Bells chimed as she set foot in the store. The atmosphere felt friendly, customers communing with each other like a pack. As she walked to the counter, she took a deep whiff of her exquisite surrounding aromas. Heh, she could get used to this, smelling coffee all the time.

Once arriving the cash register, a youthful employee vaulted out of her line of vision. A signature show-smile sprouted from her lips, she bellowed, "Hi! What would you like to order?"

Ayumi returned a warm smile, revealing documents to plain sight. "Sorry, I'm not ordering anything. I applied for casual work a few weeks ago, and I'm here to finally start."

"Oh!" The girl cast her eyes down, covering her face with her hand, gnawing on her lip. Was she blushing? There was no reason to be embarrassed. She brought her gaze back to hers. "My apologies… So you're the new girl? Nice to meet you. Just wait here for a second."

Watching her departing figure, she couldn't help but release a tiny squeak. Holding in her excitement was far too difficult. This was her first job, and she may have even become friends with this girl. Adoration escalated in her chest. She had seemed so bubbly and cute.

The employee returned, followed by someone dressed in a similar uniform. He looked to be at least seventeen, maybe eighteen. For some reason, he looked quite familiar. His crude eyes locked on her like a hawk as he came closer.

"Ayumi, right?" asked the girl.

She nodded, beginning to get cold vibes from the boy. It finally clicked in her mind, she recognized him from school. They hadn't met, but he often got into calamities with the teachers and other students, or so she had heard. She didn't like to judge others based on rumours, so she decided to push the thought aside.

Bubbly girl gestured to him. "This is Yoshiki, he'll be your mentor. I'd like to stay longer but I'm afraid I have to return to my station. Good luck!"

After she left, Ayumi turned and met his stare. Chills ran down her back. She felt small. Almost as if he was judging her every move with those steel eyes.

"Follow me," was the first words he said.

They ended up in the kitchen. She would have liked to make some kind of conversation to ease her mind, hopefully lightening the mood, but it felt inappropriate. He seemed like a serious person. It would be better to follow the whole quiet and obedient path, so she could learn as much as possible.

"Listen carefully," he spoke up, resting his palm on the counter. "You will stand beside this sink, and every single mug or saucer that comes into sight — you wash. Set them on the drying rack. When it's full, you place it in that heating machine over there, and you grab a new one. Repeat. Do you understand?"

She swallowed, nodding timidly. This wasn't what she had expected from working at a coffee shop, but she had no desire to complain.

"Good." He made his way to the door. "I do not tolerate slackers, so keep that in mind."

It was fairly quiet for a while, which she found pretty boring. That was until other workers piled into the kitchen, balancing dishes upon dishes in their arms like some kind of stage performers. They rapidly stacked them next to her at what seemed like an inhumane speed, and darted out the door in the blink of an eye. She stood frozen, dumbfounded for a split of a second before getting to work.

Panic filled her system. This was physically impossible! What a lucky break she had when it was empty merely seconds ago. The plates arrived faster than she could scrub, and she became deathly afraid of not being up to standards.

"What is this?"

She jumped, nearly dropping the cup in her hand. Yoshiki was right behind her. "U-Uhm… What's the problem?"

A frown arose on his features. "You're letting the dishes stack up too much. Wash them faster. And also…" He stepped up to the drying rack, running his finger over the surface of a plate. "You're not doing it right, there's still some left. Don't disappoint me, Ayumi."

Her mouth popped open in shock. He was really harsh! Did that mean she had to redo all the ones she had already washed? Tears pricked at the rim of her eyes. No, she couldn't give up. "Sorry. I'll try harder."

"You better." He left again.

Oh, she would. She was going to show him, prove to that sour man that she wasn't a slacker. She'd teach him a lesson on how not to be such a bitter person. She looked down at the soapy water, the bubbles drifting on top — and then, ripples. Her arm was put into full-action mode, focusing all her energy on getting into the tiniest nooks and crannies. Powerful, quick scrubs. That's right, she'd show him what she was made of.

Cramps were appearing in her hands, but she didn't let that stop her. Passion lit in her eyes, burning with concentration. Next one, and then the next. Place it in the heater, grab another rack. It was a cycle, one that sped up and up, getting more accurate in numbers.

She reached her hand over for the next — but there were none. Her eyebrows rose, and she blinked in disbelief. She had done it. Suddenly, there was a tap on her shoulder. She flinched, and then pivoted her head to see Yoshiki. "…Well? What do you think?"

His eyes flickered over the empty sink area. "Gotta say, I'm surprised. You really stepped up your game."

Then she saw it, a smile. It shocked her systems. Did he even have the ability to smile? Pleasure ran through her veins as she grinned at him.

He studied her with a blank expression for a moment before tentatively raising his hand to pat her head. Her hair was soft. "Good job," he said as he retracted his arm.

For some reason, she felt herself blush, having unexpected his gesture completely. The guy was always full of surprises. Maybe he wasn't so bad after all. "Thank you."

"But I expect more of it." He backed away with a devious look in his eyes before leaving through the door. "Don't get your hopes up."

She held her head in her hands, attempting to cool down the blaze in her cheeks. What an interesting, sly asshole. She couldn't wait to see more of him.