The morning at SunDol Café was unusually quiet.
The bell above the door chimed only twice in an hour, and the hum of the refrigerator in the backroom was louder than the customers' chatter, because... there was none.
Sayu sat behind the counter, chin resting on her palm as she scrolled through her phone with half-lidded eyes. Her thumb paused briefly over her bank app. She hesitated… then tapped in her password.
[ Balance: 354,248KJC ]
'I need at least 250,000KJC... and that is if I don't count other necessities until then'.
She exhaled softly and closed the screen. She needed some money for printing her assignment. Her textbook bills were still unpaid. A notification popped up:
[ Phone Bill: Pending Payment – 1,920KJC ]
She switched her phone.
'Maybe I should really take that student loan, Mio recommended...' Sayu was lost in her thoughts.
Behind her, Manager Lia stretched with a yawn and picked up her coat.
"I have a meeting with the district manager. Take the trash out when you get a moment, okay?"
Sayu nodded absentmindedly.
The sun filtered weakly through the front glass. Violet leaned on the other side of the counter, sipping iced coffee like she owned the place.
Sayu looked over.
"Hey Violet, where do I throw the trash?"
"At the back..." Violet pointed with her head toward the backdoor.
Sayu gave her a tiny smile, then tied up the trash bag, struggling slightly as it resisted her tug.
She headed toward the backdoor and stepped into the back alley.
It was quiet. Almost too quiet.
The smell of stale coffee grounds and damp cardboard filled the air as she dropped the bag into the bin and wiped her hands.
That's when she heard it.
Rustle.
Sayu froze.
Rustle. Scratch.
"...Hello?" she called out, turning around slowly. "Who's there?!"
No answer.
She looked around and found a piece of wood on the ground among the trash.
Picking it up, she took a cautious step forward.
Behind a big garbage can, something shifted.
Sayu gripped the wood tighter.
"I have a weapon," she declared bravely to the air. "...Kinda."
She saw a cardboard box, something rustling inside it.
She reached toward the box and peeked inside — from the shadows, a pair of big, round eyes blinked up at her.
A soft meow escaped.
"...Huh?"
Sayu leaned forward just a little.
And that's when Violet appeared behind her.
"Hey, what's—"
"AAAHHHHH!"
"AAHHHHHH!"
Sayu jumped and screamed.
"Oh..." then frowned. "You scared me!"
"You scared me! What are you doing whispering like you're summoning a demon out here?" Violet peeked behind her. "Wait... is that a—"
She bent down, and there, in a crumpled cardboard box, sat a tiny kitten. Fluffy. Gray-white. Shivering slightly, tail flicking nervously.
Sayu's eyes widened.
"A kitten…"
Violet's lips parted in awe.
"No collar. Is she stray?"
They exchanged glances.
* * * * *
Inside...
Kira walked into the back kitchen holding a cup of coffee, just finishing checking the weekly profit and loss.
That's when he saw her — Violet walking slowly like she was sneaking into the national bank.
'What is this girl up to now?' he thought, his voice tired.
Violet looked around as if making sure no one was watching. This got Kira more intrigued. He followed her and watched her go through the backdoor with something in her hands.
Outside, peeking through the slight opening, he saw Violet moving fast. Sayu was there too.
"Did you bring it?"
"Yes."
"He didn't see you, did he? I hope he won't get mad."
"Nah, I walked in and out like a ninja. Hehe. Now let's see..."
'What are they doing out there?'
He stepped closer.
"…What are you two doing?"
Sayu and Violet froze.
"Nothing," they said in unison, clearly trying to hide something.
Kira narrowed his eyes. Then stepped closer.
"What's that behind you, Violet? Sayu?"
"It's a warm... thing."
Kira peeked behind them, revealing two curious eyes blinking up at him.
The kitten sneezed.
Silence.
"Violet, you know Manager Lia is allergic to cats. If she finds out..." He began, that's when his eyes looked at the milk in Violet's hand.
"… you stole milk again, didn't you?" Kira muttered, sighing. "You know that if the Manager finds out..."
"She was hungry!" Violet said, indignant.
Sayu stepped in quickly.
"She was outside and shivering. We were gonna figure something out…"
Kira opened his mouth to protest… and then the kitten walked up to his shoe and gently rubbed against it, purring.
He froze.
"Noooo, don't."
He tried to stop her, but the kitten looked up with glistening eyes — begging eyes.
Then he let out a sharp, dramatic exhale.
"Fine. But if the Manager finds out, we all die."
Sayu smiled.
Violet grinned. "Let's name her… Princess Snowbell the Third."
Kira: "What is this, a royal fantasy novel? You planning to give her a tiara too?"
Violet: "She is majestic, look at her paws! Fine—what about Cinnamon?"
Kira (deadpan): "So if she was orange, would you have named her Cheeto?"
Violet: "Cheeto's cute, actually."
As the two kept arguing, Sayu looked down when she felt something touching her down. It was the kitten purring again; she snuggled into the crook of her knee.
"…Coffee," Sayu said softly.
"Huh?"
"I think her name's Coffee."
Violet and Kira looked at her. When she saw their eyes on her, she spoke with a weak smile.
"Uh-h… you know! Like... we work at a coffee shop, so..."
They looked at each other and nodded.
Violet crouched and patted the now-named Coffee's head.
"So Coffee, want some milk?" she said, putting the cup closer as they all watched the kitten drink.
Suddenly, Sayu's phone vibrated in her apron pocket.
She pulled it out.
[Incoming call: Mom]
Her smile faded slightly.
"...Give me a second," she said, standing up and stepping away.
Violet and Kira watched her walk off, then turned their attention back to the kitten rolling cutely on the ground.
* * *
Inside...
Sayu looked at her phone as it vibrated once more, her brows knitting slightly at the screen.
She sighed through her nose, then quietly exhaled, steadying herself.
With a slow swipe, she tapped the green button.
Click.
— "…Hello?" came a soft voice from the other end; familiar, aged, gently unsure. "Sayu…?"
Sayu blinked once, her voice catching briefly before she replied.
"Hey, Mom…"