Work Text:
Kiyoko made the first move.
Hanasaki Cafe. Located in the Aoba ward five minutes from roughly the center of Sendai City and across the street from the Miyagi Prefectural Police Headquarters, it contradicts its own name by not actually being a cafe but a coffee shop. Affordable. Cozy. Delicious. Surprisingly popular but not enough to be constantly crowded like the American Starbucks three kilometers eastward. As expected, their most regular customers are the members of the police force, coming in all throughout the day in various states of awareness starting from the moment the coffee shop opens at four in the morning (moved down from six for this very reason) until the closing time of precisely twelve twelve at night.
The start of the establishment, as all things are, was messy. It was her best friend, Chikara, who came to her with the proposal of opening a coffee shop. They had both graduated culinary school together, wide-eyed and filled with aspirations which seemed too close and too far at the same time to achieve. It was this wide-eyed aspiration which gave them the willpower to deal with contractors and quickly fired fussy interior designers, Kiyoko thinks. The largest problem had been that it was two culinary majors with no restaurant management or business experience attempting to start a financially stable business. The amount that had to be put in is no laughing matter, even with the donations of friends and family. But the number is manageable, easily split into deposits which they’ll be making every six months until the debt is paid off after four more years, and they’re already halfway through.
Along with Chikara came Yachi, an easily flustered artistic genius who was quick to attach herself to Kiyoko. She worked at a family-owned restaurant to help pay for college. She had been in charge of drawing little designs with cream on top of the lattes. According to her, that had been the best part about the lattes. Besides that, the drink itself had been less than mediocre. So her only condition for teaching them (and the hires they’d get in the future) how to do “latte art” was to instead make it “cappuccino art” and to not make lattes since she can apparently distinguish their smell and gets PTSD flashbacks….
It was a laughable but simple request. “At least it’ll add some character to the place,” Chikara had joked.
It was easily to finalize the menu during the final stage of setting up the coffee shop. Cappuccinos, hot chocolate, teas, espresso, black coffee, macchiato. A variety of options with an even more diverse number of flavors and variations which customers can ask for to suit their individual needs. Decent price, more than reasonable portioning, delicious food. The customer always comes first.
And, as promised, no lattes.
Over the two years, the only thing that had really changed, besides small edits to their menu, was their staff. Their first hires were Nishinoya and Tanaka, culinary catastrophes who seemed to be dedicated to stalking Kiyoko. Well, she was fine with that. They are quite entertaining and are serious when they need to be. Good friends as well. Plus, their light heartedness provides her with a reason to laugh and smile at least ten times an hour. After them came Kindaichi, Kunimi, and Kageyama, the three Ks with absolutely no experience in the kitchen besides burning rice. But they were fast, worked together really well, and had green thumbs which allowed the little greenery around the building to eagerly flourish. Their last hires only joined a few months ago: a flirtatious but decent man by the name of Oikawa; and Tendou, a tall slightly provocative man who quickly got along with Tanaka and Nishinoya.
And that was it. A small ensemble of eight, at least two of them being in the shop at any given time during their hours. It was a fun job. Having a noticeable portion of the staff being starry-eyed graduates helped with creating a simple but delicious and successful menu. They thrived in the winter, in the summer. They overcame long crowds and tourist groups speaking foreign languages. Their experiences brought them closer and closer, even as the local Starbucks attempted to infiltrate them and also, on a latter day, have one of the Ks quite and join the monstrous corporation.
Kiyoko, Yachi, and Tanaka were usually the three who did the art on the cappuccinos when they were ordered. The police officers usually only ordered those during their lunch break when they could truly enjoy the art. Besides that, it was usually students who ordered them, snapping pictures of the beautiful designs and asking for a straw to keep from ruining the cream.
Tonight, Kiyoko was closing shop. Cleaning the tables as the clock above the doorway slowly counts down to closing time. She heads to the doorway after drawing the blinds on the rest of the windows. Right as she reaches for the pull chord, a shadow suddenly moves beyond the glass. Something thumps against the glass and she lets out a yelp before getting pushed back by the opening door.
“OH MY GODS, I am-I’m uh, I’m so sorry !”
Kiyoko rubs her forehead, the edge of the door having just grazed it. Before her stands a man taller than her, reading glasses perch skewed on his nose, cheeks flush from exertion. He’s also dressed far beyond his age in a brown plaid suit which is more well put together than the state of his silvery hair. Kiyoko’s lips twitch.
“You don’t look like an officer,” she muses in reply to his apologies. It’s twelve eleven, only half a minute until twelve twelve. “What would you like to have?” Turning her back to the man, she makes her way back behind the counter. The sound of his footsteps only star after a few hesitant seconds.
“Uh, I don’t really know. I’ve never really been here before. My friend Dai- Sawamura , he recommended this place to me.”
That pikes Kiyoko’s interest. She finishes readjusting the pastel orange apron around her waste, pushing her key into the cash register to turn it on.
“We offer a nice variety. Has he recommended anything to you? He usually has a variation of a regular cup of coffee.” She finds it cute when the man’s nose crinkles.
“Uhhh I usually go the Starbucks down the street...Do you have lattes?”
Kiyoko can’t help the small, laugh-like sound that that build up, exiting as a light huff of breath from her nose. She pushes her glasses up and taps at the register screen.
“Sorry- we do not offer any lattes.” Kiyoko cannot even begin to count the number of times she has had to tell that to someone, thinking that the shop was just another place trying to mimic the hotshot down the street. She has no doubt that Ennoshita has a number. Although they do not serve lattes, per say, some of the more clever customers basically customize their order to mimic the popular drink. “Although, I can layer a certain ratio of espresso, steamed milk, and milk foam.”
The man looks even more confused. He fidgets and takes a step closer to the register, stuffing his hands into the pockets of his pants.
“I apologize for the confusion,” Kiyoko gently offers, filling in the silence that had begun to permeate the room. “Your drink is on me- go ahead and have a seat….?” The man blinks at the intentional silence left before his eyes widen.
“Oh! I’m Sugawara Koushi. I work as a secretary at the station.”
“Shimizu Kiyoko.” Kiyoko replies. “You don’t look like a secretary..” She takes the exact change out of her wallet, dropping the yen into the cash drawer before closing it and locking the register again. “I thought you would have been something along the lines of librarian.” Barely thinking as she moves, a cup is quickly procured, espresso powder pressed, and whole milk placed to be foamed to the perfect consistency. Her hand twitches slightly when Sugawara lets out a laugh. It sounds similar to Yachi’s but not nearly as high-pitched. It’s a nice sound.
“Yeah, even the officers tell me that. Apparently I dress to nicely for their taste.”
Kiyoko humms, pouring the espresso into the cup. After a few second of thought, she adds some chocolate a briefly stirs until dissolved before picking the cup up again. Angling it, she starts to pour in the steamed milk, allowing the espresso to mix with it before shifting the angle back to normal, holding the foamed milk slightly closer to the surface, adjusting the flow so that the lines are toothpick thin, forming smooth, curving creamy lines. A simple enough design.
She decides not to grab a plate. She pours herself a cup of plain cold milk before walking over to where Sugawara sits. She keeps her face neutral when she realizes that Sugawara had probably been watching her the whole time instead of checking his phone like most other patrons do. He’s nice.
“Cappuccino,” Kiyoko places the cup in front of him, happiness warmly blossoming at the look of awe on his face. “Our specialty.”
Sugawara gets up, pushing the wooden chair back. Kiyoko smiles as she watches him get to eye level, staring at the transparent sides of the cup, slowly rotating it, before popping back up and admiring the design again.
“A swan...well, at least I think that’s what it is.” Sugawara’s gaze meets Kiyoko’s. “Or is a goose?”
“It’s a swan.” Kiyoko pulls out a chair and sits, crossing her ankles beneath the seat and wrapping her hands around the mug. “Once you get the basic techniques down, cappuccino art is pretty easy.” Sugawara frowns.
“I thought it was-”
“Latte art? Lattes are sadly banned from this establishment.”
“Wait-why!?” Sugawara exclaims. “B-but they’re so good !” He looks down at his drink again. “Andtheybasicallytastethesameasthis” he mumbles what must of been an afterthought. Kiyoko nods in agreement.
“Yachi, one of the cofounders, refused to put lattes on the menu due to traumatic experiences with it in her last job. I can’t find a difference except for the base ingredient proportions.”
“Oh, I see. Then you must have been talking about the ingredients earlier, right? Coffee, steamed milk, and foamed milk?”
“Espresso, but yes,” Kiyoko corrects. “But it’s those proportions which change everything.” Sugawara nods and takes a sip of the cappuccino, expression promptly shifting into one of bliss.
“Is this place heaven?” He moans. “Affordable and delicious?”
“I suggest you no longer go out of your way to go to Starbucks.” Kiyoko takes a sip of her own milk. “Cappuccinos are superior to lattes, afterall.”
“.... maybe I agree with you now, Shimizu-san.”
“Good. Make sure you come back again tomorrow. I’ll be sure to make you an even better cup tomorrow once I’ve had my sleep.”
“Oh!” Sugawara blushes. “Oh my gods: it’s late, isn’t it? I am so sorry, again.” He rubs his face. “I can’t believe I’m imposing on you so much. I should go-”
“You can stay, it’s alright,” Kiyoko muses. “I don’t have the morning shift tomorrow. I’m enjoying your company. It’s usually police officers who come in this late at night. A change of occupation is much welcome.” Sugawara visibly hesitates for a few seconds and it’s cute to see how indecisive he looks. In the end, he nods and flashes a quick smile, sitting down again.
“So...what’s your favorite type of cappuccino?”
The next day, after a very restful sleep, good breakfast, nice episode of the anime she’s watching, Kiyoko walks into work.
“Oh, just in time!” Sugawara grins from where he’s just moved up a spot in the usual three PM line of high schoolers heading back home. The secretary’s soft grey suit looks out of place in the surrounding mob of white blazers and beige pants of Aoba’s area highschool, but it’s a welcome sight.
“You can sit,” Kiyoko says with a smile. “You’re cappuccino will be right up.”