I worked really hard on this first chapter, I hope I got Tendou’s character right. More of his personality will come out in later chapters. Special thanks to @vball-baes-bball-babes and @guessmonsta for giving me advice and helping me out, I really appreciate it!
Sneakers crunch fallen
leaves that lay on the pavement. The
Autumn sun sits in the sky, chilly wind rustles tree branches. Satori’s long shadow trails behind him as he
walks. He hums along to the smooth music
flowing from his headphones. Already a
month and a half into college, he’s started to fall into a routine. His classes for the day are over, and he’s
walking the six blocks to the coffee shop he works at. The cafe, Lili’s Beans and Bakery, is a hot
spot for college students. The drinks
are good and not too expensive, and the atmosphere is cozy and cute.
During his first week at
school, he was desperate to get out of his room. His class schedule is busy, but he had too
much down time for his liking. Without
volleyball, he was lost, he didn’t know what to do with himself. On a walk meant to clear his head, he passed
the warm glow of Lili’s, and on an impulse, stumbled inside. After ordering a coffee and sitting for a
while, he became attached to the place.
He imagined himself behind the counter, busily mixing and pouring
drinks. A part of him has always thought
being a barista would be cool. Without a
second thought, he asked the cashier if they were hiring. He filled out an application, met with the
owner, and started training all within two days. Satori immediately fell in love with the
work, and he does it well. He feels like
an artist whenever he finishes making a cup for someone. He works the closing shifts, from four pm to
nine pm, every other day. He does most
of his studying and school work there, too.
Satori spends about 75% of his time at Lili’s.
He reaches the small shop
and pushes the door open, taking off his headphones as he enters. The little bell above the door chimes,
signaling Satori’s arrival. Inside is
warm and busy, the whole shop is buzzing with conversation, and the smell of
coffee and tea swirls in the air. Satori
breathes the warm scents in deeply. Students
sit in groups, chatting, others sit alone, typing at their laptops, and a group
sit next to the flickering fire place.
There isn’t a single empty table.
A few professors sit at the bar, papers and a drink in front of them.
Satori slips behind the
counter and through the door leading to the back. He hangs up his backpack, washes his hands, and
takes his apron. He drapes it over his
neck and ties it behind his back as he walks back out. “Ryuu!”
He greets his friend cheerily.
“Satori! What’s up!?”
Ryuunosuke looks over, giving him a toothy grin. “I’m nearly finished counting the register,”
he looks back down at the bills stacked on the counter. “it’s pretty busy today, I can stay to help
you if you need me.”
“Hm, it’s nothing I can’t
handle.” Satori laughs, rolling up his
sweater sleeves.
“Alright, dude.” As neatly as he can, Ryuu returns the bills
to the register. He gives Satori a pat
on the back as he walks past him, into the back. Neither of them were expecting to end up at
the same college, or to work the same job, and they definitely weren’t
anticipating getting along as well as they do.
At first, things between them were tense and awkward, but as they got to
know each other better they realized they have a lot in common, and have been
becoming great friends. Ryuu and Yuu
always invite Satori along for all their shenanigans and study sessions. Satori likes them because they’re
amusing. They’re rambunctious but also
laid back, they don’t see him as an outsider or a weirdo. They think he’s cool.
Satori wipes down the
counter and puts a few dishes in the sink to be washed later. A group of students approaches the
register. With a polite smile he asks,
“Hello, what can I get for you?” He
takes their orders and gets started.
Although he’s only been working at Lili’s for about a month, Satori has
become very good at making the various drinks, and rarely has to reference the
recipes.
“See you!” Ryuu shouts to him as he heads for the front
door.
“Bye!” Satori calls back as he rings up the
student’s orders.
As usual, his shift is
busy, but it goes by very fast for him. He
stirs and chatters away as the sun sets outside. The last hour of his shift is when it starts
to get boring for him. Not many people
come in to get coffee at eight pm on a Monday.
The only ones still left in the shop is a couple sitting in the far
corner on a plush couch, and a boy typing frantically on his laptop. Satori watches him for a bit, noticing the
way he keeps checking his watch and running his hand through his hair. He chuckles softly to himself, but begins to
grow bored and uninterested. Satori
sighs, resting his chin in his hand and leaning onto the counter. He chews his lip and his eyelids droop. He’s pulled out of his trance when the little
bell chimes. A new customer now? His eyes
shift to the door.
A girl has walked
in. A girl he’s never seen here or on
campus before. Satori drinks in her appearance. A scarf is wrapped tightly around her neck to
block out the cold wind, her hands snug in her jacket pockets. The tip of her nose and the apples of her
cheeks are pink from the cold. She has a
purse hanging from her shoulder, nearly as big as her. She wears glasses, the color of her frames
complimenting the shade of her hair, which is slightly tousled by the
wind. She shuts the door behind her and stands
in front of it, looking around the shop.
He can’t deny that she’s cute, he stares at her, fascinated.
He doesn’t look away when
her eyes meet his. Her eyes are curious
behind her lenses. He curls his lips
into a goofy smile, and stands up straight, his hands resting on the counter. She approaches the register. Her chin tilts upward to read the chalk board
menu on the wall above him. He watches
her eyes. They scan over the words
quickly, darting from side to side. “Can
I…” She starts, still thinking. ‘Delightful’ is the only word Satori can
think of to describe her voice. “Can I
get a caramel macchiato with a double shot of espresso?” Her voice is soft, but not weak. She looks back into his eyes.
“A double shot of
espresso this late?” He says to her, one
of his thin eyebrows raising. Curious to
see if she’ll play along.
At his question, she
gives him a little smile. “Yeah.” She
breaths out a soft laugh. “This essay
isn’t going to finish itself.”
His eyes widen, just a bit. Her breath of a laugh sends a happy shiver through
him. She’s
funny.
She hands him her credit card,
and he notices the dark purple polish on her nails. After swiping, he looks down at it, and reads
her whole name aloud. “Do you go to
school around here?” He asks, handing
her card back to her.
“I do. I’ve actually seen you around campus.” She replies, smiling again, much to his delight. She takes her card from him and sits down at
the empty bar, setting her bag down in the tall chair next to her.
“Huh? Really?”
She has piqued Satori’s interest.
She nods. “Yeah.”
His surprise must have shown on his face, because she chuckles and adds,
“Your hair is easy to recognize.” with a
casual shrug. He smiles crookedly.
He opens a cabinet behind
him, getting started on her order. As he
selects a mug for he decides to tease her.
“I’m sorry I didn’t recognize you, your hair is a little normal.” He glances behind him to see her reaction.
This time, her laugh is
loud, her smile wide. “I came here for a
coffee, wasn’t planning on being judged.”
Her cheeks are pinched pink.
Satori is pleasantly surprised, he likes her honest sass. He admires anyone who can keep up with his
game of teasing.
From memory, he fixes her
coffee. The warm scent filling the
space. Every few seconds, his eyes dart
back to her. She’s pulled out her
laptop, and she types with a steady rhythm, pausing occasionally to read over
what she’s written. She concentrates,
her eyebrows furrowing slightly. As he
slides her the warm mug he asks, “What essay have you been putting off to the
last minute?”
She looks up at him, the
light from her laptop screen reflecting in her glasses. She sighs, and sits back in her chair. She reaches out for the mug. “It’s for this boring class, History of
English Literature, I have to write about how great Charles Dickens was.” She answers with a roll of her eyes.
“I can tell you’re very excited about Charles
Dickens.” Satori replies with a
sarcastic lilt to his voice. He rests
his hands on the counter. She responds
with a tired huff. She takes a sip of
the caramel macchiato, closing her eyes and breathing in the sweet scent. Cute…
“Are you an English
major?” He asks with a tilt of his head.
“Creative writing.” She responds.
“What about you?”
“Criminal psychology.”
“That’s really
cool.” She says, her smile
reappearing. She takes another generous
sip of her drink. “This is really good,
by the way.”
“I know.” She giggles at him, the sound bubbly and
light. It makes him dizzy. She turns her attention back to her laptop
screen, and he turns to the sink. Satori
hums a soft tune as he hand washes various dishes and mugs. His eyes travel to the clock on the wall
above the sink. 8:45. Satori cocks his neck
unnaturally to look back at her. “I hope
you’re nearly done, we’re closing in fifteen minutes.” She takes off her glasses to rub at her eyes.
“Perfect timing.” She says, closing her laptop. Satori steps over to take her empty mug. He wipes down the bar and counter as she
shoves her things into her bag. He slips
off his apron and heads to the door leading to the back room. “What’s your name?” He stops, glancing back at her.
“Satori.”
She slides off her seat
and stands in front of the bar. “Well, I’ll
see you around, Satori.” She smiles
warmly at him again, and turns to leave.
Satori watches her go. Her hear
bounces as she walks to the door, she tightens her scarf as she opens the
door. The bell chimes, and she’s
gone. Satori still stands, a smile growing
on his face. He likes the way his name
sounds when she says it. He wants to
hear her say it again.
Let's Otaku About It 