a/n: and here it is, as promised, the (very short) coffeeshop au oneshot


August 21st, 2015

"Happy birthday to me, happy birthday to me, happy birthday dear Kumiko, happy birthday to me!"

Kumiko Oumae was, to put it simply, exhausted. Anyone would be, really, working in such a stuffy place in this weather, but she worked all the same, scribbling the words into her moleskine notebook as she took an elderly woman's order. Hazuki and Midori were on break - there was hardly anyone visiting a coffeeshop in the summer heat, so the three baristas took turns being on duty. Kumiko, as things currently were, had the pleasure of serving anyone who showed up while feeling like she was slowly melting in her uniform. A figure approached the counter, and Kumiko couldn't even be bothered to look up as she launched into the usual spiel.

"Hi, welcome to Euphonium's, what would you like to-"

"Don't they let ya wear something less stuffy on hot days like this?" Kumiko looked up.

"Natsuki!" Her roommate in the coffeeshop stood with a smirk, raising an amused eyebrow as Kumiko cast off her apron and signaled Hazuki to go back to work. "I thought you had a date today." Natsuki shrugged.

"Eh, she was okay. She kinda got scared off when I told her the ferret story, not to mention the fact that she dragged me to this fancy-ass restaurant where nobody talked and I couldn't pronounce the menu items."

"Like a friend-date?" Hazuki piped up. "I went on one of those with Midori last week, it was really fun!" Natsuki shot her a glare before turning her attention back to Kumiko.

"Anyway, I figured that we could hit the town, maybe hang out like the old days? You deserve to be doing something on your birthday other than . . . this." Hazuki and Midori both gave Kumiko a thumbs-up.

"I don't see why not."


The air felt moist as the sky darkened and Kumiko headed back to the apartment with Natsuki, feeling happier than she had in weeks.

"Y'know," Natsuki said, fiddling with the key. "I heard that the rainy season's gonna start soon." Kumiko looked out the window, where the entire town seemed to have been painted gray. "People say that special things happen in the rain. Fresh starts, new parts of your life, fairytales, all that crap." Natsuki flopped down on the couch. "At least, that's what I like to think."

"Nobody says that."

"I say it. I'm a person." Kumiko looked out the window again, where the people below were obscured by the umbrellas they were all protecting themselves with, just circles on the street.

Fairytales, huh?