Chapter 23 - The Café
Strolling casually near the station, I stumbled upon a charming-looking café.
The exterior was stylish, and through the window, I could see that most of the customers inside were women. A quick search of the café’s name on my phone showed it had excellent reviews, and the photos of the dishes looked absolutely delicious.
Having worked part-time at a café in my previous life, I could easily tell whether a place was good or not. From that experience, I could say with confidence that this place was a sure bet.
“Mashiro, how about we have lunch here?”
“Yeah! Anywhere you choose is fine by me, Ryusuke.”
“Alright, let’s go in.”
With Mashiro in tow, I stepped into the café. The rich aroma of coffee filled the air, a gentle jazz tune played in the background, the staff exuded cleanliness, and the clientele was clearly a good sign. This place was definitely a hit.
The air conditioning was set to a comfortable level for women, the lighting was just dim enough to be relaxing, the interior décor was refined, and the tables were made of warm wood with plush-looking sofas.
As Mashiro looked around the café, her blue eyes sparkled like stars.
“Wow… It’s so lovely here. It feels so mature and relaxing!”
“Yeah, and the food here is supposed to be really good too.”
“Ryusuke, you really know your stuff! I’m impressed!”
“Well, it’s not like I knew about it beforehand. I just looked it up online, and the place seemed promising.”
“You’re always so reliable, Ryusuke. Even though we usually just go to family restaurants or ramen shops.”
“Well, it’s good to mix it up now and then.”
When I responded gruffly, Mashiro giggled playfully.
We were then shown to our seats and sat down across from each other at a table made of warm wood and surrounded by soft-looking sofas.
Mashiro happily opened the menu and seemed to be having a hard time deciding what to order.
“Didn’t you say earlier that you wanted to try a cold café au lait, Mashiro?”
“That’s what I thought, but all the drinks on the menu look so good…”
“I see. Yeah, there’s a lot of variety here, so it’s no wonder you’re having trouble choosing.”
“What are you thinking of getting, Ryusuke? I need some inspiration.”
“Hmm, I think I’ll just go with a regular coffee. When we walked in, I caught a whiff of some great coffee beans, and it made me crave one.”
“Iced or hot?”
“Hot. It’s not cold outside, but I’m in the mood for something warm.”
“Got it! Then I’ll have the same!”
“Are you sure? Didn’t you want something cold?”
“It was hot outside, so I thought I’d want something cold once we got in here, but it’s so cool in here that something warm sounds nice too.”
“If you want something warm, I have a recommendation. When I was looking up this place, I found something good.”
“Really? What is it?”
“Latte art. If you turn to the next page of the menu, you’ll see a picture of it.”
“Wow! It’s so cute! I love it!”
Mashiro’s eyes lit up.
Her gaze was fixed on a café latte with an adorable cat made from milk foam perched atop the coffee cup. The fluffy white foam formed the shape of a cat, with its face drawn in coffee on top.
“You’re getting this excited just from the picture. How will you react when you see the real thing?”
“I don’t know! But I’m sure it’ll be amazing… Hey, Ryusuke, do you think if we order this café latte, we’ll get the same design?”
“Yeah. It’s on the menu, so you can choose from a variety of designs like cats, dogs, and more. Which one do you want, Mashiro?”
“I’ll go with the cat, just like in the picture. I really love cats!”
“Now that you mention it, you are a hardcore cat lover.”
“Yep! You know the white cat that sometimes visits my apartment, right? His name is Shirobee. He’s so cute, with his soft fur and sharp mind. Talking about Shirobee makes me want to see him…”
“Ah, I think I remember. He’s a neighbor’s pet, right? The fluffy white one?”
“Exactly! He belongs to the Tabata-san’s family nearby. Shirobee’s really smart, so if they forget to lock up, he sneaks out of the window to go for a walk.”
“So you don’t get to see Shirobee every day, huh? How about we go to a cat café sometime? You can pet as many cats as you want there.”
“Really!? I’d love that! Let’s make it a date!”
The mention of a cat café had Mashiro leaning forward excitedly, her blue eyes sparkling as she imagined the bliss of being surrounded by cats.
The thought of the most beautiful girl, Mashiro, being surrounded by adorable cats… What is this, paradise? Just imagining it is getting me excited.
But considering that I’m supposed to be the villain here, a visit to a cat café might not go so smoothly (I’d probably just get hissed at by the cats), so that’s something for the distant future.
After a bit more idle chatter, we called over a waiter and placed our orders.
Mashiro ordered the cat latte art, and I went with a regular hot coffee.
After my coffee arrived, it wasn’t long before a waiter carefully brought over Mashiro’s latte art.
The coffee cup that the waiter slowly placed on the table had an adorable white cat made from foam milk on top. Surrounding the cat was a detailed drawing of a steaming cup of coffee, adding even more charm.
Mashiro, who had already been thrilled just by looking at the picture, was absolutely ecstatic when she saw the real thing. She put her hand to her mouth, her voice filled with both surprise and emotion.
“Wow… This is amazing.”
“It’s even cuter in person, isn’t it?”
“Yeah… I’m seriously moved. I’ve got to post this on Insta right now!”
Mashiro quickly took out her phone, snapping pictures of the latte art from every angle and immediately uploading them to social media.
As she typed away with a big smile on her face, I took a moment to relax and savor my coffee, feeling a sense of warmth.
It was delicious. The balance of bitterness and acidity was just right, making it very drinkable. The beans must be high quality. The café where I worked in my past life also used great beans, but this place could easily compete with it.
As I was enjoying my coffee, Mashiro finished posting on social media and looked up from her phone, giving me her usual cheerful grin.
“Thanks, Ryusuke! I haven’t had this much fun in a long time!”
“I’m glad to hear that. But the day’s not over yet. There’s more fun to come, so be ready.”
“Of course! Let’s make the most of it!”