CHAPTER 713: CHAPTER 434: BROTHER-IN-LAW IN THE COFFEE SHOP_2

The little maids didn’t know whether to attend to him or not.

They wanted to call the police but were afraid of wronging him.

Luckily, the strange man didn’t demand anything, just ordered a cup of coffee and took a seat.

During that busy period, they were so preoccupied that they didn’t notice when the strange man disappeared.

Because it was so busy, no one paid much attention to the strange man’s presence.

Only the initially responsible Towa Rina had a strong impression of him.

After parking her bicycle, Uesugi Sakura led Todaka Keichiro up the stairs, arriving at the second floor, at the coffee shop’s entrance.

The sliding door was made of wood, with large glass panels, and a small wooden "Open" sign, entwined with vines, hung at the front of the door.

Above, the three chalk-written "Open" words left a faint shadow of dust.

It was evident that the small wooden sign had been written on many times.

Ding-a-ling~

As they entered through the door, a crisp bell sound rang out.

Inside the shop, besides some greenery and dining tables, only Tashiro Yuuri, the younger twin sister, was busy wiping tables.

"Ah, Uesugi-san," she noticed Uesugi Sakura, immediately stopped her actions, clasped her hands over her maid’s dress, and slightly bowed to greet him, "Good afternoon."

Her voice sounded emotionless, yet surprisingly carried a hint of wonder.

"Good afternoon," Uesugi Sakura replied to her, "Are you the only one on duty today?"

"No," she shook her head, "My sister is here too."

Tashiro Yuuri tilted her head slightly, somewhat puzzled, and asked, "Is the person next to Uesugi-san a customer?"

"Half a customer," Uesugi Sakura answered for Todaka Keichiro, "He is Kobashi-san’s older brother."

"Older brother? I see, but from appearances alone, you can’t tell they are siblings at all."

Indeed, they didn’t look similar.

Because they weren’t actual siblings.

Such matters were hard to explain and explaining too much would be troublesome.

Uesugi Sakura proactively changed the topic: "Nevermind, you carry on with your work, I won’t disturb you any longer, I’ll take care of him."

"Oh, got it." Tashiro Yuuri, being an obedient girl, didn’t ask further, noticing Uesugi Sakura’s preference for her not to inquire more, and continued with her work.

Arranging potted plants, wiping tables, and carrying trays to the back kitchen.

The twin maid sisters were also a signature of the mimi coffee shop, previously holding the place together. No one knew where Manager Yanagi had recruited them from.

The manager said she planned to transform the shop, intending to abandon the quirky anime maid cafe style in favor of genuine maids to adorn the soul of the coffee shop.

From the start, this cafe had a bit of that notion ingrained within.

Uesugi Sakura led Todaka Keichiro to the counter, and after putting on his apron used for work, he asked:

"Kobashi hasn’t arrived yet; do you want to order a coffee first and wait?"

"Sure." Todaka Keichiro had no objections.

"What coffee would you like?" Uesugi Sakura opened a small notebook for him to see.

Glancing at the list, Todaka Keichiro didn’t recognize Blue Mountain, Mandheling, Mocha, or Kyushu; he only recognized Cappuccino and Latte.

Seeing his confusion, Uesugi Sakura inquired:

"What kind of taste do you prefer? Something more bitter, or a bit sharp, maybe milk coffee? Or do you want an espresso?"

"What’s an espresso?"

"Espresso is a coffee with a thick layer of coffee fat on top, richer flavor, intense coffee aroma, and a sticky taste texture."

"Huh?"

"Put it this way, if you dilute espresso with water, you get the most common coffee; add a bit of milk, and it’s latte; add milk foam, and you have a cappuccino."

"...So it’s a bitter coffee, right?" Todaka Keichiro only knew some coffee names; in terms of taste, he hadn’t experienced it, or if he had, he’d mostly forgotten.

"It varies from person to person; some find it fragrant, but most think it’s bitter." Realizing Todaka Keichiro didn’t understand coffee, Uesugi Sakura decided to change his approach, "Do you prefer bitter or sweet?"

"Sweet."

"Do you like a milky taste?"

"I do."

"Want to add chocolate?"

"Yes."

"Alright, I’ll fix you a Mocha."

It took him a minute to figure out the taste preference, and Uesugi Sakura promptly got to work.

Todaka Keichiro didn’t take a seat but stood at the bar observing Uesugi Sakura’s deft work technique.

He remembered Professor Okuno liked his coffee and often asked him over to make it special for him.

Todaka Keichiro didn’t understand coffee making, but he could see Uesugi Sakura was dedicated to his work.

Graceful, smooth, and noticeable?

This guy himself was very charming, and just watching for a moment made Todaka Keichiro feel his gaze immersed into Sakura’s actions, with his mind hoping his gaze would follow Sakura’s technique to appreciate his next move.

Unconsciously, he’d been drawn into Sakura’s world.

What if a teenage girl saw this?

Todaka Keichiro realized why Sakura could marry such a beautiful maiden.

Being handsome is part of the reason.

At least, it looks just right.

"Here you go."

"It’s done?"

"A cup of Mocha doesn’t take much time."

"Why didn’t I see your amazing skills? I felt you just did it under a machine and it was over."

"That’s a coffee machine, I just didn’t use traditional brewing methods."

"Does the taste change?"

"Pretty much the same."

Ding-a-ling~

The door’s crisp bell rang.

Hanamaru Hanabi walked in, wearing a deep blue scarf around her neck, her face brimming with a playful and adorable smile.

She bounced right up to the bar in front of Uesugi Sakura.

Todaka Keichiro recognized her; he had attended her wedding not long ago.

"Sister-in-law."

"Sister-in-law? Wrong, this is my brother-in-law."

Hanamaru Hanabi, maybe jokingly, smiled and pointed at Uesugi Sakura behind the bar.

"?"

Hanamaru Hanabi knew him, aware he was a classmate of Uesugi Sakura: "I’m Hanamaru Hanami, Uesugi-kun’s sister-in-law."

Japanese doesn’t have a word for "sister-in-law"; people usually directly express their identity, like wife’s sister or husband’s sister.

To indicate brother-in-law, they directly say sister’s husband.

Uesugi Sakura soon realized.

Black Hanabi, besides occasionally turning yandere, also turned quirky when happy.

Uesugi Sakura wasn’t sure if this displayed Hanabi’s inner side?

Todaka Keichiro was confused, in his impression, Uesugi Sakura’s wife attending Tokyo Art University looked just like her?

Why suddenly call Sakura brother-in-law?

Although the personalities seemed completely different.

"My sister and I are twins; no need to doubt."

Sister?

Todaka Keichiro remembered Uesugi Sakura mentioned once that his wife had a sister.

"What’s so cheerful?" Uesugi Sakura asked.

"Because it’s delightful to see brother-in-law, I came over right after class!" Hanamaru Hanabi rested her cheeks in her hands, elbows on the bar, gazing at Uesugi Sakura with eyes full of affection.

Looking closely, one could find a trace of mischief in her depths.

She said it joyfully, but in Uesugi Sakura’s eyes, it was a complete torment.

Because she was teasing him in front of classmates!

Sure enough, hearing this and seeing her love-struck expression.

Todaka Keichiro instantly misunderstood.

Uesugi Sakura’s wife’s twin sister is actually very fond of Uesugi!?

Hanamaru Hanabi noticed Todaka Keichiro’s reaction fully, subtly continuing to say to Uesugi Sakura:

"Sakura-kun... can I call you Sakura-kun too, like my sister does, brother-in-law?"