CHAPTER 733: CHAPTER 443: NEW EMPLOYEE, A SIMPLE GIFT_2

Towa Rina and Hanamaru Hanabi, the Tashiro Yuuri twin sisters, sat in a row, enjoying the coffee brewed by Uesugi Sakura.

She heard Todaka Keichiro’s question, placed her index finger under her chin, and said:

"Well, there are a few reasons."

"Could you tell me?" Todaka Keichiro asked curiously, propping up his hands.

Towa Rina extended a finger and answered with a smile: "First, this shop already has a certain fan base, even now, 30% of our customers are regulars. Second, whether it’s coffee, food, or desserts, our quality is excellent with a unique flavor, which has become popular among white-collar workers. Being opposite a commercial street and not far from the Tokyo University office area, of course, our popularity naturally increases. Third..."

At this point, Towa Rina turned her head and smiled at Uesugi Sakura:

"Our place is very popular with female customers, and their spending power on desserts and coffee is significantly higher than that of men!"

Just then, Uesugi Sakura interjected: "Although business is good, a coffee shop is essentially a mid-range entertainment venue, and it’s impossible to maintain this level of business indefinitely. The manager understands this too, so not many employees have been hired."

"So? Does that mean it’ll be particularly busy just during this period?" Todaka Keichiro asked.

"Yes, that’s pretty much it." Uesugi Sakura nodded.

"Hmm~~~~"

Towa Rina held her cup with both hands, took a small sip of her coffee, licked her lips, and smiled at Uesugi Sakura: "Uesugi-san, your brewed coffee is really good!"

Not only she thought so, but even the little maids beside her nodded reflexively after hearing this.

"Thank you." Uesugi Sakura didn’t refuse the compliment, just quietly glanced at Hanamaru Hanabi sitting beside Tashiro Yuuri, who was carefully holding her cup, warming her hands as if for warmth. Her face and eyes were reflected in the coffee cup, the steam drifting outward and the gentle ripples of the coffee indicating she was gently blowing at the cup’s edge.

Though it was a very ordinary action, Uesugi Sakura felt from the bottom of his heart that this little detail was uncommonly endearing.

"Handsome guy, we’re leaving now." The two female customers smiled and greeted Uesugi Sakura as they left.

"Alright, please take care." Uesugi Sakura responded simply with a slight nod.

Towa Rina took the opportunity to jokingly say to Todaka Keichiro:

"That’s Uesugi’s status in the eyes of female customers."

Todaka Keichiro, who was an old classmate of Uesugi Sakura at Tokyo University, knew what kind of person he was among the students there and sighed: "Already... used to it..."

At 7:30, the mimi coffee shop finally closed for the night.

For Todaka Keichiro, the first day of work felt good, albeit a bit tiring.

Unfortunately, Kobashi Rikai happened to be on leave today, so he had little chance to see him.

"Uesugi, do you think I have much hope?"

Uesugi Sakura, pushing his bicycle and accompanied by Hanamaru Hanabi, emerged from the downstairs parking corner and saw Todaka Keichiro gazing ahead with a melancholic look at the bustling tall buildings.

"Frankly, not much."

"Damn, even you say so."

"It’s the truth."

Todaka Keichiro showed no sign of giving up; the over forty-story building seemed to shrink in his eyes as if it became much smaller: "I won’t surrender."

After he said that, he donned his helmet, got on his small electric scooter, and disappeared on the neon-lit street.

The wind was a bit strong, even with Hanamaru Hanabi leaning closely against Uesugi Sakura’s side, her hair was still lifted by the evening breeze.

"Sakura-kun, what were you talking about just now?"

"About her liking Kobashi," Uesugi Sakura explained, looking toward where Todaka had cycled away, "I don’t have much hope; a mixed family, and the other party hasn’t let go of past issues."

The night wind brushed through.

Uesugi Sakura also felt that the cold wind at night was somewhat too strong.

Out of concern, he turned around to check whether his wife’s scarf was tied tightly around her neck.

After a couple of glances, finding the scarf was a bit crooked, he felt she might not be very comfortable, so he took off the scarf from her neck, fiddled with it for a couple of seconds, and then put it back on her.

"There."

Uesugi Sakura looked with satisfaction at the girl with gleaming eyes in front of him.

Hanamaru Hanabi, with her cheeks slightly red, held the scarf around her neck with both hands, hiding her chin inside. Feeling warm, she recalled something, looked up, and said to Uesugi Sakura:

"Sakura-kun, winter is approaching, maybe Hanabi can knit you a scarf."

Uesugi Sakura knew she could knit these things; girls always learned some fun and practical skills from their mothers when bored.

"Really?"

"Yeah, actually, Hanabi was planning to knit a scarf as a Christmas gift for Sakura-kun, but the weather turned cold too quickly, so I have to prepare a bit earlier."

The girl’s eyes sparkled.

Uesugi Sakura saw her expectant look and hearing her warm offer to knit him a scarf, felt a wave of warmth in his heart amid her words and the cold street wind.

His wife was going to knit him a scarf herself...

How wonderful...

Uesugi Sakura reached out to pinch her cheek, and the blushing girl’s face became even redder.

"Sakura-kun’s hand... is not cold at all."

"Is that so?"

The pinching turned into caressing, and the more Uesugi Sakura touched the curve of her cheek, the more he could distinctly feel the delicate and tender texture of her face.

His fingertips seemed to touch upon her beauty, intoxicating him.

For a moment, he didn’t quite want to let go of her face.

"Sakura-kun... just touch, a little while more..."

Uesugi Sakura smiled and wrapped her arm around, placing her cool little hand inside his coat pocket for warmth.

Hanamaru Hanabi did not refuse; she simply leaned in a bit, half leaning on his shoulder as he did so.

Uesugi Sakura deeply enjoyed this reliance from her, giving him a clear feeling.

He was Hanabi’s boyfriend, Hanabi’s husband, the person she depended on...

The more these thoughts swirled in his heart, the more he wanted to be good to her.

"Little glutton, I knew you were hungry when I saw how you drank coffee, what do you want to eat?"

"Spicy cheese sticks..."

"Spicy again?"

"Hanabi likes these..." Hanamaru Hanabi stood next to him, slightly lowering her face.

"Alright, let’s go buy them together." Uesugi Sakura looked towards the commercial street across and didn’t bother to bring up topics like gaining weight.

"Sakura-kun, where’s your bike?" Hanamaru Hanabi glanced back at the pink bicycle.

"I’ll leave it here for now, and we’ll come back together later to head home."

"Okay."

The lights of the commercial street ahead were bright, and at the crosswalk, teeming with people coming and going, the shadows of two figures — one tall and one short — gradually stretched out as they walked further away.

"By the way, when did you start liking spicy food?"

"A long, long time ago... um, Hanabi can’t remember... why is Sakura-kun asking?"

"I want to know how many secrets there are about you that I don’t know."

"Sakura-kun, Hanabi saw on TV that girls shouldn’t let boys know everything about them."

"Why’s that?"

"Because it would leave no sense of novelty, falling in love is about understanding, marriage is about knowing, and after that comes indifference."

"What a skewed logic."

"Is it...? "

"After marriage, it should be about companionship."

"Sakura-kun’s idea of companionship should only be for those truly in love."

"Of course, Hanabi, you’re well aware of Japan’s divorce rate. Not understanding the meaning of companionship is not knowing the meaning of love."

"Then Hanabi wants to always accompany Sakura-kun."

"My wife is really good to me."

"Hehe, right?"

Crossing the crosswalk, both couldn’t help but exchange a smile.

...

"By the way, the spicy sauce that Hanabi loves at home is almost finished, isn’t it? How about after buying the cheese sticks, we go buy some ingredients?"

"Sure, Hanabi will listen to Sakura-kun."

"We need to buy some beef or pork for cooking too."

"Okay, I’ll listen to Sakura-kun for everything!"