.

"It's hard not to-"

Honoka slammed her open palms against the counter. The sound boomed and echoed through the cafe, but Eli didn't flinch at all. Instead, she slowly turned to look at the other, an eyebrow raised in a silent question.

"You can't give up! You just can't!" Honoka protested, shaking her head vigorously.

Eli replied with a head shake of her own, but hers was much more contained, relaxed. "Kid, we only got three employees running the place and we only need one employee per shift to make sure everything is in working order. Doesn't that say a lot to you already?"

The orange-haired girl slammed the counter again. At this point her hands were stinging with pain, but she didn't care-all she wanted was this place to be saved.

"Your problem is publicity, right? Then just get more people to come here! Make yourself known!"

"And how do you suppose we're gonna do that-"

"I'll help you!" Honoka exclaimed as she smacked herself on the chest. "I'll spread word about Muse all over my school and town!"

"Kid, I appreciate the help, but I'm afraid you can't do that unless you're an employee."

"Then hire me!"

Eli stared at Honoka with the blankest expression on her face. She blinked only once.

"...What?"