Kazuhiko took a seat at the counter and opened his laptop. He had work to do. He didn’t want to spend his time at the café working, but he had no choice—he had a pressing deadline for his article about local cafés. Kazuhiko had finished collecting materials for it but hadn’t started writing the article yet.
Working on this article from another café wasn’t an option since someone might notice he was writing about the best cafés in the area, and then they’d find out who Kazuhiko was. The only place he could think of where he’d be allowed to sit around working for a long time, with a pleasant atmosphere, a toilet he could use anytime, and where he’d feel safe leaving his laptop unattended for a while was Café LycoReco.
Well, he could go someplace out of town, but again, he was worried about news about his article leaking before it was ready for publishing, and there was always a chance he might come upon some juicy information if he stayed in the area the article focused on. Most of LycoReco’s clientele were locals, who might mention something of interest while having coffee…
At least, that was the rationale Kazuhiko used to justify working from LycoReco to himself. The truth was, he simply felt more motivated when sitting there.
However, Kazuhiko didn’t have to feel so bad about treating the café as his office. At the other end of the counter was Yoneoka, the writer, staring at his screen with the dour expression of someone at their parent’s wake. Itou the mangaka, with dark rings under her eyes looking like misplaced eye shadow, was sitting at a table in the tatami area with a tablet in front of her, struggling with a cover illustration for some book.
Those two were evidently in much worse shape than Kazuhiko, or so he thought. His deadline had passed the previous night, actually, but it wasn’t the end of the world. He didn’t have that many pages to fill, and writing the article wouldn’t take him long once he got started. The problem was that he had so much he wanted to write about that it was hard to decide what to leave out.
Once he sorted everything out in his head, the writing itself would be a breeze. He honestly believed that, and this optimism was necessary for him in his line of work.
“Aren’t we humans pitiful creatures?” asked Kurumi, entering the room. “Even when we find a job we enjoy, trying to make a living from it is impossible without suffering.”
She rolled her shoulders and stretched her neck as if they had gotten stiff from many hours of gaming or sitting in front of a computer. Passing by Yoneoka and Itou, she looked at their screens.
“Lots of space there.”
They hung their heads, sinking into depression.
Kurumi walked over to Kazuhiko.
“Nothing to see here either, huh?”
“Er… I have the materials. I just have to extract the story from them now… Once I get started, it’ll be finished in no time…”
“How long have you been sitting here?”
“About three hours…”
“Plenty of time to get started, no?”
Kazuhiko also hung his head. Nothing hurt more than the truth.
“Kurumi, stop bothering the customers and take this,” Mika called out from the kitchen.
“I’m on break. A well-deserved break…”
“Kurumi, please.”
“Eh, all right.”
She went to the kitchen and returned carrying a tray with four small espresso cups and one serving of ice cream. She placed one espresso each in front of Kazuhiko, Yoneoka, and Itou.
The three freelancers scooped sugar from the sugar bowls on their tables and carelessly dropped it into their coffee. They looked at each other as if silently toasting and downed their beverages in one go. It was an insult to good coffee.
The silky espresso caressed the tongue, its bitterness filling the mouth only after they swallowed. Grains of sugar that didn’t have the time to dissolve lingered behind, slowly melting for a sweet finish.
That was all Kazuhiko needed. A high dose of caffeine and sugar, the high-octane fuel for breezing through his work… Well.
“Goodness. I can’t believe my eyes,” said Mika, coming out from the kitchen.
He raised his eyebrows and laughed, pained by how his customers had crudely downed the coffee he’d so lovingly prepared for them. Kazuhiko silently begged him to forgive them just this one time.
“And who’s the last espresso and the ice cream for?”
“Oh, that’s mine! Sorry!”
Kana came out of the restroom. She was a middle-schooler who’d started frequenting the café around the same time as Kazuhiko. She was a cheerful girl, usually seen in her school uniform, the sailor suit style that was going out of fashion.
Kana hurriedly sat down at a table next to Itou’s. Kurumi placed the plate with a scoop of vanilla ice cream and the last espresso in front of her.
When the grown-ups ordered their espressos, Kana remarked that she’d never tried it. They offered to buy her one as a treat, but since Kana wasn’t a fan of bitter beverages, Mika added the ice cream for free to her order.
“Do I…eat the ice cream first or after the coffee…?” Kana asked uncertainly.
Itou laughed, drawing something on her tablet.
“Try pouring the espresso over the ice cream. It’s nice that way.”
Kana picked up the espresso cup, but she stopped before pouring it over the ice cream. It must have seemed wrong to her to pour a hot drink over a cold dessert. The grown-ups and Kurumi couldn’t help smiling.
“Go ahead. That’s what the espresso is for,” Mika said in his mature, reassuring voice.
Kana nodded slightly and carefully poured the black espresso over the white ice cream. The colors began to blend, and the ice cream’s surface melted.
It was affogato, a very simple dessert that also happened to be very delicious. The hot and cold ingredients enhanced each other.
Ice cream is at its most delicious just as it begins to melt, and with affogato, it’s possible to instantly reach that ideal moment. The duet of rich espresso bitterness and the cool, creamy sweetness was without comparison.
Café LycoReco used the finest coffee beans, and the ice cream primarily used for sundaes was also choice. That gave you an idea of just how good their affogato was…
“I-I’ll try it now…”
The older customers observed Kana’s first encounter with affogato.
She scooped up some of the ice cream and espresso with a spoon. The ice cream was melting, blending with the coffee. Kana tried it and frowned, tasting the bitterness first, but her face soon relaxed, and then she smiled blissfully. No one needed to ask her if she liked the affogato.
“I wish the rest of you enjoyed your orders like Kana,” said Mika.
“I will, after I finish this job,” said the manga artist with a sigh, and the other freelancers muttered in agreement.
“Hmm… I must be getting old,” said Yoneoka. “Recently, simply watching a young person eating something deliciously makes me feel happy somehow.”
Kazuhiko and Itou immediately said they felt the same.
Kana smiled.
“Feel free to treat me anytime!”
They all laughed.
“Well, you asked for it! I hope your body’s ready!” said Itou.
“Try me!”
“You’ve got a knack for getting yourself freebies, Kana. When you grow up, you’re going to ruin some men,” Yoneoka joked rather inappropriately, but Kana just laughed, so nobody scolded him.
“By the way, is that the Kiuchi Kawara Junior High uniform?” asked Itou.
Kazuhiko saw Kana jump in her seat and open her eyes wide. Itou was looking at her tablet, so she didn’t notice that Kana’s manner had suddenly changed.
“I used to live near your school,” she continued. “Isn’t it pretty far from here? It’s not even in the city center, so you have to change trains to get to Kinshicho, but I always see you here. Are you taking extracurricular classes in the area?”
“Um… Extracurricular classes, yeah…”
“Let me guess. Seeing how cute you are, maybe you are learning performing arts. Dancing? Voice training? Or…are you attending a voice-acting school?”
“Not exactly that, but close. Yeah…”
“Hey, tell me what it is! Learning about what people do gives me inspiration for work!”
Itou only noticed that Kana had gone pale when she finally looked up from the tablet. Kana hung her head so that her eyes were hidden behind her bangs, the cheerfulness gone from her face.
“I’m baaack!”
The bell at the door jingled as Chisato came in carrying shopping bags.
“I did lots of shopping! And how is the busy freelance squad doing? Everyone making good progress?”
The arrival of the big-personality waitress dispelled the awkward atmosphere. Kazuhiko wasn’t the only one who felt relieved.
“Mr. Kazuhiko! How’s it going?”
“Well… It’s a bumpy road today… And not just for me.”
He glanced over at Kana, sitting perfectly still with the spoon in her hand, her ice cream dissolving into a puddle.