July 21, Monday
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Mai groaned, cradling furrowed brows in her right hand. She would do anything for a glass of iced anything right about now. This day was the day summer finally woke up and said, 'Hey, this is a good enough time to get off my ass and work. I'll just go ahead and release agonizing heat waves every half-second.'
The heat itself was excruciating, but oh, the throes of having people jam-packed around her even made it more so. Shibuya really really really is Mai's most hated place. She'd love to get away and go back to Bunkyo, but she still wasn't done here. It had been two days since summer break started and she had searched this district in that time, but she still hadn't been able to cover even half the area.
Then, to make matters worse, it's Marine Day today—a national holiday held to give importance to the ocean. Why then are all these people frolicking about at the innermost part of the city where there are no seas in sight? Mai had predicted that most people would go straight to the beaches and aquariums, but predictably, she was horribly wrong. Perhaps, like her, these people hated watching fish jump up and do boring tricks, but it's just too much of a coincidence that hundreds upon hundreds did so.
To curl up and lie motionless was her only wish now. Her feet ached from the endless trudging and she would gladly stop and drop down onto the cold cement if only there was some assurance that pointy heels and heavy boots wouldn't stomp across her face.
At last, at long last, she spotted a not-so-mobbed café where she can sit and rehydrate and rest. Still, there was a crowd at the fountain near the entrance, but the café itself was miraculously not overpopulated. Craning her neck to catch a glimpse inside the windows, she counted. There was only one, tw— Wait.
One? Only a single occupied table? It was curious to say the least; the building, not to mention the district, where the coffee shop resided looked chic and sophisticated, so it was strange that there weren't any costumers. While not imposing, the structure's exterior composed of old designs. The outside wall was elaborately plastered with red bricks, as if reviving the Tudor brickwork from five centuries ago, and the overall façade was boxy, as if from when the Bauhaus was first introduced a hundred years before. A few meters in front of the café's Palladian double doors was an escalator directly connected to the second floor, apparently a place for more shops.
Two bells chimed as she crossed the entrance, her breath hitching as her eyes took in the graceful interior. The floor was simply plain, taupe granite tiles settled neatly in rows and columns. Atop them, steel tables were spaced evenly along with pairs of faded gold and silver painted Windsor chairs. The walls were halved by a shadowed chair rail moulding, the top littered with various artworks. The best part was the cashier counter; it was embellished with two rows of black and white diagonal harlequin tiles.
Finally, her gaze swept across the only costumer here: a woman with dark hair carefully tied back in a low ponytail, bright eyes hidden by thinly framed glasses and petite figure overwhelmed by a too-large shirt. She was seated at a table near the counter, her eyes widening as the bell rang when Mai entered.
"Oh! I'm sorry, we're still closed today," the woman said, a kind smile lifting the corners of her lips. "But tomorrow will be the grand opening, so don't forget to stop by again," she added.
Mai was wrong—again. The lone costumer was not a costumer after all. By then, the girl had already traversed to the counter. A blush tainted her cheeks, dejection consuming her when she realized that she wouldn't be able to rest her legs any time soon. "I-is that so? I'm very sorry for intruding," she apologized, bowing slightly. "I didn't notice."
"It's alright," the woman assured. "I suppose it's my fault anyway. I'm sure I locked that door just a minute ago…"
"No, no. It isn't your fault," Mai said, her mouth curving into a polite grin as she shifted from one throbbing foot to another. "Then, I should be going now. I'll be sure to come tomorrow!"
She turned back and began to head for the entrance, however she was stopped by the woman when she said, "Wait, you don't have to go. It isn't much, but can you be my first costumer?"
"…Are you sure?" Mai asked as she faced her again, trying to suppress an uncontrollable need to let out a relieved sigh. "But will that be fine with the owner?"
"Yes, the owner is sure. She's standing right in front of you," she chuckled. "No need to come to the counter. Please sit anywhere you like."
"T-thank you," the girl stuttered, amazed yet again. The woman in front of her must not be a day older than twenty-five! Managing a business wasn't something Mai thought of lightly. She herself struggled with keeping track of her own accounts; she couldn't even imagine what kind of mess handling a cafe would be. Absently juggling these thoughts, she scanned the room once more and decided to sit at the table next to the one the owner previously occupied.
"What would you like to have?" she asked as she prepared the needed utensils. "Coffee? Tea?"
"Iced tea, please," Mai said, the relieved sigh breaking out as she finally sat down. She glanced at the meticulously handwritten menu at the black board behind the counter, almost squealing when she spied her favorite. "Blueberry Ginger."
"A wonderful choice," she remarked, hint of sadness betraying her cheer, but Mai was not able to take notice. "I'm sorry to say snacks aren't available at the moment. I don't know how to cook, you see, and my supplier is scheduled to deliver them tomorrow..."
"It's fine, really. To be honest, I only wanted to rest my feet for a little while," Mai abashedly confessed.
"Ah, are you enjoying Marine Day festivities?" Her question was muffled by the purring of a blender.
"Yeah... sort of..."
"Sort of?"
"Yes, well... It's summer after all and instead of wasting my time doing nothing, I'll work and earn extra money instead," Mai laughed nervously, twiddling her toes and continually tapping her feet every two seconds.
"That is a very smart decision," the woman said, an amused tone coating every syllable. "Time waits for no one, and I agree with you about not wasting it."
The young manager came out from behind the counter with a tray in hand, the aesthetic slender glass of sparkling tea on top never teetering.
"Although," she continued, her tone a pitch lower. "Maybe you already are."
"…Are what?" Mai asked, her insides plummeting and skyrocketing thrice in a single second. The woman's words suddenly made her nervous, but she couldn't understand why.
"Wasting time."
With a form of a cylindrical shape, her drink landed in front of her, the echoing thump of glass to metal ringing through the air. With it, ice cubes full of frozen blueberries collided with each other, producing a distinct clatter that disturbingly sounded like percussions to Mai.
To the girl, an eternity had passed in that moment, but the reality was not so kind. Four seconds. It took only four seconds for that woman to stare into the depths of her soul, rip it out of her self, tear it shred to shred and innocently offer it back as if nothing ever happened. Four seconds. And one key word.
'Waste.'
As if nothing ever happened, the woman tut-tutted, her eyes broadening half embarrassedly, half amusedly. "Where are my manners? My name is Azami Tsukino. It is a pleasure to meet you..." Azami held out her hand.
Her teeth clamped onto her lip as her brain ran two miles north. For a split second, she debated between bolting out of there or staying put. The latter was much less appealing to her. The woman had read her so easily. She was terrified of could be unveiled further… But finally, after two and a half moments of staring at the outreached hand as if it was an apple and she was a monkey, she said, "Mai Taniyama."
"Mai. What a beautiful name." They shook hands, one firm and the other feeble.
"Thank you, Tsukino-san."
"Please, call me Azami."
"...Azami-san."
The older between the two laughed, sounding genuine to the younger's ears. "I guess that's fine. So, where do you work?"
"I, um," Mai mumbled, looking down to the hands folded on her lap. "Notpartucularlyanywhereyet."
The girl's deep gaze deepened into bone, her head bowing even further without meaning to. Azami fixed two black orbs to her and deliberated about a sudden prospect.
"Do you have a resume?"
"Oh... Oh! Wait a moment, please." She excitedly rummaged through her bag, trying not to bounce too noticeably. Sure she was scared of this probable boss, but a job was a job, and money was money. "Here."
Please please please please, Mai thought as Azami skimmed the document.
"Have you ever manned a cash regi—never mind. I'm sure you're a fast learner anyway. This is a cafe, so you will have to learn how to create the drinks on our menu. I already have two baristas, but an extra hand wouldn't hurt. You do know how to measure liquids and push buttons, right?"
Mai nodded.
"Good. I thought as much. Do you know how to bake?"
Azami was answered with a fervently shook head.
"Me neither. The both of us will never need to worry about that though. I have a trustworthy supplier."
Two bells tinkled twice.
"Speak of the devil."
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A/N: Dun dun dun. Cliffy. I cut it there because it'll get tooooo long if I continued on. I mean yeah, it isn't really long, but for the sake of keeping a pattern, I shall keep the chapters under four pages. Btw, what do you think about the new boss? Boring? Intriguing?
Where are the two guys, you ask?
.
.
.
In my heart~
P.S. Do you know where the cafe is? ;) ;) ;) If not, I'm gonna cry.