"I'll go with you guys later."
As they were about to leave, Daisuke walked into the living room and mentioned it to the two people inside, causing both of them to look confused.
Before Tsuna could ask, Daisuke continued to explain, "I just remembered that Asahi is rarely off today, so I won't disturb him. It's the same if I go with you."
"..." Tsuna suddenly felt like signing a contract was turning into a family outing.
He glanced at the clock on the wall. "Then I'll call Shouko." After speaking, he took out his phone from his pocket and started dialing.
The call connected almost immediately. He explained the reason and hung up. Five or six minutes later, Shouko appeared at Tsuna's doorstep, fully dressed.
Shizuka also quickly tidied up. Daisuke drove them to the location Tsuna sent, and they arrived at their destination in about ten minutes.
As soon as Tsuna got out of the car, his gaze quickly scanned the shops one by one, finally settling on the cafe at the street corner.
It was a low, single-story building with an exterior wall of unpolished light gray concrete, its surface subtly revealing a rough texture.
Upon closer inspection, the entire floor-to-ceiling glass window on the front was spotless. The frame was wrapped in dark raw wood, allowing the warm yellow light from inside to show through.
A clump of slender bamboo leaned diagonally by the entrance, their swaying shadows reflected on the glass. A narrow cypress wood sign hung above the door, with the words "That Cafe" carved onto it.
"This is definitely it. Let's go." Shizuka quickly scanned the cafe before looking away.
A small brass bell tinkled as Tsuna pushed the door open, and he was met with the burnt aroma of dark roast coffee beans and the dry scent of cedarwood.
What immediately caught his eye was the wall covered in off-white diatomaceous earth.
Several plain Japanese paper lanterns floated in the air, their light casting soft, hazy patterns through the folds.
"Welcome," said the barista behind the counter, wearing a grayish-brown linen apron.
Tsuna politely nodded at him, quickly looking around. There were only one or two pairs of customers.
The person he was waiting for hadn't arrived yet, so he led the others behind him toward the window seats on the right.
The tables and chairs were all walnut-colored. Scattered on the tabletops were matte black ceramic cups, with residual coffee stains on the rims, spreading into irregular crescent shapes.
"Dad, let's wait a bit. She hasn't arrived yet." Tsuna's gaze was fixed on the entrance.
"No hurry," Daisuke said calmly.
"Do you two want anything to drink? I'll go order." Shizuka and Shouko, from the back table, got up and came to the aisle next to their seats.
Since the seats here could only accommodate a maximum of four people, and Tsuna and the editor still had things to discuss later, Shizuka took Shouko to sit at another table.
Anyway, with the contract matters being overseen by her husband, she felt at ease taking Shouko to try the desserts here.
"Whatever."
Shizuka looked at Tsuna again.
"I'll have the same as Shouko."
Hearing this, she walked toward the counter with Shouko beside her. The menu here was written on a wooden movable board, embedded in a groove in the concrete wall of the counter.
So, they could only order there, and a server would bring it over once it was ready.
---
The server wearing a grayish-brown linen apron placed two drinks of different flavors in front of them, said, "Enjoy," and turned to leave.
Tsuna glanced at his watch. The other party was already 5 minutes late.
After a moment of hesitation, he took out his phone, said something to the old man beside him, who showed no change in expression, and walked out of the cafe to call the other party.
"Beep beep beep..."
"What's going on...?"
Tsuna looked at the unanswered call screen, feeling a bit confused. He even started to suspect if it was a prank from the other party this morning.
But he still called the other party again.
"Hello? Who is it...?"
"..."
He listened to the other party's groggy voice coming from the other end. This tone was especially similar to when Shouko was lying in bed this morning...
"Didn't we agree to meet at Cafe this morning to talk about the contract?" he patiently asked the other party.
"Ah! Is it this late already?! Why didn't the alarm I set go off!!"
"..."
"Sorry, sorry, Teacher Shouko, wait for me for ten minutes, I'll be there soon! I live nearby!
Ten minutes, just ten minutes!"
"Beep beep beep..."
Before Tsuna could respond, the other side hung up. He could only return to the cafe with a black line on his face and also ordered a glass of juice the same as his for the other party.
Now he was certain, the other party was definitely not very reliable, even giving off the vibe of someone who had just graduated and hadn't experienced the harsh realities of society...
Although he was also a recent college graduate in his previous life, the other party just gave him this strange feeling.
"How was it?" Shouko asked curiously as he sat back down in his seat.
"She overslept, she'll be here within twenty minutes." Tsuna spread his hands helplessly.
"Oh, okay." Shouko continued to focus on her slice of cake. As long as Tsuna wasn't stood up, it was fine.
"Ding-a-ling..."
Ten minutes flew by. Just then, the cafe door was pushed open, and the sound of the bell attracted Tsuna's attention.
He saw a girl wearing round-rimmed glasses, appearing at the entrance, panting, with fine sweat on her forehead.
Her actions also attracted the attention of the scattered customers inside, including the barista at the counter.
The other party's gaze met his at that moment, but quickly shifted to Daisuke beside him. Then, not knowing what she was thinking, she withdrew her gaze, turned around, and left the cafe, taking out her phone to call Tsuna.
"Teacher Shouko, where are you sitting? Why don't I see you?" As soon as the call connected, Jun was the first to ask with confusion.
"..."
"Sitting at the table by the window on the right, two people, one big and one small."
As soon as he finished speaking, his gaze met Jun's, who was looking back, and then he could visibly see the shock in her eyes.
"Teacher Shouko, you're still a minor!?" After a moment, she asked in surprise.
Tsuna's appearance had changed slightly compared to two years ago, but anyone with a discerning eye could tell he was also a minor...
"Mm, come in first and let's talk about the contract." Tsuna got straight to the point.
"Right, right, wait a minute, Teacher Shouko, do you and your guardian need anything to drink?"
"No need, just come straight in. I've already ordered for you." Tsuna was starting to feel a bit speechless...
"I've put you to expense, I've put you to expense." Jun awkwardly smoothed down her slightly upturned hair tips, her fingers unconsciously fiddling with the hem of her shirt.
Hanging up the phone, she turned around and re-entered the cafe, pushing the door open and heading straight for the target location.
"Hello, I'm Jun, an intern editor from Futaba Publishing!" As soon as Jun reached the table, she gave a slight bow to Daisuke, greeting and introducing herself.
"Intern editor?" Shouko from the back table muttered softly. She was a bit curious, were there intern editors??
Shizuka, beside her, was equally curious and confused.
"Hello, I'm Daisuke." Daisuke politely nodded at the other party. "Have a seat first and let's talk."
"Mm-hmm, okay."
Jun listened to the other party's calm tone, but for some reason, she could feel the same oppressive presence from him as from her own dad, and she couldn't help but start to feel nervous.
However, she thought it might also be due to the guilt she felt from being late...