CHAPTER 675: CHAPTER 417: THE JUNIOR IN THE COFFEE SHOP

At seven in the morning, Uesugi Sakura awoke from her dreams.

After a simple wash, she went to the kitchen to heat up two slices of the bread she bought last night.

Luckily, her job paid daily wages, so she wouldn’t starve at home these days.

Uesugi Sakura heated some milk and sat in the living room to start having breakfast.

The new apartment was nearly two hundred square meters. Sitting alone in the vast living room eating bread and watching the morning in Tokyo City inevitably brought a sense of solitude.

The chair opposite the dining table was empty. Uesugi Sakura thought if Hanabi were here, she would probably be sitting there, chatting with her.

It felt so strange to suddenly have one less person at home.

She randomly picked a casual outfit from the wardrobe. Looking at herself in the mirror, Uesugi Sakura suddenly frowned.

She seemed to be more noticeable than before?

The charm level of 11 indeed had some effect, but what use was looking this handsome?

Putting the keys in her computer bag, Uesugi Sakura rode her pink little bicycle downstairs and went out.

The wheels leisurely spun on the street, her phone silently resting in her left pocket, while earphone wires extended upwards to each side. Uesugi Sakura enjoyed the lively pop music echoing in her mind, keeping her eyes forward, pedaling past various passersby on her bike.

Occasionally, she could see some high school students in suits and uniforms along the street.

In October, the air turned cooler, and most students had begun wearing long sleeves and trousers. Needless to say, the boys wore traditional stand-up collar uniforms.

However, the girls were still wearing short plaid skirts, which swayed slightly as they walked, accentuating the slender beauty of their legs.

If Hanabi were among those schoolgirls, the scenery would look even better.

Uesugi Sakura ignored the youthful energy exuding from beneath the girls’ skirts and pedaled past them on her pink little bike.

Many schoolgirls stared at her as she passed, whispered to each other, and then covered their mouths to giggle while watching her gradually disappear from sight.

Uesugi Sakura guessed that they were probably attracted by the attention-grabbing pink little bike.

After all, it was rare to see a guy riding such a girlish bicycle.

She spent 20 minutes reaching the mimi café.

In the morning, there were no maids outside handing out flyers yet.

Uesugi Sakura found her previous parking spot, took out the lock from the bicycle basket to secure the rear wheel, and headed to the second floor.

Ding-ling~

A crisp bell chimed.

"Welcome... Oh, it’s Uesugi-kun."

Speaking was Towa Rina, yesterday’s Cat-Eared Maid. She seemed to have just arrived at the shop, still in a white shirt and casual daily clothes, preparing to change in the break room.

She smiled and greeted Uesugi Sakura, who had just pushed the door open:

"Morning."

"Mm, morning," Uesugi Sakura responded, then asked, "Is the manager not here?"

"The manager arrived early, as always," Towa Rina spread her hands, "She has to prepare some desserts early, as none of us have her skills."

"So early and customers already?"

"Yes, some come for breakfast. In the morning, we’re a simple coffee shop; in the afternoon, we become a maid café. Isn’t the division of labor clear?"

"You can do that...?"

Towa Rina chuckled, covering her mouth as she laughed: "No, I’m just joking. There aren’t any breakfast places nearby, so a few customers frequently come here for bread and cookies for breakfast, along with a cup of coffee."

"To accommodate them, the manager gets up early every day to work; in the past, all the morning coffee and desserts were made by the manager."

"I see."

"By the way, wasn’t Uesugi-kun supposed to come in the afternoon? Why are you here so early today?"

"No school, I was bored at home, so I came by to see if there’s anything I can help with."

A face seemingly distant, yet coupled with such warm-hearted words.

Towa Rina found him suddenly remarkably cute, unable to restrain herself from saying: "Uesugi-kun looks icy, yet unexpectedly warm-hearted."

"Do I look cold?" Uesugi Sakura asked, puzzled.

"No, I didn’t say that." Towa Rina tried hard to suppress her laughter.

Upon reaching the staff lounge, Uesugi Sakura changed into a men’s western-style vest.

As a barista, her work was mostly at the counter, only leaving her seat to grab some used-up supplies from the kitchen.

After hours of work yesterday afternoon, Uesugi Sakura finally understood why the manager hired her as a barista.

A maid café surely needed a barista.

And someone had to prepare small desserts like ice cream and cakes.

A chef was required for main dishes such as omurice.

Tea and drinks needed someone to mix them.

All these various meals and desserts being prepared by the manager was too burdensome.

Luckily, it was a small shop, and there weren’t too many customers.

Uesugi Sakura walked out of the break room and began checking the tools needed for the day.

Yanagi Shiiru, just coming out from the kitchen, saw Uesugi Sakura standing behind the bar cleaning cups.

"Here to help?"

"Yes."

"In that case, I appreciate your kindness. How about helping with the flowers after we’re done?"

Uesugi Sakura was idle at the counter anyway, so she agreed to this request.

At this time, Towa Rina, who had just changed into her maid outfit, came out of the break room and saw Uesugi Sakura watering the flowers by the window.

Uesugi Sakura stood by the window, wearing an ink-green apron over her western-style vest. Towa Rina curiously watched his flower watering actions.

The movements seemed very natural and skilled in his hands.

"Does Uesugi-kun also grow flowers at home?"

"Haven’t grown any recently."