(A.N.: Sorry for this huge delay. Am applying for college, so things are a little... messed up.)

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[Chapter 11: Of Latent Introductions]

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Sayaka and Kyoko were engrossed in what seemed like the most important conversation of the decade. Their expressions were void of any amusement. Surely, there was no room for 'fun' in the topic of their conversation.

"I'm telling you," Kyoko said, gesturing with her hands. "It ain't that hard. Just basic care should work just fine, right?"

Sayaka frowned.

"No," she said, her fingers intertwined in front of her mouth as she rested her chin on her thumbs. It gave her the appearance of a businessman. "Afros are hard to maintain. Don't let the appearance fool you. A lot of care goes into preserving them."

Kyoko frowned in response. She gave Sayaka a quizzical look, while the latter continued.

"Just think about their pain," Sayaka said, gritting her teeth in faux empathy. "Every day, going home, and finding out that little kids have been tossing paperballs into their marvellous hair…"

Kyoko looked as if realization had dawned upon her.

"I hadn't thought of that," the red haired girl said, face now reflecting regret. "They've been going through so much... And I just looked the other way…"

Sayaka continued her speech.

"The person who took so much care of the hair, doesn't mind it one bit though," she said. "They just go about their day with a smile on their face, as if nothing happened… To have your own masterpiece ridiculed, and still having the motivation to do better… Do you know what that means?"

Kyoko smiled, closing her eyes.

"Yes, I know," Kyoko grinned as she opened her eyes, revealing nothing but pure inspiration. "An afro is a true work of art."

Sayaka smiled in response, nodding to show approval.

"And the person with an afro is a true artist." Sayaka concluded.

The two crossed their arms and closed their eyes before laughing like they had won against a powerful adversary. It was an obnoxious laugh, almost villanious, if not overly dramatic.

They quieted down soon, as an angry glare from Junko from the kitchen of the cafe sent a shiver up Sayaka's spine. Kyoko followed suit, eventually calming down. They often engaged in conversations like this, but maybe doing so in their friend's family cafe didn't seem like such a good idea.

The sound of a bell interrupted them, as they momentarily took a glance at the entrance to see who had come. There weren't very customers so early. After all, it was just 8 o'clock.

The blue and red duo noticed a young lady with blonde hair enter. She was young, but gave off a mature aura, wearing clothes that seemed girly and formal at the same time. Sayaka knew that nobody would have been able to pull that off.

Except a certain someone.

"Ah, Mami-san!"

Hearing Sayaka's perky voice piqued the interest of the blonde. She scanned her surroundings for the source of the voice, and soon discovered a tuft of blue.

"Oh," the blonde haired Mami smiled. "Sayaka-chan."

She noticed Kyoko sitting opposite Sayaka.

"Kyoko-chan is here as well, it seems," her formal speech didn't wear off. "Hello you two. I'm going to be with you in a moment. I need to talk to Junko-san for a moment first."

Sayaka and Kyoko both nodded.

They resumed their conversation on afros, but this time, they tried switching to a topic about goatees. None were very concerned about the nature of their conversation, as ridiculous as it seemed to an outsider.

Mami returned from the kitchen soon, and sat down next to Kyoko at the table.

"So, how are you both?"

"Pretty okay, I guess," Sayaka chimed. Kyoko nodded, indicating that there was nothing special going on in any of their lives.

"I just came to talk about some business I had with Junko-san. I never thought everyone would be here."

The red and blue duo wanted to rope the blonde into their afro-appreciatory conversation, but before they could do so, they were interrupted by the bell.

A new customer, they had thought. No surprise there. But the three of them still turned their heads toward the door, by instinct.

A girl with straight and long black hair entered the cafe with a handbag. She had a face that was devoid of any expression, her outfit was not flashy or colorful.

The three friends eyed the girl with newborn curiosity, which soon turned into suspicion as the girl headed inside the kitchen, not taking a seat like the other customers did.

Through a window, from which Sayaka received a death-glare from Junko earlier, the three could see that the girl's face, which had been monotone since her entrance to the cafe, had turned into an expression of unbridled joy.

What could be inside the kitchen, which the suspicious girl was so happy to find? The question arose in the heads of the three girls, who threw puzzling looks at each other, before continuing their observation.

Soon, the girl came out of the kitchen, with Madoka and Junko. The girl was wearing a green apron, similar to what the Kanames were wearing. Her long, black hair flowed behind her with each step, as the Sayaka, Kyoko and Mami just stared, unaware of her identity.

Madoka quickly spotted her friends at the table, and proceeded to escort Homura there. She had to introduce her to the trio before she went about her duties.

"Hey guys," Madoka waved, as casual as she could be, "This is Homura-chan. She is gonna work here part-time." Her gaze shifted to Homura, whose eyes were filled with a subtle uncertainty.

Madoka knew that she was a bit uncomfortable, but she had to do this. It was good for Homura.

The jet black haired teen clutched onto the fabric Madoka's sleeve, and looked straight down, her mouth quivering slightly.

"P-pleased to m-meet you. I'm Akemi H-Homura."

Kyoko, Sayaka, and Mami felt their hearts melt as they were greeted by the girl. It was cute, in a way. Akin to the embarrassed look on a little girl who was doing her best to be brave.

Madoka's heart skipped a beat. But she was accustomed to the feeling. It was strange to her, and she couldn't for the life of her, find the cause.

'Maybe if I went to the doctor, he'd tell me that I have been eating a lot of junk food.'

Poor girl could only worry about her health for so long.

"I'm Sayaka," the blue haired girl said.

"Tomoe Mami. Pleased to make your acquaintance," said the blonde, bowing slightly with natural grace.

"Kyoko," said the redhead. She was never much for polite speech.

"Th-thank you," Homura muttered, unsure of what else to say.

'Thank you?' the group thought. They pondered for a moment, but still couldn't understand what the appreciation was for. Or at whom it was directed.

"Are you the girl with the purple umbrella?" Sayaka said, breaking the ice.

"Yes", Homura said, returning to her collected self.

Sayaka didn't think she would answer so easily. She expected a reply that would hint at Sayaka being a stalker. At least, that is how a conversation would start. But strangely, this girl didn't show the slightest bit of hesitation.

"We heard about you from Madoka," Kyoko said, her elbow hitting Sayaka's arm, as if to let her know that she had her back.

"That is the only possible way you could know," Homura reasoned, as quick as before. Her words didn't leak any sort of emotion. But they weren't cold.

Madoka was growing increasingly worried that Homura might accidentally set of some kind of alarm. It was true that she was a bit strange, but she really wanted her friends to like her. She was not sure why, but she did.

"So," Tomoe Mami started, sensing the clear tension in the air. "Akemi-san. Tell us about yourself."

The other friends seemed relieved that their older girl took the wheel. They were quite amazed at how easily Mami took control of such an awkward moment.

"...I am a student in a Catholic school," Homura said, knowing for certain that being logical and collected would save her from any potential embarrassment.

She treated the conversation as a test. Answering questions in a clear, and concise way would mean success. Not doing so would mean failure. After all, in an exam, embarrassment would mean nothing at all. So there was no reason to be shy.

At least, that is how she prepared her heart.

"Ah," Mami said in response. "That's not what I meant. I mean, what about a hobby, or preference?"

It wouldn't take a genius to figure out that the blonde was grasping at straws, trying to start a social conversation. Only way she could get any worse would be to talk about the weather.

"I…" Homura started. This was a tough one. What did she like? The list was surprisingly short. "...I like machines."

Suddenly, everyone at that table seemed to understand Homura a bit better. Or at least, understand how the girl's mind worked to some extent.

"So, you're smart, huh?" Sayaka was the first one who broke out of the awkward trance. She grinned as she continued, "I bet you get straight A's on everything."

Homura was not used to having such a lively and casual conversation. It was an amazing experience for her. In truth, she began to wonder if removing her glasses was the best thing she had ever done.

"Not on everything," Homura said, humble as she could be. "I am bad at Physicals. I am not very athletic."

There would be some frustration from someone in general while they expressed a weakness. But Homura did not seem frustrated while she did so. It was as if she was stating a fact.

Sayaka and Kyoko were visibly surprised at her response.

"I was kidding when I said you were a straight A student," the blue haired one said with wide eyes filled with disbelief. "But that's amazing."

Kyoko nodded, equally wide eyed as Sayaka.

Mami was pleased that the ice had been broken through. So was Madoka.

"Ah," the blonde gasped, looking at her wristwatch. "Nagisa's finished with school. I'm sorry, but I have to go now."

Her voice had apology laced into it, and the group were quite aware of her situation, so they didn't mind the sudden departure.

"Is Nagisa your little sister?" Homura, much to everyone's surprise, asked.

"No," Mami smiled, taking her bag on her shoulder. "I'm her guardian for the time being," she paused for a while, taking her time to leave the table. "I'll bring her by sometime. She loves it here."

Madoka hummed a response and looked at Homura. The latter was as stoic as ever. But as Madoka looked closely, she could see that Homura's eyes were full of admiration, as they watched the blonde leave the cafe.

Madoka felt a slight pang in her chest, but like always, she ignored it.

'Yep,' she had thought. 'Definitely too much cupcakes."


"So, you don't use regular coffee?" Homura said softly, her mouth slightly agape, as she watched Madoka arrange various containers on a table. Sayaka and Kyoko left shortly after Mami had done so, leaving Madoka and her family to teach the new recruit the tricks of the trade.

"No, if you mean instant coffee, then we don't usually use it," she said, her eyes shining. "We have lots of coffee beans of different qualities. Some vary in fineness in grinding, others vary in how much they've been roasted."

Homura stared at the coffee containers that were set onto the table. Madoka had put all the jars on a white table in the kitchen, as she carefully laid out a napkin in front of each of them. Homura watched with childlike fascination as her friend and part-time-mentor put one spoonful of each coffee variant on top of every napkin. The dark haired girl was called towards the table, and was asked to feel each of them, through touch and aroma. It didn't seem tedious at all. She was fascinated by how diverse it all was.

Some of the samples smelled strong, like burnt cocoa, others were mild. She had lost sense of where she was. To put it simply, she didn't feel this intruiged by anything since her first trip to the local electronic store.

While she observed each of the samples, her friend took in the sight of a focused, yet curious Homura. Without her glasses, she looked quite mature, but now that her childlike interest was showing, it contrasted with her adult-like demeanor. To be honest with herself, she did find this particular contrast delightful. And of course, rightfully adorable.

'So this is what gap moe means,' she thought to herself, briefly thinking back on how she got confused by the term when Sayaka and Kyoko were using it.

Yes, it was precisely that, for the lack of a better explanation, Madoka concluded.

Once the sample test was over with, the two moved on to the next part of the job.

"Customer handling," Madoka said, her caffeine induced energy slightly dampened, something which Homura managed to detect, despite her lack of proper social skills.

"What's the matter?" Homura's frown and worried tone seemed to bring in the attention of Junko, who was passing by. Madoka said nothing was wrong, but Homura was still confused. She thought that she could ask Junko why handling customers was something to be worried about.

And ask her she did.

Never before had the teenager seen a grown woman's face turn so bitter, in such a short amount of time. She turned to Madoka, in a sense of light panic, and saw her look quite gloomy.

Madoka's father took note of the scenario, and immediately rushed towards them.

"Hey," he said, putting a hand on each of their shoulders while Homura watched the weird scene unfold. "Its okay. Everything's fine. Its all in the past. Lighten up, guys."

The male Kaname's attempts at consoling the two made the dark haired one even more confused. She concluded that they had some traumatic experiences with customers in the past. She was curious, but decided not to pry, as recollection of those memories was clearly making them upset.

"Well, I can teach you about dealing with customers, Akemi-san." Madoka's father turned to Homura, and explained. "The rules are simple. Show them where they can sit. Ask them what they would like to order after they are done choosing from the menu. Relay the order to the kitchen." He looked like a teacher, Homura noticed, as she listened very carefully. "If any customer is giving you any trouble, or being problematic, feel free to tell us and we'll take care of the rest."

Homura nodded.

"So just like a standard family restaurant?"

"Yeah. Exactly like one. Just with a different set of meals, and more ambience... Don't you think?"

Madoka's father scratched his chin, clearly embarassed about bragging.

'I see,' the dark haired girl thought to herself. 'He's different from my father'

Indeed, he was. Madoka's dad was more mellow with a gentler stature, while Homura's father seemed more assertive and direct. Neither were better or worse than the other, but the difference in family members made Homura happy. Because she had never been able to compare her family with someone else's. Her eyes drifter towards the pink haired girl, who had just broken out of her gloomy trance. What Homura felt, was clear proof of the fact that her shell was breaking apart.

It wasn't clear whether the destruction of that very protective shell was a good thing or not. Honestly, it didn't matter. She would bask in this happiness for as long as it allowed her to do so. She wouldn't have it any other way.

-(End of Chapter 11)-


Yeah. It was unjustified. I should have uploaded sooner. But things haven't been very smooth for me lately. I even considered getting some help, but it didn't work out well. But its fine. At least I can do this. Also, I apologize if this chapter wasn't up to the usual standards. I promise to make it better.

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Take Care
DSH99