Chapter 262

"Phew..."

Exhaling a breath she'd been holding, Chinami looked at me with glazed eyes. She seemed thoroughly out of it. I wiped a smudge of lip tint from the corner of her mouth with my thumb, then slid my hands down and began to knead her ass.

"Mmph... Ju—Junior... shouldn't you be working...?"

"It's fine. The President will cover for me."

"S-still... it's not like you and Renka agreed to that... I'd like a glass of iced tea, actually... I need to do a ratio test..."

A ratio test... How very Chinami.

"Our iced tea is premade, so you won't be able to test the ratio."

"Then I'll just have to taste it and figure out which brand of powder they use..."

"You can tell?"

"Of course I can... Ah...! You can't touch there..."

As I casually slipped my hand past her ass, Chinami stood on her tiptoes and squeezed her legs tight. I was savoring the wonderful sensation of her thighs when—

"Junior...! Stop...! Save it for later...! We're in public...!"

Hearing Chinami's stern tone, I smacked my lips regretfully and pulled my hand away.

"Then I'll hold off... until it's just the two of us."

"Yes... let's head inside..."

"Understood. You're ordering the iced tea, right?"

"Yes..."

I walked back into the café with a thoroughly flushed Chinami. Renka took one look at her friend's expression and shot me a murderous glare. I just shrugged. Meanwhile, Chinami tapped her cheeks to calm herself down, walked over to Renka, and pointed at the Choker looped around her wrist.

"What is that around your wrist, my close friend...? Is it a bracelet?"

Renka flinched. Just as she opened her mouth to reply, I cut in.

"It's a token of friendship."

"A token of friendship?"

"Yes. It's a gift to commemorate us getting closer."

"Oho...! Is that right...! Just as I hoped, it seems you two have gotten quite close...!"

Chinami clapped her hands in delight. Renka's lips twitched, but she didn't argue. She clearly felt awkward shooting the idea down when her friend was so happy. But Chinami's next words made her freak out.

"I'm a little jealous of that bracelet. Do you happen to have another one?"

"N-no way...!"

Chinami tilted her head.

"Hmm? Do you want a monopoly on it?"

"I don't care about a monopoly...! That's not it, it's just... well... the design is a bit..."

"What's wrong with the design? It's simple and nice."

"..."

Renka snapped her mouth shut. Watching her rack her brain for a way to explain it to the innocent Chinami was absolutely hilarious. Chuckling, I gently patted Chinami's back and teased Renka a bit more.

"She must cherish it because it's the first special gift she's received from me."

"What kind of nonsense...! I could throw this piece of junk away right now..."

Flaring up, Renka reached to pull the Choker off, but she froze—mindful of Chinami standing right there, and perhaps a bit conscious of my gaze as well.

"Hey...! My close friend, how can you call a gift a 'piece of junk'...!"

Chinami scolded her with a stern expression. Biting her lip, Renka took a step back.

"Sorry... I didn't mean it."

Renka was really being put through the wringer today. It was highly entertaining. But since I'd given her the stick, it was time to offer a carrot. With that in mind, I changed the subject for her sake.

"Take a seat, and I'll bring you your iced tea."

"Ah, sounds good. Where should I sit?"

"Anywhere you like."

"In that case, I want to watch you and my close friend working, so I'll sit right here."

She took a seat at a table directly facing the counter. Sitting there so demurely while staring straight at us was honestly adorable.

Seeing Chinami again after a while made me feel completely energized. Below the counter, I tapped Renka's pelvis. She flinched, and I whispered to her.

"Only fill it halfway with ice."

"...Shut up. I know what I'm doing. And don't mess with me in front of Chinami... Ngh...! Don't touch me there...! I'll seriously kill you...!?"

Renka sharply swatted away the hand creeping toward her crotch. Stroking my stung hand, I spoke.

"Come on, I've touched it plenty of times before."

"Are you going to work or what...?"

"Alright."

Any more provocation and she might actually hit me. Yielding smoothly, I grabbed the largest cup in the café and set it down in front of Renka.

"Ahem. The iced tea scores a 5 out of 10 by my standards."

Chinami was as sweet as could be, but when it came to peaches, she refused to compromise. What a harsh critic. A true peach sommelier. Stepping out of the café alongside a very dissatisfied-looking Chinami, I asked her a question.

"Why only a 5? Is it just too ordinary?"

"Yes. I'm positive they use Nipton, but if I were the Boss, I would increase the powder ratio."

"I'll be sure to pass the suggestion along."

"Ah, no, you don't have to. Actually, ordinary people wouldn't even notice. Only someone with a sensitive palate like mine could tell the difference."

"Is that so?"

"Indeed. Now, I really ought to head back and unpack my things."

Dabbing her mouth politely with a napkin, Chinami stood up. She really sounded like a professional food critic. Running a personal food blog would suit her perfectly. Though, knowing her inability to say anything overly harsh, the blog would probably just be filled with glowing praise for every shop.

"You came here before you even unpacked?"

"Yes. I wanted to see you and my close friend Renka."

"As expected, our Master always says the sweetest things."

"Do I?"

"Yeah. The President just snaps and curses at me all the time."

"She only does that because she likes you, Junior. Renka doesn't even speak to people she dislikes."

"So her acting all displeased with me in the beginning was just her showing interest, too?"

"Renka wasn't displeased with you at all. She was just worried that a talent like yours might go astray, so she deliberately provoked you to keep you anchored to the Kendo Club."

That couldn't be further from the truth, but since it was Chinami saying it, I decided to let it slide.

"I see."

"Mhm."

Patting my back encouragingly, Chinami walked over to Renka, said her goodbyes, and headed out the door.

I quickly trailed after her, responding with a simple smile when she urged me to hurry back inside and work. Shaking her head as if she couldn't stop me, Chinami gave a polite bow.

"I'll be taking my leave now. Work hard, Junior."

"Will you be alright getting back on your own?"

"What am I, a child? Besides, my home isn't even that far from here..."

"Do you want me to give you a ride?"

"Ahem! You absolutely cannot do that during your working hours. I appreciate the thought, though."

"Understood. Get back safely."

"I will."

She walked away, waving both hands energetically. Waving back, I waited until she was out of sight before turning to head inside.

Just then, cutting through the awful stench of the bustling city crowd, a familiar fragrance drifted into my nose, making my eyes twitch. It was that sweet, sharply tart lemon scent I'd smelled when I went to the arcade with Miyuki. The owner of this destined scent was, without a doubt, Hiyori.

‘Is she nearby?’

There were too many people around; finding her in this crowd would be nearly impossible. Right when I was about to forget about her, she would reveal her presence like this, almost as if she were deliberately testing the waters.

I decided to just go back inside. I was bound to run into Hiyori at the Academy eventually anyway. Plus, since she was clearly passing through the area, she might even drop by the café before my shift ended. Just like when I'd spotted her on the way to the Kendo tournament, the chances of us crossing paths were more than high enough. After all, fateful encounters were a staple romantic comedy cliché.

Holding onto that sliver of hope, I returned to the café.

"What a great way to spend your working hours."

I walked up beside Renka, who was dripping with sarcasm, and placed my hand on the small of her back.

"Can't I at least do this much? It's not like I get to see you in the evening, thanks to a certain someone."

"...I can't help that. If you're so unhappy about it, you should've made plans with Chinami before I did. And move your hand."

"What are you and the Master going to talk about anyway?"

"You don't need to know."

"Should I tell her about it, then?"

"About what?"

"You know. About what happened at the Hotel last time."

"...K-keep your mouth shut about that for now..."

"If you're struggling to find the words, I could always help."

"I'm not struggling, so keep your voice down...! Shut up...!"

Renka's face turned beet red in an instant. Fiddling with the Choker looped around her wrist, I spoke.

"Alright. But what about this? Do you like it?"

"I don't like it at all. It's annoying. I want to rip it off and throw it away right now."

"That's pretty harsh."

"Just take the customer's order."

"How am I supposed to do that when there aren't any customers?"

"There's one coming in right... never mind..."

A passerby had peered in as if they were going to enter, only to continue on their way. Having watched the entire scene through the window, Renka stubbornly avoided my gaze.

"Guess not."

"...Yeah."

"Why would you lie about that, then?"

"It wasn't a lie... I was just... mistaken..."

"I'll let it slide just this once."

"...Fine."

Why was she actually backing down and accepting it? Was she worried I'd get back at her for snapping at me in front of Chinami? She really did have far too many worries. It'd be so much easier for her if she just gave up and obeyed.

Pulling Renka's hand toward me, I gently stroked the back of it and spoke.

"You'll text me when you get home today, right?"

"I-I really shouldn't have to, but... I'll leave you a message..."

"You could just say 'yes.' Why tack on the extra attitude? Are you doing me a favor or something?"

"..."

"I'll let that slide, too."

"R-right..."

I could have pushed her to thank me, but Renka was already a bundle of nerves, so I decided not to tease her any further. In terms of training her, this amount of stimulation was perfect for today.