Chapter Text
"Anzu.. Stop yapping on about your clown master, please.."
--Narrator’s View--
A small bell jingled as the wooden door was pushed open, signaling a new customer had walked through the doors of the cafe. The bitter smell of coffee and the warm air coming from the heaters inside made the atmosphere feel cozy like sitting in front of a fireplace with a hot cup of cocoa as the winter storm passes by. Walking through the doors, Ranmaru had quickly entered the establishment, not wanting to stay out in the cold for much longer. He wasn’t really a coffee person, seeing as it was too bitter for his liking.
Sure It wasn’t the first place he would go to pass time, but his friend Anzu had invited him as a way to “get him out more.” even if he thought he went out enough with school on his hands. He wasn’t much of an introvert but he also wasn’t much of an extrovert either, there wasn’t a reason for him to be out nor did he find a reason to oppose when invited out, it was more of a whatever goes, goes, situation.
Ranmaru led Anzu as they got into line behind 2-3 other customers. She had been rambling on about her performances and how she still couldn’t believe that her master had ended up ditching her to go back to the circus and how that woman totally seduced him into it and- yeah she said a lot. He cares a lot about Anzu but this isn’t the first time he has heard this story, so he was only.. half listening to her rambles. His eyes lazily roamed the cafe as it was the first time he had actually been inside. He knew there was a cafe opening up near their school but he never really found a reason to visit it until today.
There wasn’t much besides what you’d expect in a cafe, people chatting, the smell of coffee, a counter with baked goods on display along with the menu hanging from the ceiling above it. Something he did find a little shocking was how loud the employees were, well.. More like how loud one of them was. A boy with brown kind of spiky hair was excitedly pacing behind the counter as he rambled to an orange-haired girl who was trying to take orders, it was a bit amusing as it was clear the girl was trying not to pay much attention to the other but still had a subtle smile on her face. It also reminded him of how Anzu was rambling on about her master.
Before he could look around more, the line had begun to move and Anzu was quick to take notice. Anzu walked in front to place her order first as she had already known what she wanted unlike Ranmaru who was.. Well… struggling to find something that he found appealing. Eventually he was going to have to say something as not only the cashier but the people behind them were waiting on the two to finish their order. Turning towards him, Anzu tilted her head. “What do you want??” She asks.
Slightly awkward from not having an answer immediately, he looked back up at the menu as he subconsciously rubbed the back of his neck. Taking a few seconds to look over the menu, he glanced back at Anzu before turning to the cashier. “ Ah.. er.. I think I’ll just get a hot chocolate.” He replied, just getting what he’s used to instead of trying something new like usual.
With a quick nod, Anzu was quick to pay for the both of them, even if Ranmaru had tried to tell her it was fine and he could pay for his own drink. Unfortunately for him, Anzu was in a good mood that day so even with his reassurance she was already placing her card into the card reader. After paying (and a bit of playful bickering between the two.) the both of them had moved over to a small table by the window. They had chatted a bit about classes and how winter break felt so far despite it being only two weeks away before being interrupted by a feminine voice. “DRINK FOR…..” the orange-haired girl behind the counter paused for a moment as if she was trying to figure out how to read the name. “ANZU?”
Hearing the sound of her name, Anzu turned to see the girl placing two drinks on the counter before walking back to the register to take other orders. Quickly standing up, Anzu excused herself before heading over to grab the drinks, they both had napkins around them so as to not burn her hands completely. Ranmaru didn’t have much to do besides wait, so he ended up lazily watching as she almost burned herself trying to pick them up quickly without the napkins. It was a bit funny to watch in his opinion as she tends to be very vocal and expressive with her emotions. Making her way back, Anzu placed Ranmaru’s hot chocolate down on the table before sliding back into her own seat, a bright smile was on her face as she had already taken a few sips of her drink, sure she could still feel where it almost burnt her hand but at least it tasted good!
“ SOO… Are you excited for winter break?” Anzu excitedly asked the boy in front of her. Gently swirling the cup in his hand in a circle motion, he couldn’t say he was excited about the break, knowing the girl would invite him out more to see her performances. “ Ah.. um.. Not really..? ” He awkwardly replies. “Waahhh?! Why aren’t you excited? It's Winter break!! ” She asked loudly, clearly dumbfounded by his response. “ But.. But Ranmaru! There’s not going to be any school and.. And what about Christmas??? ” Confused by her fluffy haired friend, she wondered if he had something against the season..
Placing his cup down onto the table, he softly sighs.. He could literally see the cogs in her head turning as she tried to figure out why he didn’t share her enthusiasm. “It’s not like I have anything against it, I just.. Don’t see the appeal.” Despite his attempt to ease her thoughts, Anzu continued to assume the worst. “ Did.. Did Santa run over your grandma with a reindeer?? DID THEY MAKE THAT SONG ABOUT YOU?? ” Standing up and immediately slamming her hands on the desk, her voice echoed throughout the cafe. Quickly raising a hand to shield his face, not wanting people to see his embarrassed expression, Ranmaru stared at his friend in utter disbelief. “ How did… How did you ever think of that??? W-..where did that even come from…..????” He loudly whispered. “ Errugh… ” He shook his head before standing up. “You know what.. I’m.. Gonna just go to the bathroom, I’ll be back.” Quickly speedrunning away from the table, still clearly embarrassed by Anzu’s strange questioning.