After browsing through this little eatery, SS asked Ines Fujin, who was working as the server:
"Got any coffee here?"
"Huh? But this is a barbecue joint. Barbecue places usually don't serve coffee, right?"
Ines Fujin scratched her head in frustration, but SS didn't seem bothered in the slightest.
"So I figured your place must be an exception. If you don't have any, figure something out. It's just a cup of coffee—surely you can manage that."
SS thought her tone was perfectly calm, but the underlying pressure in her words was intense—at least enough that Ines couldn't just brush it off.
"Um, well… how about canned coffee…?"
Fidgeting with the brim of her cap, Ines Fujin hesitantly offered the suggestion.
But clearly, Ines—who never liked coffee herself—had no idea that for coffee connoisseurs like Manhattan Cafe and SS, her suggestion came off as downright insulting.
"…"
SS didn't say a word. She just narrowed her eyes and stared at Ines. A strange, chilly aura seemed to swirl around the server, making her gulp nervously.
"Cafe… senpai?"
Something felt off. This Manhattan Cafe seemed different in temperament from the one she knew, yet her face and figure were unmistakably those of her upperclassman.
"Ines, could you run to the store for me? It's just at the intersection on the second street to the left. The second row of shelves inside has coffee beans."
Nearl's voice came from behind, dispelling the oppressive atmosphere and snapping Ines Fujin back to her senses.
SS quietly turned her face away.
"Alright, I'll leave the shop to you for now, Nearl."
Waving at Nearl, Ines hurried off toward the store. For some reason, she suddenly felt a little afraid of Cafe-senpai.
Inside the shop, Nearl was now staring intently at SS, who now understood exactly how Ines Fujin had felt earlier.
"Go apologize."
"Got it."
The exchange was straightforward. SS knew she'd been out of line—it was just that when it came to coffee, she couldn't easily hold back her impulses.
Once Nearl saw that SS had admitted her mistake, her expression softened back to its usual warmth.
"So, did you just come out for a walk today?"
"Yeah, Cafe is dealing with Agnes Tachyon, and I couldn't be bothered, so I went out for a stroll."
"Agnes Tachyon? What's wrong with her?"
Nearl still cared about this rather infamous Uma Musume. That afternoon's experience had left quite a fantastical impression on her.
Because of it, she'd developed a bit of a natural soft spot for Agnes Tachyon.
"Oh, her? Seems like she's been low on energy all day, living off nutrient solutions for meals. Now she doesn't even have the energy to run experiments."
"…"
Nearl's brow furrowed with concern.
"Do you know what's causing it?"
"I know a little."
SS nodded, her right hand unconsciously stroking the long strands of hair in front of her forehead.
"Apparently, she can't stomach the blended paste she makes from ingredients anymore. But replacing it with nutrient solution only covers the nutrition—it doesn't fill her up. So she's been curled up in the lab all day, clutching her stomach, and Cafe has to look after her."
"Not eating is out of the question. Even an ordinary person would struggle after a day without food, let alone an Uma Musume whose energy expenditure is several times higher."
Nearl felt a pang of sympathy, mixed with a touch of frustration, as if a child hadn't taken proper care of herself. These complicated emotions flashed by, spurring her into action.
"We don't have many ingredients, but it should be enough to make something."
At the cooking station, Nearl carefully selected a few items and lit the stove.
"SS, could you please take this to Agnes Tachyon later?"
"Sure thing. Want me to tell her you made it?"
"Better not. She clearly doesn't want to bring up what happened that day, so I shouldn't trouble her. Just give this to her—no need to say anything else."
Nearl recalled how Agnes Tachyon had left without a word last time. Thinking she understood how Tachyon felt, Nearl hadn't considered seeing her again.
"Hmm~"
The corners of SS's lips curled upward a fraction of a millimeter. Just who was that faint smirk really aimed at?
--+--
"Hah-choo!!"
Agnes Tachyon sneezed out of nowhere, a sense of foreboding washing over her.
"Caught a cold?"
Manhattan Cafe asked curiously from the side.
"No. Based on my analysis, it's highly likely that dust particles irritated my nasal mucosa, resulting in the sneeze."
Just as she was explaining this with a serious face, a loud rumble echoed from her stomach, instantly breaking her composure.
"Cafe… Why is there no bento today…"
Agnes Tachyon groaned. After more than ten days of eating the meals Cafe brought, she could no longer stomach her own pulverized ingredient paste.
"I told you she's busy. She's not your personal chef, you know. Can't she have some time to herself?"
"What about tomorrow? Can I have some tomorrow?"
Clutching at a sliver of hope, Tachyon asked, but Cafe coldly crushed it.
"Unlikely. She needs to rest too. You probably won't get anything for two or three days."
"Ah! I'm done for!"
--+--
Nearl had prepared a quick, simple meal. By the time Ines Fujin returned, she was nearly finished.
"Then I'll leave this to you. This cup of coffee is on me."
"Hmph, delivering food is nothing, but I'll gladly accept the coffee."
SS happily took a sip of Nearl's special brew, closed her eyes, and sank into her own world—the otherworldly aura around her finally fading.
"Phew, Cafe-senpai is scary. I always thought she was different from that…"
Ines leaned closer to Nearl and muttered under her breath.
"Ines, you shouldn't judge based on feelings alone. You ought to get to know Cafe-senpai a little better."
"No way, no way. I'll probably be avoiding Cafe-senpai for a while."
Shrinking back slightly, Ines Fujin looked down at the dish Nearl was plating, her eyes sparkling.
"This is amazing! I already thought it was great that you could grill and make simple meals, but your cooking skills are on another level—this is hotel-quality!"
"Don't worry about paying me for tonight. Let's call it even for the ingredients and the coffee, alright?"
"Of course, that's more than okay! Honestly, thanks to you, we made a killing tonight. I should be giving you a raise!"
Ines grinned and patted Nearl's shoulder. SS cracked an eye open, glanced their way, then returned to her coffee journey.
--+--
A few hours later, in a corner of the school.
"Ahh~ I'm alive again!"
Agnes Tachyon set down the empty container, her usual arrogant demeanor restored.
"Cafe, how did you pull this off? That warm, comforting taste is definitely that person's cooking. Where did you manage to recruit her? Wait—you never even left. Did your [friend] do it?"
But this time, no matter how much Tachyon pestered her, Cafe remained silent and didn't say a word.
--+--
T/N: I have a Patreon! Webnovel will get 3 Chapters Every Day, and advanced chapters will be uploaded on Patreon.
It may not seem worth it now, but maybe in the future. Who knows!
[email protected]/AspenTL
If you guys wanna check it out.