[Warning: Cursing/Profanity]

“Hey Kai, mind if you look after Sesame for tonight?” Lora asked while putting her coat on.

“Sure!” I bluntly replied without even processing her words. I couldn’t stop shaking, thinking about the surprise I was going to show Rin tonight; every goosebump on my body was activated.

Wait…

“What?!” I jolted up after taking out the muffins from the oven. “Wait, Lora, I-”

“Honey, Kai said that he’ll take care of Sesame tonight!” Lora was already over at the front door, telling Julian who was wiping the tables.

“Great, thanks Kai.”

“Wait, where are you two going?!” I asked, walking out to the front to give chase. I can’t take care of this stupid cat tonight!

“Meow!” Sesame slashed against my ankle, as if he read my mind.

“Ugh, quit it, you little shit!”

“Meeeoooww!” The cat then pounced against the back of my legs, throwing me head-first into the hot muffins on the counter.

“Shit!” I screamed as the sizzling heat of the treats scorched my face. “That hurts! Stupid cat, why are you so-”

“Jeez, Kai, what’s going on here?” Lily emerged from the restroom, and picked Sesame up from the ground, who purred in joy. “Lora, you said you and Julian are planning to go on a small trip?”

“We’re going on a small trip to the hot springs tonight for our honeymoon!” Lora explained with her mittens caressing her cheeks. I had never seen such a large smile on her face before.

“Oh,” I muttered and held my hands together in front. “I see, that’s great! Hope you two enjoy it!”

While the grin between my cheeks shined strongly at Lora and Julian, the only question boggling my mind was:

Fuck, how am I going to take care of this stupid cat?!

“Sesame’s cage is in the storage room as usual,” Julian instructed. He walked over with his arms crossed and towered over me like a dinosaur. “We left a litter box for you to use next to it. Don’t forget to feed him later tonight, okay?”

“Okay,” I muttered, unable to refuse once Julian’s piercing glare reached the edges of my soul.

“Kai, where’s the new bag of coffee beans I brought out earlier?” Lily asked while tapping my shoulder.

“Oh, it’s right…” I paced over to the espresso counter, but just when I hovered my head over the opening, a weird smell seeped out. “Are you fucking kidding me.”

Another cinnamon swirl-shaped piece of poo sat right in the middle, causing me to clog my nose.

“Meeoooow,” Sesame hopped on the counter next to me, his eyes sparkling under the café chandeliers. I could see a smile just hiding beneath those cheeky whiskers.

“Goddammit Sesame, not again.”

Glancing around the kitchen, I breathed a sigh of relief as I confirmed that no new brews of coffee were made within the last hour. It was only minutes from closing time in the shop, and since it was a Friday, the café was empty.

“Welp, today’s the day, huh?” Lily placed her hand on my shoulder after taking off her apron. “I’d come, but I have to study for a midterm next week.”

“No problem, I’ll tell you how it goes after,” I replied, picking Sesame up and scratching behind his ears and petting his back.

“Still…” Lily petted Sesame together with me. “I can’t believe that Gio guy used to operate the physio clinic for the Febai women’s soccer team. No wonder you’ve been begging him to borrow his phone and everything.”

Before I could answer, the bells above our café door chimed one last time and the door slammed shut. Lora and Julian had left without even saying goodbye. One second after another, my worries piled up.

“Fuck, how am I going to take care of Sesame?!” I glared down at the cat, whose orange eyes glistened under the hanging light.

“Dude, don’t be stupid. Just leave him here,” Lily smirked. “Aren’t cats pretty independent anyways?”

“Are you kidding me?!” I retaliated. “If Julian found out, he’d kill me! Besides, why can’t you guys just help take care of -”

“My mom is allergic,” Lily interrupted while flicking my forehead. “No can do.”

“Ow! Ugh, fine.”

I got back to cleaning the poo out of the new bag of beans while letting out endless sighs. If I were to make it on time for my rendezvous tonight, I would have to hurry up.

“Well, I’ll be off first. See ya.”

“Wait, Lily!” I placed Sesame on the ground, letting him dart out of the kitchen. “I have to tell you something.”

“Hmm?” Lily already had her black beanie and coat on, ready to skedaddle. “You sure know how to keep people hostage.”

Grabbing my phone and loading up an email which Gio sent me, I walked out of the counter to where she was waiting. “You’re studying for med school, right? Do you want to volunteer for one of Gio’s physio clinics to gain some experience?”

I flashed out the screen of my phone at her, showing the email.

“Wait,” Lily, blinking rapidly while staring at my phone, had her jaw drop to the floor. “Are…are you serious?!”

“Yeah,” I slotted my phone back into my pocket. “Just send him your resume and transcript. I’ll forward you the email later.”

Screaming at the top of her lungs, Lily jumped for joy, banging her shoulder against the door. The jingle bells fell from the top -

Ting!

- and shattered all over the café floor into a million pieces, flying as far as the opposite wall. Even Sesame shrieked a loud meow from behind the counter.

“Shit!” Lily shouted. “Lora’s going to kill me for this.”

“Fucking hell!” I pushed aside several tables and chairs and grabbed the broom. “I’ll clean this, don’t worry.”

“Wait, are you sure?! I can help-”

“Yeah, it’s fine, I still have an hour from my meeting time. I can take the bus.”

“Well, o-okay then,” Lily glanced at me one more time before leaving. “You’re quite the opposite of the bad person I thought you were when we first met. I take back everything bad I’ve said about you. I’m sorry for all that.”

I couldn’t help but grin while brushing the wooden floor. “Jeez, just get a move on, already.”

After Lily left the café, I made sure to brush every inch of the floor; our jingle bell was engulfed by a thin glass globe, which was why it was so fragile. Finally, once I poured the pieces from the dustpan to the trash, someone knocked on the door.

Hmm? I thought, scratching my head. The café is already closed, who could it be?

I walked out of the kitchen and saw who was there through the windows.

“Wait, why are they here?!”

If it were normal customers, I would have shooed them away. I ran to the door to let my temporary roommates into the café: Eleanor and Leo.

“What are you guys doing here?” I asked. They’ve never visited me at my workplace before, so their appearance was old.

“Ah, so this is where you work,” Eleanor rubbed her chin with her fingers, observing the interior. I swear, every gesture she did was weird, considering her quiet voice. “We came to let you know that as of today, we’re moving out of your room.”

It was my time to jump for joy. “You are?!”

“Stop getting excited, you moron!” yelled Leo, who karate kicked my stomach, causing me to slam into a nearby table and knocking it down.

“Ow!”

“By the way,” Eleanor, with her hands behind her back as usual, smiled back at me. “I came to tell you that my father owns all the companies who manufacture the coffee machines here. He also owns the companies who import the coffee beans used in your drinks.”

“Huh?” I froze while struggling up. “Wait, what?!”

“You heard me,” she continued. “My father’s company basically has a monopoly over all the coffee supply chains in Febai, which your café relies on.”

“But don’t worry, we won’t do anything bad!” Leo added with a wide smirk across his face. His snapback made him look like your typical grade school bully.

“Jeez…” I finally got back on my feet and massaged my lower back, noticing a small bruise. “Well, okay then, as long as nothing happens.”

“The sun sure has been setting quite early these days,” Eleanor grabbed Leo by the hand and opened the door. “Well, even though we won’t be living with you anymore, we will definitely see each other again. Until next time.”

The door then slammed shut as the two siblings exited the café. Not a moment during her visit did Eleanor show a frown.

Just what is she planning? I thought, and then glanced up at the clock on the wall, which was in-between various hanging plants.

Wait, it’s 6 PM already?!

“Shoot, I’m going to be late!”