New Customers Are A Pain

2

From a block away, he heard it.

Maybe it was somebody else.

Maybe there were a lot of people passing by the cafe.

Maybe it was from a neighboring shop.

At least, that's what Saiki told himself.

He knew, deep down, that he was wrong, or more accurately, that he was right. As much as he wished it wasn't true, it was. The new customer, standing at the counter, ordering strawberry cake and coffee once again, with another book that looked even longer than the first one. And he was talking to the barista.

Even worse, Suzuki was behind the counter today. She brewed the coffee every other Sunday when her turn in the rotation came up, and Saiki didn't particularly enjoy her shifts. Mainly because she talked a lot, and she seemed to be striking up a conversation with the new customer. Saiki sighed and sat down in his favorite chair.

"Yes, I had the cake last Sunday, and it was delicious! It's better than the cake I make at home, but then again, I'm not exactly the best baker. Do you bake Suzuki-san?"

"Well, here I only brew the coffee, but at home, I like to experiment with a cookie recipe I found online. I'm enjoying using almond extract in one half of the batch, and vanilla extract in the other half."

"That certainly sounds like a good idea, I will have to try that out sometime..."

How long was it going to be until he could order?

Apparently, it was about another ten minutes. Even with the customer's jumbled thoughts, Saiki tried his best to read his manga until he was done ordering. When it was finally his turn, he took his food and sat back down.

He made a decision. He wasn't about to let this guy ruin his cafe time. He was going to take as long as he wanted, read his book, and drink his coffee. He was going to enjoy it, and forget this guy even existed.

Yeah right, like it was that easy.

Saiki could've sworn, his coffee was bitter with him there too.

'My, this cake is good. I'm glad I was able to visit this cafe again-'

'The man in the corner is reading One Piece. A very long manga, he must be dedicated, especially because he's one of the only patrons reading at all. I believe it was originally published in July, 1997, in the Weekly Shonen Jump. It's currently the best selling manga ever. Maybe next time I'll read-'

'Maybe I should add another packet of sugar to my coffee. I mostly drink coffee because of the health benefits, so I should at least try to enjoy it. I read in a book once that drinking coffee regularly can prevent certain diseases. Although, the excess sugar may prove to be more detrimental than not drinking the coffee altogether-'

'I still need to finish my homework. I'll do it when I get home. It is in Science, so I should be able to finish it in thirty minutes. It I get back by eleven, I shouldn't have much trouble-'

Good grief, this guy thought too much.

Saiki thought it might've been interesting to hear what he thought about in such volume, but it was actually really boring.

"More coffee, Akechi-kun?"

"No, thank you Suzuki-san," he said, clapping his hands together.

Akechi. It meant bright light, or intelligence. Saiki almost laughed. It was a fitting name, in a way. He certainly was smarter than most people. He wondered if his first name matched him too. Maybe it meant "blabby". Saiki found it a bit funny that his hair was longer than Suzuki's.

With her short, brown hair and his long, blond bob, they probably could've switched haircuts and looked just fine. What a weird person.

'Huh. He has purple eyes too. Funny coincidence.'

The new customer- Akechi, seemed to be intimidating by something, but nothing around him seemed to be frightening at all. Saiki knew he was a bit odd, but he couldn't be crazy too, could he? Now he had to know.

'That boy with the pink hair and glasses keeps staring at me. He was drinking his coffee only a few minutes ago. I didn't do anything to embarrass myself, did I? Maybe I did something strange and didn't notice? Maybe there's something on my face?'

Oops.

Saiki looked away and back at his book.

'Okay, that was a little too obvious.'

Saiki took a bite of his coffee jelly, hoping that Akechi would go back to reading and not acknowledging his existence. Unfortunately for Saiki, he didn't really look "normal" eating coffee jelly either.

'What? Now he's smiling at his food? Is it that good? I might have to try the coffee jelly sometime. He looks happy.'

Now Akechi was the one staring. Saiki knew how it felt to be watched so closely now. It really was unsettling. Luckily, Akechi quickly realized what he was doing and looked away. He frantically opened his book and huddled close to it, as if to hide himself.

'Maybe he didn't see that?'

It was just a quick glance; at least, it was meant to be, but seeing Akechi sitting so closely to his book settled Saiki, and it took him a bit longer to look away. Long enough, that Akechi had time to see it. He waved timidly over at Saiki, looking just as nervous as before. Saiki hesitantly returned it, hoping it would clear the air. He received a bashful smile from Akechi, which he assumed was an attempt to be friendly.

He wouldn't be returning that.

Good thing he hadn't attempted to talk to him. Had he tried to start a conversation, he might not have ever come back to the cafe. Saiki didn't want to have to change his Sunday routine just because of one person.

One really, annoying person.

Somehow, through all the staring and thinking and most of all talking this guy had done, he was still about a third of the way through his book. And Saiki hadn't even read a full chapter of his manga yet. He'd have to catch up. Even if he didn't, then he'd have something to read next Sunday.

'Right. Next Sunday.'

There was still a chance he wouldn't come back next Sunday, which in that case, he could just take the ring off. But, it would be better to have it in the bigger likelihood that Akechi would come again, and be just as scramble minded as usual.

Next time, he'd be ready.