Their ability to get jobs was hurt by the weeks of baldness that followed. Kanade went with a long silk scarf tied around her head, and Yukino wore a series of cute knit hats - cats, birds, Pikachu - but prospective employers soon asked why they were wearing the headgear, or asked what had happened to their hair. No answer was sufficient to satisfy them, especially not the truth, so Kanade suggested they look at the next few weeks as a kind of forced vacation - at least they weren't getting recognized from the video at the moment.
Which is how she found herself at the coffeehouse, sipping a cup of their cheapest blend and practicing sketching on her computer tablet.
"I love your scarf," the waitress said as she worked to clear the next table.
It took Kanade a moment to realize she'd been addressed, and another to figure out who was talking to her; a young woman with a mix of Japanese and western features, roughly her age, dressed in jeans, a t-shirt, and an apron.
"Thank you," she replied, and gave a slight smile. But the rejections of the past few days still stung, so she said nothing more.
"Actually, it's funny, two of my last three girlfriends had shaved heads, and we were in Chicago, so they had to try a bunch of different stuff in the winter to keep warm. The fuzzy hats were cute, but generally girls who purposefully shave their heads aren't into cute, so it was a real mismatch. I liked the scarves the best, because it looked so elegant - kind of like long hair, if you looked at it from a distance - but, y'know, shaved-head girls like that generally aren't trying to be elegant either."
"I..." she was totally at a loss how to reply to this, but the girl continued.
"Anyway, look, I'm sorry, it's a really cool look, just not one I see over here in Tokyo all that much. So I just wanted to say that. I'll let you get back to your work, but can I offer you a refill on the coffee first?"
"Yes, please, thank you!" Kanade gave a little bow, returned by the waitress, and she left to refill the cup.
Kanade settled back down and looked around the coffeehouse. She hadn't paid much attention when she came in - she'd just been looking for somewhere to get out of the rain - but she was starting to understand how atypical it actually was. The vast majority of shops she'd worked in lately had taken pains, in one way or another, to present some version of class, polish, or comfort in both the decor and the waitstaff uniforms. This place, with exposed brick work, metal tables and chairs, and odd abstract art on the walls, was almost the opposite of that. Strangely enough, she felt comfortable here, even as she noticed that many of the people working here had obvious tattoos, piercings and aggressive hairstyles.
When the waitress came back, she asked if they were hiring; the waitress winked and took her into a back room to meet with the manager.
Kanade walked out with a new part-time job, starting the day after tomorrow, and an invite for Yukino to come in to interview as well. It was only upon leaving that she saw the name of the place, in a metal sign hanging over the door: "Options".