Senior, May I Call You That?

There really were a lot of people on Friday. Wuling and the others had only been there for an hour, but several groups of customers had already come and gone.

The crowds only lasted for about two hours, though. According to Auntie Bo, the number of customers would start to drop after around six thirty, and things would get easier as the evening went on.

The trade-off was that there really were a lot of customers before then.

Fortunately, they didn't all come at once, but in waves, so they were relatively easy to handle.

Things might have been different in the kitchen. Although the workload hadn't increased much, Wuling felt as though they hadn't stopped for a moment, so he figured they must have had plenty of complaints.

Chisaki didn't seem to have much stamina. After dealing with a large wave of customers, she was breathing noticeably harder, and quite a bit of sweat had appeared on her forehead.

"Take a break. I'll handle things here." Seeing her like that, Wuling took it upon himself to clear the tables.

Chisaki nodded and stepped aside to rest for a little while.

But before she'd rested for long, several tables of customers got up, paid, and left at the same time, leaving a huge mess behind. Wuling cleared it away deftly on his own, but even moving as fast as he could, he couldn't be everywhere at once.

To avoid holding up service for the next customers, Chisaki joined him.

Wuling worked quickly, clearing more than half the mess in just a few minutes. With Chisaki helping, they would soon be done.

But a new order came in at the same time, so Wuling had to keep cleaning while Chisaki took the order out.

Perhaps she was too tired to concentrate. As Chisaki carried the order, her hand slipped, and a cup fell to the floor, shattering into several pieces with a sharp crack and spilling the cold coffee inside.

A shard grazed her lower leg, leaving a thin line of blood, and some of the coffee splashed onto the thigh of a nearby customer.

The sudden accident left both Chisaki and the customer stunned. They froze where they stood, at a loss for what to do.

The room abruptly fell silent, and several people nearby turned to look.

Chisaki went pale and pressed her lips together slightly, completely flustered.

In that moment of stalemate, Wuling hurried over.

"We're terribly sorry. This was entirely our mistake."

He was the first to apologize, and his words finally brought the two stunned people back to their senses.

The customer who'd been splashed with coffee came to her senses and quickly waved a hand.

"It's all right, it's all right. It only got on my leg. I can just wipe it off with a tissue."

Chisaki clenched her hands, her face full of guilt and her voice tinged with panic.

"I'm really very sorry. I was careless."

"What happened? What happened?"

Auntie Bo, who was at the front counter, was startled by the commotion and came hurrying over.

When she saw the customer's face, she paused in obvious surprise.

"Bu Ling?"

"Hi, Auntie Bo. Long time no see."

The girl called Bu Ling waved.

"Wuling, take Chisaki to the storeroom and tend to her wound first. There's povidone-iodine and adhesive bandages in the drawer at the counter. Leave things here to me."

"Okay."

Wuling turned to Chisaki, whose face was still pale, and took her by the arm.

"Come on, let's go take care of your wound first."

Chisaki was still somewhat flustered, and her whole body felt weak. She nodded gently and murmured, "Mm."

Auntie Bo deftly pulled some tissues from behind the counter and handed them to Bu Ling to wipe her pant leg. As she reassured her, she told them, "Go on, you two. That wound can't wait. I'll clean up the broken glass and the spill, and we'll put the orders on hold for now. Don't worry about the shop."

"Okay. Sorry for the trouble, Auntie Bo," Wuling replied.

He turned slightly to shield Chisaki, whose legs were weak, and guided her around the broken glass. After getting the supplies, he hurried with her toward the back.

In a quiet part of the storeroom, Wuling found a chair beside Bozai's bed and had Chisaki sit down.

The wound was on the outside of her thigh. It wasn't large, but beads of blood were already beginning to seep out.

"Don't move for now."

Wuling first washed the wound with water, then took out the povidone-iodine and carefully applied it.

Chisaki sat quietly in the chair, looking down at Wuling as he treated her wound, without a word.

"Okay, all done."

After he put on the adhesive bandage, the treatment was essentially finished.

"I'm sorry... It's all because I'm too clumsy."

Chisaki's voice was soft and thin, thick with a nasal tone. Wuling looked up at her, only to find that his eyes were a little red, with a faint mist of tears in them.

"I can't do anything. Even now, I'm still the same."

Seeing her like this, Wuling's heart softened a little. He gentled his tone and spoke earnestly.

"It has nothing to do with being clumsy."

He crouched in front of her, his eyes level with hers, and spoke earnestly.

"It really was a little busy tonight. You've been working for so long, and your stamina just couldn't quite keep up."

Chisaki lightly clutched the hem of her clothes. Her eyes grew a little redder, and she murmured a subdued protest.

"But... you didn't make any mistakes. You've been doing a great job the whole time."

"My endurance is just a little better than yours, that's all." Wuling smiled faintly.

"Everyone is good at different things. There are plenty of things I can't do, too."

At that, Wuling's gaze darkened slightly.

Just like back then.

The corner of the storeroom was quiet, shut off from the noisy machines and customers' conversations out front.

In the small space, there was only the sound of their steady breathing.

Chisaki was silent for a long time, her nose prickling slightly. She held back the moisture in her eyes and looked up at Wuling as he earnestly comforted her.

The flutter in her heart from when he had protected her at the market, and the warmth of his gentle comfort now, gradually came together and quietly filled the panic in her heart.

"Really... it wasn't my fault?"

She asked softly for confirmation, her voice sweet and a little uncertain.

"Really, it wasn't your fault."

Wuling nodded, his tone certain.

Chisaki didn't answer. Wuling watched him quietly, and after a while, she spoke again.

"Senior."

"Hm?"

Wuling was taken aback.

"I said... s-senior."

Though it was only a few short words, saying them seemed to drain all of Chisaki's energy.

The storeroom was dim, and the small warm-yellow light fell softly on Chisaki's reddened brow and eyes, making her cheeks look soft, still tinged with shyness.

But under Wuling's slightly puzzled gaze, she still forced herself to speak.

"Whether you're doing things or dealing with people, you're always steady. Every time I panic or make a mistake, you're able to get things under control and protect me right away."

"While we've been working at the shop, I've always relied on you, so... I'd like to call you senior. Is that okay?"

After saying that, her ears turned completely red. Her fingers curled slightly at her sides as she nervously waited for his answer.

"Of course."

Wuling had been crouching in front of her, and now he straightened up.

"If Chisaki wants to call me that, it's fine. And I'm pretty happy that you're willing to call me that, too."

Those two simple sentences dissolved all the troubles in Chisaki's heart like warm water.

The mist in her eyes slowly faded, and a faint, pure smile quietly appeared on her lips. She nodded gently.

"Mm, senior."

"Feeling better?" he asked.

"Much better."

Chisaki nodded earnestly, her eyes much brighter.

"Thank you, senior."

"Then let's head back out front." Wuling reached out and gently brushed a tiny speck of dust off her shoulder.

"I wonder how things are going out there."

Chisaki obediently agreed and stood up from the chair. The wound on her leg no longer stung as it had before, leaving only a slight coolness, while her heart felt warm.