For the past week before the day of the opening, Kikimaru café had engaged in a lot of marketing in order to make their mark in the new area.
During the two weeks of renovation, a banner had been hung outside the shop, advertising the business.
Flyers and coupon cards had been distributed to people in the neighborhood, and they had also marketed the shop via word of mouth.
It was no surprise that today, the café was filled to the brim.
Customers lined the shop, occupying every chair in sight, and even the cup rooms were occupied.
In the kitchen, wearing a white dress shirt and plain black trousers, and his hair styled neatly, was Kyle.
He was leaning on the counter, hands crossed as he was about to address his employees.
Because of today's event, the old branch was closed for today, allowing everyone to focus on this branch.
In front of him were his workers: Sakura, Akiko, and Xian. Himiko was also free, so she decided to assist them today.
Due to the gravity of the occasion, they were all dressed in their best. Although it was the grand opening, the occasion doubled as a party as well.
Sakura was in a nice purple flowing gown that complemented her violet eyes, and she wore a black hand glove that went all the way to her elbows.
Akiko wore a dark brown dress the colour of coffee, with a long slit that would allow ease of movement. Her honey brown hair was tied up in a neat bun, a few strands left to frame her face.
Xian wore more traditional-styled clothing. And as for Himiko…
'I didn't expect her to actually dress up…'
Himiko's outfit hung between the line of heart-throbbingly cute and breathtakingly captivating.
She was in a checkered flared skirt, black thigh highs that made his eyes linger, and a white woolen sweater tucked into her skirt.
Miko looked so good that he was tempted to pull her into his office and forget the event.
And that smug smile she had on her lips when she caught him staring only made matters worse.
'Focus, Kyle.' He innerly cautioned himself. Then he cleared his throat.
"Alright, outside are dozens of customers that took their time today to attend our opening," Kyle began, his tone serious but informal.
"Akiko."
Akiko turned her attention to him.
"A lot of our preparations today were thanks to you. Thank you for doing an amazing job."
Akiko bowed slightly. "Thank you." She smiled. "I was just doing my job."
Kyle nodded and turned to the rest of them. "They say first impressions are the most important, and I firmly agree with that statement."
"Today, we will engrave our café in their minds, so much that they won't even be able to drink coffee at home. Do you understand?"
"Yeah!" They screamed in unison, smiling as Kyle hyped them up.
Xian, who was still getting used to their dynamic, smiled as she joined them.
Then finally, Kyle picked up an apron and began making his way to the door.
"Let's get moving!"
A few minutes later, when it was 8 AM, Kyle went to greet the customers, giving a small speech before officially opening the café.
Then the orders began to roll in, Kyle and his workers attending to every single person to the best of their ability.
Sakura burst out of the kitchen, her eyes filtering through the crowd. She was holding a tray filled up with lattes in one hand, while the other hand had a tray filled up with pastries.
At the other part of the café, Himiko was busy taking orders, sweat already forming on her face as she attended to multiple customers.
Kyle was doing a little show for some of the customers, a wave of 'oohs' and 'ahhs' sounding as cups were sent flying in the air, caramel liquid swaying dangerously at the edge.
In the kitchen, Xian was rolling dough as quickly as physically possible and sending them Akiko's way, the latter quickly sorting them out and pushing them into the oven.
Xian's arms were trembling from having to roll so much dough, so much so that she stepped away from the counter for a second to take a deep breath.
She staggered back, the world spinning around her as she took a deep breath and plopped into a nearby chair.
"Is this the day I die?" She muttered, staring at her trembling hands.
She had rolled so much dough that her hand was now pink and puffy.
Xian heaved a breath. "Just how many customers came by??"
It was already noon, and yet the orders had not ceased. She glanced to her right, and to her surprise, Akiko was still at it, working with unwavering efficiency.
"M-miss Akiko." Xian stuttered. "How do y-you do it so fast? I feel like fainting."
Akiko sighed playfully, never once stopping her work. "It takes practice. I've been baking for my siblings since I was little."
"Oh, really?" Xian sunk deeper into her chair, her voice raspy.
"You're lucky. I always wanted a brother, someone I can push all my chores to." Xian laughed.
Akiko smiled. "Well, you can have mine. I have far too many siblings anyway. And they are very annoying, mind you…"
She paused and smiled.
"I'm going to miss them…" she muttered below her voice.
"Pardon? I don't think I caught that." Her voice was so low that Xian hadn't heard anything she said.
Akiko pointed in a certain direction, her eyebrows creased. "It's burning…"
"Eeek!" Xian nearly jumped out of her skin as she dashed to the other side of the room.
Then Akiko moved over to the sink to wash her hands. "Hold the fort, I'll be back in a second."
She grabbed her purse, leaving the kitchen before heading into the employee-only toilet.
•••
Immediately Akiko shut the toilet door, she stumbled forward, her feet carried by urgency.
She nearly fell as she grabbed onto the sink to keep herself upright, then she winced, hot pain coursing through her chest.
Her arms began to tremble, her heart pounding in her ears as she hurriedly grabbed her purse.
Clack!
She emptied the purse, multiple items falling on the sink counter.
There were multiple syringes, some used while others still had an unknown substance in them, a small medicine bottle filled up with pills, and a bottle of water.
"W-why… now of all… days—"
Already, green cracks were beginning to form on her skin.
With shaky hands, she grabbed an injection and stuck it into her skin, wincing as she pushed in the fluids.
Then Akiko grabbed the medication, the pills rattling inside as her hands shook. She took out four pills and swallowed them with difficulty.
After a few minutes of unbearable pain, the green cracks faded, and the pain reduced. Finally, Akiko was able to breathe properly.
Bzzz bzzz!
Akiko's phone buzzed to life, vibrating on the counter. She picked up the phone, her face darkening as she read the contact.
— HPSC
Reluctantly, she placed the phone against her ear, a familiar, gruff male voice coming from the other side.
"Akiko Nakamura. Tell me, have you considered my offer?"
•••
Xian was just returning from getting the new batch of orders from Sakura when Akiko returned to the kitchen.
Her shoulders were slumped, her expression grim, and she didn't seem to be paying attention to anything around her.
"Are you alright?" Xian asked as she walked up to her.
Akiko ignored her, walking back to her stand. "Let's get to work, Xian, we have many orders to take."
Xian stared at her for a few seconds. "Alright…"
..
..
A/N
HPSC - Hero public safety commission
Xian is pronounced Shee-an
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