It was a Saturday afternoon. Only a bit over a week until the Sakuragaoka festival would be happening. Since I had nothing else to do, I decided to invite both Tadaaki and Ichiro over, since it's been too long since we've hung out at my place. I was sitting on the edge of my bed, holding Patricia on my lap. Tadaaki was sitting on the floor next to me, and Ichiro had taken a seat on my computer chair, slowly swaying from side to side.

"I almost got this riff down to a perfection, but I'm still stuck on this part. See how I have to change from Dm to G?" I said, demonstrating the said thing.

Tadaaki nodded. "Ah, I see. You have to slide your ring finger so far down."

"Don't you ever cut your fingers open doing that?" Ichiro asked.

I snickered a bit. "Nah, the skin of your fingertips gets thicker the more you play. Besides, only rusty strings give you cuts." To complement my sentence, I slid my fingers up and down the strings.

Ichiro rested his chin on his palm. "Why are you playing it, anyway? It's not like you'll have any performances anymore."

"The hell does that mean?" I muttered, unamused. "I don't need a reason to play, I play because I like it."

He just shrugged indifferently, and glanced elsewhere. "Yeah, maybe."

I'm not sure why, but him talking shit about my interest in guitar almost got me riled up. But that's Ichiro for you; a real dickhead at times. You'd think I'd gotten used to it over the years, but he still manages to tick me off with his brainless opinions. Tadaaki noticed my annoyed expression, so he decided to step in.

"Let him talk shit all he wants, but it won't change the fact that your playing's got a whole lot better since the Winter Festival," he noted.

"Huh?" Ichiro suddenly turned to face us. "I wasn't saying anything about his skills."

"You diss a man's interest, you diss everything related to it," Tadaaki said, crossing his arms. "It's the same as asking 'Why are you going to that coffee club? It's not like you'll be a barista'."

Ichiro made a full spin on the chair, muttering: "…Shit, you got me there."

I took a glance at Patricia on my lap, before reaching for the amplifier, switching it off and unplugging the guitar.

"H-Hey, sorry, I didn't mean it," Ichiro stuttered apologetically.

"Nah, man, it's not you," I said, getting on my feet. "I'm just feeling like having some coffee. How about you guys?"

"I was just about to ask the same," Tadaaki said, also standing up. "To Nakamura-san's café?"

Ichiro got off the chair, sliding it back under the desk. "Sounds good to me, I still got some money left."

I set Patricia down on my bed, and snapped my fingers towards the room's door. "It's a plan, then."

But, before I could even take a step, my phone began vibrating on top of the desk. Ichiro, who was right next to the desk, picked it up.

"Could you please not?" I said, frowning.

He glanced at the lid. "Unknown caller," he noted, before tossing the phone over to me. I barely managed to catch it.

"And could you please not toss my shit around!?" I snarled at him before turning my attention to the phone.

Just as he said, the caller was unknown. Well, better answer it, anyway. If it turns out to be some salesman, I'll mess with him.

"Yeah?"

"Hello, Eiji-san," a familiar voice greeted me.

"Tsu—?" I was just about to blurt out in surprise, but then remembered about the two guys currently present in the same room. I mean, not that Sakuragaoka's gals are a secret to them, but somehow I felt like disguising Tsumugi for a bit longer. "…Miss Kotobuki?"

"Ah, you don't have to call me that," she giggled in her gentle voice.

I walked a few steps away from the guys, leaning against my wardrobe. "Uh, well, what's this about?"

"Are you free tomorrow at noon?" she asked.

"Eh, depends. I'm not sure if I'm even awake at that time," I said.

The guys glanced at each other. Ichiro jerked his head towards the door, and Tadaaki nodded. They both then headed out. Ah, good, some privacy.

"Well, would you like to come to a café?" she asked.

Puzzled, I muttered: "…café?"

"Yes. You see, we're holding a special training lesson for Mio. She was chosen to be the leading role in our class' play, but, well, she's very shy, as you know," she explained.

I nodded to myself. "Yeah, I get it. So, what's up with the café?"

"Ah, it's a place run by a family friend. We'll be working there tomorrow, to train Mio to be less nervous."

"…Alright, fair enough. And, uh, where exactly do I come in?" I asked.

Tsumugi giggled a bit. "I just thought it'd be fun if one of the customers was someone we knew."

"…So, just for your own amusement?" I verified.

"Yes," she said bluntly.

Like everyone, Tsumugi, too, has her own playful side. Though, she clearly has an unusual sense of humor. Thinking about it, I guess I could go. Honestly, I was kinda curious about how Mio would fare as a café employee. She said 'we', so the rest of the gang will probably also be there, and their company is always welcome. And, since the café is run by a family friend, I can only assume that it's some fancy place with all kinds of tasty stuff.

It took me a couple of seconds to come up with an answer: "Okay, I guess I can stop by."

"Great! Oh, and you can also bring a friend or two, if you want," she suggested.

I glanced at my room's door, thought about it, and sighed quietly. "…Yeah, that can be arranged, too." I really hope I won't come to regret this decision…

She told me the time and place, and also that 'we'd be expected', whatever that means, before we said our goodbyes to each other, and ended the call. Closing the phone's lid, I slipped it into my pocket, and headed out of the room. To my pleasant surprise, the guys weren't eavesdropping on me. I headed down the stairs, finding the guys standing in the foyer with their shoes on.

"Ah, you done?" Tadaaki asked as he noticed me. "Ready to go?"

I was about to nod, until I thought about it, and shook my head. "Uh, on second thought, let's just have coffee here."

Ichiro cocked his head, confused. "Huh? Why?"

"I, well, got a call from my former employer, and she asked if I'd like to visit some café tomorrow. I thought you guys could come along, too, so I'm thinking that you should probably save your money for that," I explained.

The guys glanced at each other, and Tadaaki shrugged. "Oh, well, sure, I guess."

I headed to the kitchen to make us some coffee, while the guys took their shoes off, and headed to the living room.

"By the way, you guys need to be up and about at noon," I notified them as I prepared the coffee.

"At noon!?" Ichiro flinched. "Man, I had planned on watching that late-night flick…"

"Of course you can watch it, you'll just have to suffer through the lack of sleep," Tadaaki quipped, crashing on the couch.

As I prepared the coffee and the guys continued joking, their voices soon became muffled as I fell in thought, thinking about what would happen.

And then came tomorrow. Just as we planned, we met up at around noon, and just like I anticipated, Ichiro was yawning all the way, having barely got any sleep. Without any further ado, we began walking to the café. The further we walked, the more the surroundings changed to resemble a countryside or something. I looked up the address yesterday night, so I knew it was located at the edge of town, but it still surprised me. Is it some small, local café, like Nakamura's? Well, I guess we'll find out. And oh boy, when we finally arrived at the café, we found out, indeed.

"…What the fuck? Is this a café?" Ichiro said out of astonishment, scoping the place up and down.

Tadaaki, too, was surprised. "Shit, it's like a mansion or something. I'd never guess it was a café if that sign wasn't there."

I understood their reactions, since I was just as shocked as them. The place was a three-story building, the kind you'd expect a European royalty to live in. The walls covered by dozens of windows with fancily patterned frames, the whole place surrounded by tall hedgerows and a flower arch spreading over the main gates… Sure enough, the place looked beautiful. Beautiful and too fancy to be just your ordinary café, that is. But, knowing Tsumugi, this most likely isn't an ordinary café.

"They'll probably call the cops if we step inside," Ichiro said, looking down at his flashy band shirt.

I, too, took a look at my red hoodie and worn jeans. Tadaaki was the only one of us who was dressed at least somewhat appropriately with his collared shirt and clean pants, but his dyed hair would give him away as a not-suitable-for-a-fancy-establishment person.

I swallowed out of nervousness. "W-Well, I was told that we'd be expected, so… Fuck it, I guess."

The guys nodded, but I could sense their uneasiness. We kept standing in front of the place for a few seconds more, until I decided to take the lead, and made my way to the door, the guys following right after me. Carefully, I opened the door. Just as anyone would expect, the inside, too, looked all fancy, with a red fitted carpet and beige walls with dark wood wainscoting. A pleasant smell of an old but well kept building filled the air. But, none of those were the most surprising part, no. What took the cake was the two girls standing further in the hallway, dressed as maids. And I recognized them, they were Azusa and Tsumugi. With shining smiles, they both cocked their heads.

"Welcome!" they both bid us in unison.

The guys and I stood in the doorway, dumbstruck. The girls, however, didn't seem to care much about our reactions.

"A table for three, I presume?" Tsumugi asked.

"Oh, uh, yeah," I said, having recovered from the shock.

She beckoned us to follow her. "Right this way, if you please."

Giving the guys a quick glance, we began following the girls through the hallway, and around the corner. We were led to a big and fancy dining hall, which honestly looked more like a ballroom. A fancy wooden furniture, pink silk curtains, many chandeliers… Well, you get the gist. In short, a very, very fancy-looking place. Too fancy for a group of ruffians like us to just march in. Tsumugi directed us to a table in the corner, next to the windows, with three chairs around it. As we took a seat, Azusa came back with a handful of menus, handing them over to us.

"Here you are. Let us know when you're ready to order," she said, still keeping that shining smile on her face, but I swear she must've been thinking 'What's this guy doing here!?'

The second we took a look at the menus, the guys and I flinched out of shock. Shit, everything's so expensive! I mean, it should've been obvious, but it still managed to surprise me. You'd get two coffees and a sandwich at Nakamura's café for the price of this place's coffee… But, I've got to admit, this place had a pretty good selection. Thanks to my time in the club, I recognized all of the coffee options. Though, I'm not sure if I'd charge this much for them…

Having noticed my reaction, Tsumugi leaned a bit closer. "Is something bothering you?"

"O-Oh, no, it's just… T-This is kinda, uh, pricey," I muttered nervously.

"This establishment uses only ingredients of the best quality to ensure an utmost customer satisfaction," she explained, still smiling.

Grinding my teeth, I looked at the menu again, and then at Tsumugi. "Yeah, sure, I don't doubt that, but still…"

A few seconds of silence followed, until Tsumugi suddenly nodded. "Very well, then. I'll check with the management to see if we can't come to a suitable solution. Please, wait for a moment."

And, with a subtle wink of an eye, she was gone, leaving only Azusa with us. Speaking of her, she quickly took a look around her, and walked right next to me, leaning closer.

"What are you doing here?" she asked me, keeping her voice low and still smiling like an angel.

I sighed, setting the menu flat on the table. "Let me guess: Tsumugi-san told you guys nothing about this?"

She discreetly shook her head. "No. If Mugi-senpai wouldn't have been with me at the door, I would've asked for you to leave."

…Shit, even though she's all smiles, I still could sense the annoyance in her voice. I glanced at the guys, who were too busy browsing their menus to care about our quiet conversation.

"Why all the hostility?" I asked her. I mean, she doesn't like me much, since I enjoy teasing her, but this was still over the top even for her

"Because this is supposed to be a special training for Mio-senpai to help with her nervousness, and I'm sure you messing about won't do it any good," she explained, her eyebrow twitching out of frustration.

I shrugged, unamused. "What? What do you think I'm gonna do? Order a cup of breast milk or something? Give me a break…"

She twitched, her smile almost breaking. I bet she wanted to grab me by the collar and trash me around. However, I was saved by Tsumugi, who returned to us. At the same time, Azusa retreated, and acted like nothing happened.

"Thank you for waiting," Tsumugi said to us, getting our attention. "I spoke with the management. Since Sugimoto-sama is a former employee of the Kotobuki estate, the house is willing to offer the table a 50% discount."

Woah, 50-fucking-percent!? Now we're talking! I turned to look at the guys to check if they were as excited about the news as I was, but was only met with a pair of confused faces.

"…A former employee?" Tadaaki asked.

"…Kotobuki estate?" Ichiro added.

Oh.

"Ah, right. She's my former employer," I told the guys, pointing at Tsumugi with my thumb.

The guys slowly turned to look at Tsumugi, who was just standing there, not caring about the looks. Wait, Azusa, too, looked just as surprised as my friends. Almost as if this was her first time hearing about it… No, hold on. Knowing Tsumugi, it most likely was.

"I'll take your orders when you're ready," she said.

"O-Oh, right…" I muttered, picking up the menu and browsing through it again, this time more carefully, since I was actually willing to order something.

Since the guys and I knew all the coffees in the menu, it only took us a few seconds to make our orders. The guys ordered their favorite drinks, while I decided to try something different and ordered an extra strong cappuccino with vanilla foam. Giving us courteous bows, the girls disappeared through one of the doorways. And now that they were gone, the guys turned their attention to me.

"Alright, you've got some explaining to do," Ichiro said, resting his elbow on the table.

Tadaaki realized something. "Wasn't that blonde at the Hirasawa gal's place the other day?"

I nodded. "Yeah, the very same."

"…And she's your former employer?" Tadaaki muttered.

I tilted my head backwards. "Eh, not officially, but since I was serving her family, I guess you could call her that."

"So, did she invite you here out of politeness, or…?" Ichiro asked.

I looked at them, and turned my attention to the menu on the table. "I'll explain later… Huh, there's a dessert menu on the bottom of the page." I wasn't trying to change the subject, I just happened to notice it only now.

We spent the following minutes talking about some inside stuff, though keeping our voices low and the language in check, since we obviously weren't the only customers there. Not that we care about such a thing in other restaurants or cafés, but something about this place's atmosphere forced us to behave a bit more civilized. I also noticed that the entirety of Yui's club was here, posing as waitresses, all dressed as maids. Since I had nothing more to hide, I decided to quietly introduce them one by one to Ichiro when one of them entered the dining hall, even though it was a one-sided introduction. He got more surprised the more girls I introduced to him. And, well, I guess it was an excuse for us to look at a bunch of cute girls dressed as maids.

"Ah, Eiji-kun?"

Our conversation was cut short when my name was suddenly called. Turning to face the voice, I found Yui walking towards our table, carrying a serving tray.

"When did you get here?" she asked, surprised.

I wasn't really amused. "This is getting very old, you know."

She cocked her head. "What is?"

"You noticing my presence late," I clarified.

She set the tray down on the table, chuckling embarrassedly. "Heh, well, I just can't help it. Maybe you blend well in the surroundings or something."

Me? Blend well? With my red hoodie and whatnot? Hell, I bet I could be sitting in front of her in her class and she'd still take a while to notice it… But, whatever, she's been like this for as long as I've known her, but I can't say I've gotten used to it. Yui proceeded to serve us our drinks, before bowing and returning through the same doorway she came from. The guys and I sipped our drinks, and flinched a bit.

"This…" Tadaaki muttered, lowering the cup from his lips.

"…is…" Ichiro continued.

"…damn good," I finished the sentence.

The espresso in my cappuccino had a surprisingly mellow flavor. The kick of the inevitable acridity was unnaturally pleasant, like a fallen leaf peacefully floating down, and gently touching the surface of a calm pond. The secret was in the vanilla foam, which wasn't as strongly sweet as I thought it would be, but instead had the subtlest aroma, though clearly tastable. Combined with the espresso, it led to the most marvelous of fusions – A fusion of flavors I'd be longing for years to come, a combination which could take your tastebuds on a journey you'd never forget. In short, it was a fucking good cup of coffee, I must say.

Ichiro glanced at his cup, gently swirling the contents. "Man, I've made this countless times back at the club room, how come it has never tasted this good?"

"I don't know, maybe we're just too cheap when buying ingredients," Tadaaki noted.

"…Yeah, I don't know either. I'm just… speechless," I muttered, and took another sip, this time savoring it more carefully.

The following minute was peaceful. We just sat in silence, enjoying our drinks. That silence was broken by Ichiro, who dug his money out of his pocket, counting it. He then took another look at the menu, quietly mumbling something to himself. He then shoved the money back into his pocket.

"Didn't you say something about desserts? With that discount you got us, I think I can actually order something."

Tadaaki, too, took a look at the menu. "Now that you mention it, a pastry of some kind would go well with this."

Huh, you know, I actually felt the same. If the coffee is this good, I wonder what the desserts taste like. I checked the menu's dessert section. It wasn't as extensive as the drinks section, but it still took me a bit to decide what to order. Hmm, a blueberry cheesecake sounds good… Right as I made my decision, I happened to notice Ritsu walking by.

"Ah, excuse me," I called out for her.

She came over to us, cocking her head with a smile. "Yes, how may I help you?"

…

"That doesn't really suit you, you know," I couldn't help but quip to her.

"Shut up, if you please," she said swiftly, still smiling.

With an amused snort, I ordered myself a dessert, and the guys did the same. As Ritsu was writing the orders down, she noticed something, and pointed at Ichiro with her pen.

"Ah, you must be the third one," she said.

Ichiro's confused expression made Tadaaki snicker, so he saw for the best to explain: "She went to the same junior high as us."

"Really?" Ichiro muttered. "Oh, yeah, I think I remember you. Weren't you the one who always drummed on her desk during breaks? We could hear it all the way to our class."

Huh, seriously? I can't recall such a thing, but then again, I've forgotten a lot of things from my time in junior high.

Ritsu flinched a bit, her smile turning into a nervous one. "W-Well, I, um, can't seem to recall…" Embarrassed, aren't we?

She then quickly spun around on her heels. "A-Anyway, thank you for ordering!" And she was gone.

We kept on drinking our coffees, though slowly, since we didn't want to finish them until we'd have something to snack on. We didn't have to wait for long, maybe a minute or two. The girl of the hour, Mio herself, brought the desserts to our table. Compared to the rest of the gals, her smile was shining the brightest. I was expecting her to be more sheepish, so it took me by surprise.

She set the desserts in front of us. "Here you are, thank you for waiting. Please, enjoy," she said like a professional waitress, surprising me even more.

"Sure, thanks," I nodded, and was just about to dig into my cheesecake, when something struck me as odd. "Oh, by the way…" I said before Mio had the chance to leave.

"I heard this was some kind of a training session to help you with your stage fright."

"Oh, uh, yes, that's true," she confirmed, sounding a bit embarrassed, but not breaking her smile.

I fiddled with the pastry fork (damn, I last saw these things when working at Kotobuki's). "Just thinking, but, you've done very well at the past concerts, so… What's up? Why all this?"

"…Well, to tell the truth…" she began. I'm not sure what to make of that long pause at the beginning.

"It's not for the concert. It's for, well…" she muttered, blushing ever so slightly, but… What the fuck, is that smile glued to her face or what? "Our class is doing a production of Romeo and Juliet."

Oh, shit, I completely forgot about that. "Right, and you landed yourself a main role."

"Ah, yes, that's right," she nodded.

Ah, well, that makes sense. A play and a concert are in completely different leagues. Maybe, I don't know, I've only done one of them. With the mystery solved, I could finally eat the delicious looking blueberry cheesecake in front of me. Speaking of eating, the guys were already munching on their desserts, seemingly not paying any mind to our conversation. I scooped the tip of the cake off, pierced it with the fork, and was about to eat it.

"I'm, well, going to play Romeo."

The sudden news made me halt in surprise. Out of the two possible options, I didn't expect that one. But, now that I think about it, it does kinda make sense in a way. I've seen many times how she handles Ritsu when she gets on her nerves, and, well, that's far from femininity. Furthermore, Mio's taller than your average girl, so a masculine role would suit her better. Maybe it's better to keep my thoughts to myself, I'm not sure if a girl wants to be told that they're masculine…

"That so? Well then, who's playing—? Ah, forget it, most likely someone I don't know," I shrugged, and popped the piece of cake into my mouth. Oh, damn, it's good!

She turned her head the other way, looking somewhere, her perfect smile almost breaking. "Well, that, uh, would be…" she muttered under her breath.

It took me a couple of seconds to realize she was looking at something in particular. Or someone, as a matter of fact. Following her gaze, I was met with Ritsu, who was delivering an order to a table on the other side of the room. As she noticed our glances, she looked back at us, confused. I think she understood what was going on when I lost my poker face and almost choked on the cake. I can't help it, it just doesn't suit her at all!

About ten minutes later we were ready to make our leave. After enjoying our coffees and desserts, we spent some minutes catching up with the girls, who had just started their break. Ritsu was giving me a nasty glance the whole time due to my earlier gesture. Tadaaki and I did most of the talking, while Ichiro just observed from the side. After we reckoned we had wasted enough of their time, we paid our bill. Even with the 50% discount, the sum was still way more than what any of us would pay for a cup of coffee. But, I've got to admit, it was rather good. And the cake, too. The girls escorted us to the door, bowing gracefully and bidding us goodbye. We exited the café, giving it one last look, and started heading back home. The second the door closed, Tadaaki opened his mouth.

"Well, that was something," he noted.

"Something different, alright," Ichiro added, clasping his hands behind his neck, and glancing at me. "And I'm not just talking about the coffee."

I raised my eyebrow. "Hm? I thought you'd already be used to this."

Tadaaki snorted. "Honestly, that blonde being your former employer took me by surprise, too." Ichiro nodded in agreement.

"Oh, you mean that," I muttered, tilting my head backwards and looking up at the blue sky.

We kept on walking down the hill, when Ichiro recalled something: "By the way, that tall, black haired girl—"

"Yeah, she went to Yukinokawa, too," I cut him off by answering his question.

Tadaaki smirked a bit. "I heard you tried to hit on her back then."

"Wait, what!?" Ichiro cried out, glancing over his shoulder at the café, which was slowly disappearing from the view. "…You think she remembers?"

"She does," Tadaaki and I confirmed in unison.

It was quiet for a minute. A blush started forming on Ichiro's face.

"…fuck," he finally muttered. "Just snap my neck already."

Tadaaki and I just laughed at his reaction.

"Well, that's how it goes," Tadaaki snickered, tapping Ichiro on the shoulder, who didn't seem too amused about our shitty grins.

Well, that was that, then. A bit over a week until the Sakuragaoka's festival, I can't wait. But, if Mio and Ritsu have to practice for their play, then what about their club's concert? On the other hand, they're the Light Music Club, they practice every day. Or, more or less, at least according to what I've heard from Yui, tea times and all… But, knowing those gals, I'm sure they'll be fine. Maybe. Hm, speaking of the play, I've always visited the festival one day every year, even though it takes place on multiple days. Maybe I should drop by a day earlier to take a look at their play? Oh, and didn't Ui mention that their class will be holding a refreshment booth? Though, I'm not sure what Ui would think of me skipping school twice in a row…

Speaking of which, Ichiro's earlier breakdown made me think about her. Would the festival be a suitable day, or…? Nah, better not think about it in advance, it only makes me nervous.