I don't own anything.
As many people have noticed, this story is coming to an end. I hereby announce , "Sweet as Candy" will be entering it's final arc.
HAPPY NEW YEAR!
Sweet as Candy
"Welcome!" Four voices replaced the usual two lonely voices.
"Oh my my..." A customer around the age of 35 walked in. She was probably a mother who decided to come to Hirose Yuu's coffee shop for lunch to delight her day. "When did Hirose-san and Ayuzawa-san hired new part timers?"
"He's my son." Hirose Yuu smiled at the customer as he was brewing coffee.
"She's my daughter~" From the kitchen, Mr. Ayuzawa's cheerful voice shouted.
"Nice to meet you two." The customer greeted.
"Nice to meet you." With a polite bow, Usui and Misaki greeted the customer too.
"I never knew you two were in laws!" Without any further hesitation, the customer took a seat at the counter where Hirose Yuu was. Most of the customers here are friends with Mr. Ayuzawa and Hirose Yuu.
"Well, what do you prefer today?" Hirose Yuu decided not to make any comments; since, he does not want to interfere with Usui and Misaki's relationship. However, he doesn't really mind to become in laws with Mr. Ayuzawa.
"Latte with a panda drawn on it." Suddenly the customer took her camera out. "I'm going to brag to my kids."
"Here is the menu." While Misaki passed the menu to the customer, Usui placed a warm cup of water in front of the table.
"I'll just take the daily recommended." The customer passed the menu back to Misaki and smiled.
"Understood." Misaki took a little bow, then went straight to the kitchen to send the order.
"My, My... not that bright Ayuzawa Sakuya gave birth to a daughter like this..." The customer shook her head, then she turned around at Usui. "You seem to be an exact copy of Hirose-san."
"Is that a compliment?" Hirose Yuu placed the cup of latte the customer ordered in front of her.
"Hmmm... you decide." Taking pictures of the panda latte in all different angles, the customer answered.
"Here is your daily recommended." Thud! A solid sound landed on the table. "Fruits salad with passion fruit sauce, clear mushroom soup, and cod roe pasta. Please enjoy your meal."
"Then I'll enjoy my meal!" The customer cheerfully reached for her utensils and started to dig in.
As the time was closer and closer to noon, more customers came in. By the one in the afternoon, the shop was packed with people. This sudden burst of customers was not exactly a surprise, since the news that Hirose Yuu and Ayuzawa Sakuya are in laws and their children are here has spread across this town. People who are free came, students who decided to free themselves for a day came, middle aged woman who wants details about specific gossip came; in the end, everyone came.
"That was exhausting..." Misaki dropped herself onto a chair and sighed. "Mentally and physically..."
Something that Misaki was extremely positive the moment she sat down was, the most often question she received was 'Are you and Takumi-kun married?'. Apparently, Misaki had to deny continuously that she even thought of putting a sign on her saying 'I'm single'.
"Really? I kind of enjoyed it." While sitting down beside Misaki, Usui nonchalantly said.
For some reasons, Usui slightly enjoyed being misunderstood as a married couple with Misaki. He didn't deny any of the customers that asked him, he just gave them a mysterious smile that confused most of the customers.
"I have 99 problems, and they're all from you." Misaki blurted out as she covered her face with both of her hands.
"We had almost 3 times more customer than we have usually." Hirose Yuu walked towards the door and flipped the 'open' to 'close'.
"Also 3 times the plate to wash..." Ayuzawa Sakuya looked at the busy part timer (specialized in dishwashing) who was washing dishes in the kitchen. Then he decided that it will be better to help them.
"Why don't we just close the shop for the day?" With this idea kept in his mind for a long time, Hirose Yuu finally proposed.
"Agree." Two voices shouted out from the kitchen.
"I agree." Usui nodded and said as he stood at the counter wiping the coffee cups dry.
"Me too." Misaki raised her hands.
"Then let's start cleaning up to get finish everything for the day." With high spirits, Hirose Yuu announced.
Once again, the whole shop entered their busy mode. All everyone wanted was just to get done with everything and perhaps go take a nap. During the cleaning session, Hirose Yuu came to talk to Misaki.
"Misaki." Hirose Yuu walked towards Miskai who was mopping the floor.
"Yes?" Misaki stopped her actions to talk to Hirose Yuu.
"Did the money Sakuya saved up fully pay off the debt?" Actually, Hirose Yuu was planning of helping the debt out by borrowing Mr. Ayuzawa some money; without interest of course.
"Yes it did." Through the help of internet bank service, Misaki and Mr. Ayuzawa transferred the money Mr. Ayuzawa saved up to Mrs. Ayuzawa and Suzuna. Luckily, the money fully covered up the rest of the amount of the debt. The amount Mr. Ayuzawa saved up from the previous years was quite impressive.
"Good to hear." With a kind smile, Hirose Yuu said to Misaki.
"That reminds me..." Misaki rested her mop against a wall and rushed into the kitchen.
"Oh! Misaki!" Mr. Ayuzawa greeted.
"After the cleaning up is done, let's go thank the fishing boat that took you in." Since yesterday, Misaki has been thinking of doing this.
"Sure! I think they are probably at the harbour today..." Mr. Ayuzawa thought for a while and said.
"Ok!" Misaki then resumed back into her mopping job.
...
"Not fair~"A whining sound came from the man on the bed. "Not fair."
"How is it unfair?" With a frown, Misaki looked at Usui.
"This was supposed to be our mini honeymoon..." Suddenly Usui got up from his lying position and sat up. "I'm neglected on day two already."
"..." Misaki didn't know what to say. She just put the souvenir she bought from Tokyo into a bag. This souvenir she bought was supposed to be for Hirose Yuu but Usui said that Misaki doesn't have to be that formal to Hirose Yuu.
"Misa-Chan!" Finally Usui realized that Misaki decided to ignore him. Usui stood up and stood right behind Misaki, then he slipped two packs of heat packs into Misaki's jean pocket. "Don't get sick ok?"
"Just how many heat packs did you bri-" Misaki turned around, and Usui kissed Misaki lightly on her cheeks.
"Or do you prefer a large heat pack." Suddenly Usui's hands came from the back onto Misaki's shoulders, and Usui leaned against Misaki's body.
"Hey! You're heavy!" With a little struggle, Misaki whined.
"This heat pack doesn't have a time limit, the heat is always around 36 degrees celsius, and it's portable." Just like a salesman, Usui started to persuade Misaki to take him with her.
"Usui..." With a slightly angry tone Misaki warned.
"Hmm..." Usui answered back.
With a single movement, Misaki used her Aikido skills and flipped Usui back onto the bed. It's been a while since she practiced her Aikido, but it she definitely remembers the moves.
"..." Speechlessly lying on the bed, Usui then said. "Have a safe trip."
"Thank you, I'll be back soon." Before Misaki walked out the door, she leaned down and kissed Usui on the forehead. Once in a while, Misaki does some really sweet things.
Slam! After her little sweet action, Misaki walked out the door and went downstairs. Apparently, Mr. Ayuzawa was already on the motorcycle waiting for Misaki already. In the room, Usui was lying on the bed flat on his back. He then turned on to his side, and covered his face with both of his hands.
"Why can she be so cute..." For some reasons, Usui felt like he was only 16 years old who just tasted the sweet taste of love. Deep down in his heart, he realized that the more he stays with Misaki, the more he loves her.
...
After the cleaning up was finished and the part timer left, Hirose Yuu was sitting at the seat of his shop that was close to a window. The specific reason he chooses that spot is because that window in particular has the most sunlight. Elegantly, Hirose Yuu stirred the clear auburn cup of tea in front of him, then he picked the cup up and inhaled the luxurious scent of tea. Silently, Usui sat across his father at the same table. Along with his own cup of tea, Usui also brought his laptop. Without saying anything, he turned on his laptop and started working. On the other hand, Hirose Yuu just sat there and looked out the window.
"So, how's work? Do they pay you well?" Hirose Yuu asked.
"A reasonable pay." Usui answered back. "How about you?"
"Just more than enough." Actually, Hirose Yuu's cafe is a great success. 'Just more than enough' is just a humble phrase that meant, 'I'm a money printing factory'. "So, when are you going to get married?"
"I haven't even propose yet." Accidently, Usui clicked on the wrong key. Quickly, he fixed the mistake.
"How long have you met her?" Hirose Yuu asked.
"Almost a year." Usui answered and took a sip of his tea.
"I see... I see..." Hirose Yuu nodded. "It feels like you two are already a married couple."
"How do you think I should propose." Usui asked back.
"It's your proposal, how am I suppose to know?" With a slightly speechless face, Hirose Yuu answered his son.
"Oh yeah... you never proposed." Usui recalled.
"I was the one who got proposed." Actually, Hirose Yuu never expected he had to tell his son about the things that happened between him and Patricia.
"... what?" While Usui slapped the cover of his laptop down, he looked at his father.
"Never planned to tell you that... but yeah... I was proposed... in a way..." Hirose Yuu shrugged.
"... Patricia Walker did?" Usui stared at his father for a while.
"She screamed and cried at me saying ..." Hirose Yuu hesitated. "... I want to have your babies..."
"She was married?" Usui asked.
"She was drunk and married." Now that Hirose Yuu thought of this, does that count as a proposal?
"...and I'm here." With a slightly discouraging tone, Usui said.
"...yeah..." For a moment, Hirose Yuu was thinking how crazy and how hideous he was when he was young. "Maybe you should ask some other people on how they proposed..."
"Who? Gerald Walker?" Out of the blue, Usui blurted out Gerald's name.
"He proposed at the Walker family's vineyard... he purposely set up the scene like a fairy tale..." Hirose Yuu continued. "Unlike other people, he proposed with a glass slipper, made out of bullet proof glass..."
"How do you know this?" Puzzled Usui looked at his father.
"Wikipedia." With a finger, Hirose Yuu pointed at the touch phone in his hands.
"...Ok..." For a moment Usui thought to himself, 'why didn't I think of wikipedia'.
"Need me to google 'best ways to propose'?" Hirose Yuu asked.
"It's ok..." Usui never expected his father to be so technology innovated.
"If you wonder why I'm so technology innovated, just live with Ayuzawa Sakuya for 3 months." As Hirose Yuu sighed, he recalled. "I've never seen a computer explode, until I met him."
"I know this is slightly random." This question has been bothering Usui for quite a while, he decided to ask today. "Did you ever think of getting married with someone?"
Slowly, Hirose Yuu sat back into his chair and looked out the window. "There's only one woman I want to marry."
Everyone knows who this woman is.
"So it has to be her." Usui replied back.
"I won't think about marrying her, since I'm already this age." Hirose Yuu shrugged. "I have enough memories with her to help me get through the rest of my life."
"Awww~ Pure hearted Hirose Yuu." Usui teased.
"You sure have the guts to tease your father." Hirose Yuu stood up. "Remember to wash my cup, I'm going to buy some vegetables and groceries. We used up too much during lunchtime business time."
It didn't take long for Hirose Yuu to do his preparations and drove away. Ending up alone, Usui decided to do something. After he washed his and his father's cup, he went up back into his room. He turned on his laptop once again, and clicked on a social media. The next moment he online group called a few people
"Gentlemen?" Usui said through his laptop. "I have an emergency conference."
"What is it Usui?" A slightly annoyed boy with light brown hair appeared on the screen.
"I'm here~" A cheerful blonde appeared.
"Hmmm?" The next moment, a man with spiky blonde hair and a cigarette in his mouth appeared.
"How did you propose to your lover?" Usui asked.
"WHAT!?" All of the three faces on the screen blushed at once.
For your information, this call was consisted of Takashima Kei, Suoh Tamaki, and Kurosaki Tasuku.
"I feel like I should get prepared for a proposal." Calmly, Usui said.
"Well... I proposed with fireworks." Takashima Kei said.
"Proposal is what?" Kurosaki was trying to hide his embarrassment, he can't even speak in proper grammar.
"Well... I just somehow proposed to her when we were both in Boston... Haru-chan is just too cute." Tamaki entered his stupid father mode.
"Someone, pull him back to reality." Coldly, Takashima said.
The conversation about proposals continued, and somehow the whole conversation shifted to each of their personal love lives. Though this group call was for Usui to find a better way to propose to Misaki, somehow it turned out to be a conversation that was just about marriage life in general. Apparently, this unrelated conversation lasted for around 40 minutes. With the shifting conversation, Usui decided to switch the conversation back.
"Kurosaki, spit it out." With his emerald eyes, Usui stared at Kurosaki.
"Teru is only in college! No way I proposed! No way!" Constant denial only creates more suspicion.
"Hey! Hey! Just spit it out!" Tamaki was attracted by Kurosaki's constant denial.
"Spit it out... unless you're not a man." With his usual cold tone, Takashima warned.
"I... I... Arrghhh!" Out of embarrassment and anger, Kurosaki went offline.
"Loser." Takashima Kei insulted. "I think I have to go too, I have to go pick up Hikari."
The next moment, Takashima Kei already went offline.
"This group call really brings me to nowhere..." Usui shook his head.
"Well, there is no ideal way of proposal." Suoh Tamaki, the only one left, said. "Some people prefer the traditional kneeling, some prefer something that gives the society a blast, and some just want it simple."
"Hmm..." Usui nodded.
"I personally think the most important is the confession part. You have to let her know that you love her." With a passionate tone, Suoh Tamaki said. "Why don't you practice? I can help you."
"Ok..." Usui nodded, he looked at the screen and did a sly smile. "Misa-chan, you probably can't live without me anymore."
"That's too wild..." Tamaki judged. "Let's go with something gentler. Pretend that I'm your girlfriend."
"Ok..." Usui visualed the face on the screen into Misaki's face. "Misaki, I know that we've been through some really unbelievable things. There are no words to explain my emotions towards you... but I'm sure this is love."
"Usui, I'm bac-" Misaki paused. She can't believe what she saw, her boyfriend was talking sweetly to a man on a chat?
"I'm sure that my feelings for you won't change. I love you." With a tender tone, Usui said to the screen.
"Sorry for disturbing." Quickly, Misaki slammed the door.
"Misaki! It's not what you think!" Out of panic, Usui lost his usual cool sense.
Apparently, it took Usui the whole night to explain the bizarre situation.
