"Ex-excuse me...."
It was becoming increasingly apparent why this particular beach cafe had the high ratings it did, or the crowd it gathered. It was a large, colorfully decorated place, settled on the perfect spot on the beach. The sunshine poured directly in, the open area allowed one to enjoy the summer breeze, and it felt like one could see every drop of the ocean.
That wasn't even to mention the actual food. The menu was expansive, and every dish from appetizer to dessert was vibrant, expertly decorated. It was rather difficult to pick just one, especially when the pictures were fun just to look at.
Though, while the cafe had practically already proven itself to be worthy of its praise, upon meeting their new waitress:
"I'm sorry for interrupting you but..." She was a droopy eyed, pink haired girl, who wore an expression as if she was delivering the hardest news. "But we're actually out of the coconut rice right now, so... we won't be able to prepare your... appetizer." Wearing what seemed to be a elegantly engineered combination of a maid uniform and a bikini.
Neither Shindou nor Kirino could deny the possibility the ratings could be a bit... exaggerated.
She had been speaking to Shindou, but it seemed she couldn't even look him in the face.
...
"That's fine." Shindou smiled, if only to ease her unneeded anxiety over something he didn't really care about.
"You can choose anything else you want, though!" It didn't seem to work.
"Well... I would but," he shrugged, "they took our menus already."
"Oh right!"
"It's OK," Shindou spoke, before she could run off to get menus again. "You don't have to."
Kirino simply sipped his smoothie, watching their waitress grow flustered over nothing, with a rather uninterested expression.
"What did you get, Kirino?"
Kirino finally stopped drinking. "The Super Ultra Mega--"
"Super Ultra Mega Delicious Wonderful Deluxe Pineapple Mango Sorbet with extra coconut shavings on top, yes I remember." Shindou couldn't roll his eyes more, the way Kirino could visit a cafe with unique tropical dishes from all over the world, and still just skip to dessert. He leaned on his hand and looked up at their waitress. "What's your favorite dish?"
"Oh! Um..." Her eyes widened, clearly having been unprepared to answer such a simple question. "Well..." She looked around in thought. "If I had to pick just one thing... the Sweet and Spicy Tropical Fusion Salad."
Shindou tilted his head in interest, Kirino began reading texts on his phone.
"It's... papaya, mixed with black beans and avocado, raisins and corn. It's savory, but sweet, they always put little spicy tortilla chips on top." She smiled a little, remembering all the details of her favorite food. "Oh, but..." it faded away. "It's not for everybody..." and her voice trailed off. "It's a bit weird."
"That sounds nice." She finally looked up at Shindou, who smiled back. "I like trying new things."
...
"Then, I'll have them prepare it fresh for you right away." Praise for her favorite dish must have meant a lot, for she lit up brightly, bowing deeply before trotting off.
"Either way..." Shindou turned back to Kirino, resuming their previous conversation. "I'm not saying anyone that's ever won that competition is invalid or untalented, I'm just saying I don't think they should be getting so much praise and fame just because three judges think they have a nice voice..."
...
Kirino didn't reply. He simply stared at Shindou, same uninterested expression, still drinking his endless pink smoothie.
...Shindou stared back, with a questioning raised eyebrow, waiting for an explanation.
...
All he received was a knowing head tilt.
Shindou sighed, leaning back in his chair, giving Kirino his own incredulous head tilt. Wondering if Kirino was really thinking that.
Kirino still stared back, calmly.
Knowingly.
...
Shindou placed his head in his hand and looked away, preferring to stare at the sea instead. Didn't matter, for Kirino could see his grin from a mile away.
...
...
"She was really cute."
"Uh-huh."
