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Megumi thinks he is a very persistent man.
Nothing in his life is ever easy. The hardships he endures, including handling bullying at school, finishing the business degree that he needed in college, and earning the certificate of specialty coffee, have shaped the man that Megumi is today. Living almost his entire life being independent, giving up is never an option in surviving. Of course, there is the matter of luck. Fortunately for Megumi, he’s been given plenty of luck since he was little, which is also a factor that has allowed him to get through life as a young man.
But with love… not so much.
Like any other person in the world, Megumi too has a crush. And like everyone, he knows how the rules of having a crush on someone go; Nobody ever gets together with their crush, or anything close to that. It does not help that Megumi seems to be crushing on his regular customer that comes to the small cafe he’s working at every Tuesday and Thursday morning with her short auburn hair tucked behind her ears, and clipped with different hairpins each day. On rare occasions, she wears a headband, which Megumi personally thinks suits her better. And she comes to the cafe to order the only drink she likes to drink, the buttercream latte.
“Give me one buttercream latte to go, please.”
Megumi has already chosen the drink from the menu on the screen when she walks in. “Would you like to change the type of milk used?” He already knows what she will answer to that.
“No need, I like it best as it is.” As expected.
“Sweetness level?”
The young woman does not contemplate for one second, “The highest you can give me. It’s that time of the month, man,” She says with a sigh. Megumi doesn’t even need to know that and also thinks that the girl is weird after getting her order for days, yet he’s still attracted to her. He’s yet to know the real reason for his interest in this particular girl.
“Your name, please,” Megumi gets ready with the cup and his marker, but his fingers already memorise the name he’s about to write. “Kugisaki.”
Payment is made and Megumi straight away starts making her drink while Kugisaki is disturbed with a phone call. The cafe with the size of half a shop lot is filled with the smells of coffee beans and sounds of faint music mixed with Kugisaki’s rant during her call. Megumi has his mind occupied with his crush as he makes the drink because he is weighing the decision he’s been thinking about for quite some time now. After months of silently pining, Megumi finally decides to do something about it. Whether he will get the outcome he wants or not, he hopes on his luck and his tendency to not give up easily.
Because Megumi is a persistent man.
The drink he’s making is almost done and he has an idea of what he can do. Before putting the drink on the counter to be picked up, Megumi hurries to grab a paper towel and a pen. His phone number is written on the edge of said paper towel, while internally wishing on his luck that it will be noticed. “Kugisaki,” He later calls of the name. The woman hears him and rushes to get her drink and mutters a thank you to Megumi.
However, because of how quick Kugisaki is, and due to her carelessness, her drink spilled on her hand. “Oh, shit—“
Megumi watches the paper towel he provides being used and later gets thrown into the trash can at the door as Kugisaki leaves the cafe, feeling a bit hurt. Well, he already knows it’s never going to be easy. If he can’t get it on his first try, he’ll try again.
Because, again, Megumi is a persistent man.
—
It’s Thursday and Megumi always has a night shift on Thursdays. And every Thursday evening, Megumi sees his crush enter the cafe with the same drink as on Tuesday mornings. It’s been happening every week; Kugisaki will come in on Tuesday morning where Megumi has his opening shift, and on Thursday late evening where very few people drop by for some coffee. It’s like fate that brings them together at the perfect time.
Oh, Megumi is allowed to daydream a little. He’s as lovestruck as everyone else with their loved ones.
“Oh my God! It’s a bit warm outside with all the people!” Kugisaki walks in with her complaints as she fans her face.
Megumi noticed since the first time Kugisaki had come here that she’s the type to complain about lots of things that discomfort her. Such as the warm heat of the sun during summer, the impatient customer behind her that one time, and even complaints about kids that bump into her when she’s choosing some pastries on the display— which has been happening a lot to her, Megumi thinks she attracts annoying kids or something, but he understands. He would curse at them too when they ran around like they were blind.
He listens to Kugisaki’s silent complaints about global warming and her annoying boss as he is standing by to receive her order. When the woman seems unfocused, because it seems like everything is happening so fast for her, Megumi helps her and asks, “The usual?”
Kugisaki blinks and looks at him, nodding, “Of course, yeah.”
Megumi keys in her order like last Tuesday and says the amount needed to pay. When Kugisaki is busy fishing out her wallet, Megumi takes this chance to write his number on a piece of paper he tears from a notebook. When he hands out the receipt, he slips his number with it. “Your order will be done in a minute.”
“Thanks, pretty boy.”
It’s when Megumi is measuring the ground coffee beans that he finally registers what Kugisaki called him, and he blushes deep red. He gets that a lot from her for a while now, though he doesn’t think too much about it. Kugisaki says things out loud no matter how it makes the other person feel, she’s just that brutally honest sometimes.
Once, she points out his horrible eyebags and says he looks worse than a panda. Megumi has never felt that level of embarrassment since middle school when his father showed up for Parents Day.
Megumi shakes his head and focuses on making the order. He also needs to hurry as it’s near the closing time. He puts on the cup sleeve and brings it to the counter with a paper towel and a straw, then calls out Kugisaki’s name. “Here you go.”
Kugisaki happily takes it, “Thanks, man,” and walks away with a sip. Megumi can visibly see the weights being lifted from her shoulders as she sips her drink again cheerfully. When all the customers are gone, he goes to the door to flip the closed sign, then switches off a few lights to indicate that the cafe is closed for the day, and starts doing his closing routine. While he’s sweeping the floor, he sees a paper under the table with numbers on it. Megumi looks closer and recognizes the number with a sigh.
Unlucky again.
—
Megumi knows he is persistent and where he gets it from.
His father is one of many people that he is proud of, even at how embarrassing he can get that Megumi sometimes doesn’t want to admit that he knows that old man. Though having been widowed after the death of his wife, his father has never given up on little Megumi, despite being a terrible dad most of the time. But because his father is persistent, Megumi is allowed to grow into the person he is today.
And failing to give his number to his crush is nothing like what his father endured years ago.
“You’ll get there one day, buddy. And when you do, don’t forget to use protection like I did!” Toji tells him when Megumi accidentally slips about his situation to his father.
It’s another colder Tuesday in the early month of February, and it is so cold that Megumi has to switch off the AC and turn on the fan instead. At 9 in the morning, like always, the only customer Megumi has been waiting for enters, wearing a simple cropped t-shirt, very short jeans, and layered with a winter coat. Doesn’t she feel cold? Megumi can see that it’s quite freezing outside. He also needs to be careful with where his eyes lie because that is a lot of skin she is showing. “Good morning, how can I help you?” He greets her like he does with all customers like usual.
“Mornin’, pretty. Give me the usual, will ya?”
Megumi fights back his blush. “Sure, anything else?”
Kugisaki scans the desserts of the day in the display with a thoughtful hum. “Ah, Valentine’s is just around the corner, isn’t it? These look cute.” She’s talking about the sugar cookies decorated with pink and red sugar icing, with sweet words on them and glitters. Megumi had been making them last night with the help of his coworker named Noritoshi, who helps in most of the decorating part. “Don’t we all wish someone would give this to us?”
I would, Megumi wants to say but doesn’t dare to do that nor be the one to give it to her. So, he doesn’t say anything to that.
Kugisaki shrugs, “Yeah, I’m getting one of these too. For myself, of course. Damn it, that makes me sound sad, doesn’t it?” She returns to the counter to make her payment.
“I don’t think so,” Megumi says politely, “We can still be alone and treat ourselves on Valentine’s Day.”
“You don’t look like that kind of guy, though. Surely, you have a girlfriend,” Kugisaki teases, at least, Megumi thinks she is. He shakes his head as he accepts the cash from her, their fingers brushing a bit and it sends tingles up his arm. “Nobody interests me at the moment,” Except you, but it goes unsaid.
“Even me? That’s a bit rude, man.” Kugisaki laughs when Megumi looks at her speechless. “I’m just playing with ya.”
Megumi gulps and smiles politely, and watches Kugisaki take a seat by the window. When a minute passes by, he jumps back to reality. “Right, the order.”
Today, Megumi doesn’t want to make the same mistake as before. He takes a different approach and writes his number carefully on the cup sleeve for his crush’s drink, thinking she will never not notice if it’s this obvious. After Kugisaki takes her drink and her desserts, she returns to her seat, and Megumi watches with the hope that it will work this time. Anyway, the third time is a charm, right?
He’s been staring at the auburn-haired girl that he doesn’t notice another customer at the counter, calling out for him.
“Yo, Megumi!” It’s Maki, one of Megumi’s distant family members. “What’s up, man.”
Megumi rolls his eyes at Maki, “What do you want?”
“That’s one way to treat a customer, Megumi.”
“Don’t care about that.” He receives a glare, which he ignores perfectly.
“I’d like an iced Americano, thank you.” Maki grabs her wallet and Megumi keys in her order. Megumi waits for her when a yell comes from across the cafe.
“Maki?!” The said girl whips her head to where Kugisaki is sitting and yells back, “Nobara!”
Ah, so that’s her name.
“Dude, come here!” Kugisaki says cheerfully that her eyes are sparkling, Megumi notices from afar. Maki rushes to make the payment and tells Megumi, “Send my drink to the table, aye?”
Megumi glares at the green-haired girl he calls family, “It’s a self-service system.” He can only grumble to himself about that, then proceeds to make Maki’s easy drink. Maki and Nobara seem like really close friends, by the way they talk to each other. Maki thanks him when he sends her the order, and Megumi rolls his eyes, “Whatever.”
“You know him?” Megumi hears Nobara asking Maki when he goes back behind the counter.
After an hour of those two girls catching up, they finally bid their goodbyes. When Megumi is busy refilling the coffee beans inside the grinder machine, Maki calls him again. “Megumi, hey.”
He seals the bag and stores it in a cabinet. “What is it, Maki? I’m busy right now.”
Maki says back, “Don’t care about that,” and she smirks. Megumi glares back at her and goes to wipe the counter that’s dirtied with spilled powders and milk. “So, you have a crush on Nobara.”
He pauses and looks at Maki, faking his confusion. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Like I didn’t see your number on her coffee drink cup. And you’re a bad liar, Megumi.”
Megumi knows that. Yuuji always tells him whenever he tries to lie about something he’s embarrassed about. “And? You already know the answer.”
Maki chuckles and says, “Well, you will have to be more straightforward with it when it comes to Nobara.” She then puts a used and empty plastic cup on the counter for Megumi to see. Megumi notices the number on the cup sleeve before realizing that used to be Nobara’s cup. “She didn’t even notice it, or else I would know. She’s a gossip girl.”
Megumi internally groans and frowns at that. “I thought it was obvious already?” Is it not?
“Well, not with Nobara.” Maki turns to leave. She then adds over her shoulder, “Knowing you, you’ll get through just fine.”
Megumi believes he is persistent like his father.
He just needs to be a bit braver.
—
It’s Saturday afternoon, and in one hour, Megumi’s shift will end. Nothing special is happening on Saturdays like today, except… Nobara enters the cafe. On Saturday. She’s also dressed up wearing a yellow dress that shows off her neck and shoulders and reaches below her knees. On her head, she wears a white headband, and Megumi likes looking at her pretty like this. There’s even more makeup on her face than she often wears. As beautiful as she dresses and looks, Nobara wears an anxious expression.
Which makes Megumi wonder what special occasion she has today.
“Can I have one hot latte and an espresso, please?”
Two drinks? She’s meeting someone. “Do you want it to go or…?”
“No no, we’ll be having them here.” Megumi raises his brow in curiosity but doesn’t want to be nosy and proceeds to the payment part. Though it still nags him at the back of his brain. Plus, Nobara looks even more uncomfortable as the minute goes by, so he asks before he can stop himself, “Are you feeling alright?”
Now what he has in mind, but he guesses that works too. Maybe.
Nobara takes her receipt and puts away her wallet, chuckling nervously at him, “Yeah, yeah, don’t worry. I have a date with this guy and I’m just- just a little nervous.”
Oh. Megumi peeks at the date on the tablet screen. 14th of February. “Well, I hope it goes well for you,” He says nonetheless, ignoring the ache in his chest, and goes to make her drinks. “I hope so too…” He hears Nobara say, more to herself than to him, it seems. When he’s about done with the order, he calls Nobara, and at the same time, he notices a man entering the cafe and waving at Nobara. Megumi silently watches the two walking towards the seat further away from the counter. “He’s not even helping her carry the tray,” he grumbles.
“Oi, Fushiguro.” He feels a hand on his shoulder and sees his coworker joining him. “What did that man do to you for you to glare like that?”
“Nothing, Kamo.” Megumi swats his hand away and busy himself with cleaning the already-cleaned countertop. He can feel Noritoshi’s gaze burning behind his skull.
“Ah, I see it now. He’s stealing your girl.” Noritoshi smirks at him and Megumi glares at him. The smirk disappears when a dirty rag lands on his face. “Hey!”
Megumi scoffs at him and counters, “There is no stealing when she’s not even mine.”
Noritoshi throws away the rag, almost gagging, “That’s just too bad. I’ve been rooting for you two for two months, Fushiguro.” Megumi’s shocked expression at him causes him to add, “You were not very discreet about it. It’s very embarrassing, too.”
The rag finds itself on Noritoshi’s face yet again. “Shut your mouth, Kamo.”
Because no more customers are coming in and all the chores have been done earlier, Megumi is left alone to entertain himself. His eyes scan outside beyond the glass panes of the cafe but stray to glance at the only occupied table in the back cafe once in a while. At least they seem okay with each other— Megumi has seen the worst dates come down in this cafe. The man does look years older and pretty well off, by the way he dresses. He must have a stable career in Tokyo, and to have that is very advantageous.
Megumi can’t help but envy him.
An hour and seven customers later, Megumi hears a heavy chair scraping. He looks up from the sink and sees the man he’s envious of before walking to the exit. And he doesn’t look pleasant. Just then, he hears something like glass breaking and, “Oh, no!” It’s coming from Nobara’s table, so Megumi rushes to her and sees broken mug pieces and a spilled drink.
“Shit, I’m so sorry–“ When Nobara is about to deal with the mess, Megumi holds her off. “Let me help.”
Luckily, it’s not that much of a mess, it’s probably half of the drink that’s spilled, and the mug pieces are not that many. Carefully, Megumi picks up the sharp pieces, gets them wrapped in newspapers, and then throws them out. He then cleans the floor with a mop a few times before he deems it clean enough.
Megumi sees the time and realizes his shift is about to end in ten minutes. “I’m sorry, it was an accident,” Nobara says again when he returns.
“It’s okay, at least you’re not hurt.” Megumi tries assuring her, but he’s not that good in this either.
“How much should I pay for that? It was my fault—“
“It’s fine, trust me,” Megumi politely pushes Nobara’s money away, and adds, “The manager here is rich and he wouldn’t care about it at all.”
Though, Nobara is still reluctant to shake it off. “Are you sure?”
“100% sure,” Megumi tries diverting the topic when he sees her untouched latte, “Your coffee has gone cold. Let me make you a new one, it’ll be in me.” He doesn’t let Nobara refuse and straight away makes a new hot latte, having an idea what he can do to cheer her up. When finishing the coffee and ending his shift, Megumi cautiously brings the drink to Nobara, avoiding any rapid movement that may destroy the masterpiece he’s done.
“Here you go.” Megumi waits for a reaction.
“Oh…” Nobara looks down in awe. “It’s a rabbit.”
Megumi smiles, “Hope you enjoy it,” and walks away, also hoping she will finally notice his numbers on the paper towel that he’s purposely placed right in front of her to see.
He’s nearing the door when someone calls him. “Hey, wait.” He looks back at Nobara. “Come here,” she says. And Megumi reluctantly does, suddenly feeling his heartbeat picking up and his palms sweating. “Yes?” He holds his breath.
“Is your shift finished?”
“Yes.”
“So, you’re free now?”
“…Yes.”
Nobara chuckles and Megumi blushes lightly, “Say, yes man, do you want to spend Valentine’s Day with me?”
He blinks, “Yes—“ and clears his throat, “S-Sure.”
Megumi is a persistent man, and because of that, all his works pay off.
—
Bonus:
“So, who asked who out first?”
“I did—“
“Me—“
Both Megumi and Nobara look at each other in confusion. “Hey! It was me, dummy. Don’t you remember?”
Megumi looks baffled, “I gave you my number first, remember? Also, that was my fourth attempt to get you to have my number.”
“Fourth?! How come I’ve never got them?”
“I was wondering about the same thing!”
“Are you really sure about that?”
“Of course! Why would I lie?!”
Yuuji slurps on his frappe, and next to him, Yuko just giggles at the bickering couple.