CHAPTER 676: CHAPTER 417: THE JUNIOR IN THE COFFEE SHOP_2

"Why is that?"

"Moved house," Uesugi Sakura answered casually, giving the potted plant in front of him a little water, "I let my mother take care of the previous flowers and plants."

"I see~"

Towa Rina was a bit curious about Uesugi Sakura. After all, he was a current student at Tokyo University, and it was said that the guys there were all odd. She hadn’t met one before, and she was curious about what kind of personality such a person might have.

As she sized up Uesugi Sakura, she suddenly noticed a diamond ring on his left ring finger.

"Uesugi-kun actually..." A surprised expression immediately appeared on Towa Rina’s face.

Jingle~

At this moment, the door of the coffee shop was pushed open, and in came a young woman in a blue suit carrying a briefcase.

Uesugi Sakura immediately put down the watering can and walked to the front counter to greet the customer.

The young woman saw Uesugi Sakura and was somewhat surprised: "A new employee?"

"Hired just yesterday."

Manager Yanagi, who was wiping the tables, walked over with a package of sweets and handed it to Uesugi Sakura to place in the outward-facing transparent cabinet.

The young woman was a regular customer. She smiled and said to the manager, "Not bad, now your maid café caters to both genders."

Manager Yanagi smiled indifferently and asked, "What would you like to drink today?"

"A vanilla latte, two pieces of mousse, and have this handsome guy make my coffee today?"

"It will be him."

"Little brother, even if your skills are slightly below the manager’s, I won’t mind at all."

"..."

Uesugi Sakura felt as though this customer had set her sights on him.

However, the work must still be done.

"Would you like sugar?"

"Half sugar is fine."

Ushijima Tatsuki finished speaking but showed no intention of leaving, likely wanting to observe the coffee-making process.

Uesugi Sakura glanced at Manager Yanagi, then began preparing the coffee-making equipment.

Is this a test of customer satisfaction for a veteran client?

Being watched while working certainly adds pressure.

Fortunately, Uesugi Sakura wasn’t working in a coffee shop for the first time and didn’t feel nervous.

...

Grinding the coffee into powder, the uniformity of the particles is an important factor in the flavor of the coffee.

And to grind coffee, a coffee grinder is required.

The traditional coffee grinder is hand-cranked.

Using a traditional coffee grinder naturally requires the barista to be familiar with the machine and the beans.

Otherwise, the uneven particles of the ground powder will make the coffee taste uneven and gritty bitter.

Therefore, besides the traditional hand-cranked coffee grinder, there is also an electric coffee grinder.

The precision of an electric coffee grinder is undoubtedly higher than that of a manual grinder.

However, some customers feel that this type of electric coffee grinder lacks a traditional flavor.

In other words, it lacks a soul.

The grinder chosen by the manager was electric.

The young woman watched as Uesugi Sakura took out the coffee grinder and asked, "You’re not using a hand-cranked one?"

"Only electric ones available," Uesugi Sakura replied.

"That’s strange, the manager always used to use hand-cranked ones."

Uesugi Sakura turned to glance at the manager.

Yanagi Shiiru immediately opened the cabinet below the counter, took out a hand-cranked coffee grinder with a black and gold finish, handed it to Uesugi Sakura, and asked:

"Is this okay?"

Uesugi Sakura said nothing more, took the hand-cranked coffee grinder, and continued to work.

Grinding beans, warming the pot, and blooming, the entire process went smoothly without any mishaps.

Ushijima Tatsuki’s expression gradually changed from ordinary to surprise.

After finishing the blooming phase, Uesugi Sakura placed the long, narrow-necked pouring kettle on a wet cloth to cool for about 30 seconds before slowly pouring 87-degree water onto the conical filter paper.

"Is he actually using low-temperature water to brew?" Ushijima Tatsuki blurted out instinctively, although no one answered her.

Vanilla latte is also a milk coffee, with a slightly lighter milk flavor than cappuccino.

"Do you need latte art?" Uesugi Sakura asked.

Ushijima Tatsuki withdrew her gaze from his coffee and immediately smiled at him: "Roses, I love roses."

Latte art was the least of Yanagi Shiiru’s concerns; she had already witnessed Uesugi Sakura’s pleasing latte art skills and results during yesterday’s demonstration.

"Please enjoy."

As expected, amidst the young woman’s momentary astonishment, Uesugi Sakura had already served her the vanilla latte.

White rose patterns were delicately crafted and intricately outlined.

Ushijima Tatsuki bent slightly, bringing her nose to the cup to sniff gently: "Classic Japanese flavor, hmm, good, I’m satisfied."

She then asked Yanagi Shiiru: "Where did you find this handsome guy?"

"Online," the manager answered truthfully.

Ushijima Tatsuki chuckled lightly, "Your maid café is increasingly feeling more like a pure coffee shop."

She ordered a few more cookies and took a seat by the window inside the store.

When she left, she even told Uesugi Sakura, "Handsome, I’ll be back," and the like.

Uesugi Sakura didn’t want to get involved with women older than himself, so he chose not to respond.

"Haha, kinda cute."

Ushijima Tatsuki covered her face with a light laugh, carrying her briefcase and clicking her high heels as she left the coffee shop.

After she left, Yanagi Shiiru returned to the back kitchen to continue working on snacks.

Uesugi Sakura was cleaning the coffee equipment at the bar where Towa Rina, wearing a cat-eared maid outfit, came over to talk to him:

"Uesugi-kun, are you engaged?"

"I’m married."

"M-married!? So early!? I reviewed your info yesterday; you’re only a freshman, right?"

"That’s right."

"Isn’t that too early!"

"Earlier is also good."

"Oh, yesterday, Yuuri and Yuno said they were planning to chat with you more," Towa Rina said in a slightly regretful tone.