He stands in front of his cafe with a sharp look on his face.
A large title, "Shimito Cafe," is placed on the banner in front of the cafe door. A fluffy and large bear is standing in front of the cafe's door for decoration.
A normal and lovely vibe is coming from the cafe. It gives a distinct atmosphere.
There is the peace I want. People are talking or gossiping with cheerful looks on their faces.
Some were sad and alone, some were talking to their girlfriends, and some were a group of students doing their assignment.
"What peace do they have? Really, I am jealous of that," Minato whispered to himself, looking at them through the glass.
"The beauty of the calm atmosphere makes it pure peace," Minato mumbled again.
Literally, he wasted five minutes on stupid things.
He was lost in his thoughts again.
A sharp and cold wind passed Minato. Again, he was in his thoughts. People were watching him with strange eyes.
He opened the door. A bright light touched Minato's face.
I saw a man waitering, talking with customers with a grim look on his face.
He suddenly glanced at me.
He rushed toward me when he saw me.
He touched my head gently. I don't know why he touched my head.
"There is no sign of fever, then why are you absent for 2 weeks continuously?"
He crossed his arms and glared at me with red eyes.
"I waited for you; I wasn't able to sleep at night because I was worried. Please, tell me if you have a fever or if you are busy, etc. Just call me once."
"That you are not coming from that day to that day," he scolded me.
My eyes and mouth were wide open. What did he think of me—as a child or what?
"Hey, I am not a child, so why are you worried?" I glared at him.
"First, you are a child; you are careless about yourself; you ignore your needs. That's why I am worried about you. Remember my speech next time when you are feverish or busy. Just call me once," he giggled at me.
This man is none other than the one who has helped me countless times since childhood.
In childhood, he was my neighbor. When he tried to talk to me, I ignored him again and again. I knew no one wanted to talk to me.
But in fourth grade, when I was bullied, he helped me and defended me. From that day, he became my closest friend.
Sometimes his face is red, but he says I don't need to worry about that because of the hot weather.
I smiled while looking at him.
He is the one and only person who cares for me, who helps me, who cherishes me—my closest friend, Shimizu.
He was a shy type of boy. He wasn't able to talk to anyone except me. His tendency was to be introverted.
From childhood, he became a bit open and talked to other people too. He was doing good in front of me now as well.
He was possessive of me. When I told him about my relationship with Lion, he was angry and sad.
"Why didn't you tell me about that?" His voice was bitter and barely audible. He glared at me.
"If you tell me, first I need to see his background—whether he has another boyfriend or not," he whispered.
But I stopped him, and that's the worst choice I ever made. If I had agreed with him, I wouldn't be in the situation I am in now.
I took a deep breath to cut my stress.
A customer called him again, so he left, but before leaving—
"Change your clothes, rest. When I have free time, let's talk calmly." He stroked my head and left.
I went to the workers' room, sat on the sofa; I lay on the sofa. I released my body and relaxed.
I think he noticed I was tired. Hmm, what a gentleman he is. I fell asleep on the sofa.
When I opened my eyes, a blurry figure appeared in front of me. In panic, I gained my consciousness.
I opened my eyes wide. His face was familiar—it was Shimizu. Our eyes met and made contact. We paused for a moment; my heart was beating fast. I don't know if Shimizu's heart was beating too.
Ten seconds later, Shimizu came nearer; I realized the situation.
I pushed him. My face was red because of embarrassment, my heart was beating fast too, like it could explode at any time.
I calmed myself, took a deep breath.
I shouted, "What are you doing—I…?" I crossed my arms; my gaze sank to the floor because I was shy to face him, and I realized I said something wrong.
I never shouted at him in that way like I did earlier. "I—I am… nearly afraid to death." My voice cracked.
I tried to look at his expression. But—
His face became fluffy; he began to cry because of my rough words.
He was a crybaby-type boy. When we were eight years old, he got a little cut on his knees in the park when we were playing together.
He first looked at my face and then saw his cut—again he stared at my face. This time his eyes were full of tears. He screamed, his voice raw like torn fabric.
At that time, I ran to take a bandage and applied it to his knees.
That time I smiled at him.
"Oh—That stone that I killed, princess, don't need to cry anymore. I am here, and that magical thing I applied to you protects you from every injury."
He glanced at me with fluffy eyes. "Hmm… it really erases my—my pain. Why are you calling me princess? I am not a princess, you are," under his breath.
"Yes, okay. That pain is nothing to you, right? And you said you are not a princess, so stop crying."
He smiled, rubbed his neck. "So, I am a prince, so you have to marry me."
I smiled too. "Okay."
From that day on, he stopped crying about little things.
But—in front of me, his grown-up version is crying.
"I don't me—mean to d–do… You were moaning in sleep."
He covered his face and sat down on his knees. I tried to comfort him.
"Hey, don't cry. You are not a baby anymore. I was just startled. Stop crying…" I whispered.
"I—I just wanted to ch-che—check if you are fine or not. Why did you scold me? I am afraid of that."
I promised him, "From today, I won't scold you anymore, okay?"
He nodded and smiled, and I did too.
Then he left; I also gained so much energy. I started to help him as well.
TO BE CONTINUED.
Author's Note:
Ahh… you reached here? Really?
I'm honestly happy you're still reading my messy little story. I know I write in my own way — sometimes emotional, sometimes a little crazy, sometimes soft like warm chai, haha.
I hope this chapter made you feel something… even a tiny bit.
And hey, don't think too much — I'm still learning. So if something feels off, just pretend you didn't see it, okay? Hehe.
Also… should I tease you a little?
Something big is coming. I won't say what, but let's see if you can guess.
Go on, think… I'm watching you (just kidding… maybe )
Thank you for reading. Really.
It feels like you're sitting right in front of me while I write this, and that makes me smile a lot.
— Little_Tanjiro