Sorry! It's been a while. I've been so busy lately but I know that's no excuse. This is mostly a filler chapter but enjoy anyway.
Chapter 5:
"This uniform is so CUTE!" Ichigo squealed excitedly. It was a cherry red dress with pink ankle socks and accents on the sleeves. It came with a white apron that shaped into a heart at the bottom and black shoes with a heart cut into each. Finally, since the dress was a little short, it came with little bloomers that went underneath the uniform.
"Welcome aboard Momomiya-San," Keiichiro smiled as Ichigo did a number of cute poses into the mirror. Already, they had been so kind to her - with the exception of the blue one, Mint who sat alone drinking tea - by showing her the ropes. The unsociable waitress, who went by the name of Zakuro, stayed away just watching. Interestingly enough, she was the model Ichigo thought her to be.
Lettuce, the kind yet clumsy green one, had been the nicest by giving her the tour earlier but she seemed quite withdrawn and wary of Ichigo. She just blamed it on the shyness because Lettuce was still very sweet.
Pudding, the youngest yellow waitress, made her feel most welcome by immediately calling her 'Onee-Chan' and showing her some of her best tricks for free. She also spilled some secrets on the other waitresses.
"Mint Onee-Chan always has her eye on a certain Onii-Chan, na no da but she wanted Pudding to keep it a secret, na no da. Lettuce Onee-Chan likes Pai Onii-Chan but Pudding isn't supposed to know that na no da. And Zakuro Onee-Chan... Well, Onee-Chan doesn't have any secrets, na no da." She trailed off and walked away determinedly muttering, "Pudding must find out, na no da."
Keiichiro let her see how he made his famous cakes and pastries, getting to try them out afterwards. And Mint only to spoke to her snarky comments so Ichigo decided to silently fume away.
The café work was difficult, always having to go back and forth from the kitchen but the customers were nice enough. She managed to gather about ¥900 in tips before her break.
Keiichiro congratulated her and advised her to stay and eat a bit of cake. Ichigo politely refused and went back out to the busy café. She spotted the other waitresses dotted around the building and immediately spotted the youngest bouncing about on a ball toward the front.
She approached Pudding and smiled at her. The small girl grinned back and leapt gracefully off of the ball. "How can Pudding help Onee-Chan, na no da?"
Ichigo shifted slightly. There was a question... "What do you know about Kisshu?" After it came out, she slapped her hands over her mouth and blushed.
Pudding's eyes darkened slightly and the smile now seemed plastered on. Not the kind of look you'd find on a ten year-old. "Nothing much, na no da. Onii-Chan is cool and Pudding thinks he likes Onee-Chan."
"Me? I thought he was just kidding around. He looks at me as if I'm a toy that easily breaks," Ichigo said doubtfully. Pudding laughed a little before hopping back onto the multi-colored ball, not even wobbling slightly.
"That's just Kish Onii-Chan, na no da. Onii-Chan is like Pudding still, a big kid, na no da."
Ichigo laughed. "You got that right!" The laughter died away quickly, leaving the girls in silence. "Hey Pudding, do you want to go to park later? I'll invite the rest too; I want to get to know you all."
Pudding smiled a sad smile. She seemed to look about ten years older. "Pudding is sorry, na no da but she has to look after her Otoutos and Imouto. Maybe some other time, na no da."
And with that, she flipped onto her hands and rode around on the ball to impress the customers. Ichigo was handed an empty tray from one and she clutched it tightly in her grip.
Zakuro was standing close by, watching Ichigo with fierce intensity that reminded her of a wolf hunting. She looked to be on her break too so the redhead walked over to the model by the till and smiled again.
"Hi, Fujiwara-San."
The waitress didn't reply. Just tilted her head down slightly.
"Um, are you free after work? I was hoping to get to know you along with the others and-"
"No." Zakuro bluntly said. It had no emotion put into it but still sounded quite angelic. Ichigo's face fell; she should've known she wouldn't have much luck with the purple waitress. "I have a shoot after so I'm busy."
"A-ah. Okay. Thanks anyway, Fujiwara-San." Ichigo turned away to find the next waitress.
"Zakuro. My name is Zakuro." She heard her say from behind. Ichigo smiled.
The next one was Lettuce clumsily bumbling around the tables, tripping over things and narrowly avoiding tables. Ichigo managed to steady the girl and Lettuce gratefully smiled. "Thank you, Ichigo-San."
"No problem! Is there anything I can do to help?" Ichigo asked.
"Aren't you on break?" She looked confused. Ichigo nodded. "Trust me, you'll want to savor it. It's busy today."
Ichigo waved it off, helping to wipe down a table Lettuce had cleared. "It's fine. It's my first day so I want to make a good impression."
"I wouldn't worry about that, Ichigo-San. You're the only functional one around here. Pudding is way too hyperactive most of the time, I break many plates everyday, Mint sits around drinking tea all day and Zakuro-San..." They looked up to see the model staring at them intently, this time more at Lettuce. They seemed to be having silent conversations. "Well, frankly, Zakuro-San scares everyone."
Ichigo laughed. "She doesn't scare me, just... it's nothing."
"Hmm?" Lettuce's ocean eyes softened and she looked so trusting that Ichigo spilled.
"Well, she just disappointed me a little bit. I asked her if she wanted to come to the park later and she said no rather harshly."
"That's just Zakuro-San. She's just wary around new people. She'll warm up to you soon." The green waitress patted Ichigo's shoulder, able to do so easily because of her tall height.
"So do you want to come, Lettuce?" Ichigo pleaded. "I'm going to invite Mint too."
Lettuce shook her head. "Sorry Ichigo-San. I'm studying tonight." She bowed deeply. "You'd better get back to work now or Ryou will get mad."
Ichigo nodded sadly. Three out of four girls had said no and it had dampened her mood enough not to bother asking the snobby fourth.
By the end of the day, Ichigo was exhausted and barely able to stand on her feet. She slumped over and almost momentarily Mint chastised, "Stand up straight, child. You look like a slob."
Ichigo brushed it off before collecting her tips and school uniform. She decided she would just walk home in her café wear. Bidding the girls goodnight, she headed out and shut the door behind her.
"So what do we think of her?" Mint asked the small group. "Personally, I think she's rather dull and unmannered."
"It's Ichigo Onee-Chan's first day, na no da. Pudding thinks she was really friendly!"
"I feel bad for telling her we couldn't go." Lettuce sighed. "It would've been nice to get out for once."
"You heard what Ryou said," Zakuro's voice was unchanged from monotone but it was still silky smooth. "No talking to her unnecessarily."
"She didn't even ask me," Mint huffed.
"No offense, Mint-San, but you did criticize her every move today," Lettuce pitched.
Zakuro grabbed her coat after changing back into her normal clothes. "Let's just go before he makes us stay for extra labour."
"Goodnight, Zakuro-San."
"Goodnight Zakuro Onee-Chan."
"Goodnight Onee-Sama."
"Stay safe."
Thanks again for reading. Please rate and review! Next time we might have a P/L chapter. Depends on if I get a request. Until next time!