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[Chapter 13: Of Tips and Pins]
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It was time for Akemi Homura to finally learn the most important part of the job.
Dealing with customers.
While it seemed easy for anyone who heard it, it proved to be quite an expansive field of work. The customers ranged from polite to 'difficult', which was Madoka's kind way of saying 'they are scum.' Well, Homura was against using that particular term, but after hearing about several examples, she was quite adamant on calling them deplorable.
But that would upset Madoka, and hence, Homura did not badmouth them.
The usual range of customers did not prove to be much of an issue, as Homura observed. Maybe sometimes some individuals will ask for more sugar, some would ask for less. That was not particularly a problem, but seeing as it was even mentioned, Homura ascertained that the cafe was mostly a peaceful and quiet establishment.
Her dark colored eyes still shone in fascination whenever she gazed around the ceiling. The hanging spherical lights provided the place with an unique, warm glow, while the lightly tinted glass windows made sure that daylight wouldn't interfere with the indoor lightning. Homura had been coming here for several days now, learning more and more about various things. This included the handling of the equipment, to memorizing the types and blends of coffee.
Madoka had said that she would even teach her how to bake several items from their menu, but Homura insisted that she did so when the place was closed. Otherwise, there would be a possibility of accidentally mixing up the spoiled batches from the actual ones. That would surely upset some customers.
That brings her to today. The day she was done with learning the basics.
She was always practical about learning new things. Now, she had to earn some actual experience with real life customers. This would present her with new challenges and lessons. And slowly, she would be able to master the task.
Well, at least in theory.
Because there was one slight problem.
Akemi Homura didn't have the best track record in talking casually with strangers. Madoka's friends were an exception. They were quite easy to talk to. Maybe it was due to the risk she held in harming someone else's business. Or maybe it was due to the fact that Madoka would be angry with her if she had messed up.
The prospect of Madoka not talking to her made her choke up.
She completely forgot that a customer was in front of her. She came to her senses the gentleman was waving a hand before her eyes.
"Ah," the dark haired teen cleared her throat as she spoke, trying to collect herself. "I am sorry. I shouldn't have spaced out like that."
Yes, she mentally rejoiced. The only social skill she was proud of was her ability to apologize. She bit her tongue. She knew she was contradicting herself.
Madoka wouldn't be angry with her if she messed up. She would be angry if Homura didn't even try doing her job.
The gentleman was kind, and didn't mind Homura's absentminded trance. In fact, he was quite pleased with her manners.
"Its okay," he chuckled. Homura nodded and brought out her notepad, clicking her pen before looking at the customer. The man took another quick gaze at the menu before he made his order. "I will have the Royal blend, with no sugar."
Homura jotted down the order in neat handwriting, and carefully went through all the instructions Madoka had given her. She had welcomed him to the cafe, showed him to his seat, asked for his order, and written it down. Now came the biggest step.
"Would you like anything else?" Homura asked, maintaining a light smile. She spoke from memory, choosing her words carefully. "You're our first customer for the day, so we would like to provide a dessert of your choice… with your order. Its on the house."
The customer smiled back, with a frown. He hadn't expected this, but it was a welcome surprise.
"Really?" His frown disappeared, but he was still beaming. "Lucky me, then."
He skimmed through the dessert section of the menu, and gave an order for a shortcake. Homura jotted down the details in her pad, and looked into the customer's eyes.
"Your order will be ready in a minute or two."
With that, Homura left for the kitchen. The hardest part about this was not the talking. But the forced smiles. No matter how much she willed herself, she was unable to smile naturally. It came out forced, and awkward. Homura was a perfectionist at heart, so she had to practice her smile and demeanor in front of her own bathroom mirror. She did this every night, for four nights straight, until she was somewhat content with her display of pleasure.
Smiling was still the toughest part of the job, according to Homura. But she had to practice.
As soon as she went into the kitchen, however, her thoughts came to a screeching halt as a tuft of pink came dashing towards her. Madoka clasped her hands around Homura's rasing them up to their chest level.
She was beaming with happiness.
"That was pretty great, Homura-chan," Madoka gushed. "It was fantastic for your first time. I slipped and fell on my first day."
The last part was said with Madoka looking into the ground, with a tinge of embarrassment. Homura tried to stifle a chuckle, but her laugh came out as a snort, making her cover her mouth with a hand.
Madoka chuckled too. She blushed when Homura's usually expressionless face struggled to not laugh at the thought of a younger Madoka tripping and falling flat on her face. Madoka did not mind, however, because this also made Homura more relaxed. She had been quite tensed when she was taking the order.
The dark haired girl was now at ease. She calmed herself down and tore off the page from her pad, giving it to Madoka, who took a look at the paper before speaking.
"Royal Blend," Madoka said, looking at Homura's eyes. "Do you want to try making it?"
Homura nodded quite eagerly. She had practiced this part a lot, and the shy girl wanted her trials to not be in vain. She knew the measurements and process of preparing the cup by heart. And now was her chance to proclaim the fruits of her efforts.
She quickly got to work, while Madoka began her process to plate the shortcake. She took a glance at Homura at intervals, making sure she was doing everything properly.
Within three minutes, Homura was done. The water was set to boil beforehand, so she didn't have to wait for long. In her mind, she carefully recited the steps.
'Slow and delicate stirs,' she said to herself. 'Slow and delicate stirs.'
Those words were taught by the pink haired girl, and now they had become a mantra of sorts to Homura. If Madoka knew how she was thinking, she would have surely thought that she was weird.
Madoka walked up to her, and grabbed a spoon, taking a few drops of coffee from the cup. She blew it softly, and took an experimental sip, before giving Homura a thumbs-up. The latter smiled when she received the gesture of approval. She was doing nicely for her first time working, she thought to herself.
Homura took the two plates to the table, and set them down gently. She used a finger to turn the cup handle towards the right, something Madoka's instructions had included, weirdly enough. The pink haired girl watched from her place in the kitchen, being slightly taken aback by the fact that Homura had remembered even that tiny detail.
Madoka smiled to herself, and felt her stomach tingle in a funny way. It was subtle, and so, it was ignored by the teen.
Homura bowed, and asked the customer to enjoy his drink, before going back to the kitchen with elegance.
Madoka was always entranced by this graceful side of Homura. Anyone who saw the current Akemi Homura would be unable to comprehend the fact that she was this shy girl with glasses and braids that walked into this place on a rainy day.
'Thank god for gap moe,' Madoka said, holding onto the edge of the kitched counter, her expression resembling that of a contented old lady. Sayaka and Kyoko had talked about this topic one day, and Madoka felt like she understood the concept now. She felt a sense of deja-vu as she thought that. She could have sworn she had that exact same train of thought the other day.
Sayaka and Kyoko came into the cafe afterwards, and took up their usual spot in the corner. Junko was particularly adamant on making them sit there, due to the fact that the two were very loud on occasion. It was safe for all if they didn't bother the other patrons.
And within a moment, Homura was done with saying goodbye to the customer she was serving.
"Please come again," she said gently with a light bow.
As soon as the man was out of earshot, Homura turned around and took the tip she had received into her own hands. It was only a single 100 yen coin, reflecting the ceiling lights. But the value didn't matter. It was tangible, weighted evidence that she had stepped out of her comfort zone and done something good.
The coffee was not overly expensive either, going a little over 500 yen. So a 100 yen tip was pretty lush.
After all, Madoka's dad was insistent on making the place accessible and affordable to many people, not just 'caffein-snobs'.
She closed her fist, the coin now in her hand, as she skipped towards Madoka. The pink haired girl was talking to Sayaka and Kyoko, at a corner.
As soon as Madoka looked her way, she took the coin, pinched it with her thumb a index finger and held it up in front of the pink haired girl.
A light frown, a determined gaze and a smile made her seem like a child who was being proud of a stellar achievement. Madoka and her friends briefly applauded the childlike display of pride, which did not deter Homura in the slightest.
"I know its not much," Madoka said. "But considering its a tip, its nice."
Homura knew Madoka trying to console her, but she didn't need it. She wasn't after the money after all. And even if she was after money, she could have bought plenty of electronic components for a weekend project, just with the coin in her hand.
Homura nodded, and shoved the coin in her pocket, and walked to the kitchen, leaving the three girls in her wake.
"So," Sayaka said, lazily resting her chin on her arms, which were folded on the table. "If you guys owe her money for fixing your stuff, and if she refuses it, why did she take the job?"
Kyoko frowned. "Yeah, wouldn't that like… put her… more into debt?"
"Well," Madoka chuckled. "We planned to give her a some extra every time we gave her money for this job. I don't know why she agreed to that so easily though."
Sayaka and Kyoko looked at each other and then back at Madoka.
"You sure find some scary ways of being good to people."
Madoka narrowed her eyes at her childhood friend after hearing the remark. She didn't know whether her friend was meant it as a compliment or an insult.
She shrugged it off.
"Oh, by the way," Madoka said, looking at Sayaka. "You remember Hitomi?"
Sayaka's mouth grimaced at hearing the name. She didn't hate the girl. But hearing her name did make some old memories resurface. She didn't like feeling that way.
"Yeah," the blue eyed teen said, trying to keep herself in check. "Kinda hard to forget."
"Well," Madoka started, with a twinkle in her eyes. "Homura-chan and I were walking the other day and we kind of met her."
"Oh?" Sayaka's mind was now clear of all turmoil. It all was replaced by curiosity.
Kyoko rested her elbows on the table and rested her cheeks on her hands, paying attention to the conversation.
"A cat clawed into her face," Madoka said, smiling. She was never one to feel good at the expense of others' pain, but in this particular case, a harmless kitten inflicting such terror was extraordinary. It was something even the pink haired teen couldn't help but snicker at. In private, of course.
She proceeded to tell Sayaka the story in full detail, even Kyoko grinned and laughed with Sayaka after hearing the 'tragic' incident surrounding Hitomi.
"You know," Madoka continued. "I think she changed quite a bit after the whole… you-know-what thing."
Sayaka and Kyoko knew that the you-know-what referred to when Kyousuke and Hitomi had started dating. They didn't get why Madoka was always so careful about talking about it. It all happened three years ago, so such a level of care didn't make much sense.
But the two knew that it was Madoka's inherent nature to act in the kindest possible way, regardless of what people say. And the two girls knew better than to tell Madoka otherwise. They both liked her, but they were also afraid of what she would do if she ever got angry.
Its said that the kindest people shouldn't be angered. And everyone followed this age old adage around Madoka, without her knowledge of course.
Kyoko looked at Sayaka, who was now talking to Madoka about how the cat looked, and something about not being much of a cat-person. The topic didn't mean much to the red haired teen. She just gazed at her best friend.
She was worried when Hitomi's name was uttered and Sayaka grew upset. She was relieved to see when Sayaka laughed while Madoka told them about Hitomi. She was happy that Sayaka was feeling happy.
A warm sensation in her stomach sent her into a peaceful trance, while she now rested one cheek on her palm, her gaze affixed to Sayaka.
Kyoko wasn't smiling anymore. Her face was tinted in a faint shade of red. Sayaka's eyes were still focused on Madoka as the two talked. Kyoko noticed how her friend's blue bangs fell in front of her eyes.
Sayaka had occasionally put a few strands of hair from her front and pushed them aside, something that she did in a subconscious fashion. But Kyoko had noticed.
This time, before Sayaka could touch her hair to fix it, Kyoko absent-mindedly used her fingertips to tuck the rogue strands of blue hair behind Sayaka's ear. She did so very gently, and slowly, without any conscious thought or intention. Her mouth had been open in a lazy 'o', her head was still tilted and rested on her palmtop.
Sayaka's conversation with Madoka abruptly ended, as the two now looked straight at Kyoko. Sayaka was startled at how Kyoko was acting, but she found herself being completely still, looking at Kyoko's expression. She never saw her friend behave in such a way.
Madoka's heart fluttered as she witnessed this display. She felt her cheeks become warm, as she mentally thanked God for showing her such an amazing spectacle.
"W-what is it?" Sayaka said, in a quiet voice, unsure of Kyoko. "Something wrong?"
Kyoko's mental gears took several seconds before clicking back into full-fledged motion. She nervously laughed, knowing that lying carelessly would probably make things worse. She had to be careful if she was going to dodge this bullet.
"S-saw ya do that couple 'a times today," she said, trying to mimic nonchalance. "Yer hair is sure getting bigger."
"O-oh," Sayaka became visibly relaxed after seeing that her friend was perfectly normal and hadn't been replaced by an alien. Her eyes looked up as she pinched a strand of hair and rolled it around between her fingers. "Yeah. You're right. I should probably get it cut or something."
"No," Kyoko said abruptly. She noticed her strange remark as soon as she said it and tried to gather her thoughts. "I mean, if its getting bigger, get a new hairclip or something."
Sayaka did not suspect Kyoko's sudden diaspproval. But Madoka did. She was deeply enjoying this.
"Kyoko-chan," Madoka said, smiling. "Why don't you go with her to the shop and pick up something nice for your hair? I still have some things to teach Homura-chan, so I can't go."
Kyoko frowned, narrowing her eyelids at Madoka. She knew that it was Madoka's way of urging them on to spent some time together.
But she didn't like how cheerful the pink haired waitress was being. It made her feel more embarrassed. She was certain that Madoka knew how she had felt. And she did not like to be teased.
She looked at Sayaka, who was sighing and fiddling with a strand of hair, a sight that made Kyoko's heart melt.
"Yeah," she said, trying to look away from her friend who was oddly frowning at the ceiling light above her, for some reason. Sayaka was an airhead sometimes, but Kyoko didn't mind this side of her one bit. "I'll go with her later."
Madoka pressed her lips closely together to avoid being overly cheerful. She had a feeling that Kyoko disliked being teased, so she tried her best to seem neutral.
Meanwhile, the redhead now sighed, when Sayaka asked her where they were going and why. She shut her eyes tightly and took a deep breath before telling Sayaka that they were going to buy some hairpins for her.
Poor Kyoko was deeply troubled. She was behaving strangely and she knew it. And moreover, as usual, her heart wouldn't stop beating so loud.
'Ah fuck,' she cursed in her thoughts. 'I gotta keep cool or Sayaka's gonna worry'
Kyoko sighed for the umpteenth time that day, while Madoka went to the kitchen to see what Homura was up to.
-(End of Chapter 13)-
I have nice plans up ahead. It involves green hair. Wink wink.
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Take Care
DSH99
