A week had passed since the café's grand opening, and the once-chaotic energy had mellowed into something softer—steady. Familiar. The air carried the gentle scent of roasted beans and fresh pastries, clinging to warm sunlight that filtered lazily through the high windows. Chatter floated like a melody, blending with the gentle clink of cutlery and the occasional flutter of aprons.
Yuzuki moved between tables with a tray balanced on one hand and a tired—but dutiful—smile on his lips. A pair of girls giggled as they left, their phones still warm from the dozens of photos they'd taken beside him. "Thank you again!" one sang. "So cute!" added the other. The door closed behind them with a soft click, and Yuzuki exhaled slowly. He brushed a strand of hair behind his ear and sighed as the bell above the entrance chimed again.
"Victor, it's your turn to take that," Yuzuki muttered, stretching his neck with a faint crack, his tray now emptied of another order. His tone was less annoyed and more resigned, like a man far too young to sound this old.
"Kind of busy right now," Victor replied dryly without looking up, his hand steady as he poured a fresh cup of dark roast into a porcelain mug. He set it carefully in front of Eden, who was mid-sentence in a conversation with Mobius—who was currently elbow-deep in the guts of some glowing, vaguely humming mechanical box.
"…You're supposed to be serving customers," Yuzuki deadpanned, eyebrows twitching as he watched Victor calmly tilt Mobius's teacup to her lips.
"We are paying customers," Mobius grunted, her voice light despite the ominous click of a screwdriver. "Paying him to stand here and look pretty. And pour me tea. And maybe let me steal his genetics again if I feel like it." Her eyes glinted, her lips puckering expectantly as Victor held the cup to her mouth. She took a sip and smirked. "Mmm. Acceptable."
Victor exhaled through his nose. "She's got you there."
Victor turned to the next table, where Chris and Himeko sat across from each other. They looked at ease—too at ease. He silently cleared their empty plates as the two traded conversation like two seasoned swordsmen testing each other with wooden blades.
"This tart's not half-bad," Chris said, placing his fork down with a satisfied hum. "Sweet. Strong. Like the company."
Himeko quirked an eyebrow over her cup. "Is that a compliment?"
Chris chuckled, swirling his tea. "A risk. But I'm told I should take more of those."
She didn't answer immediately, but her smirk said plenty. "Careful, you're starting to sound likable."
Victor didn't say anything. He simply smirked under his breath, collecting their cups in silence. He'd leave them to whatever tension was slowly fermenting there—good for them.
Meanwhile, Yuzuki made his way to the entrance and began his routine. "Welcome—sorry for the wait, we've been a little understa—" He stopped. Eyes widened.
"Fu Hua…?"
Standing at the door, framed by golden light, was Fu Hua herself—calm, graceful, dressed in a soft navy blouse and a long pleated skirt that swayed just slightly when she stepped inside.
Her eyes swept over Yuzuki once—slowly, deliberately. They landed on the maid outfit. They lingered. And then… she smiled.
"…It suits you," she said softly. "The color. And the fit."
Yuzuki stammered, ears turning red. "I… uh… thank you. This way, please."
He guided her toward an empty table beside Theresa, head ducked low like he was trying to hide from the very concept of reality.
"Oh, Fu Hua!" Theresa lit up the moment she noticed. "Come sit with me! Himeko ditched me for Chris, so I need a new tea buddy."
Fu Hua nodded politely, taking her seat beside the Principal. Yuzuki stood beside them, ramrod straight and visibly sweating.
"He's adorable when he flusters," Theresa whispered behind her cup with a mischievous grin.
Fu Hua sipped her tea with a straight face, though her eyes betrayed her amusement. "He's always been that way."
"Really?" Theresa leaned in with a sly smile. "I didn't know you two were close."
Fu Hua's eyes flicked to Yuzuki, who stood rigidly still, clearly trying not to look in their direction.
"…We were," she said simply, her tone softer than before.
Yuzuki, sensing their conversation, glanced away awkwardly and tried very hard to look busy.
"He still has that same look," Fu Hua murmured, almost to herself. "Like he's trying not to stand out—but every time he does, it's charming."
"Oh, I know," Theresa cooed.
"Honestly, I want to put him in something even cuter. Maybe an apron with more frills or—"
"Yuzu?!"
"Oh my God, you're talking about Yuzu!" Kiana's voice rang out as she suddenly slid into the conversation, plopping herself down at the table with zero regard for decorum. "I knew it! I knew I wasn't the only one who noticed how ridiculously cute he's been acting!"
Theresa brightened. "We were just discussing how good he looks in that maid outfit."
Kiana threw a look over her shoulder—Yuzuki was now nervously refilling someone's glass of water, shoulders tense like he could feel every word hitting him in real time.
"I swear," Kiana whispered, turning back to them. "The cat ears headband was too much. I had to go outside just to scream."
"Oh? He wore that?" Fu Hua arched a brow, and something mischievous flickered across her otherwise serene face.
"Only for an hour," Theresa said, sipping her tea. "But imagine—Yuzuki, in a gothic-lolita dress with ribbons all the way down the sleeves."
Fu Hua blinked slowly, as if visualizing it. Kiana froze. Then, in perfect synchrony, she and Fu Hua turned their heads toward each other.
"Definitely," they said together.
Pause.
"…ooh what if," Kiana added.
Theresa grinned. "Oh? "
Yuzuki, oblivious to the plotting storm forming just a few paces behind him, continued pouring tea for another customer—sneezing once as if fate had decided to warn him too late.
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A/N: from the dead I rise with a new chapter! a Comment from Calvinomega has Revitalized dear Author's Spirit of writing, and therefore, will begin writing the story once more! thank you! and have an exceptionally good day!