AN: Yay, an update finally. I actually had this chapter finished a while back, but decided to get a beta (s/o to LunaBloom my shiny new beta reader ily). I'm glad I did; my first draft of this chapter was laughable. It was ridiculous.
But I digress. I don't know how frequent the other chapters will be, but I'll do my best (or my Rubesty according to LLS subs).
Ciao. c:
Umi wanted to scream.
Here she was, standing shoulder-to-shoulder in the cramped counter, wedged between an exuberant girl that, from her orange hair to her unbridled energy, reminded her too much of Honoka. Umi wanted nothing more than to reach out and latch onto Kotori's hand for dear life, but her stupid rationale and pride told her otherwise. So now she was left to suffer, clenching her clammy hands into fists as the orange-haired girl swayed back and forth, the latter's elbow occasionally brushing against Umi's bare arm.
No, Umi didn't want to scream—she wanted to die.
Suddenly, an uncomfortable warmth covered her already hot hand. Umi turned to see Kotori smiling gently at her, amber eyes shining with sympathy and understanding.
"How are you holding up?" She asked softly, leaning in a bit so that only Umi could hear her.
Umi, who was now trying her best to stop herself from shaking, gave a weak smile and a short nod. "Y-yeah," she said.
"That doesn't answer my question, Umi-chan," Kotori said as she worriedly raised an eyebrow.
Umi felt her face grow red at her mistake. "S-sorry," she mumbled.
"It's okay. I know how hard it is to—"
The slow creak of the door opening cut her off, and all commotion in the room fell to silence. A haughty-looking woman (Umi couldn't remember her name—was it Neekeo?) strode in, her chin up high and arms folded across her chest. The door gave a faint thud as it closed behind her. Her red eyes swept across the line of trainees, like a sergeant in charge of greenhorn cadets.
Umi would have been much more intimidated if the woman was taller.
Apparently, the girl beside her thought so too, and held back a snicker. Unfortunately, it was much too loud and everyone heard it.
"Hoshizora!" The woman barked. The orange-haired girl yelped then jumped into attention, back straight and arms lined up exactly at her side.
"Y-yes, sir!"
"The hell you think you are, laughin' at your boss?"
"I didn't do a-anything, Nico-sir!"
"Damn right! Make sure it doesn't happen again! No one's going to be slandering the greatest chef to ever walk this Earth!"
There was a quiet, yet collective groan that came from the girls, save for Rin, who was still at attention. Nico's face turned sour and she scowled. Umi thought she looked like a pup trying to bare its fangs against a wolf.
She stopped her laugh with a snort.
"Hey!" Nico called out, pointing right at Umi.
"S-sorry," the blue-haired girl said, her calm face beginning to break. "I d-didn't mean to—" she began, but her laugh broke free and cut her off. It resonated through the silent, empty cafe, a free, joyful sound that beckoned the others to join her.
Nico motioned with her hands to get them to calm down. "Okay, okay, enough. You guys need to—"
Kotori cut her off with a titter, which grew into a chuckle, then finally into a laugh. Rin jumped right in, relaxing instantly to double-over as mirth shuddered her body. Then the other two beside Rin, a brunette named Hanayo and a redhead named Maki, followed suit. All that was left was Nico, glowering red-face at all of them with an indignant pout.
"Why you…." She trailed off and sighed, her tight expression relaxing into a stoic mask. "You all are going to be a handful, aren't you?"
As Nico contributed with her own chuckle, Umi couldn't help but agree with the small woman.
It was going to be a chaotic kind of fun, but luckily for Umi, growing up with Honoka was all the training she needed for this job.
-X-
"Well, now that we know that kitchen training is going to be tough, how about we tone it down, yeah?"
"Nozomi, we should have done that in the beginning."
"Oh hush, Nicocchi; it's a learning experience for all of us."
Nozomi looked out at the trainees, who were completely wiped out and had sat down at the various tables with their heads slumped down. Various smears colored their faces and aprons, and Nozomi noticed that Hanayo had a smudge of frosting streaking her glasses' lens. The purple-haired woman chuckled at the sight and shook her head.
"They all look wasted," Nico snorted. She was about to add something else, but a close-eyed smile forced the black-haired woman to shut up.
"Anyway," Nozomi began, opening her eyes and turning her gaze to the girls, "how about we do some redesigning?"
The gray-haired girl, Kotori, perked up instantly. "Redesigning?" she asked, her eyes sparkling with a sudden vigor. Nozomi's smile widened a little; like Honoka's, that girl's energy was contagious.
"Yes, redesigning. We, as in Elichi, Nicocchi, and Honoka, decided that since we have a bigger team, we should go for big changes as well. So we're going to do just that: add several things onto the menu, uniform designs, maybe even a mascot who can play music." Her green eyes trailed over to Maki, who instantly blushed under her gaze and whipped her head to the side so that she stared out the window. She lowered her head just a bit, so that her fringe was able to cast a shadow on her reddening cheeks.
"So," Nico cut in, sending Nozomi a suspicious look before looking out to the trainees before them, "any ideas?"
A heavy and awkward silence passed over the group. It was clear that it wasn't because of the lack of ideas, but because they were all too shy to share what was on their mind.
The purple-haired woman's smile faltered a little; this was going to be harder than she thought.
Then, right on time, the cafe's bell rang. All heads turned to the side, and Nozomi's smile widened when she saw a very familiar head of orange hair walk in.
"Hey Honkers, where were you?" Nico called out, "You missed the grand event. These kids almost set fire to the entire building."
The small woman let out a pained cry as Nozomi slapped her shoulder.
"Moving on," the purple-haired woman began through gritted teeth, "why don't you join us now that you're here? These kids could use a familiar face to rouse them up."
Honoka saluted. "Aye, aye!" she cried before heading off to sit in between Umi and Kotori. The three girls exchanged soft, but tired smiles. Nozomi found the sight endearing to watch.
"So, what are we doing?" Honoka asked, looking at the two women with shining eyes.
"The redesigning thing," Nico said.
"Oh yeah, that! I have the perfect idea for a new menu item!" Honoka declared with a thumbs-up.
"What is it?" Nozomi asked. Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed that while everyone was looking at the exuberant girl with their full attention, Kotori and Umi looked a tad scared. The purple-haired woman couldn't help feeling a bit of dread in her chest too.
"How about… a meatball on a stick?"
Everyone went dead silent.
Nozomi was appalled; was she actually being serious? Everyone stared at Honoka, waiting for the orange-haired girl to laugh it off like some horrible joke, but when she swept her blue eyes to take in their reactions, everyone found out the answer at the same time.
"Holy shit, she's serious," Nico mumbled under her breath.
Then Rin, stood up from her seat and pointed directly at Honoka. "You're a genius!" she declared.
Honoka took this as a sign to rise from her chair as well. "Right?!"
Then chaos erupted.
Kotori and Umi were trying their hardest to get Honoka to sit down, especially when the energetic teen tried to climb over the table to high-five Rin. Hanayo looked like she was on the verge of crying, but was still doing her best to hold Rin down like an inexperienced dog owner trying to tie their puppy to a pole. Nico tried to play the straight-man to the whole affair, but Maki quickly cut in with a witty remark.
"Don't call them idiots when you're the biggest one here," she said.
That was enough for Nico to go on a furious tirade.
Nozomi watched all of this unfold with a small smile. After all, this was the liveliest the cafe has been for a long, long time.
But eventually her amusement ran out and she clapped her hands twice, surprisingly quieting down the commotion. Seven heads turned to her and Nozomi motioned for everyone to take a seat.
"Now, continuing on," she began as she pulled out a chair to sit on. "Honoka?"
"Yeah?"
The purple-haired woman gave her a mysterious smile.
"I think that's a wonderful idea."
Then everyone in their right mind let out a collective "WHAT?" of surprise.
"Oh my God," Nico began, sounding horrified, "please tell me you aren't serious."
Nozomi gave the woman a look, tilting her head to the side. "Why wouldn't I be serious?"
Nico gawked at her, unable to form any sort of coherent response.
"Anyways," Nozomi began, "I think we should charge the meatball on a stick for—"
A hand squeezed the purple-haired woman's shoulder gently, prompting her to fall into silence. Nozomi looked up and saw Eli staring at her with a raised eyebrow. It was a silent demand for an explanation of what was going on.
"Oh, Elichi, you're right on time—"
"Nozomi, don't encourage them," the blonde said with a sigh, a tired but loving smile growing on her face. The purple-haired woman saw her lover's eyes giving off a dull sparkle in the bright sunlight and a slight tug of sympathy pulled at Nozomi's heartstrings. She instantly dropped the façade and mimicked Eli's expression, especially when the latter ran her fingers through purple bangs.
Nozomi would have forgotten they were surrounded by people if Honoka didn't butt in.
"What do you mean by encouraging?" she asked as she furrowed her eyebrows together.
"Means she was joking, kid," the blonde said. Nozomi scooted to the side to make room for her lover, and they shared the cramped space on the small chair. She didn't mind though; she always loved being as close as possible to her adorable Elichi.
"Joking?" It was Rin this time that spoke, and she sounded very, very disappointed.
"Yep," said Eli.
Sighs of relief came from everyone, save for two groans.
"Can't believe Nozomi-chan would deceive us like that," Honoka sighed as she dejectedly rested her chin on the table.
"You get used to it," the blonde said with a shrug.
Nozomi nodded her head with a faint smile. "Yep! Nicocchi and Elichi would know."
Then on cue, both Nico and Eli narrowed their eyes at her. "What's that supposed to mean?" they asked in unison.
The purple-haired woman said nothing and smiled larger. There were some things she preferred to keep to herself.
"Anyways," Eli gave a sigh and leaned forward, folding her arms atop the table, "let's get down to business, yeah?"
A loud cry of excitement came from Honoka, prodding the rest to follow suit with their own half-hearted yells. Nozomi chuckled to herself.
Things were getting interesting now.
That's when the meeting truly began, starting with the menu. Ideas were flung across the room, and while some were dropped, others were caught and were fleshed out. They eventually settled with the idea of meals; not only would they provide people with more options than sweets and simple snacks, but it would provide an excuse for the cafe to stay open for longer periods of time to attract some kind of rush hour. The group decided to serve a variety of salads as well as sandwiches, with a free dessert to boot if one wanted to dine in at the cafe. It was described by Nico as, "a sweet deal."
No one laughed.
Trudging on without an embarrassed Nico, they all agreed to change the design of the uniform. Although not horrible, the forest-green apron of Muse didn't stand out either. Kotori, who instantly jumped on the topic, quickly took out a notebook (no one knew where it came from and decided not to question it) and sketched an idea for a uniform.
It was met with instant approval.
Nozomi thought it looked similar to A-RISE's uniform, although it lacked the beige beret and white cravat. According to Kotori, the collared shirt was to be cream-colored, with a black tie. Bottoms were to be black as well, with the choice between pants or a skirt. Over all that, a light-brown apron was to be worn, the white insignia of Muse decorating the center. Two pockets were near the thigh area, in order to hold onto the necessities of a notepad and tips.
It was simple. But perhaps that simplicity was what made the uniform so perfect for the cafe; it was something so quietly charming people couldn't help but feel intrigued, as if there was more to the eye than the appearance let on. Or, at least, that's what Nozomi thought.
Her eyes trailed to the blonde staring intently at the napkin. She smiled.
Yes, the design was perfect.
And now with two of three problems completed, Nozomi was surprised on how challenging finding a mascot for the cafe was. All of them had no idea where to start.
They waded in silence, some staring at the ceiling while others moved parts of their body in tiny ministrations. Nozomi found herself staring blankly at the wall, semi-consciously noticing how tense Eli was.
She put a hand on the blonde thigh and the blonde relaxed immediately.
"Do you have any ideas?" Nozomi asked, never taking her eyes off the spot the wall.
Eli hummed in thought then shook her head. "Not a clue."
"Oh!" Rin beamed, clapping her hands together. "What we have something really cute as our mascot? Like a cat!"
Everyone took this in consideration, then Umi raised her hand. Eli nodded her head to acknowledge her.
"Don't you think a cat's too… generic? We want to stand out after all."
Maki nodded in agreement. "Yeah. There're a bunch of restaurants that have cats as mascots."
"Nyaw man," Rin gave a pout and deflated, and Hanayo gave an amused laugh as she rubbed her friend's back comfortingly.
Honoka, who was sitting so that her chair was balancing on the last two legs, looked over to Nozomi and Eli. "How about an alpaca? Those are cute, but I don't think a lot of people use them."
The purple-haired woman could feel her lover tense at the mention of alpacas and she stifled a laugh.
"No," the blonde cut in, shaking her head vigorously, "absolutely not."
Kotori looked at her with a confused look. "Why not?"
"Because," Eli stubbornly asserted.
"Because what?"
"Because no."
"Because Elichika got spat on by a llama when she went to South America, so now she doesn't like any anything that resembles a llama," Nozomi chimed in with a wink.
The blonde turned to her lover, her face red with embarrassment. Her eyes glimmered with the hurt and horror of being betrayed. "N-Nozomi!"
The purple-haired woman gave her an ambiguous smile. "We have to be honest with them too, my dear."
Nico snorted. "Hypocrite."
She cried out in pain when Nozomi slapped her arm again.
"C'mon Elichi—"
"Kid, don't call me that."
"Yeah, Elichi—"
"Nozomi, don't you start taking her side on this."
But their stares became too much for the blonde's placid mask to handle and it cracked. Eli gave a loud and heavy sigh as her shoulders slumped while she nodded—a sign of resignation.
Honoka cheered, pumping her fist in the air while Nozomi laughed gaily. The purple-haired woman leaned over so that her lips were just brushing against the blonde's ear.
"You're a sweetheart," she whispered fondly, "I'm glad that you're warming up to these kids."
Watching Eli's ear turn bright red was a very satisfying sight for Nozomi to see.
-X-
Maki sighed.
The last lingering notes of Blue Rondo a la Turk faded away into nothingness into the air, leaving the heaviness of eight pairs of eyes boring into her, judging her.
Then they broke into raucous applause.
The redhead felt herself grow redder and redder at the noise. While yes, she had performed in front of crowds of varying sizes, she never thought anything of it. She believed that clapping was an obligatory act. But now here she was, basking in the cheers and cries of amazement from her eight co-workers.
She had to admit it, even to herself; it felt nice to be cheered on by these people. She didn't know what it was nor why it happened, but Maki could feel a certain kind of intimacy in their praise. It urged her to accept it all with a crooked smile. It compelled her to play another piece just for them: an encore for the people she felt actually listened to her for the very first time in a very long while.
The thought made her chest swell with an unfamiliar, yet comforting mixture of humility and pride.
"That was amazing!" Honoka beamed, eyes sparkling with unbridled awe.
Rin, who was standing next to her, nodded with the same amount of energy. "Yeah, it really was! How long have you been playing?"
"Ever since I was five, I think," Maki answered quietly.
Impressed murmurs traveled across the group, and the redhead flushed even more.
"I'm surprised you were this talented," Nozomi said with that small smile of hers.
That was a blow to Maki's pride and she knitted her eyebrows into a sour expression. "What's that supposed to mean?"
The woman just replied with a wink and a chuckle.
"Alright, alright," Eli said as she clapped her hands to get everyone's attention before Maki could say anything else, "I think we can call it a day. We got a lot done today so that's great. Tomorrow we'll set everything in stone. Everyone knows their positions and jobs, yeah?"
There was a round of murmured agreement and nodding. Eli huffed out of her nose, a tired, yet satisfied smile pulling her lips. Maki noticed that her blue eyes were shining brighter now, compared to the beginning of the day.
"Okay. Everyone's free to go then."
Everyone shuffled off to the back room to gather their belongings, save for a redheaded girl sitting on the piano bench and a brunette standing shyly in front of her.
Maki flicked her gaze at the brunette—Hanayo, she believed it was—and the latter visibly winced. It reminded the redhead of rabbit, ready to flee at any given moment. But Hanayo stood her ground and pushed her glasses up her nose. The pink smear across one of the lenses just enough to pull out the faintest of smiles from Maki.
An awkward silence filled the air.
"Uh," Hanayo began, but then cleared her throat when her voice cracked, "t-that was pretty good."
"Thank you."
"...So you've been playing since you were five?"
"That's what I said, yes."
"A-ah, right. Of course."
There was another uneasy quietness, one that put Maki on edge. After another excruciating minute or so in silence, the redhead was about to stand to leave, but soft words bolted her to the bench.
"Excuse me?" She said.
"I said, 'it must be nice to have something to be passionate about.' You must really be dedicated to music if you've been playing since you were that young."
Maki shifted in her seat, swaying almost imperceptibly as she thought over Hanayo's words. "I suppose," she began slowly, "but I started because I felt like I was obligated to."
"Are your parents musicians?"
The redhead shook her head, laughing. The thought of her overly-serious father and carefree mother being musicians was enough to amuse her for years. "No. But I come from a rich family, so I guess you can say music is a… lady-like pursuit."
Hanayo made an O-shape with her mouth as she readjusted her glasses again. "But if you didn't like it, then you had a choice not to keep going then, right?"
"I guess," Maki said as she shrugged.
"Then what made you keep going? I don't think you would have done something as hard as this for so long if you didn't genuinely like it. You don't really strike me as that kind of person," the brunette said with a nervous laugh.
Maki lifted her hand and rested it on the keyboard, the familiar feeling of smooth wood kissing her fingertips and comforting her. With ease she pressed on the keys, and the beautiful sound of a simple C chord sang in the air. She listened as the chord faded into nothingness, then slipped her hand away from the piano. Maki felt a sudden peace settling within her, the same peace that she felt whenever she finished a successful rehearsal.
"I think there's something about playing music that feels…whole," Maki began, "As if you were having a conversation with the composer, any composer. When I play, I feel like I'm taking a walk with Beethoven, watching the moon with Debussy, or watching Bach pray in a church. I can feel what they felt whenever I play, and it resonates within me. I can feel their struggle and their pain. And when I reach the end of a piece, I feel like I've understood them and other people just a little more."
She looked over to see Hanayo's purple eyes shimmering in the setting sun. The sight made something lurch in Maki's chest, and she had the dreadful feeling that maybe she said too much.
"That was very poetic," the brunette breathed out.
Maki turned a deep color of maroon.
She definitely said too much.
"W-whatever," she mumbled under her breath, looking away so that she could at least attempt to forget about Hanayo's stare.
"You really have a special place in your heart for music, don't you?" Maki heard Hanayo say.
Ah, there was that word again.
Heart.
It took a moment for Maki to collect herself, and when she did, she chuckled very, very quietly.
"Maybe that's it," the redhead mumbled as she rested her fingers against the keys, "That's what makes music so beautiful."
Another C chord filled the air, and this time, it sounded more satisfying to the musician's ear.
-X-
"I'm home!"
"Welcome back!"
"I brought Umi-chan and Kotori-chan with—ah! Yukiho!"
The younger girl turned around, a small wooden spoon hanging out of her mouth. "What?"
"You ate my pudding!"
Yukiho shrugged and turned away. Before Honoka could go on a tirade, two hands held her back at the elbows.
"Let's go get started on our homework," Umi suggested as she guided the orange-haired girl in the general direction of Honoka's bedroom. Kotori gave a wave in Yukiho's direction before following the other two.
An older woman with weary blue eyes that still sparkled with life and shoulder-length brown hair poked her head just enough so she was able to peer into the living room.
"Is your older sister back?" She asked.
"Yep," Yukiho replied as she scraped the bottom of the plastic cup for the elusive remains of pudding.
"She didn't even say hello to her own mother," the woman said with a disapproving frown.
The young redhead couldn't help the lopsided smile crossing her face. "That's too bad," she said.
"Watch what you're saying to your mother!"
Yukiho replied with a short laugh, but it was loud enough to ring through the entire room. Even her mother couldn't help her own chuckle.
"She's been energetic lately, hasn't she?"
"Implying that she's never energetic?"
Her mother laughed even louder. "Okay, that's true. But she's been in a better mood since your father passed away."
The light joviality that Yukiho had been feeling suddenly dissipated into nothingness, like a memory long forgotten. "And ever since the candy shop closed down," she added quietly.
There was a thick heaviness in the air. Yukiho dared not to breathe; she felt that if she did, she would find herself collapsing the same way her father did years ago.
"She's really trying her hardest," her mother muttered after a long while.
"She is…."
"Yukiho?"
"Yeah?"
"Look out after her."
"Why me? She's the older one. Besides," the redhead paused as she let the distant squeals and laughter coming from the bedrooms fill the silent living room, "she already has those two."
Her mother gave a huff of amusement. "Yeah," she began, "I guess you're right."
-X-
"Hello?"
"Eli?"
"Hi, grandma."
"Harasho, you're still alive."
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"Nothing, my dear. Just a joke."
"I know, I know. Why'd you call?"
"Just checking to see if you're doing okay. I know running a restaurant and going to college at the same time is tough."
"I'm making do."
"How is it? The cafe?"
"...We're still in the red, but our team got bigger. I feel like we'll pull through, especially with how enthusiastic they are."
"Harasho. It still surprises me that it's still alive, you know?"
"I know."
"Do you have a successor in mind? After all, aren't you transferring schools after this school year?"
"You."
"Oh Eli, you know I can't."
"I know, grandma. I was joking."
"You young ones and your humor. Don't push yourself, okay?"
"I know."
"You're still pursuing that fine arts academy, aren't you?"
"...I am."
"I'm sure you'll do fine."
"...Thanks."
"I love you."
"I… I love you too."
When Eli hung up with a sigh, a light giggle sounded beside her. She looked down, and the framed face of Nozomi was looking up at her, eyes sparkling.
"You're not cheating on me, are you?"
Even if it was a joke, the blonde felt hurt; never in her life would she even think about another woman.
Nozomi said nothing but smiles gently, understanding the meaning behind Eli's silence.
"I love you, you know?" She said quietly.
Eli just had to smile. There was something about being next to Nozomi that put her at incredible ease. With a simple smile, simple words, or even a simple touch, Nozomi was able to calm the turbulent storm of thoughts raging in Eli's ever-busy mind.
She had no hesitation in her reply.
"I love you, too."