Satou took a sip of his coffee before throwing it into the dumpster behind Wagnaria. He yawned and unlocked the door. No doubt, the girls had made a mess of the break room. The only part of the restaurant he cared about was the kitchen, though. When he walked in, everything was silent. There seemed to be not a glass out of place. He continued to move through, past the dining hall, the preparation room, the kitchen, to the very back recesses of the establishment. Strewn across the table was a collection of photos. He raised his eyebrows and took a step. Upon closer inspection, he saw Taneshima's familiar brown hair. He also noticed the gym uniform that barely fit over her large bust and the pants that dug into her pale skin. For one of the few times in his life, Satou felt his cheeks flare. Quickly, he turned all the photos over and tried to erase the image from his memory.
"Satou-san!" The man looked up to see Yamada's head poking through the opening to the loft. "Everyone! Satou-san has arrived!" He nodded.
"Yeah…I'm here." Eventually, Inami and Popura's sleepy faces poked through too.
"Ah, good morning, Satou-san…" yawned the brunette. He stepped aside as each of them came down the ladder, their hair mused, dried drool on Yamada's cheek and Inami's silk pajamas wrinkled. It wasn't until Popura stepped down did he truly wake up that morning. The photos were enough, but seeing the real thing was much more of a shock. In her tired state, she hadn't bothered to pull down the shirt that had ridden up to expose her slight waist or the bloomers that had ridden up in unfortunate places as well. He stared for a moment until he covered his eyes casually.
"….Taneshima." was all he said. The girl looked up at him, and her tired face snapped alert. Her cheeks turned a deep red and her body began to quake.
"E-Eyaaaaaah!" she screamed and bolted up the ladder.
"Would Satou-san like to see Yamada's pictures?" she asked, completely ignoring the distressed friend.
"No thanks, I already saw them…" he replied. Soon enough, a flushed Popura emerged. She straightened her skirt and kept her eyes averted to the ground. He watched as she straightened the bow that sat on the small of her back. The girl turned to face him.
"P-Please forget what you saw today, Satou-san!" she pleaded, bowing.
"Sure," was all he said before entering the kitchen. Soma entered soon enough wearing his usual smile.
"Good morning," he greeted. The other chef nodded.
"Start prepping the dishes." Satou enjoyed working with Soma. He kept quiet and wasn't as boisterous as the younger workers. The only part about him that he did mind was his way of speaking what was always on your mind.
"See anything interesting this morning?" he asked. Satou blinked and wondered briefly how he could have possibly known…It didn't matter.
"No," he responded curtly.
"Really?" Soma smiled as he held a few polaroid photos in his hand. He made the mistake of looking up at them. Satou felt his face grew warm before he grabbed the photos.
It was just then that Popura entered the room, having returned to her normal, cheerful self. She stopped cold in her track though, when she saw Satou holding the embarrassing photos.
"S-Satou-san….?" she whimpered, cheeks turning red.
"Wait. Taneshima, don't jump to conclusions," the man tried to defend himself. The girl walked slowly up to him, head held low and hands clutched closely to her chest.
"P-Please don't keep photos of people without their permission!" she squeaked before grabbing the pictures from his grasp and running off. Satou watched her go and sighed. He turned to Soma with a glare that could kill. The other man laughed nervously.
"What a way to start the day, huh?" he began to back away slowly "I think I'll start prepping the dishes now." Satou Jun sighed heavily again as he began to ready the kitchen. He hated when relationships became too deep or complex. No doubt, this would affect his relationship with the little brunette. All his life, he had always made sure to keep a certain distance from others. It wasn't that he had been hurt before, he just didn't want to bother with relationships. Satou had never felt the deep urge to be with someone. He allowed people to come into and leave his life as they pleased. It never bothered him either way.
"Here's the order for table seven," Yachiyo said as she placed the ticket onto the counter. Satou nodded, but didn't look up. Only now, was his relationship with the waitress beginning to repair after his embarrassing confession earlier in the year. As he stood and chopped vegetables, Satou enjoyed watching the waiters go by. Their footsteps added a rhythm to his work. He watched as Inami asked for help concerning a table with a father and son and Takanashi as he scolded Yamada for taking such photos of Taneshima. As Popura would walk by, he noticed the way she would pause in front of the counter and her large brown eyes would flit towards him for the slightest second before she would scurry off again. Satou blinked. He wasn't sure of how to understand this action. He shook his head and turned back to his work, focusing intently on the vegetables.
"S-Satou-san…" the young brunette suddenly appeared beside him.
"I took the photos from Soma," he answered, already knowing the question. Popura sighed and smiled up at him.
"Thank you." Satou made the mistake of glancing at her. He noticed the soft pink to her lips, the way her long lashes fluttered when she was excited. Popura noticed his prolonged gaze and tilted her head to the side.
"…No problem," he said quietly and turned to his dish. "You should get back to serving now…" The girl grinned and nodded before scurrying off once more. Satou sighed and ran a hand over his face.