The Genius Barista

Nishikawa Rin felt her heart aching.

It had shattered into tiny, pathetic pieces.

She still hadn't recovered from the roller coaster of her dreams budding, being crushed, and budding again yesterday. She had intended to show off her skills in front of the new junior today to demonstrate her strengths.

But today, she was forced to swallow a mouthful of dog food brought by the junior and his girlfriend (a shorthand for female friend), suffering ten thousand points of ruthless critical damage.

It hurt so much!

With a sense of loss, she led the two to the counter and began instructing Sakura Airi and Dongfang Yi on how to operate the register, how to serve orders, the necessary precautions regarding seating, the order of service, and—

How to make exquisite, high-end coffee.

Although this was a skill only possessed by experienced baristas and a part of the job that required long-term training before one could be responsible for it, she couldn't resist the urge to show off in front of Dongfang Yi.

Hearing a few compliments would soothe her mood, wouldn't it?

Nishikawa Rin quickly and nimbly created a beautiful rose pattern on the surface of the latte in her hand and proudly displayed it to the two newcomers.

"Wow, that's amazing!"

Stars lit up in Sakura Airi's eyes, and she felt a sudden urge to take a picture.

Hearing the praise, Nishikawa Rin became even happier, and she cast a smug glance at Dongfang Yi.

This is the ultimate skill for picking up girls, want to learn?

Call me big sister, call me big sister and I'll teach you, hehehe~

Thinking of the scene where the two might share a private moment, she couldn't help but swallow her saliva quietly.

I have a feeling you're coveting me, big sister.

Dongfang Yi blinked, noticing a hint of greed in the expression of the person before him, which came as no surprise.

But at the same time, he developed a bit of interest in this so-called coffee making and latte art.

He followed Nishikawa Rin's process, prepared a latte for himself, and used the milk to create a crooked spade pattern.

[D-Rank Coffee Making Skill acquired, proficiency +30]

[D-Rank Latte Art Skill acquired, proficiency +30]

Isn't this Magic Hands skill a bit too practical?

Dongfang Yi was somewhat surprised. After all, opening Sakura Airi's dorm door yesterday had granted him a Lockpicking skill, and today, making a single cup of coffee had triggered two more skills.

Moreover, they started at D-Rank and even gave 30 experience points!

At this rate, wouldn't leveling up be a breeze?

Dongfang Yi's eyes lit up. He tapped the panel and immediately registered the cafe as a training base.

Then, before Nishikawa Rin and Sakura Airi could crowd around, he unhesitatingly activated the Time Rift.

The layout of the Time Rift was identical to the actual location, but all supplies within the scene could be consumed at will, and one could exit and re-enter after exhausting them.

Everything would be restored upon re-entry.

Even if one consumed any items within the Time Rift, returning to reality would leave one exactly as they were a second ago.

Everything consumed would simply vanish into thin air.

Dongfang Yi had reason to suspect that this was actually a virtual training ground, but he had no proof.

In just half an hour, he made 50 cups of coffee at once, getting faster as he went. By the time the Time Rift ended, he had already leveled his skills to A-Rank and absorbed all the experience points brought by the skill upgrades.

Now, in the art of coffee making, he was confident that no one could rival him.

Even his latte art skill had reached perfection; he could create any pattern he desired.

He felt a sense of loneliness, the kind that comes from standing at the peak.

"The junior has quite a bit of potential."

Nishikawa Rin glanced at the crooked spade in his cup, feeling even more smug.

A newcomer is a newcomer after all; he was far inferior to her in the art of latte art.

Self-satisfied, she easily placed herself on a pedestal and began to critique:

"But you still lack guidance and training. If you call me senior, it's not like I can't teach you privately, you know."

It was clear she was still holding a grudge over being called "big sister" yesterday.

"That won't be necessary, Senior Nishikawa. I've already grasped it."

Dongfang Yi set the coffee in his hand aside, casually pulled out another coffee cup, followed the steps to prepare a latte, and began the latte art process.

"What a stubborn junior. Latte art isn't that simple. To make beautiful patterns appear on the surface of the coffee, you have to put in long-term hard work." Nishikawa Rin puffed out her chest proudly: "Just being stubborn won't make... what?!"

Dongfang Yi ignored her words and, in just a short time, produced a latte with a double-winged unicorn pattern.

He sighed pretentiously: "Sigh, although I have some intuition, I can only achieve this much in the end. I still lack experience."

Sakura Airi looked at the unicorn in his cup, then at the rose of the senior student, and made her judgment with ease.

Mm, Dongfang-kun's looks better!

Nishikawa Rin's reaction was even more pronounced; she stared dumbfounded at the lifelike unicorn in Dongfang Yi's cup, feeling as though all her years of hard work had gone down the drain.

She swallowed hard and bowed honestly before Dongfang Yi:

"Senior, please, you must teach me!"

While Dongfang Yi was busy with his barista training, most of the students had already followed the crowd toward the gymnasium to choose the clubs that interested them.

The graceful girl with short orange hair was naturally no exception.

However, she looked even more excited and happy than the others.

After all, she was about to see the kind and handsome senior, and the networking channels of the third-year students would soon be thrown wide open to her.

At this rate, it wouldn't take long for her to become another shining pearl at Advanced Nurturing High School.

How could a few simple and casual jokes from a handsome senior ever deceive the wise Kushida Kikyo!

She considered the victory already in her grasp!

Known conditions:

1. The handsome senior has strong physical fitness; he didn't even change his expression while carrying a pile of heavy objects, so he is likely a pillar of a sports club.

2. The only large-scale events held by the school within the first three days of the semester are the entrance ceremony and the club recruitment!

3. Now, the entrance ceremony has passed, and the senior was nowhere to be seen, but the senior had explicitly stated that she would definitely know his name within three days.

The truth is always one.

Kushida Kikyo believed she had seen through the truth of this puzzle!

The handsome senior would definitely appear at this club recruitment!

There could be no accidents!

With victory in her grasp, Kushida Kikyo had already prepared her follow-up plan, even going so far as to practice her smile specifically for it last night.

She could now perfectly execute a cute expression of surprise.

Of course, the lines and the sequence of events after meeting the senior had already been rehearsed in her mind several times.

After meeting him, she would start with a few heartfelt "Senior, you're so cool," "Senior, you're amazing," and "Senior, you're the best," letting that guy float on air amidst the admiration of his junior.

Then, she would softly suggest that although she wanted to join the senior's club, she was worried about holding everyone back due to her lack of experience, taking the opportunity to make the senior promise future guidance.

Finally, once the agreement was successfully reached, she could use the senior as a stepping stone to enter the high-quality network of the entire third-year grade.

What a perfect plan!

To be safe, she had even brought along the beautiful Hasebe Haruka from her class.

Flowers need green leaves to set them off.

And a beauty needs another beauty as a foil to further highlight her own personal charm.

Besides, two beauties are always more eye-catching than one.

It would also be of great help to her career in expanding her network.

Do you see those guys in front who keep looking back? That is the perfect effect!

From today on, my name, Kushida Kikyo, the angel, will surely resound throughout Advanced Nurturing!

"Little Haruka, are you interested in the Archery Club?"

She stood alongside the well-endowed Hasebe Haruka, smiling sweetly, perfectly masking her true inner thoughts.

"After all, archery looks so cool. What about you, little Kikyo?"

Hasebe looked at the posture of the Archery Club president on the stage, her eyes shining.

"I haven't decided yet, there are so many clubs here. I want to join them all~"

Kushida Kikyo stuck out her tongue, looking as if she were truly suffering from a difficult choice.

However, this was a lie!