After they finished whispering, Dongfang Yi returned to his role as a barista. He picked up a white silk cloth and began polishing the cups, radiating the refined air of a true professional.
Kushida Kikyo remained seated where she was, but her eyes gradually lit up.
At that moment, she was positively fired up!
Palette Café was one of the most popular restaurants on campus! It was the perfect place for people to hang out, chat, and play games! Students came and went in a steady stream!
It was arguably the best place on campus to socialize!
It was especially popular among the new students!
If the club recruitment event hadn't just taken place yesterday, and all those sociable upperclassmen weren't busy mentoring their new clubmates today, the café wouldn't have been so quiet and peaceful. It would've been packed!
Was Dongfang Yi's secret any use to Kushida?
Was it ever!
She knew herself best. If she wanted to make friends as quickly as possible, she'd need to regularly find suitable places to eat, chat, and party with them. Palette was clearly the most convenient and perfect option!
If she could get a free serving of the latest pastry or coffee every day, then, to put it bluntly, she could save at least 5,000 points in just one month!
No one ever complained about having too many points, right?
Besides, the upperclassman had said he never lied, so this gift was definitely meant for her, Kushida...
Wait. He never lied?
Kushida tilted her head like a curious cat, sensing that something was off, but she couldn't figure out what.
What was it?
The girl couldn't help recalling their encounter on the bus. The boy had said, "I haven't seen you around before. Are you a new student?" She'd misunderstood who he was and taken him for an upperclassman.
Had he lied to her?
Kushida asked herself honestly.
Obviously not.
Every word he'd said was true. Even the sentence as a whole was perfectly sound; it could be taken entirely at face value.
So had she been tricked?
Obviously.
Otherwise, why would she have gone to every single club's booth in one go?
When it came to building connections, depth mattered more than breadth. Half an hour talking with one friendly upperclassman was much more useful than spending ten minutes each with three strangers!
And now...
Kushida looked up at Dongfang Yi, standing elegantly behind the counter, and felt suspicion rise in her heart.
The boy wore a faint smile. When he noticed her looking, he even gave her a playful wink, as if to say, "See? Aren't I good to you?"
Like a kid fishing for praise.
He looked quite sincere.
Soothed by Dongfang Yi's charm, Kikyo felt reassured. Getting a little cake every day shouldn't be too much to ask...
A flash of insight crossed her mind.
Realizing she'd been teased again, Kushida glared at Dongfang Yi through gritted teeth. "Senpai!"
"Hmm?"
"You only said you could give away one little cake every day! You never said I'd be the one getting it!" Kushida stamped her foot, pouting. "Senpai, you're so sneaky!"
Dongfang Yi raised an eyebrow, looking a little surprised. "Kushida-san actually figured it out? You're pretty clever. I thought it'd take you a little longer."
"Damn it!" (#＞皿＜)
Kushida was furious, but she had no comeback.
After all, Dongfang Yi hadn't lied. His secret really was a secret; it was just easy to misunderstand.
All she could do was puff out her cheeks and glare at Dongfang Yi with wide eyes, her bright gaze gradually welling with tears.
Strangely, though, this time there was none of that gloom and oppression in her eyes.
She looked more like a child throwing a tantrum.
"Want a free little cake?" Dongfang Yi asked, perfectly composed.
"Not even a little." The angry Kushida turned away again.
The girl still hadn't realized that she'd said something completely unlike her usual self.
"Really? If you do want one, you can just tell me beforehand. I can save one for you to pick up." Dongfang Yi shrugged helplessly and gave an exaggerated sigh. "But if not, I guess someone else will get it."
"If someone else gets it, then... then they can have it!"
Kushida, the little angel, seemed to have given up on everything.
She wasn't the sort you could cheer up without a little coaxing!
"All right. I was going to tell you that we just got some fresh blueberries and lemons in. Tomorrow's special will probably be a large blueberry mousse cake. The blueberries are pretty sweet, too." Dongfang Yi casually described his plans for tonight's baking.
"..."
Kushida sat up straight, acting completely unmoved.
It was just dessert. She could buy her own!
"The manager said I'm pretty good at this, so he's leaving the whole thing to me. He even said that since it's a trial, wasting a bit of ingredients is no big deal."
"..."
Kushida visibly trembled, but managed to hold herself back.
Senpai definitely couldn't make little cakes. He was lying again!
No, wait. He seemed... unable to lie. Everything he'd said so far had been true...
No, he was definitely lying! He was deceiving an innocent, naïve girl like her!
"Come to think of it, I remember the manager also said it'd be fine as long as the ingredients cost no more than 1,000 points." Dongfang Yi continued his enticing pitch. "So I'm planning to be a little more generous with the ingredients. It should end up bigger than a regular cake, which would make it perfect for sharing. But since it's a trial, I'll only make one tomorrow and see how it turns out."
"Gulp..."
Kushida felt as if something had struck her.
It was as though a demon were singing in her ear, crooning the classic "Only You."
Just one... A single cake big enough to share!
She couldn't help imagining her friends' envious looks and their praise when she shared it with them!
The girl unconsciously pressed her thighs together, her heart stirring.
"Ah, I wonder which lucky lady will get it tomorrow." Dongfang Yi put on a regretful expression. "That lucky person will probably be the most popular girl there."
The most popular girl there!
Kushida Kikyo turned back around, her smile adorable and playful. "Senpai~ I actually love blueberries~"
Dongfang Yi tilted his head like a cat and blinked, feigning confusion. "But just now, you..."
Kushida blinked, looking even cuter. "I was just shy~"
"So Little Kikyo really wants one?" Dongfang Yi raised an eyebrow.
"Yup!" The little angel nodded vigorously.
"All right, I'll save one for you tomorrow." Dongfang Yi made his promise.
"But I'll be coming by lots of times in the future..."
Kushida began playing the poor, pitiful girl.
"Oh? And what do you mean by that?"
Dongfang Yi started playing the clueless straight man.
What hidden meaning? Don't try that on a straight man. He won't understand.
"Senpai, you're so mean~ Actually, I've been spending a lot of points lately, but I love desserts so much. It's been such a dilemma~"
Kushida made her hint a little more obvious.
"That does sound like a tough situation. Is Little Kikyo short on money?"
"I am."
"I've got some points I could lend you."
"Oh, that would be too much trouble for you, Senpai. I'd feel bad." Kushida coyly demurred. "How could I take your points~"
"It's no trouble. Write me an IOU and calculate the interest, and I'll lend them to you. Just pay back the principal and interest in a month."
Dongfang Yi, the clueless straight man, would never fall into a woman's trap!
You're worse than an animal, you bastard Dongfang Yi!
Kushida trembled.
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