(Juwan's POV)
"There's not much people visiting this cafe huh." I said to myself as I sat down behind the counter.
"I mean, isn't that a good thing?" My co-worker said as we wait for customers.
Let's recap a bit.
After beating Lovely Aerin and her little companion, I received an email from the job I applied to.
I got hired. No screening, no interviews, nothing.
Just instantly hired and asking for me to immediately work tomorrow.
It looks extremely suspicious for anyone who has a brain but the pay is just too good to ignore it.
And that's why I'm now an employee here.
"Umm...!" The girl with strikingly pink hair raised her hand as I stood up and immediately went to their table.
"Yes ma'am?" I asked with my service smile, trying my best to look like a hospitable server.
"A-ah! Yes umm! Could I also order some umm, Strawberry Delight Parfait? And umm! Can you please give it back?" Lovely said as she suddenly grabbed the menu.
"Give what back?" Sonaia asked as she glares at me.
"Pftt..! Ehem." I stopped myself from laughing as I looked at the supposed protagonist of the story hide behind said menu.
"Vely, Give what back?!" Sonaia asked as she looks back at her then back at me.
I let out a smug smirk towards Sonaia before gently dragging down the menu to see Lovely's face.
"I'll give it back tomorrow morning in class." I told her as she nods shyly.
"GIVE WHAT BACK?! WHAT ARE YOU GUYS TALKING ABOUT?!" Sonaia crashed out as I continue to ignore her.
"Also, are you sure you want a Strawberry Delight Parfait?" I asked her as her eyes focused on me.
"Huh? What do you mean?"
"I know it looks sweet and all, but it'll also be sour you know?" I said as her eyes widened.
"How do you know I don't like sour stuffs?" She asked, her fingers fidgeting while holding the menu.
"I'm an observant person." I told her as I smile at her. She looks surprised and confused.
"T-then what would you recommend?" She asked as she basically hands me the menu.
"I'll recommend this one." I said as I point at the Dark Choco Coffee Parfait. Her eyes widened, surprised that she didn't find it herself.
"Pftt, really? Dark chocolate? Don't you know Vely doesn't like dark cho--"
"I'll order this please!" Lovely said enthusiastically, Cutting off Sonaia's remark.
After a few more minutes, I watch as Lovely enjoys the Parfait, her eyes beaming with joy as she scoops another coffee jelly from underneath the dark chocolate.
"You know those customers?" My co-worker asked me as we sit at the counter.
"Yep." I said casually as I stopped using my service voice.
"Your girlfriend?"
"Nope."
"Really?" She asked again as she looks at me.
"Well duh, look at me. You think anyone would be desperate enough to date me?" I said while yawning.
She looked at me as if I'm an alien saying weird stuffs. Well, I don't really want to socialize unless I have to.
Hell, I started talking to Lovely only because I thought it would make me survive longer. Boy was I wrong.
After finishing their parfaits, the two girls left the cafe. Lovely was waving at me while Sonaia gave me a mean glare. As soon as they were out of sight, I stopped smiling.
.
..
...
.....
Man this cafe is empty.
Look, I get it if there's a few people visits here and there? But its completely empty! For 4 hours, Lovely and Sonaia were our only customers!
"Hey Juwan, Your shift is over!" My co-worker said.
"Huh? But I thought my shift end's at 10?"
"It's cuz you're a student dummy. Don't worry, Sir Gin will consider it as a full shift." She said as she stretched.
"O-oh? Tell Sir Gin I said thank you!" I said as I grabbed my bag at the back and removed my apron and uniform and put it at the locker.
"See you tomorrow!" My co-worker said as she waves me goodbye as I leave the cafe.
I walked down the station as I immediately grabbed my IC card. While I was at the escalator, I noticed how crowded the shopping district of this city is.
I should probably explore this place someday.
After a bit of waiting, I finally got in a train. I sat down, resting my eyes as it started moving.
The train passes a station. Then another station. And another station.
"Next stop, Cae Citrum. Cae Citrum." The train intercom announces.
I stood up. Walking out the train's door and onto the platform as I yawn. Compared to the other stations, this station is rarely packed.
I walked for a bit until I reached my apartment. As soon as I got close to my bed, I just immediately jumped on it.
"Haa, finally I can have a proper rest."
After a few minutes of resting, my brain decided to suddenly become active as I, now, cannot sleep. I stared at my ceiling, putting my hand out as a black card appears.
"Install." I said as darkness wrap around me as the mask I wore yesterday appear on my face.
So it's permanently part of my transformation huh.
"[Bind.]" I casted as a magic rope shots out of my hand.
I checked if the ends are pointy, how it feels, I did everything I can do to the rope to see how useable this skill is.
The end's are sharp but I dont know how sharp, it's durable due to it being made with basically energy, and most importantly, it looks cool as fuck.
I focused on my hand as the black energy used for bind start making different forms. It's cool and all but it's mentally taxing.
"Hinto." I said as my transformation stopped and the card appeared on my hand again.
I think of putting it away as it vanish into thin air. I stretched my back, the mental fatigue from experementing with bind made me fall asleep.
.
.
I arrived to school earlier than usual.
It's cold since the sun was barely up yet, the only sound you can hear are the bird's chirping, and the room is totally empty...but I came to school this early for a reason.
Because there's only one person who arrives at the school during this specific time. The one person who always go to school the moment she wakes up.
"Oh? The light's are already on?"
"Morning." I greeted her as she looks at me. Her pink eyes widen behind her glasses and messy hair.
"J-Juwan?!" Lovely Aerin says as she saw me on my desk.
I grabbed something on my bag as I walk towards her. I felt her gaze examining my face as I cover it with her love letter.
"Don't look too much, it's embarrassing." I told her as she gently moves the letter away from her face.
"Sorry, it's just-- I've never really seen your face properly before..." She said with a bit of shame in her voice.
"It's fine, it's fine! I mean how would you remember? I'm always beside Cedric so ofcourse your eyes would focus on him." I said smugly as she blushed hard.
"I-I-I-Umm-Umm! A-Am I really that obvious?" She asked, covering her face with the love letter.
"You tell me, do you think you're obvious when you only reply to me when I call your name? Hell, sometimes you don't. You're eyes are only focused on Cedric." I told her as I sat beside her for a bit.
She looked at me with her face filled with embarrassment as she clutches her hair and bobs her head as if she's having an embarrassing flashback.
"Pftt, it's fine really. Especially since Cedric hasn't realized you have feelings for him." I told her as she looks at me with hope in her eyes.
"Really?! He hasn't notice yet?!" Lovely said with a weird and funny expression appeared on her face.
Seeing her this happy in real life really is so different than watching her be happy behind a screen.
"Ohh umm! Thank you for the milktea the other day! It was really good and tasty!"
"Ofcourse it'll be good, I'm the one who makes it." I said with a smirk on my face as she giggles.
"I know that you're a working student, but I didn't know you had multiple jobs!" She suddenly said as she looks at me with curiosity in her eyes.
"Oh, well, it's for personal reasons." I said with a smile, not wanting to share any personal stuffs.
"Personal reasons?" Goddammit woman.
Fuck, what should I say at this point? She might be my favorite character from that game but I don't want to share anything personal to h-- ah.
"Gacha."
"Eh?"
"Yep."
"I-- I see."
Saying gacha never fails.
I look at her as she looks at me with a worried expression, realizing that she might think I'm a gacha addict.
"W-well since I stopped playing gacha games, I only have one job now." I told her as her light beams up.
"I see! Then that must mean you have lots of allowance now right? I'm kinda envious~." Lovely said as she starts being comfortable around me.
"Pftt, not really. I use it to pay bills, since I live alone." I told her as she looks at me with surprise and curiosity in her eyes.
"You live alone? I wish my parents let me try living alone as well." She said as she flops on her desk.
I smiled, realizing that even if she's someone who'll face different types of dangers, she's still a kid like me.
"It's not that good, living alone I mean." I told her as she looks at me.
"Then why are--?" She looked at my eyes and realized something.
"I-I'm sorry, I didn't know that umm--! Umm!"
"It's fine." I said while laughing as I pat her hair. I watch as her reaction goes from overthinking to calm then to shock.
Seriously, it's so easy to guess how she's feeling.
"I-I uhh! Your hand!" She said as she basically close her eyes as I pat her.
"Ah, sorry about that, it's a bad habit." I told her as I removed my hand.
"N-no it's fine! It's just, it's my first time being patted..."
My eyes widened.
What does she mean it's her first time? I'm pretty sure at this point Xavier should've atleast patted her by now.
Hell, he should be the love rival by now at this point! I look back at Lovely Aerin as she looks utterly bewildered.
Fuck.
I accidentally raised a flag--!
.
.
"I'm clocking out." I heard my co-worker said as she goes to the back.
"Nice work today." I replied to her despite not having any customers for the 5 hours that I'm here.
"How about you? It's fine to clock out early you know." She tells me as she walks back at the counter.
"It's fine, you did say Sir Gin will come here to close the shop himself so I'll just finish my shift."
"Then I'll be heading out!" She said as she left the store, leaving me there.
I went inside the storage to check the inventory.
God I still can't believe I raised a flag for Lovely. Does that mean I'm now one of the potential love interest for her?
No.
That'd be incredibly bad to happen. I mean sure she's my favorite character but that doesn't mean-- gahh!
Fuck it, focus on the work Juwan.
I checked every boxes and every stocked ingredients we have. Made some takeout boxes in advanced as I neatly pack it just on the side of the entrance of the storage room.
I did everything I can to keep myself busy and make the time go faster.
After finishing everything, I sat down and rested my eyes for a while.
.
..
...
"AHHHHHHH!"
Suddenly, I woke up from the sudden scream just outside the storage room. Meaning that there's someone inside the store.
I checked my phone and saw that it's already 11pm. Why would someone enter a closed store at 11pm?
"God you're so fucking noisy." I heard another man's voice outside.
"Please! I won't do it again! I won't do--." Suddenly, the other guy was muffled.
"HRNGGGHHHHHH!" He screamed again, this time with something covering his mouth.
"Shut the fuck up." The other man said as I heard another scream.
The smell of something metallic reaches the room as the stench become stronger and stronger. I ready myself, reaching out of thin air and summoned my card.
I went out the storage room to see someone in a suit, ripping out the nails of someone who's gagged and tied up.
The person in the suit looked at me as his eyes widen in shock, realizing that there's someone in the store. He sighs, composing himself.
"Hey kid, you the new employee?" He asked me as he smokes a cigarette.
I looked at the situation. How he even has tools to use just to torment the guy.
"Yes, but who are you and what are you doing?" I asked calmly which surprised the man in the suit.
He smiled.
"The name's Gin, and let's just say that this man is a...hmm. how do I say this?" Suddenly, the man writes PDF on the ground using the blood of the guy he's torturing.
Seeing the writings on the ground made me lose all remorse I had for the guy.
"Any information other than that isn't something a kid like you should know." He told me as he puffs out the smoke from his cigarette.
"I see, so you're Sir Gin. It's nice to meet you sir." I said as I walk towards him, surprising him.
"What are you--" i snatched the cigarette on his hand.
"But you know that you can't smoke inside the cafe." I said as he watch me put out his cigarettes on the tortured man's eye as he screams in pain, amusing Sir Gin.
I look at the man's hands as his fingers are broken and fingernails ripped out, my eyes focusing on the word on the floor, written with his blood.
"And well, you're not torturing him right." I said as I kneel down.
"What?"
Sir Gin's eyes widened in surprise as I punch the man's-- no, he doesn't deserve to be called a man, as I punch the trash's stomach, making him writhe in pain as his eyes focus on me.
"There's three bones in each fingers excluding the thumb since it only has two." I said as Sir Gin watch me grab the bolt cutter, his eyes anticipating as I put the trash's finger on it's jaws.
I crushed and ripped the first joint of a finger off with the bolt cutter as the trash cries out in pain.
"Since they have 3 bones, that means..." I said as I crushed and ripped the second joint of the same finger as the trash screams in agony.
"..You can rip the same finger off three times."