Mirror |[Sasusaku Story]

Chapter 4

Sakura tied her dark green apron on her back and secured the cap of the same color on her head. It was late in the afternoon when Sakura arrived at the Leaf Café, where she was part-time working. Greeting her boss on the way, she took the direction of the staff room where she changed for her working uniform which consisted of a white tee, black trousers, and a dark green apron and cap of the same color. And when she was ready, she left for the counter, where many different types of pastries were displayed, to take orders. The place was cozy and warm.

Light brown was coloring the place which was blending perfectly with the touches of green added by the plants here and there. One of the walls was made of white stone and garnished with fake ivy and hanging pots of plants or upside-down bouquets of flowers. Just at the corner window was a place specifically made for reading. Under the window were a light cream padded bench and a few cushions seat here and there on a carpet. Bookshelves and plants were delimitating the place. The atmosphere was very peaceful and full of calm and relaxing energy. It actually reminded the pinkette of her hometown a lot. It might be for that reason that she loved this place so much.

"Oh, you're here," the pinkette heard as she reached the cash register.

Sakura moved her gaze to the side to be met with a quite tall boy of her age. He was dressed in the same uniform as Sakura, the only difference being that he never used the cap to cover his brunet hair. Instead, he tied them in a man bun.

"Aki-kun," Sakura smiled. "I thought you wouldn't come today,"

"Why wouldn't I come?" He asked, shoving his hands in his pockets. "There's no way I'm missing a workday when you are here," he playfully added. Sakura rolled her eyes as she crossed her arms over her chest.

"You come to work but not to school?" She lifted her eyebrow in suspicion. "If you miss one, might as well miss the other,"

"Well, someone gotta pay the apartment," he shrugged, and to that, Sakura had to agree. "Something just came up this morning I had to take care of,"

"Everything's all right?" Sakura asked, now worried.

"Oh~ you care for me?" He teased. Again, Sakura rolled her eyes.

"Get back to work already," she slightly pushed him away as she started tidying the counter. Akihiko's melodic laughter filled the quiet place as he stalk away. Sakura slightly shook her head, a smile on her lips.

The rest of the evening was fairly calm. The coffee shop was not too busy and crowded but not deserted either. However, the pinkette knew that the number of clients would only increase as the day would pass, and as people would resume working.

Today, Sakura spent most of the time in the kitchen, preparing the clients' orders. Boba tea, dalgona coffee, strawberry smoothie, regular, expresso coffee... She had to admit, she missed preparing drinks. She liked doing so, mixing different liquors to make a new one. Now she had the recipes burned on her brain.

Akihiko was taking orders at the cash register and rearranging the display. But as it wasn't a crowded day, he would stay in the kitchen, annoying Sakura would try to push him back to the counter, saying he was disturbing her. This was only a temporary solution because as soon as no one would enter the coffee shop, he would find his back to the kitchen.

Akihiko was already working at The Leaf when Sakura got the job, six months ago. Even though she would not admit it, when she saw he was an employee there, she was quite relieved. They were in the same class so working with a familiar face was reassuring. Especially when Sakura just arrived in Tokyo, a whole new environment completely different from her small hometown. When you had always lived in the countryside, moving to the capital could be a shock as the rhythm of life is way more intense. Akihiko helped Sakura being accustomed to this new city. His easy-going self made it easy for her to be comfortable with him. In some way, he reminded her of Naruto. The only thing that make the difference very noticeable was that Akihiko was very flirty. He was well aware of his success with the opposite sex, so he liked to play with it. Flustering girls, he loved it. It was hard to know when he was serious or when he was joking. It was bothering Sakura at first, but with time she learned to deal with it.