Chapter 262: The Return of the Peach Otaku #2
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 262: The Return of the Peach Otaku #2
“Phheww…”
Chinami, who had been holding her breath, let it all out and stared at me with dazed eyes.
She looked completely out of it.
I wiped a smudge of lip tint from around her mouth with my thumb, then started to grope her buttocks.
“Mmph… J-Junior… Shouldn’t you be working…?”
“It’s fine. The captain will cut me some slack.”
“S-Still… this wasn’t part of my agreement with Renka… I’d like a glass of iced tea, too… I need to do a ratio test…”
A ratio test… So typically Chinami.
“It’s a pre-made iced tea, so I don’t think you can do a ratio test.”
“Then I’ll have to determine which brand of powder was used through a tasting…”
“You can tell that kind of thing?”
“Of course… Ah…! Not there…”
As my hand strayed from her butt to the area below, Chinami stood on her tiptoes, her legs tensing up.
As I enjoyed the still-magnificent feel of her thighs, she said sternly,
“Junior…! Stop…! You can touch me later…! We’re outside…!”
Hearing Chinami’s firm voice, I smacked my lips in disappointment and pulled my hand away.
“Alright, then… I’ll touch you later… when we’re alone.”
“Yes… Let’s go back inside now…”
“Okay. You’re ordering the iced tea, right?”
“Yes…”
I walked back into the cafe with a very embarrassed Chinami. Renka, seeing her friend’s expression, shot me a death glare, and I just shrugged.
Meanwhile, Chinami patted her own cheeks to calm herself down, then walked over to Renka and pointed at the choker she was wearing.
“Friend, what is that on your wrist…? Is it a bracelet?”
Renka flinched and was about to open her mouth when I cut into their conversation.
“It’s a token of our friendship.”
“A token of friendship?”
“Yes. It’s a gift to commemorate us getting closer.”
“Oho…! I see…! It seems you two have gotten much closer, just as I’d hoped…!”
Chinami even clapped her hands, looking delighted.
Seeing this, Renka’s lips twitched, but she didn’t say anything.
With her friend so happy, it seemed she found it difficult to openly deny it.
But Chinami’s next words made her panic and try to stop her.
“I’d like to have that bracelet, too. Do you happen to have another one?”
“N-No, you can’t…!”
Chinami tilted her head.
“Hmm? Do you want to have it all to yourself?”
“I don’t care about having it to myself…! That’s not it, it’s just… the… the design is a bit…”
“What’s wrong with the design? It’s simple and nice, isn’t it?”
“……”
Renka’s lips pressed into a thin line.
It was hilarious watching her rack her brain, trying to figure out how to explain it to the innocent Chinami.
I chuckled and patted Chinami’s back gently, teasing Renka.
“She must cherish it since it’s the first special gift she’s ever received from me.”
“Who said such nonsense…! I could take this thing off right now…”
Provoked, Renka started to unfasten the choker, but she hesitated, conscious of Chinami’s presence and my gaze.
“Ahem…! Friend. How could you call a gift ‘this thing’…!”
Chinami chided her with a stern expression.
Biting her lip, Renka backed down.
“Sorry… I didn’t mean it.”
Renka’s really going through it today. This is fun.
Since I’d caused the trouble, I figured I should offer a solution.
Thinking that, I changed the subject for Renka’s sake.
“Have a seat, and I’ll make you both some iced tea.”
“Oh, great. Where should I sit?”
“Wherever you’re comfortable.”
“In that case, I want to watch you and my friend work, so I’ll sit here.”
She took a seat at a table directly facing the counter.
It was cute how she sat there so demurely, staring right at us.
Seeing Chinami after so long felt energizing.
I reached under the counter and nudged Renka’s hip. She flinched, and I whispered to her in a low voice.
“Only fill it halfway with ice.”
“…Shut up. I’ll do it my way. And stop making things awkward in front of Chinami… Hngh…! Don’t touch me there…! I’ll seriously kill you…!?”
Renka slapped away my hand as it tried to creep between her legs.
I rubbed the spot where she’d hit me and said,
“It’s a place I’ve touched often, isn’t it?”
“Aren’t you going to work…?”
“Alright, alright.”
If I pushed her any further, she looked like she might actually hit me.
I obediently backed off and placed the largest cup in the cafe in front of Renka.
* * *
“Ahem. As for the iced tea, on my scale, it’s a 5 out of 10.”
As sweet as Chinami is, she makes no compromises when it comes to peaches.
What a harsh review. She really is a peach sommelier.
As we left the cafe, I asked the dissatisfied-looking Chinami,
“Why a 5? Is it because it tasted average?”
“Yes. It’s definitely a Nipton product, but if I were the owner, I would increase the powder-to-water ratio.”
“I’ll be sure to suggest that.”
“Oh, no, it’s fine. To be honest, most people would probably think it tastes about the same. It’s a difference only someone with a sensitive palate like mine would notice.”
“Is that so?”
“It is. Well, I should be heading home to unpack now.”
Chinami dabbed her lips gracefully with a napkin and stood up.
She sounded like some kind of food critic. She’d be perfect for running a personal blog.
Of course, knowing Chinami’s personality, she’d be unable to write anything harsh, so even if she did, it would be nothing but praise for the establishments.
“You came here without even unpacking?”
“Yes. I wanted to see you and my friend Renka.”
“Our master really has a way with words.”
“Do I?”
“Yes. The captain just curses and snaps at me all the time.”
“That’s all because she likes you, Junior. Renka doesn’t even talk to people she dislikes.”
“So her initial disapproval of me was also out of interest?”
“Renka never disapproved of you, Junior. She was just worried that a talented junior like you might go astray, so she was deliberately provoking you a little. To keep you tied to the kendo club.”
That was completely different from the truth, but since it was Chinami saying it, I decided to let it slide.
“I see.”
“Yes.”
Chinami patted my back encouragingly, then walked over to Renka, said her goodbyes, and left through the entrance.
I immediately followed Chinami out, and when she urged me to hurry back to work, I just smiled in response.
Shaking her head as if to say she didn’t know what to do with me, Chinami bowed deeply from the waist.
“Well then, I’ll be on my way. Work hard, Junior.”
“Can you get home by yourself?”
“Am I a child? Besides, my house isn’t that far from here…”
“Want a ride?”
“Ahem! You shouldn’t do that during work hours. I’ll accept the thought.”
“Alright. Get home safe.”
“Okay.”
She walked away, waving both hands enthusiastically.
I waved back, and just as she disappeared from view, I was about to head back inside.
Just then, cutting through the wretched smell of the people coming and going in the city, a familiar scent entered my nostrils, and my eyes twitched.
It was the sweet, tangy lemon scent I’d smelled when I went to the arcade with Miyuki the other day.
The owner of this fateful scent was undoubtedly Hiyori.
‘Is she nearby?’
There were quite a few people around, so it would be hard to find her.
Just when I’m about to forget, she makes her presence known like this. It feels like she’s testing the waters.
I’ll just go back inside. I’m bound to run into Hiyori at the academy anyway.
Besides, since she passed by here, she might even stop by the cafe before my shift ends.
Just like when I saw her on the way to the kendo tournament, I believe there’s a good chance we’ll meet.
A fateful encounter is a classic romantic comedy cliché, after all.
Holding onto that hope, I returned to the cafe.
“Nice of you to show up during work hours.”
I walked over to the smirking Renka and placed a hand on the small of her back.
“I’m allowed this much, aren’t I? It’s not like I can see you tonight, thanks to someone.”
“…That can’t be helped. If you had a problem with it, you should have made plans with Chinami before I did. And get your hand off me.”
“What are you going to talk about with my master?”
“You don’t need to know.”
“Should I be the one to tell her?”
“Tell her what?”
“You know. About what happened at the hotel the other day.”
“…J-Just keep quiet about that for now…”
“If you’re in a tough spot, I could help you out a little.”
“I’m not in a tough spot, so just shut up…! Keep your mouth shut…!”
Renka’s face instantly turned bright red.
I fiddled with the choker on her wrist and said,
“Alright. How’s this? Do you like it?”
“Not one bit. It’s annoying. I want to rip it off and throw it away right now.”
“That’s harsh.”
“Just serve the customers.”
“How can I serve them if there aren’t any?”
“One’s coming in right now… oh, never mind…”
A customer who had been peeking in as if to enter the cafe just walked on by.
Renka, who had been watching the scene through the window, avoided my gaze.
“Never mind.”
“…Yeah.”
“Then why did you lie?”
“It wasn’t a lie… I just… made a mistake…”
“I’ll let it slide this once.”
“…Okay.”
Why did she just accept it without arguing?
Was she worried I’d retaliate for how she acted in front of Chinami?
She worries way too much. How much easier would it be if she just gave up and complied?
I brought Renka’s hand in front of me and gently stroked the back of it.
“You’ll message me when you get home tonight, right?”
“I-I don’t really need to, but… I’ll leave you a message…”
“You could have just said yes. Why add the extra bit? Are you trying to act like you’re doing me a favor?”
“……”
“I’ll let this slide, too.”
“O-Okay…”
I could have pushed her to say thank you, but her mind must be in turmoil, so I decided not to tease her any further.
This was just enough stimulation for today’s training.