Chapter Text
“...I suppose I shouldn’t have expected much,” The lady behind the counter muttered. Her hands were busy shuffling tarot cards over and over again. “It is the first day… and it’s not the most accessible place.” It made sense. It was the first day of the café being open, but she felt oddly disappointed in the lack of customers.
Maybe she was overdoing it. Her expectations were too high, she thought, fortune-telling cafés sound stupid and fantasy-like at first glance. But she had put in so much effort into decorating the place! And she had planned to change the decorations every season or so. She had too much planned, in so little time. Time, reality, possibilities, the future—she wouldn’t have opened this cafe if she knew no customers would come in! Unfortunately, her ability only allowed her to see others’ possible realities, and none that involved her.
So it was rather unfortunate.
The girl perked up at the sound of bells ringing at the door, clinking together in a harmonious tune. There were two men, one with astonishingly good looks despite his messy appearance of brown hair and eyes, and a visibly younger one with an odd haircut. White hair and a black streak, she noticed, was that dyed? Either way, it wasn’t her problem, and she wasn’t about to interject.
“Welcome,” the girl said. She looked calm and aloof, but she was actually quite excited, unbeknownst to the two men in front of her. “What will you two be having?”
“Oh, hi,” the white-haired boy greeted, seemingly nervous to speak. “Can I take a look at the menu, please?” but his question was cut off by the taller brunette next to him.
“Oh, wow! This café is oh-so pretty,” he began in a dramatic tone. “But the main star of the show must be you, belladonna, the prettiest.” He took the girl’s hand. “Will you have a double-suicide with me?”
The doors swung open again, saving her from having to answer as the brunette was brutally smacked on the head by a tall, blonde man with glasses. He was quite handsome too. “Dazai! What are you doing here, slacking off and being an annoying pest to the waitress!?”
“Oh, no, it’s quite alright, actually.” The girl interrupted, holding back a bout of laughter. They were quite funny people, she thought. “He wasn’t bothering me at all. Will you three be staying?”
“Uh, I’m sorry but no–” the blonde was cut off by the brunette. “Yep! We’re staying!”
“No, we’re not!” The blonde loudly objected. The brunette—what was it, Dazai?—put up a hand to protest. “But we’re already here, my dear Kunikida-kun, are you going to hurt a lady’s feelings?”
The white-haired boy was staring at them, clearly used to their shenanigans but also unsure if he should step in. The blonde—Kunikida—finally relented. “Fine. Just for a bit! Ahh, this is ruining my schedule…” he pulled out a notebook.
“Hooray, we’re skipping work, c’mere, Atsushi,” Dazai hummed, dragging the white-haired (Atsushi, probably) over to the counter again. “Okay! Um, okay—that’s a lot of options.”
Atsushi agreed. There was a diverse assortment of pastries and drink items on the menu. “Um… what would you say is the best item? Like, your favorite?” he asked the girl behind the counter.
“Oh, I think I’d like this one the most.” She pointed toward one of the labels on the menu. Caramel coffee. “But for pastries, I like the fortune cookie cake.” None of them were her favorite, but they were simple and enjoyable to make.
“Ooh, yeah! Kunikida-kun, we actually came here to get our fortunes read!” Dazai exclaimed, turning sharply to the other man. “Yeaaah, that’s why we came here!”
“Fortune-telling? That’s statistically not accurate–” “Oh, shut up and have some fun for once!”
“Yes, I offer fortune-telling services here.” The girl confirmed, tucking her hair behind her ear. “But only after you purchase a drink.”
Dazai hummed, reading the menu again. “Okay! I’ll get an iced latte! And extra milk! Oh, maybe add the fortune cookie cake or whatever it’s called too. Also, can we start a tab? If yes, put it on Kunikida’s– ouch!” he rubbed his head after it had been smacked by him.
“Alright.” The barista pressed a few buttons at the register. “We can start a tab for you, once you give me your name. And for you two?”
“Umm… a strawberry frappuchino. Extra sugar. Thank you.” Atsushi mumbled. Kunikida put his order in too. “A cappuccino is fine.”
“Okay. That’ll be 1600 yen. Are you three sharing a tab?” she asked the men.
“Nope, put it all on Kunikida’s– urk!” Dazai was strangled before being shoved away. “Put it on Dazai’s tab, since he was the one who dragged us here.” Kunikida said sternly. Dazai let out an annoyed whine.
“Okay. I’ll tell your fortunes once your drinks are done.” the girl said.
“Oh, yeah,” Dazai casually leaned against the counter. “We never got your name.”
“It’s (Name).”
-
“Atsushi-kun, look, it’s you!” Dazai exclaimed dramatically, pointing at a small figure of a chubby white cat. The three men were sitting at a table near the window where it had multiple shelves of trinkets. It was well-decorated, and all of them agreed this café was pretty. Plus, it wasn’t that far from the agency either. If they ever got bored of the agency’s café menu, they could always come around easily.
“I’m not a cat!” Atsushi protested, shooting a glare at Dazai when he got the reply “Same thing”, but his gaze softened once he took a proper look at the cat figure. It looked really stupid but also really cute.
He… wasn’t really stupid, was he?
Kunikida was resting his chin against his left palm
as he wrote in his notebook. “It’s calming here. It’s a great place to write and unwind… if you weren’t here, you waste of bandages.”
“Oh, I’m so hurt!” Dazai dramatically put a hand against his forehead as if he was about to fall over. “I’m very calming, thank you.”
“Just keep telling yourself that.” Kunikida retorted before going back to focusing on writing.
Atsushi spoke up suddenly. “It smells really good. I’m looking forward to it.”
“I’m glad to hear that,” a voice came from behind him which made a yelp leave his lips. “Your drinks are ready, along with the cake you ordered.” She was holding a tray of three drinks and a slice of cake. “Please enjoy.”
“Does this mean we can get our fortunes told now?” Dazai asked excitedly, reminiscent of a hyperactive cat. Kunikida sighed, but Atsushi was actually quite curious about his fortune.
“Of course.” (Name) replied simply, setting the drinks down in front of its respective owner. “For such, the latte foam here seems to show a crossroad. One will lead you to suffering and the other will be bumpy but eventually end in peace.” She pointed at Dazai’s iced latte.
“Woah.” He gaped. Clearly, he had something to hide with that fake expression. He was nervous. “I wonder what path will take me, then!”
“Choose the one you’re on right now, do not divert.” The girl then turned back to all three men. Suddenly, endless realities and possibilities flooded her mind. Dazai, for one, could end up dead in prison, could end up in a mafia, could end up locked up forever. “Kunikida-san, something great awaits you. Whether it is good or it is bad, that is up to you to decide. But should you allow that notebook to decide for you,” she glanced at the notebook labelled “IDEALS” in front of Kunikida. “You may become a version of yourself you will utterly despise.”
“How did you know this notebook is my–” “It’s the work of a fortune-teller, Kunikida-san.”
“Last but not least, Atsushi-san.” She tilted her head slightly to the side. “Your kindness will get the better of you.”
“Well, that’s all.” (Name) clapped her hands together once. “Proper tarot readings, palm readings, or crystal ball scrying will cost an additional fee. Please enjoy your drinks.”
The girl returned to her spot behind the counter. Atsushi looked utterly bewildered. Kunikida was unnerved. Dazai was…
“That was fun! Woah, how’d she know about us? Maybe we’re just that noticeable with our habits!” Dazai guessed.
“It’s surprising…” Atsushi muttered. “But I like this café. The items are affordable, and we can keep tabs like we do in the agency’s…”
Kunikida took a sip of his cappuccino, before pausing. Dazai noticed. “Oh? What’s up, Kunikida-kuuun? Is it bad?”
“No. It’s excellent. It’s too excellent that something must be wrong.”
There was, in fact, nothing wrong.
-
“That was fun,” (Name) murmured to herself as she cleaned up the table. The men had left, but they said they’d return soon. “I want to do it again.”
The bells chimed. She sharply turned toward the door. It was a pale, handsome but noticeably underweight man with messy black hair down to his shoulders and dull purple eyes, yet sharp enough to seem like they were piercing her very soul. But all in all, he was rather attractive.
“Welcome.” She hurried to pile the dishes at the sink before rushing back to behind the counter. “What can I get for you today? We also offer fortune-telling services.”
“Black,” he said, not even glancing at the menu as he stepped over.
“No sugar?” She guessed.
“...One cube.” He seemed almost reluctant to say it out loud.
(Name) nodded. “It’ll be 300 yen. Will you be paying upfront or would you like to start a tab?”
“A tab. I’ll be staying for a while.” the man answered curtly.
The girl was honestly quite surprised that everyone that had come into her shop so far had chosen to start a tab. “Oh, alright. Can I get your name?”
“Fyodor. Fyodor Dostoevsky.”
-
Fyodor was sitting in the corner of the café. It wasn’t too dark since there were windows, and it felt nicer to work in. He pulled out his laptop, opening it and tapping away. He was interrupted midway with the scent of hot, delicious coffee.
“Ah, is it done?” he looked up.
“Certainly.” (Name) placed the cup of coffee down on the table. “Your accent is noticeable, and your name sounds foreign. Where are you from, if I may ask?”
“Russia. I moved here a while ago for… work.”
“Oh? Russia’s an interesting country. I’d love to visit sometime,” she nodded and promptly left to the back room of the café. “Enjoy your coffee, feel free to call me if you need anything.”
Fyodor watched as the girl left. She was interesting. She had noticed his hesitance, his reluctance, and had struck up conversation with him. And she didn’t look so bad either.
The café itself was calming and aesthetically pleasing. It didn’t hurt Fyodor’s eyes with bright lights or obnoxious decorations. Perhaps he’ll even have his fortune read, but maybe after this session of work.
“...A gem.” he muttered under his breath as his eyes fell back onto his laptop screen. A gem of a café, of a barista, and perhaps a fortune-teller.
Today would be a good day for him.