CHAPTER 678: CHAPTER 418: THE TASTE OF HEARTBREAK

"Senior, I’m Kobashi Rikai, nice to meet you."

"..."

Although not very familiar, Uesugi Sakura does recognize her.

Isn’t this the girl who lost her wallet before and wanted to thank him by giving gifts twice?

Uesugi Sakura also remembers that she and Hanabi attend the same school, they’re in the oil painting department.

Is the world really this small? Can we meet even like this?

But thinking about it carefully, this cafe isn’t far from Hanabi’s school, it’s very likely that female college students with spare time come here to work, which is a completely normal thing.

Kobashi Rikai had been keeping her head down since she entered, she hadn’t seen the cafe senior’s face clearly.

But according to the maid senior who brought her in just now, that senior is a really handsome and pretty guy.

Can "pretty" be used to describe a guy?

Kobashi Rikai doesn’t know, but in her heart, only one person deserves the word "pretty."

No matter how handsome, no one could be handsomer than Uesugi-kun.

Kobashi Rikai tried hard to lift her head, ready to greet the senior once more to leave a good impression, but just as she looked up at the other party, she was shocked and immediately covered her mouth.

Seeing the face of the cafe senior clearly, she subconsciously took two steps back.

"U-Uesugi-kun?"

Uesugi Sakura was a bit surprised, but not with such a big reaction as hers.

Towa Rina crossed her arms and smiled: "Do you know each other?"

"We do!"

"Kind of know each other."

Both answered at the same time, followed by a moment of silence.

Finally, Uesugi Sakura calmly explained: "I found her wallet before. To thank me, she gave me a gift."

"Oh~ I see." Towa Rina nodded, indicating she understood the relationship between the two.

"U-Uesugi, no, Senior! Is Senior also working here?"

"Yes, started yesterday."

Kobashi Rikai was very nervous, she didn’t know why, but in front of Uesugi Sakura, she always couldn’t help but want to back away, then cover her pounding chest with her hands to cover up her embarrassment.

She felt as excited as a young girl meeting a celebrity she admired since childhood.

Fortunately, she held back and didn’t show it externally.

Seeing her not speaking, Uesugi Sakura as the senior decided to speak up:

"Since you’re interning here now, let’s formally get to know each other, I’m Uesugi Sakura, a first-year student in the literature department at Tokyo University, currently a barista at... mimi... cafe."

Uesugi Sakura paused slightly when saying the cafe’s name, having long wanted to comment on it, thinking the name sounded too... cutesy.

Probably the manager chose the name to fit the theme; otherwise, why would the maids here all wear cat ears?

"It’s not just a cafe, it’s a maid cafe," Towa Rina interjected.

Because of her nervousness, Kobashi Rikai suddenly bowed 90 degrees, quickly reciting a standard subordinate line:

"I’m Kobashi Rikai, please take care of me in the days to come, Senior Uesugi!"

"...Hmm."

...

There weren’t many customers visiting the cafe in the morning.

Just after noon, otakus came one after another.

Suzuki Ryo was among them, but he wasn’t your typical otaku, he was a bit different from the usual ones.

He paid attention to both fashion and otaku activities, dressing himself with care even at home.

His family wasn’t poor, running a western restaurant in the center of Tokyo’s Minato District.

They were an ordinary middle class; not particularly rich, but with no worries about food, clothes, or shelter.

Outside, there wasn’t the slightest trace of otaku vibe, but at heart, he was very interested in the 2D world.

Lately, people on the internet labeled this type of person as "Real Life Otakus."

Suzuki Ryo was very humble, he considered himself unqualified to be called a Real Life Otaku.

Because he hadn’t achieved the most important condition of being such - having a girlfriend.

It’s odd, he thinks he’s not bad, pretty handsome, yet by third year of high school, he hasn’t dated any girlfriend successfully.

This year upon graduation, he’d be helping at the restaurant, reluctant to bear such burdens early, as it would become extremely busy then.

With less time, opportunities for dating would diminish.

As usual, taking advantage of some free time, Suzuki Ryo visited the nearby mimi maid cafe.

He didn’t like going to other maid cafes much.

Because the maids there had too high a concentration of 2D vibe.

Eating omelet rice required them to use a cute voice and recite lines like "Magic magic chuu~ please, angel-sama, make this omelet rice super delicious!!" which were super embarrassing.

Suzuki Ryo, though an otaku, would still get goosebumps from such highly concentrated magic chuu.

By contrast, he preferred the maids at mimi cafe.

Not too intimate, not too distant, just very normally, with a touch of respect, serving tea, and saying "Master, please enjoy."

Just like real maids.

This experience made him feel like a young noble sitting in a luxurious room.

Naturally enjoying respectful titles and considerate service.

And as for himself?

He, too, was a graceful and humble handsome young master.

Never putting on airs.

Friendly to everyone.

Suzuki Ryo really liked the atmosphere of this shop, the decor wasn’t pandering to otakus, and was quite refined and elegant.

Unfortunately, the business of this shop was so-so, not too high nor too low.

To support this deeply beloved cafe, Suzuki Ryo would visit daily in the afternoon.