From betrotheds to lovers

Chapter 40

It was late in the afternoon, the school clubs had already ended their activities for the day, and the remaining students were now going back to their homes, and that was true for Ichiro... Who was currently sitting in one of the tables of his mother's cafe with a very amused smile, as he acted like a client to the unsuspecting new part-time worker.

"..."

"..."

Who had been looking at him with terrified eyes, while she appeared that she was on the verge of passing out from nervousness. Which only made Ichiro feel even more amused.

"So? What'chu you doing?"

"Eh!? Ah!? Y-Y-Y-Yesh! I-I... E-Erm! T-The... M-M-M-Menu... Ah!? N-No! I-I-I-I meant y-y-y-your o-o-o-orders!"

"Ah! I see, you came to get my orders, right... But I already said my orders"

"!? Eh!?"

"So? Where's everything that I ordered?"

"Erm... Hmmm... Aaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhh..."

"Should I call the manager to say that you left me in the cold?"

"P-P-P-Please no! A-A-A-Anything but that!"

As the girl kept getting more desperate, Ichiro was doing his best to hold his laughter, he truly had a horrible personality. But before he could continue messing with the new clerk, his mom appeared from behind the counter.

"Ah! Ichiro, you're already, can you help me prepare... ... ... What're you doing?"

"Just messing with the newbie"

"... Please stop, she's already on the verge of tears... No, she's already crying"

"Sorry, sorry, I just wanted to see how she would react"

Hitori who had fallen to her knees, kept alternating her vision between Ichiro's Mother, Niko, and Ichiro himself, as he got up from the table. Then he offered a hand to Hitori, who held it with a terrified face.

"You should be Kaneko Hitori, right? My name is Hirano Ichiro, and I'm the son of the cafe's owner, and your senpai here"

"..."

"I hope that you won't break any plates, newbie~"

"..."

Hitori slowly began to fall backward as she passed out while standing, but luckily for her, Ichiro who was still holding her hand prevented her from falling and instead put her down on the table he was sitting on just a few seconds ago. Ichiro looked at Hitori's messed-up expression and then looked at his mother

"Mom, are you sure that she can even work in here?"

"Not at all!"

"Thought so. Well, I guess, I'll have to put some effort into at least making her able to talk with people and take their orders"

Ichiro then sighed and gave one final look at the passed-out Hitori, before he went behind the counter and passed through the door that led to his house, and only came back after a few minutes, with the new uniform of the cafe.

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.

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"... Zzzzzzzz... ! *Gasp*"

Hitori who had been asleep, suddenly got up in a jump, and in her desperation, she looked around and saw that she was still in the cafe. Which only caused her to feel even more desperate.

"Ah! You're finally awake, rookie"

"!!! !?"

With a jump, Hitori looked at the owner of the voice, and there she saw Ichiro wearing the uniform of the cafe, which only caused her to feel even more confused.

"I know you're feeling confused, but you already slept for... *looks at the time* 5 minutes, and I need to at least get you up to speed with the basics, so chop chop come behind the counter"

"! Y-Y-Yesh!"

With his words, Hitori hurriedly followed after Ichiro, as he went behind the counter, to start with her training.

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Meanwhile

"So. Much. Paperwork!"

With those words, Himari threw a bunch of paper into the air as she slumped onto the large coffee table in the living room of Sakurako's family mansion, she was joined by Kohaku who was already slumped on the coffee table, because of her extreme lack of stamina. Thus only leaving Sakurako standing as she slowly went over each document, a stark contrast to her previous workflow which was done at a staggering pace.

And of course, Himari had clearly noticed that crash of productivity, since she was forced to handle the student council paperwork even after the school had already closed for the day. So while still with her head slumped on the table, Himari turned and looked at Sakurako.

"Sacchan... Did something happen to you?"

"! *Stops moving*"

Hearing those words, Sakurako's hands stopped moving as she looked at Himari, without making any change in her expression, then she looked to the side as if she was thinking for an answer.

"... Not really..."

"Then why do you look so distracted today?"

"... ... ... I... Have been reflecting on my decisions from yesterday"

"Reflecting on what exactly?"

"I prefer to not talk about it"

"Is that so? Well, if you feel like it, you can tell me about anything that you're feeling, and I'll help you out, both as your cousin and friend"

"I see... ... ..."

Sakurako then fell completely silent as she made a thinking expression at Himari's words.

"... ... ... Hmm... Hmari-chan..."

"Hm? What is it, Sacchan?"

"... What do you call the feeling of when you're near someone, and you start to feel your heart aching, together with the wanting of always remain by their side, with a warm fuzzy feeling inside your chest?"

"... ... ..."

"... ... ..."

Himari and Kohaku, who woke up from hearing Sakurako's question, both looked at her with faces filled with disbelief, and mild concern, since they knew that Sakurako had always been the slowest one of three when it came to understanding feelings, and due to her hardly showing any reaction to most things, that always caused many people to think she was emotionless.

So when the two heard of her asking about those feelings, both Himari and Kohaku had a guess of what she was feeling, towards a certain someone.

"Sacchan... Isn't that what people call love?"

"Love?..."

"Yes, love! I know how it feels to love someone because I always feel all the things you just mentioned whenever I am with Kazuo!"

"Is that so?..."

Sakurako then made a thinking expression again, as she thought about what Himari and Kohaku said.

"... ... ... Then... I am in love with Ichiro-san?"

" " Yes!" "

"..."

Hearing the two give her the same answer, but with different tones, Sakurako couldn't help but look down, as she began to feel her heart aching the more she kept thinking about her being in love with Ichiro. Then she slowly put her fingertips over her lips, and her face turned bright red, as she began to be more and more embarrassed about her having her first kiss with the person she loved.

That overflow of emotions was making Sakurako appear as if she was releasing steam from her head as she also froze on the spot. Leaving Himari with a concerned face, at how she was being left behind by her cousin, while Kohaku had sparkling eyes, at seeing her childhood friend's romantic life finally starting.