The Bleu Cafe

New book, old book

It was a warm day, those who found this mysterious cafe would be enticed by the mysterious owner that lurks inside of this shop. They became regulars and many respected the enigmatic owner's wishes and didn't spread the word about this unique cafe.

They always looked forward to the quiet and peaceful atmosphere, afraid that more people would taint this serene sanctum. They also looked forward to the coffee, for each time they come, there would be a new flavor to try, but that's only when they feel adventurous. Through turbulent times they would come to this safe haven to be revitalized from their troubles and heal their wounds and infections that manifested from their daily lives. This is the shop that one barista lives with and that was all that he had. He cherished this shop day to day, always refurbishing it to match with the mood created by each season.

It was spring. The flowers outside of the cafe bloomed nicely, with the placement of the cafe at just the right spot where a ray of sunlight would reach around the crevice between the towering buildings just to shine on this peculiar cafe. About the same time, the cafe's strange owner would come out and water the blooming flowers and plants.

Kuroko took the water pail and carried it back into the shop.

"Ah, Kuroko-kun, water is boiling!" Furihata called from the kitchen as he walked in.

"Oh, then please put the tea leaves inside the pot!" Kuroko called back.

"Okay!"

Kuroko placed the water pail back into the storage and walked to the kitchen. "Can I see?"

"Of course!"

Kuroko smiled and walked over to the pot and checked it's contents. The water, slowly changed color to a refreshing light orange.

"Please give me the strainer."

Furihata readily obeyed and handed Kuroko the strainer.

Kuroko skillfully took the pot in one hand and the strainer in the other hand and poured the tea into a two cups.

Then he took a fresh sakura petal and placed it on top of the surface of the tea so that it's just floating.

"Is this a new drink?" Furihata asked.

"Yes. Care to try it?"

"Of course!"

Furihata took a quick sip of the tea and marveled in surprise. "This really reminds me of the cherry blossom viewing."

"That's good. It was supposed to do that."

Furihata grinned. "Alright, I'll go out and fetch the ingredients for the sandwiches!"

Kuroko nodded and looked down at the tea. The events of the cherry blossom replayed in his mind and he smiled. Another memory to commemorate, he thought to himself as he wiped the few droplets of tea that dropped onto the counter.

"How did you get into being a barista anyways?"

The question Kise asked echoed in his mind. Kuroko's grin faltered and he looked down at the tea. He took a sip and sighed, taking it to the table. On the way, he slipped a book out of the bookshelf randomly hoping to cheer himself up.

Just his luck, he chose the worn down book with a blue cover.

Kuroko sat down on the table, staring at the book with sad eyes. Memories began replaying on automatic as he lifted the cover of the book to expose the contents.

"You know, you should totally be a barista."

He flipped through the book slowly.

"Kuroko, you need to socialize a bit more!"