Chapter 19

*Tling*

The bell on the door rang, signaling that a new customer had arrived, and Ichiro who had just served one of the customers already inside the cafe turned to greet the new guests

"Welcome! Feel free to sit anywhere you like, and I'll shortly attend to you two. Hm? Ah! Hansuke-san! Emma-san! Welcome! It has been a while, hasn't it?"

At first, Ichiro greeted them like every customer that comes, but when he noticed that it was his parents-in-law. He greeted the two by name, and he did both greeting with the same happy service smile that he always had attached to his face

"*Nods* It has been a while, Ichiro-kun. It's good to see you doing well"

"Yes, it has. I'm glad to see that you're working properly and not doing something behind Sacchan's back"

"Thank you, and I'll refrain from asking what you mean by what you just said Emma-san, because I think I have an idea of who and what it's about"

"Good thinking"

"Anyways, may I take you to a table, or do you two prefer to sit at the counter instead?"

"Hmm… I think we'll sit at the counter because we want to talk with you a little since we're here"

"Sure, since right now is not that busy, I can have a conversation with you two. Now then, make yourselves at home, here's the menu"

" "Thanks" "

The two sat at one of the many free chairs at the counter while Ichiro gave each of them a menu right after they sat down before he headed to the kitchen

"So? What did you think of him just now?"

"Pretty quick-witted and he was able to see what I was thinking… And he's also surprisingly hard to read"

"Touché. In any case, do you want to try his coffee that Sacchan is always praising?"

"Sounds good to me"

Shortly after, Ichiro came out of the kitchen while carrying a plate

"Did you two decide on what you'll have?"

" "Yes" "

"Great! I'll come back to receive your order in a minute"

After saying that, Ichiro went to take the plate in his hand to its respective table, and then he came back shortly after

"Sorry for the delay, may I now take your orders?"

"Yes, we would like two cups of coffee"

"Medium size, I suppose?"

"Correct"

"Anything else?"

"*turns head to Emma* Do you want something else?"

"No, I don't"

"*turns head back to Ichiro* No, just the coffee"

"Got it, I'll start preparing it shortly"

With their order taken, Ichiro began picking up the equipment for making coffee and putting them on the counter, then he put some water to heat up as he also started doing all of the steps for making his coffee. Ichiro had an elegant and calm feeling around him as he made the coffee, which alongside the nice fragrance from the roasting of the coffee, did make the two impressed

"…" <No wonder Sacchan likes his coffee so much when just the fragrance is already amazing>

"…" <Yes, also I think I am starting to understand why she's so addicted to coffee>

The two talked with only their eyes before they went back to watching Ichiro, who just smiled at the two. After a few minutes, Ichiro finished brewing the coffee, and put each cup in front of the two

"Here's your coffee. Ah! I have to attend to another client, please enjoy it"

And Ichiro had to leave, as he went to one of the clients that were seated at a table. As he did that, Hansuke and Emma both gently picked up each of their cups and brought them closer to their lips. Right before they took a sip, they felt the delicious aroma of the coffee, which only made them more eager to drink it. Then, they both took a sip of the coffee at the same time

" "!" "

When they both took a sip, both Hansuke and Emma felt as if an electric shock had just run through their bodies. They put their cups back on the small plate and looked at the black liquid inside the cup with surprised faces

"So? What did you two think of my coffee?"

" "?!" "

Because they were paying too much attention to the coffee, neither Hansuke nor Emma noticed Ichiro approaching and standing right in front of them

"… How do I say this… It's the best coffee I had in my life"

"Yes… I can't even describe it with words"

"… Oh my! I didn't expect my parents-in-law to praise me like that, I'm going to feel embarrassed because of it"

Ichiro scratched the back of his head to act as if he was feeling embarrassed. After that short exchange, Ichiro went back to serving the other customers and receiving any new customers while the two savored the coffee as much as they could until they had drank all of the coffee in the cup. So with that, Hansuke raised his hand to call for Ichiro who was just coming back from serving another customer

"How can I help you?"

"The check please"

"Of course, would you two like two more cups of coffee to go as well?"

"… Yes…"

"Great! I'll brink the check and start preparing the coffee in a sec!"

Ichiro handled the cashier, and took out a note from it, he then handed it to Hansuke before he went on to prepare two more cups of coffee for the two. Just like before, the coffee was finished after a few minutes, but when he handed them the paper cups, there were three cups instead of two, alongside a small bag with cookies inside

"Hmm… Ichiro-kun we only asked for two more cups"

"I know, the third cup and the cookies are for Sakurako-san"

" "…" "

The two looked at Ichiro in silence after he said that

"… Ichiro-kun… Sorry for prying you like this… But… Do you love Sacchan?"

"… … … Of course, I do. I fell in love with her at first sight when I first met her"

" "…" "

When Ichiro said that with a smile and no hint of embarrassment, the two felt flabbergasted since they didn't really expect him to throw a straight ball to them like that. But at the same time, they did feel their trust and fondness for Ichiro rising

"! Ahem… I see, thank you for being honest with us"

"It's fine, ah! But don't tell Sakurako-san about that. I don't want to make her feel worried that she needs to feel the same way about me, and I also want to do this at a slow pace"

"My… You're quite a romantic person, Ichiro-kun"

"Thank you for the compliment, Emma-san"

"Well, it was a pleasure visiting you, Ichiro-kun. Your service was great, and the atmosphere of the cafe is also great. But I have to ask you, why aren't you using a uniform more fitting to the Japanese them of the cafe?"

"About that, my mother did want to get more fitting uniforms, but she wasn't able to find a place that provided an affordable price with great cloth quality and customization options"

"Is that so? I see. Well, see you another time, Ichiro-kun"

"*Nods* See you another time, Hansuke-san. And I'll be looking forward to the uniforms"

"! You really are a keen boy, Ichiro-kun"

"Thank you and please come back soon!"

Then just as the two left, another customer entered with a surprised face, he was a businessman who was a regular at the cafe, and he immediately went towards Ichiro, who was now cleaning the counter

"I-I-Ichiro-san, w-were those two perhaps…"

"The Kogane family, owners of the Kogane conglomerate? Yes, they were"

"… "

And the man passed out from hearing those words from Ichiro, while Ichiro simply ignored him as he kept cleaning the counter