Awkward Trees

Notes: Okay. This is it for now. Writing clean chapter is sure hard. I've spent so long to create this chapter. Phew.

Anyway. Finally! *throws confetti*

I got lost in the plot and I'm actually kind of feeling that I don't know how to write the story. Hence the long time to update.

But don't worry. It might take long but I will keep updating this series.

Thank you for reading it up until now. Oh. And kindly check my new collaboration writing project here, please. I know I've only been writing about Ohmiya, but If you love Jun as much as I do (or even more), I will write around Jun's solo later. Maybe starting next month since it's his month. And yeah, you know what's in store when I say Jun's solo. ;)

So. Here we go.

Please Have A Cup - Chapter 4


Jun just had a busy day today. He hasn't stopped making coffee since the morning until he finally closes the shop. Even when he was about to close his shop, customers didn't stop coming. It's weird because it's rare that his coffeshop become that busy.

He takes a rest on one of the customer's table after finishing his cleaning. He's bringing a magazine with him. The latest edition of his coffee magazine's subscription.

"Oh. There's an interview with that competition's winner," Jun says to himself.

Since Jun didn't stay for the winner announcement before, he didn't know who the winner was until he read the interview. It turns out that the male finalist won. Not like what Jun assumed, the latte was actually made by him.

"Wait. So that cute girl made that sad and bitter espresso?" Jun flips the page to find out that there's also an interview on her. But there's no explanation on why would she made a coffee that bitter and sad for the competition theme, which is love. The interview only talks about her coffee shop.

Curiousity suddenly creeps in Jun's mind. The cute face, the cold act, and the bitter coffee was surely a weird combination he has never knew before. He saves her coffee shop's addres on his phone. He decides to check it out. Beside, it's his day off tomorrow anyway.

---

Jun stands in front of a small coffeeshop. The shop's sign simply says "Coffee Shop". Nothing seems special for him. He proceeds to enter the coffee shop.

"Konnichiwa," there are more than one voices greet him. He just nods his head in response. The shop is just a small space with minimalistic interior. It's slightly bigger than his shop, though.

Jun spots something that's different than his shop. It's the counter's table. Instead of just a counter, it looks like a bar. Behind that counter, the girl, and some of her assistants, are preparing customers' drinks while having a chat with them.

Oh. The girl's name is Hibino Asuka, as what Jun read in the magazine.

He takes a seat on a chair that's available in front of that counter slash bar. He gets more curious as he looks around the coffeeshop. "Nope. Nothing fit my image," he rambles more to himself.

"Konnichiwa, what would you like to order?" one of Asuka's assistants approaches him while handling a menu. She knows well from his ways of looking around the shop that he's not a regular customer, he might as well be a new customer.

"Oh. I will have a hot cappuccino, please," Jun says to her while still having his eyes on Asuka. Realizing that it was rude, he turns his gaze to her and says, "if you could, please don't make it too hot. So... warm cappuccino I guess," he says that with a smile.

"Okay, one warm cappuccino, please wait while we prepare it," she answers smiling to him. She then jots down his order and put it on the order list. "Have you come here before?" she asked Jun.

"Do I look that unfamiliar to you? Well, yes, it's my first visit here. I read about this place in a magazine," Jun answers while giving his small laughs.

"Oh. The magazine that featured Asuka-san? Right? A lot of people have come here because of that. After years of competing, we can actually get free marketing from that," she laughs. "Right, Asuka-san?" she talks to Asuka.

Asuka turns to them smiling, "Hana-chan, don't say things like that to a new customer, they don't want to hear that."

"Ah, no, it's okay. I like to hear about that story. I'm a barista too, you know. But I just started this a while ago. In fact, I was in that competition too, but I didn't make it pass the first round. You were on the counter behind me at the first round" Jun jumps in to their conversation.

Asuka looks at him interestedly at first, then goes all "oh it's you" once she remembered Jun.

Jun sees that change of expression. "Ano, sorry for being rude that day, it's an old bad habit."

Asuka just nods her head as response.

"Here is your cappuccino. Enjoy," Hana gives Jun his cup.

"Arigatou." Jun takes a sip. It's on perfect temperature. Not too hot to burn his tongue but warm enough to make him feel comfortable.

"It's a very good cappuccino. Now I understand why I didn't pass the first round at that competition," he laughs.

"That competition is still small, but that is actually a very good one, the way they judge our coffee. You can never pass the first stage as long as you have no feelings inside your cup. It's not just about the coffee. It's about how do you put your love for your customers inside that cup of coffee," Asuka said, "ah. Gomen. I talked too much, ne? I think you wouldn't want to hear that." She laughs.

She laughs and something is happened inside Jun's stomach. It has never happened before, usually things happened to his part of body that's lower than his stomach when it comes to girls.

"Anyway, do you sell that second winner coffee here?" Jun tries to hide his nervousness by asking his only question that brought him there.

Asuka shakes her head. "Nope. It will be too expensive for the customer. Beside, nobody want a taste of broken heart. People drink coffee either to calm themself or to try to boost their energy anyway," she shots a direct look into Jun's eyes. "I mean, you're a barista too. You understand this, right?"

There is a judgemental tone in her voice. But she was just plainly asking.

Jun has already lost his mind when Asuka look him like that in the eye so he was just nodding along. "Yea, you're right."

It's the voice of Asuka's assistant, Hana, that wakes Jun up from his daydream.

"How was the coffee?" she asks with a cheerful tone in her voice.

"Oh it was great. Arigatou gozaimasu. I think I will leave now. Thank you for the coffee, hope to see you soon. Oh, if you're free, can you please come to my coffee shop? It's still small, but the coffee's always good," he winks, gives them his namecard, and pays for his drink. All in one movement only. A movement he has experted for the last five years.

"Ja, mata," he says while leaving that coffee shop.

"Asuka-san, don't you think he's handsome?" Hana says that with a giggle.

"He sure is," Asuka just replies calmly. Not even once moving her eyes from the drink she's preparing in front of her.

---

Asuka just finished her night bath. She goes browsing the internet for anything interesting before going to bed. Anything interesting beside coffee recipes, though.

She messes around, went from checking her Facebook account, to her Twitter account, to an online article about her being a second winner on that barista competition. She wasn't surprised because she already knew that the competition's that popular.

She ends up checking her e-mail. And since there are no new important e-mails, she mindlessly goes straight to a certain folder in her mailbox. To an e-mail with a subject that read, "This Isn't Goodbye. But Don't Wait For Me."