You can read the next chapters earlier on my Patreon: patreon com/guttah
Inside the cafe, the air was filled with a rich coffee aroma and soft background music, creating a lazy and elegant atmosphere.
Students sat in twos and threes on comfortable sofas or high chairs, conversing in low voices or engrossed in reading, enjoying the brief tranquility of their lunch break.
However, this tranquility was soon broken by a slightly boisterous burst of laughter.
The coffee shop door was pushed open, and three boys in brand-new burgundy school uniforms walked in, laughing and chattering.
The boy leading them was of medium height, with messy brown short hair and a self-satisfied, excited smile on his face.
He was Yamauchi Haruki from Class D.
"Hey! Ike! Sudo! Look, look!"
Yamauchi Haruki walked in, pointing casually at the interior of the coffee shop with a loud voice, drawing slight glances from students at nearby tables.
"How about it? I didn't lie to you, did I? This coffee shop is one of the places with the highest female presence in the school! Good environment, fragrant coffee, perfect for... hehe, encounters!"
The two boys following him were Sudo Ken, tall and burly with striking red hair, and Ike Kanji, shorter with brown hair and a hint of helplessness on his face.
They were both classmates from Class D, just like Yamauchi Haruki.
Ike Kanji awkwardly tugged at Yamauchi's sleeve, lowering his voice:
"Hey! Yamauchi! Keep it down! So many people are watching! You're so loud!"
Sudo Ken also frowned, echoing in a gruff voice:
"Exactly, Yamauchi! Don't be so boisterous, it's embarrassing!"
Yamauchi Haruki, however, didn't care, looking at them with an expression of disappointment, as if they were hopeless:
"Huh? Embarrassing? What do you two know! This is called confidence! Understand? Confidence!"
He puffed out his chest, looked around, his gaze sweeping over the elegant and cute girls in the coffee shop, a look of intoxication on his face.
"In a place like this, we need to show our taste and strength! That's how we attract girls' attention! Don't you want to find a cute girlfriend like Kushida-san soon?"
At the mention of "Kushida Kikyo," Yamauchi's eyes instantly lit up, as if he had seen a goddess descend.
Ike Kanji and Sudo Ken instinctively exchanged glances, a hint of longing on both their faces.
Kushida Kikyo was extremely popular in Class D, gentle and sweet, like a little angel.
"Hmph, you wouldn't understand even if I told you!"
Yamauchi Haruki proudly tossed his hair.
"My love radar has activated! I'm sure to find something today! Let's go, order coffee!"
He ignored his two complaining friends and strode confidently towards the coffee shop counter. Ike Kanji and Sudo Ken exchanged helpless glances and could only follow him.
At the counter, Yamauchi Haruki looked at the dazzling array of coffee types and prices on the menu and unhesitatingly pointed to the top row:
"Waiter! Give us three of these! The most expensive ones! Premium pour-over coffee!"
Ike Kanji's eyelid twitched as he looked at the ridiculously high price:
"Hey! Yamauchi! This... this is too expensive! We only get 100,000 points a month!"
Sudo Ken also frowned deeply:
"Exactly! Why order something so expensive? Isn't regular coffee fine?"
"What do you know!"
Yamauchi Haruki glared at them, lowering his voice, but his tone was still full of confidence.
"You can't catch a wolf without sacrificing a child! Ordering the most expensive coffee shows our taste and strength! If any girl notices us and sees that we ordered the most expensive coffee, she'll definitely think we have good taste! And style! Won't the opportunity come then?"
He patted his chest:
"Besides, we have so many points, it's a waste not to spend them! Trust me, it's the right choice!"
Although Ike Kanji and Sudo Ken felt a pang of regret, seeing Yamauchi's confident demeanor and thinking about the possibility of attracting girls' attention, they eventually compromised.
The three paid with their points, took their order numbers, and found an empty table by the window to sit down.
While waiting for their coffee, the three began to chat idly.
"Hey, who do you think is the prettiest girl in our class?"
Yamauchi Haruki sat with one leg crossed, his gaze sweeping around the coffee shop.
"That goes without saying, it's definitely Kushida-san."
Sudo Ken answered without hesitation.
Ike Kanji also nodded repeatedly:
"Exactly! Kushida-san is simply the little angel of our class! So gentle and cute!"
Yamauchi Haruki proudly lifted his chin:
"That's right! How could my judgment be wrong! But..."
He changed the subject, looking at Ike Kanji with a hint of provocation,
"Ike, you? You think you can get a girlfriend like Kushida-san? Don't dream!"
Ike Kanji's face flushed, and he retorted, sticking out his neck:
"Me, why can't I? Yamauchi, don't look down on me!"
Sudo Ken chuckled beside them:
"Yamauchi, don't just talk about Ike, you yourself..."
"What about me?"
Yamauchi Haruki immediately interrupted him, straightening his back,
"I'm a man with a love radar! Today, I'm definitely going to..."
Just as the three of them were bragging and searching for "prey" in the coffee shop, a figure carrying a tray walked steadily towards their table.
It was a black-haired young man, wearing the coffee shop Waiter's black apron, but his demeanor was distinctly different from an ordinary Waiter.
He had a tall and straight posture, an handsome and calm face, and his gaze behind his black-rimmed glasses was tranquil. The dark brown tear mole under his left eye was clearly visible.
On the tray in his hand, three steaming, fragrant cups of coffee rested steadily—the very expensive coffees they had ordered.
Sakamoto!
Shiina Hiyori stood under the cherry blossom tree diagonally opposite the coffee shop, her purple eyes instantly catching sight of that familiar figure!
Why was he here? And wearing a Waiter's apron?
Kamuro Masumi also stood not far away, her eyes under her purple hair also filled with astonishment!
Sakamoto working at the coffee shop?
Sakamoto approached the table of Yamauchi Haruki and his two friends, gracefully and smoothly placing the tray gently on the corner of the table.
He bowed slightly, his posture like a Waiter in a high-end restaurant, his voice clear and calm:
"Three students, your premium pour-over coffees."
He placed the three exquisite coffee cups, one by one, extremely steadily and silently in front of them, his movements as gentle as if handling a work of art.
"Please enjoy."
After speaking, he prepared to turn and leave.
However—
At this very moment!
Yamauchi Haruki's gaze inadvertently swept towards the large floor-to-ceiling window of the coffee shop!
He saw it!
Not far outside the window, under the cherry blossom tree, stood two girls! One with long silver hair, one with long purple hair!
The eyes of the two girls seemed to be fixed on his table?!
Yamauchi Haruki's heart pounded!
Could it be! Could his "love radar" be working?!
Were those two girls attracted by his "taste" and "strength" in ordering the most expensive coffee?! Were they looking at him?!
A huge wave of excitement and triumph instantly overwhelmed Yamauchi Haruki's mind! He felt like a victorious general!
"Haha! See! See!"
Yamauchi Haruki excitedly lowered his voice, winking at Ike Kanji and Sudo Ken, his smile almost reaching his ears.
"I told you it would work! Outside the window! Two beauties! They're looking at us! They must be attracted by the coffee we ordered!"
He was too excited, his body unconsciously shaking, and his crossed leg also began to violently bounce up and down, causing the entire table to wobble slightly!
"Hey! Yamauchi! Stop shaking!"
Ike Kanji was the first to notice something was wrong, looking at the steaming coffee in front of him, the liquid in the cup already starting to sway. His face changed, and he quickly spoke up to warn him.
Sudo Ken also saw it and shouted gruffly:
"Yamauchi! Stop! The coffee's going to spill!"
But Yamauchi Haruki was completely immersed in the immense joy and triumph of "being watched by beauties" at this moment, ignoring his companions' warnings!
"What's there to be afraid of! If it spills, I'll just order another! I have plenty of points!"
Yamauchi Haruki smiled smugly, shaking his leg even more vigorously.
"Yamauchi!!!"
Ike Kanji and Sudo Ken exclaimed simultaneously!
But it was already too late!
With another violent shake from Yamauchi Haruki, the table suddenly lurched!
"Crash—!"
A crisp sound rang out!
The cup of steaming coffee that Sakamoto had just carefully placed in front of Yamauchi Haruki suddenly tilted, and the brown liquid, along with the delicate white bone china cup, instantly left the table and fell towards the ground!
The hot coffee drew a deep brown arc in the air, about to spill on the floor, and possibly even splash onto nearby people!