Kusaba Chisaki

The moment their eyes met, wine-red eyes came into view. Their irises were a softly saturated deep crimson, not vivid, but calm, as though veiled in mist.

Her long, thick black lashes fluttered, casting delicate shadows with every blink.

But before Wuling could take a closer look, the girl by the window rose and walked slowly toward him.

"Hello, you're Wuling, right? Aimisi mentioned you to me. I'm Kusaba Chisaki, a first-year student in the Voidmatter Science Department at Star Torch Academy. I look forward to working with you."

The girl stopped about two steps away and held out a hand, her voice cool and clear.

Her hand was slender, with evenly proportioned joints. Its skin was almost translucent, with a soft, porcelain-white sheen in the warm afternoon light streaming through the floor-to-ceiling windows.

The way she offered her hand was proper, with a hint of restrained politeness.

Wuling quickly reined in his gaze, politely took her hand, and replied with a smile.

"Hello, Kusaba Chisaki. I'm Wuling, a first-year student in the Labelle Department at Star Torch Academy. I've heard Aimisi mention you too. I look forward to working with you."

Their brief handshake ended in an instant, and the faintly cool sensation soon faded, leaving only a delicate, clean scent of plants lingering at his nose.

Kusaba Chisaki withdrew her hand, quietly curled her fingers inward, and let it fall naturally to her side. Her mist-veiled, wine-red eyes lowered slightly, her gaze shifting away to avoid looking directly at him.

"You don't need to call me by my full name. Just call me Chisaki. Using my full name is too much trouble."

"Mm, all right, Chisaki."

Chisaki's cool, clear voice softened slightly, taking on an almost imperceptible warmth.

"Mm. The manager said this was our first shift today, so we can get familiar with the shop's workflow together."

The afternoon sunlight streamed gently through the café's spotless floor-to-ceiling windows, casting alternating patterns of light and shadow.

The warm light fell on the ends of Chisaki's black hair, edging them with flecks of gold and softening her otherwise cool features.

"That works out. I practiced a little yesterday, but I'm still not very good at it."

Wuling smiled and nodded, his gaze open and gentle, without any overly probing scrutiny. His tact put the slightly nervous Chisaki at ease, and she quietly breathed a sigh of relief.

"I've been busy with enrollment and department training, so I only had time to come over today. Sorry for the trouble of having to get used to working together."

The two walked side by side to the counter. There were hardly any customers in the shop at the moment; only two booths by the window were occupied by customers chatting quietly. The rich aroma of coffee beans and the sweet scent of cream filled the air, and the atmosphere was calm and relaxed.

Auntie Bo had watched everything that had just happened from the side. Now, as she saw the two approaching, she couldn't help feeling a wave of nostalgia.

She had tended this café on the corner of Academy Street for many years, watching class after class of fresh-faced, inexperienced new students step onto the campus, going from awkward, reserved first meetings to easy, familiar companionship.

The two children before her, one gentle and open, with a good sense of propriety, the other cool and quiet, reserved and shy, were just like those careful, gentle, and pure young men and women from years ago, untouched by the restless bustle of the world.

A gentle smile spread in Auntie Bo's eyes. She placed two folded sets of light apricot-colored uniforms on the counter, her voice warm and soft.

"It's your first time here, so I'll be keeping an eye on things too. Don't be nervous. We don't get many customers in the afternoons from Monday to Friday, and the pace is fairly slow. Just take your time getting familiar with everything."

"Sorry for the trouble, Auntie Bo," the two replied politely, still a little reserved.

Auntie Bo noticed her nervousness and didn't tease her any further. Instead, she began carefully explaining the details of the job to them.

From starting and stopping the coffee machine and the temperature for frothing milk, to where the various syrups were kept and the proportions for basic drinks, and then the entire process of taking orders, serving food, and cleaning the counter, she explained everything patiently and thoroughly.

Chisaki listened with particular attention, her eyes lowered slightly, her long lashes curving down in a gentle arc.

She had an excellent memory. Without using pen and paper, she committed everything Auntie Bo said to memory and sorted through each point. Only when she occasionally came across a small detail she didn't understand did she look up and ask a quiet question in her soft, clear voice.

By comparison, Wuling learned in a more relaxed manner. He listened attentively and followed along with his hands, getting a feel for the equipment while quietly memorizing the steps.

Auntie Bo watched them, her smile deepening.

"Chisaki is careful and steady, and Wuling, you're quick and lively. The two of you make just the right team."

The sudden praise made Chisaki pause. She instinctively pressed her lips together, her gaze quickly falling back to the clean countertop, too shy to look up and respond.

Seeing this, Wuling smoothed things over, responding with a timely smile.

"Right, we can help each other out. I'm sure the two of us will work well together."

Auntie Bo smiled and shook her head. Without disturbing the two young people as they got used to working together, she turned and went to the kitchen to organize the ingredients, leaving the quiet, bright front room to them.

The shop fell quiet again, save for the gentle wind outside, the faint bustle of the distant campus, and the soft hum of the coffee machine on standby.

The sunlight slowly shifted, slanting through the floor-to-ceiling windows and spilling across the entire counter and their overlapping shadows, impossibly gentle.

"Let's start by tidying up the whole front room."

Wuling turned to look at the girl beside him, his tone gentle.

"We can get familiar with the layout first, so we don't take orders to the wrong tables later."

Chisaki nodded lightly in agreement.

The two walked purposefully around the shop, one following the other. It wasn't very large, so they soon became familiar with its layout.

The tables and chairs were somewhat scattered, though, and after a brief discussion, they decided to straighten them up first.

About two minutes later, the wind chime at the door suddenly gave a clear ring. A group of customers pushed their way in: four or five students from the academy who had come together. They chose a long booth near the left side and sat down.

The shop immediately grew livelier, and the kitchen got busy as well. Before long, several plates of desserts and two prepared drinks appeared at the serving hatch, waiting to be taken to the table.

"I'll take the first order over," Wuling volunteered, picking up the tray with steady hands.

"You can keep tidying up. There's no rush."

Chisaki looked up at him and gave a quiet "Mm." She continued arranging the tables and chairs on the right, watching as Wuling carried the tray lightly through the aisle. His movements were gentle, and he didn't disturb the chatting customers at all as he steadily arranged the food and drinks on the table.

When Wuling returned, she spoke softly, her tone a little tentative.

"Could I... try the next table?"

She wanted to gradually become proficient and didn't want to keep waiting passively for someone to take care of her. Even though she was a little nervous, she wanted to adjust to the unfamiliar environment bit by bit.

"Of course."

Wuling stepped aside at once, undisguised encouragement and warmth in his eyes.

"Take your time. The tray isn't heavy, so just keep it steady. I'll be right beside you."

Chisaki took a deep breath and gently picked up the tray from the serving hatch.

The tray was light, but the nervousness of serving a table alone for the first time still made her fingers tense slightly.

As she approached the table, she deliberately slowed down. She carefully placed the desserts and drinks one by one on either side of the table, avoiding the spots near the customers' hands. Every detail was handled with the utmost care.

"Please enjoy your meal."

Her cool, clear voice was very soft as it fell gently into the air.

The customers looked up at her. Seeing the young first-year's gentle features and her quiet, polite manner, they all smiled and thanked her.

"You did very well. Nice and steady."

Wuling's praise came at just the right moment, sincere and natural, without the slightest hint of forced, perfunctory reassurance.

Chisaki looked up and met his gentle gaze. She pressed her lips together lightly and said in a low voice, "It was okay."

It was a simple reply, but it no longer carried the distant coolness of their first meeting. Instead, it held a touch of softness and shyness at having been praised.