☕︎ 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒄𝒍𝒐𝒔𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒔𝒉𝒊𝒇𝒕

3 - ʀᴇᴛʀᴏꜱᴘᴇᴄᴛɪᴠᴇ

- ᴅᴇᴄᴇᴍʙᴇʀ 1ꜱᴛ, ꜰʀɪᴅᴀʏ

*ʏᴏᴜʀ ᴘᴏɪɴᴛ ᴏꜰ ᴠɪᴇᴡ*

when i finally arrived at work, i pulled into one of the empty spaces up front. it didn't seem like we have gotten any customers yet. thank goodness. exiting my car, i entered the building and made a beeline for the back, toward a specific room that acts as a sort of office—there's a computer to monitor the cameras, a board with all our recipes, vhs tapes, aprons, and a few lockers that runs along the furthest wall for employees to stuff their belongings in before their shift.

when i opened the door, my eyes immediately drifted to funahashi senpai who, as expected, was seated in front of the monitor. he grimaced when his undivided attention settled its way onto me. i could practically feel his disapproving gaze pierce through me.

i closed my eyes, taking a deep breath, steeling myself for what awaited. when they finally reopened, i forced them to look away, gluing my focus elsewhere as i shuffled to the several aprons hanging on the wall and began searching for mine, "um...good morning, senpai," i greeted, trying to sound cheerful despite the obvious tension in the air.

"late again, y/n," he grumbled, not bothering to look up from the screens plastered in front of him. "if this continues, i won't hesitate to report it to the manager," he added.

my stomach churned with anxiety as o stammered an apology, "i...am very sorry. i'll be more careful." i promised as i tied the apron securely around me before, finally, joining my superior by his side. he leaned back in the seat, shifting to face me, and crossed his arms over his chest.

"being careful is not enough," funahashi senpai refuted my words. "tell me you won't be late again." i didn't reply right away, having been rendered speechless for the moment. he raised a brow at this. "huh? are you deaf or something? did you understand me or not?" he raised his voice.

snapping out of my daze, i eagerly nodded, saying, "yes, sir. i will not be late again."

sadly, this wasn't enough. instead of just letting me go and start my shift, senpai continued listing my recent mistakes, "you also mess up some of the orders, don't you?" he questioned. i meekly nodded. "you really need to pay more attention. if you can't handle it, watch the training tapes. they're there for a reason..." he scolded.

"i understand," i responded, nodding, and turned around to return to the front of the store.

"oh, and one more thing," he said sternly, prompting me to stop in my tracks and catch my wandering gaze. "no cell phone during your shift. got it? if i catch you, i won't hesitate to bring it up with the manager. do i make myself clear?"

i gulped, nodding again. with a dismissive wave, he gestured toward the locker room. "put your things away and start your shift. and don't let this happen again."

right. i had almost forgotten.

when i finally left the back of the store, i hurried over to the entrance and flipped our sign over to show customers that we were now open. "well..." i fixed my apron. "i better start cleaning." i told myself, knowing that about half of my other coworkers are too lazy to do something as simple as clean up after themselves.

so as i wiped down the main counter, i couldn't help but tap my fingers anxiously, waiting for my first customer of the day. the soft hum of the espresso machine filled the air, and a glance at the clock revealed that it had been a few minutes since i had clocked in. "hm..." i huffed.

knowing funahashi senpai, he probably up and left perk & pour as soon as he saw me start my shift. he's always been like that: leaving work as soon as he's not needed.

finally, the chime of the bell signaled a new arrival. a woman entered and a beautiful one too. she has mid-length brown hair that reaches to her neck that is styled with bangs that cover the right side of her forehead, dark ebony eyes, and a pink scarf wrapped around her.

"welcome to perk & pour! how can i help you?" i welcomed her, hurrying over to the register to assist her. she didn't reply immediately. instead, i watched as her dark eyes scanned the menu overhead. i flashed a smile, ready to take her order. before o could say anything else, she leaned in, her tone hushed and frantic.

"didn't you hear? i heard stalker cases are on the rise," she said, a hint of concern in her voice.

i raised an eyebrow, not being one to keep up with the news much. "really?" even though i don't watch the news much, it's not surprising, given the world we live in. japan is always littered with stalkers.

she nodded as if expecting my response. it was an odd topic for small talk, but i played along, offering a sympathetic nod. the beautiful woman continued, "it's scary! being a woman like me, you see, i have to be careful. all the guys are staring at me, so..." she trailed off, cutting my interest in this conversation in half by mentioning how many guys she attracts. i try my hardest not to roll my eyes. "you be careful too, okay?" she then gave me a brief once over. "well...you don't have to worry as much as i do, but you should watch out just in case."

i tried my hardest to take her words kindly since she was practically calling me ugly, but didn't want to seem rude about it. the only person who gets to decide that is me. letting out a small sigh, we were lucky to have moved on to the reason she came in — coffee. with a tight smile, i asked, "what can i get for you today?"

she ordered a caramel macchiato, and i quickly got to work, expertly steaming the milk and pulling the shots of espresso. the rich aroma filled the air as i handed her the perfectly crafted beverage. "here you go! A caramel macchiato. have a wonderful day!" i said, maintaining my cheerful demeanor despite the slightly unusual conversation we had just shared.

"thank you..." with that, she headed out, leaving the bell to chime once more as the door closed behind her.

as i returned to my cleaning duties, i couldn't help but shake off the oddity of the stalker talk. just another day at perk & pour's, i thought, or maybe it's because this is the first time i'm opening the store. maybe the beautiful woman is just too tired or delirious. propping my elbow against the counter, i rested my head in my palm as i awaited the next customer to walk through the door.

something tells me i shouldn't have picked up reina's shift today.