The Unwanted Guest
As always, Yuuki had another unpleasant day at school. When classes finally ended and the afternoon came, he left the building as quickly as he could and started walking toward his part-time job.
Just outside the school gates, he spotted a face he never wanted to see again.
Standing there was Ayaka.
He told himself it had nothing to do with him and tried to walk past her, but as he feared, his bad feeling proved right when Ayaka called out to him.
“Yuuki.”
He thought there was nothing left for them to talk about, and he had no reason to stop.
“Be careful. I’m sorry, I was too weak.”
Ayaka said that, but Yuuki had no idea what she wanted him to be careful about.
It was probably about the bullying, but being told to be careful now meant nothing. Thinking that she was the cause of everything made him a little irritated, yet he decided it was pointless to reply and kept walking.
Still feeling uneasy, he walked on. Before he knew it, he had arrived at his workplace.
“Welcome back, Yuuki-kun.”
“Yuuki-kun, I’m counting on you again today.”
Maybe Yume’s university had ended early that day, or maybe she had skipped her lecture, but she had arrived before Yuuki.
As usual, Kyousuke was behind the counter, working at the café, and greeted Yuuki with a warm smile.
Ignoring Yume’s cheerful “welcome back,” Yuuki gave Kyousuke a small bow and went to the back room. After changing into his uniform, he returned to Kyousuke’s side.
“Yuuki-kun, it probably won’t be too busy today, so just do things like usual.”
“Got it.”
There were no customers yet, either at the counter or the tables.
As always, Yume and Yuuki cleaned the café together while waiting for customers to arrive.
Before long, an elderly man walked in.
“Welcome. You came again today, I see.”
“Hello, Yume-chan. Coming here is part of my daily routine. Master, I’ll have an iced coffee.”
The man was a regular, and Yuuki guided him to his usual seat at the counter.
“Welcome.”
“Yuuki-kun, you’re impressive. Studying and working even though you’re still so young.”
“No, I’m really nothing special.”
“When I was your age, I spent all my time playing around. You’re admirable, Yuuki-kun.”
Saying that, the old man gently patted Yuuki on the head.
Yuuki didn’t dislike this regular customer. In fact, he was one of the few people Yuuki genuinely liked.
Just like Kyousuke, he had known Yuuki since he was a child, and Yuuki thought of him as a calm and steady person with a strong sense of character.
Still, Yuuki was a high schooler in the middle of adolescence, so even though he liked the man, the attention made him embarrassed and he looked away.
“Yuuki-kun, you’ve really grown up.”
“I guess so.”
“Yuuki-kun, if something’s bothering you, you can tell me, alright?”
Even though they had known each other since Yuuki was small, they were now just a customer and an employee. Realizing that the man had seen through how he was feeling, Yuuki looked slightly surprised.
“I’ve been watching you since you were little, Yuuki-kun. You’re like a grandson to me.”
“Thank you very much.”
Yume and Kyousuke listened to their warm conversation with gentle smiles.
After that, a few more regulars came in, and similar exchanges followed. In that calm and pleasant atmosphere, Yuuki kept working, until the café door opened.
The bell above the door jingled, and the people who came in were Ayaka’s friends.
“Hey, waiter, hurry up already.”
The moment Yuuki saw their grinning, unpleasant faces, all the warmth and comfort he had felt earlier vanished completely.