After receiving Toru's approval, Soyo, Anon, and the others left his office and returned to their table, which was already set with drinks and pastries.
They had ordered these earlier just to secure a seat.
This cafe was becoming more and more popular. At this time of day, if you did not reserve in advance, you would have to line up to get a table.
"Rikki, we talked to Fujiwara-kun. He agreed to let us keep using the equipment after closing."
"Mm, got it."
The busy Shiina nodded calmly. She showed no extra expression and barely spoke to Soyo and the others.
She was a serious girl and did not want to mix personal matters with work.
At that moment, Rei, dressed in a butler-style uniform, walked over with Kei Shirogane, who had already changed into her work uniform.
"Shiina, this is our new part-time employee. She has no experience making coffee yet, so I'll have to trouble you to teach her."
"Huh?"
Shiina looked over the long silver-haired Kei and frowned slightly.
"…Manager, she's not old enough to work part-time, is she?"
"Besides, I'm already so busy. Where would I find the time to teach her?"
From her appearance, Shiina seemed like the cool and strong type, with a bit of a temper.
At least, Kei, meeting her for the first time, was startled by her cold gaze.
She quickly bowed. "I'm sorry to trouble you, Shiina-senpai. My name is Kei Shirogane. I will work hard to learn how to be a cafe server. Please guide me from now on."
"Sister Shiina, please."
Moeha stepped forward as well, clasping her hands together and bowing.
Shiina remembered that this pink-haired girl was the boss's sister. Judging by Manager Amuro's attitude, it seemed to be true.
Seeing Moeha personally asking, Shiina's expression softened a little.
Rei leaned closer and whispered, "This child's family situation is not good, but she entered Shuchiin Academy through her own efforts."
"She came to work part-time at such a young age to ease her family's burden. The boss sympathized and agreed."
Hearing that this was Toru's decision, and learning about Kei's situation, Shiina, who was cold on the outside but warm inside, became more gentle.
"Since it's the boss's decision, I won't object. But let's be clear. I'll teach you properly, and you can learn from me. However, you must work hard."
"You probably won't find another place in Tokyo that allows you to work only after school and still pays the same daily wage as other part-time jobs."
"If you don't perform well, I won't cover for you. I'll tell the boss the truth."
Shiina had a strong sense of responsibility and treated this store like her second home.
She was still in high school, and it would be years before she officially entered the workforce.
Before that, she had always wanted to work part-time here.
Kei's face lit up. "I will definitely work hard and live up to your teaching."
Shiina nodded slightly.
She somewhat approved of Kei's attitude.
She knew a bit about Shuchiin Academy, mainly because Toru had studied there for a year.
Being able to enter Shuchiin as an outsider meant Kei was definitely hardworking and diligent. People like that were usually serious about everything they did.
Seeing the atmosphere improve, Rei added, "When Shiragane's skills improve, you two can work together. That will make things easier, right?"
"Shiina, haven't you always complained about being short-staffed and too busy?"
Shiina flushed slightly. "Manager, please don't tell the boss I complained."
Rei laughed softly. "I'm not that talkative, don't worry."
Shiina felt relieved.
After working with Manager Amuro for some time, she knew he was a gentle man.
If he were not working here, and if he were not constantly compared to Toru, he would definitely be very popular elsewhere.
However, Manager Amuro did not seem interested in women. Some people even speculated privately that he liked men and worked here because of Toru.
After all, with his ability and style, being just a cafe manager seemed like a waste.
Sometimes Shiina even suspected those rumors might be true, because she had caught Manager Amuro secretly glancing at the boss more than once.
With so many customers, all the staff were busy without pause.
Shiina explained the basics to Kei while working.
"These are coffee beans. All the coffee in our store is freshly ground. The commercially valuable types are mainly Arabica and Robusta. You need to learn to tell them apart."
"We also carry some specialty beans. Those are more expensive. A single cup usually costs over 2000 yen."
Hearing that, Kei secretly clicked her tongue.
For the Shirogane family, 2000 yen required careful budgeting. Here, it was just the price of a high-end cup of coffee.
But when she looked around at the young masters and ladies from elite schools, she felt that maybe this price was nothing to them.
"This is the coffee machine and grinder. Different beans require different grind sizes. I can't explain everything right now. I'll teach you properly when we have time."
"For now, just watch how I do it and remember as much as you can."
"…Understood."
"Then there's latte art. Steaming milk is very technical. To create beautiful patterns, you need perseverance and practice."
"When the store is not busy, you can use the ingredients to practice. It's free practice, but don't waste too much."
Kei listened attentively, wishing she had a notebook to write everything down.
"Besides skills, you also need to learn communication. Customers come from all backgrounds. You must provide the best service possible."
"Most of our customers are students, so they're relatively easy to deal with."
"If you run into troublesome customers, go find Manager Amuro, the dark-skinned one."
"If the manager isn't around, you can go directly to the boss. He'll handle it."
Kei noticed a trace of annoyance flash across Shiina's face.
"…Did you run into trouble before, senpai?"
Shiina snorted lightly. "Not exactly trouble. A guy kept confessing to me and it interfered with my work."
"I rejected him several times, but he kept bothering me. One night I realized he was following me. That really scared me."
"I went to the police first, but they couldn't solve it. In desperation, I told the boss. The next day, that annoying guy disappeared."
Her voice was full of admiration for Toru.
Kei was startled. "You encountered a stalker?"
She looked at Shiina. Though she seemed strong, there was also a gentle side to her.
With her looks, it was not surprising that she might attract unwanted attention.
As servers, sometimes they could only smile at annoying customers.
Kei had never encountered something like that, but she understood how frightening it must be.
"Yeah. I don't know how the boss handled it. It feels like nothing can trouble him. If something like that happens to you, tell him. He cares a lot about our safety."
"Mm, I will."
"But Shirogane, if something happens, go to Manager Amuro first. Don't always trouble the boss. Oh, and one more thing. Manager Amuro often secretly looks at the boss. He might be a pervert, so be careful."
Kei covered her mouth in shock.
Could Manager Amuro really be that kind of man?
"Hey, Shiina, why do I feel like you're talking bad about me?"
Rei looked over as if he had supernatural hearing.
"You must have misheard, Manager."
Rei looked suspicious, then slowly turned back to his work.
At that moment, a commotion suddenly erupted in the cafe.
A tall, elegant, and stylish woman walked in.
Many of the female students dining here were beautiful.
Soyo, Anon, Shiina, even the newly arrived Kei could rival the woman in appearance.
But the mature charm, the alluring temperament, and the confident femininity she carried were far beyond what these middle and high school students possessed.
"That's the Hollywood superstar Chris Vineyard."
"Oh my God, it's really her. Can I get an autograph? It would be amazing to take a photo too."
"Why is a Hollywood star here?"
"I saw rumors online saying Chris Vineyard and Fujiwara-sama used to date. Is that true?"
The students whispered excitedly.
Rei's expression tightened when he saw her.
What is going on? Why is Vermouth here?
(To be continued.)
◇◇◇
◇ One bonus chapter will be released for every 200 Power Stones.
◇ You can read the ahead chapter on Pat if you're interested: p-atreon.c-om/Blownleaves (Just remove the hyphen to access normally.)