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Shu quietly hummed to himself as he poured another cup of tea. The soft music of the café pleasantly filled Shu’s space, making it feel almost as though he was in a separate tranquil world, unperturbed by the harshness of reality.
“Are you enjoying yourself?”
Shu continued to pour his tea without looking up. “I forget there was a point in time you began to care about others.”
A feather-light laugh drifted through the air. “I’m not sure what you mean by that; I’ve always cared about other people.”
At that, Shu glared up at the annoyance sporting a cloud of fluffy blue hair. “Aoba, I suggest you go back to work. These patrons will not serve themselves. Unless your brain cells have completely died, which I would not be surprised of, you should be competent enough to understand a concept as basic as that.”
Aoba let out another gentle laugh, which only served to irritate Shu further. “Of course, our kouhais will need the assistance!”
As Aoba wandered to the tables, Shu sighed to himself. How did he ever find himself in such a position? He did not regret it… He did not regret saving the café and the owner’s legacy… but a part of him still loathed the fact that it was only with Aoba’s help that he was able to save it. A part of him still loathed that Aoba had become much more bearable than the year prior.
“Itsuki-senpai, are you okay?” Suou glanced over at Shu concernedly, even a bit frightened. He stood at his senior’s left, preparing drinks at the counter, and close enough to a sweets shelf to occasionally pop a treat into his mouth when he thought no one was watching, a detail that the sharp-eyed artist could not help but be mildly insulted by.
“Yes, Suou, is something the matter?”
The red-headed knight shifted a few centimeters away from Shu. “You were staring at that TEA as if you were trying to make it burst into flames just from your glare…”
Ah.
“I apologize. I must not have been paying attention to my facial expressions, but I assure you everything is fine. Now then, is there a matter with which you require my assistance?”
“I think Oogami-senpai is getting distracted from his WORK…”
Shu looked in the direction Suou pointed to see Oogami crouched near one of the windows, peeking through as if he was hiding from something.
Despite Shu’s initial skepticism about Oogami joining the staff of the café, Oogami had proven himself to be quite a refined staff member — that is, once he stayed still long enough for Shu to get the café uniform on him. Perhaps he had learned the art of sophistication while rehearsing “Honey Milk wa Okonomi de”. Unfortunately, crouching in the corner like a delinquent was hardly a fair example of said refinement.
Shu groaned in annoyance. “What does he think he is doing?”
“Otogari-senpai came to check out the café~” Yuta chimed in, sliding behind the counter, and nearly crashing into his pink-haired senior.
Shu scoffed, “Bah! Romance is no excuse for such an abhorrent lack of professionalism.”
Aoba popped up from who-knows-where, fondly watching Oogami. “I’m sure you wouldn’t be saying the same thing if you were in his situation. Imagine the object of your affection being so close to home. What if it was sweet little Nito-kun out there?”
Clenching his fists, Shu resisted the temptation to respond. That was a not a road that would lead to anything good.
Aoba, despite being pure in his intentions, was very skilled at unintentionally getting under others’ skins. The nuisance continued, “How about you two go and help him out? I think he’ll need the extra push.”
“Understood, Aoba-senpai!” Suou responded. “We shall have Oogami-senpai sent out to that TABLE at once.”
“Oh, I definitely wanna be here for this~” Yuta hummed cheerfully.
Shu sighed, defeated. Was Yuta not supposed to be the more reserved of the twins? Although, he begrudgingly admitted to himself that it may be beneficial in the long run for Oogami to be involved in… such an engagement. “Very well, then. I will allow this.”
Suou bowed his head slightly as Yuta waved to Shu without looking back.
Aoba unfortunately found that as his cue to continue speaking. “That was very nice of you, Shu-kun. It’s a lovely reminder to see that you can still be kind.”
Shu did his best to avoid rolling his eyes. He was a professional, after all. However, a true professional surely would not have allowed his juniors to…
“HEY! WHAT THE HELL ARE YA DOIN’!?”
“This is for your own GOOD, Oogami-senpai.”
“Hehe, yeah, and for ours too~ You provide really good entertainment~♪”
“T-This better be some sort o’ shitty prank! I-I ain’t gonna-”
“Trust us, Oogami-senpai. You two would be PERFECT together.”
“Yeah, yeah! Tell him, Tsukasa-kun~!”
“Y-You little shi—”
“Oogami,” Shu cut in. “Please refrain from spouting any more profanities while we are working.”
By that point, several customers were watching the commotion with varied degrees of amusement, annoyance, and interest on their faces. Still, most of the café’s patrons did not spare the trio a second glance. They were most likely regulars used to the juniors’ antics, which on second thought should have been more concerning than it was relieving.
Shu sighed again. He knew the peace of the café would be lost once they attracted more customers, but he still hoped for some semblance of the quaintness that drew him inside for the first time. Though he would not say that watching his juniors squabble was a terrible alternative.
Aoba giggled breathily. “Shu-kun is right, Koga-kun. Some of these people are trying to relax. We wouldn’t want to disturb them, now, would we? ♪”
Oogami flushed as he realized the disturbance he caused in the café, immediately shutting himself up. Nevertheless, he continued to struggle just as viciously against the strength of Suou and Yuta combined. Vanquished in battle, he was pushed through the doors toward the outdoor seating.
“They look like they get along well,” Aoba said with a content smile on his face.
“…We should serve the customers while the other two take care of Oogami.” Shu was still adjusting to the idea of being around Aoba so casually; he needed more time.
While Shu swiftly moved from the counter to the tables, Aoba calmly drifted as if he was a feather carried by the wind. The bluebird glided gracefully, not at a hastened pace, but not inefficiently slow either. He quickly jotted down the customers’ orders, never causing a single complaint to arise from the café’s patrons as he made small talk with them.
Shu vaguely wondered if in another life they would have ended up in a unit together that was not as temporary as BLEND+. But there was no point in dwelling on it, and Shu did not believe in excessively worrying about circumstances that would never occur. That was Kagehira’s job.
The disciplined artist once believed that getting along with Aoba would be one of those realities that would never come to fruition. Yet sometimes, it was almost as if he was back. Back two years ago. Just a friend sitting on the floor of the Handicrafts Club, talking about ambitions to make oneself known to the world, and the small happiness that deserved to be shared with others.
“Sora really wants the people he loves to get along with each other!” the innocent boy proclaimed, swinging his legs as he took another nibble into his croissant. He rocked back and forth on one of the Handicraft Club room’s chairs, humming contentedly as he chewed, and intently watching the artist organize his fabrics.
Shu sighed. “I… I will try. For you, Chibisuke. I am simply unsure about it. We are different people now.”
“But Sora can see that Shu-nii-san's color says the same thing as Sora! Shu-nii-san and Senpai were friends before, so they can be friends again~♪”
“It is never quite that simple…”
“Why not? Sora can tell Shu-nii-san misses him too.”
Shu patted the top of his junior’s head, smiling sadly at the giggle he received. “I hope you never have to find out.”
Shu noticed that while Aoba moved efficiently, he seemed to be evasive of Shu, always moving so he was not directly in Shu’s path. He wondered if it was because Aoba wanted to give him space, or because he wanted to make Shu’s job easier. Shu appreciated it either way.
“Are you really moving on?”
“Are yoU?”
“That is not what I asked, boy.”
“I never asked to be askeD, yet here we arE.”
“Has anyone told you how much of a brat you are?”
“Senpai is too much of a pushoVER.”
“…”
“If you are really asKING… yeS, I suppose I aM. In a waY. I can never forGET. None of us will ever forGET. But in the enD, holding on will only set myself bacK.”
Shu always prided himself on his artistic vision. Even the throes of suffering and the flames of anger could fuel his art. Passion, emotion… those were all he needed to create something truly beautiful. He wondered when it was that he was consumed in that ideal.
“Shu-kun, can you take care of that table?” Aoba pointed at the customers to Shu’s left as he moved to a table on the other end of the café.
“Ah, yes. Do not worry, Aoba.”
Aoba smiled brightly at him.
The rest of the day passed by in a blur, and Shu was quite proud of himself and the others. Despite only working part-time at the café every now and then, the five of them had picked up running the business quite well. It was an especially easy day, one of the exceedingly rare occasions when all of them were on staff.
As Shu skillfully removed his café uniform, he noticed Oogami was being especially careful with his own uniform. The artist smiled to himself.
“Itsuki-senpai, guess what!” Yuta exclaimed.
Shu raised an eyebrow.
“Oogami-senpai’s got a da— mmph…!" Yuta was quickly silenced by the hand Oogami put over his mouth.
“That’s enough outta ya. Let’s go outside so I can kick your ass.”
Suou finished folding up his uniform and looked over at them concernedly. “Oogami-senpai, if you were to START a fight, I believe it would be best to do it inside, so as to not draw ATTENTION.”
Yuta gasped in shock as Oogami roared with laughter.
“Alright, you three,” Aoba interjected. “You can all head home while Shu-kun and I finish cleaning up.”
“I do not recall agreeing to this,” Shu protested, annoyed. He neglected the fact that he planned to volunteer to stay behind anyway.
“Yes, but I know you,” Aoba smiled. “Oh, and Yuta-kun, Suou-kun? Please help Koga-kun out with his date. I’m sure that the two of you will be a great assistance to him.”
Oogami shouted indignantly as Yuta cheered and as Suou responded, “YES, of course we will.” A few seconds later, and all of them were out the door, still bantering among one other.
“They are quite cute, aren’t they?” Aoba said wistfully, gazing at the front doors.
“I suppose they are,” Shu begrudgingly agreed.
After a moment of silence, Aoba turned to Shu. “Ah, how about I fix something up for us? It’s been quite a long day, and I’m sure you could go for some nice tea, and even a nice loaf of bread ♪”
Shu sighed for what felt like the millionth time that day. Perhaps if he did it enough times, he would have no breaths left to give, and he could be spared all the insufferable parts of his life. “Yes, I suppose that is a good idea.”
Aoba hummed “Heart aid Cafeteria” to himself. Floating behind the counter, he carefully grabbed a couple of the best designed teacups along with three plates. The bluebird gently laid out the plates on the nearby table Shu had seated himself at, and then he placed the teacups on top of two of the plates. Aoba returned to the other side of the counter, looking across the shelves. After seemingly letting his mind dance between a few options, he grabbed a couple tea bags, smiling idiotically to himself as he prepared it.
While the tea brewed, Aoba took a loaf of fluffy bread with some tongs and placed it on the unused third plate. He scooped a few more loaves into a separate bag, presumably for his roommates, especially Tenma.
The entire time Aoba worked, Shu watched carefully, making sure that the clumsy magician wouldn’t mess up somehow. But just from seeing the finished tea as Aoba poured it into his cup, Shu could tell it was suited to even his exquisite tastes. Still, he was stubborn on offering his former enemy any compliments.
“There we go!” Aoba cheered quietly as he sat across from Shu, placing his bag of loaves next to his own seat.
The image of Aoba sitting across from him suddenly reminded Shu of when he and Aoba first entered the café together, although the divide between them was much more polarizing back then, despite it not being too long ago.
They ate in companiable silence for a while, and Shu reveled in it. With a near-empty shop, the peaceful ambience of the café returned, aided by the richness of the tea and the exquisite texture of the bread. But despite the quiet, it was not lonely either, as he still had a… friend with him.
“Shu-kun, are you okay? You have this strange look on your face.”
Shu huffed. “How tactless… I was simply thinking about the first time we happened to visit this café together, when it was closing down.”
“Fufu~ You seemed to hate me a lot back then, didn’t you?”
“Who says I do not still harbor a grudge?” Shu shot back with a deadpan expression.
Aoba laughed lightly once again. “For one, your first instinct isn’t to immediately throw something at my head.”
“Only because I am determined to maintain my composure in a professional environment.”
“You decided to stay behind here with me.”
“Only because I pitied leaving you behind. I am only fulfilling my duty by aiding in maintaining the sanctity of this café.”
“You’re smiling.”
“…” Shu was speechless. When did he lose control of his expression again? Perhaps he truly was becoming soft… Still, he refused to acknowledge it, only letting out a little huff instead of properly responding.
“I really don’t know why we couldn’t have gotten along like this earlier, Shu-kun. I can see you’re having fun ♪”
What sort of idiotic statement was that? “It is much easier to brush everything under the rug when you are the one backstabbing rather than the one being backstabbed.”
Aoba freed a breathless laugh, although Shu could not find any semblance of humor in this situation. Perhaps it was dismissal, perhaps it was self-deprecation.
As straightforward as Aoba always spoke, Shu still found it a challenge to read him at times. Even so, the irritation that Shu felt was not akin to the waves that would crescendo into billows of anger as in the past. Perhaps it was because the Aoba before him was not the same Aoba from a year ago. Perhaps it was not Aoba that changed, but Shu, and his perception of Aoba. Perhaps it was both.
Natsume was right. Holding onto his grudge forever could not benefit him forever. In the past, it may have worked, but remaining trapped in the past would only prevent him from moving forward. Aoba had repaid his debt to Shu and to Natsume, possibly even more.
It would still take time for Shu to adjust to even being acquainted with Aoba. On harsher days, the former puppeteer could see the dazzling white uniform as Aoba wiped his glasses. But on days like these, it almost felt as though…
“Hey, Shu-kun?”
Shu put down his cup and looked up at Aoba. “Yes?”
“I’m really glad we met each other.” Aoba gave a gentle smile.
Shu looked down at his loaf of bread for a few moments before meeting Aoba’s eyes, returning the gesture with a surprisingly genuine smile. “Yes, I am too.”