Ryota's POV. Kaede Café, Kaedehara Residence.
Ryota: *sigh*
My name is Kaedehara Ryota, son of Kaedehara Tatsuya and Kaedehara Koharu, the owners of the famous Kaede Café.
In other words, I am the heir of this humble café.
So, how does my everyday routine goes? In full detail.
5:00 AM, I wake up exactly at this time. After I get out of bed, I'll tidy up the bed, check the class schedule, café schedule, and if there are other agendas to attend to like club activities and student council work.
Although those two are really constant.
5:30 AM, after checking my daily schedule, I'll do morning exercises such as stretching, jogging, biking.
6:00 AM, if there is no one awake yet, I'll cook breakfast, but usually Mom and Saya are the ones doing this. By this time, it's either I'll be eating breakfast or making breakfast.
6:30 AM, Dad and I will open the café. Since school starts at 8:30 AM, I still have time to work at the café.
6:45 AM, I'll take a bath. If I'm working at the café, I need to take a bath in order to be clean and presentable to our customers.
7:00 AM, there are some who always go at the café, especially those who work early and needs to eat breakfast early. So, Dad and I tend to them. In other words, at the early morning, Dad and I are holding the frontlines.
8:15 AM, I usually change to my school uniform and head to school.
During school, well, I'm just an ordinary student. Studying, hanging out with my friends from the Student Council or from the Music Club.
During lunch however, since Ai-chan became my girlfriend, I'll either eat lunch with her, with the student council at the student council room, or with the music club members.
At 5:30 PM, when classes and work from either the club or the student council is over, I would usually come home now, because during the last few hours of the café's opening hours, that is where the most brutal battles occur.
5:45 PM, I arrive home and quickly change to my work uniform and work. This time however, we're at full force. Mom at the counter, Dad and I brewing the drinks, Saya on the customer service.
Sometimes, there are rude customers that must be dealt with and my mom would be the one to silence them with her deathly smile and gaze.
Or if a fight breaks out at the café, Dad and I will stop it and diplomatically ask these customers to leave.
7:15 PM, usually this is where we close the café. During weekends we close at around 6:45 PM.
7:30 PM, we have dinner and watch the TV.
8:00 PM, we would just chill if we have nothing to do like homeworks and stuff.
8:45 PM, I usually go to my room and this time around, I'll talk to Ai-chan and she would always text me, mostly rants about her mistress.
I would always try to console her and give her advice on how to to handle her current situation.
9:00 PM, when there are exams, 8:00 PM and 9:45 PM are my study hours. But since this is an ordinary day, I'll just watch YouTube or play games like Genshin.
10:00 PM, this is the time where I would usually sleep, but Ai-chan would call me and we'll have phone calls, the conversation usually starts on how our day went, Ai-chan's rants, random topics and all.
11:00 PM, is where I'll usually sleep or I'm totally asleep if I sleep at 10:00 PM.
That is how my daily routine goes.
It's been almost a couple of months since Ai-chan and I started dating.
During the New Year's, we have our date after I visited the shrine.
Now, the School Trip......
There was a huge debate on where we'll go. Usually it is abroad but since the money comes from the Student Council, it is a heavy finnancial burden, so we came up with a domestic trip.
From the three main choices: Kyoto, Okinawa, and Hokkaido. I suggested other places but I also suggested that students choose where they want to go.
And it was decided that we'll go to Kyoto.
I drafted the itinerary of our trip and searched for the suitable hotels.
And now.........
The day before the school trip.........
When I finished my preparations........Saya came into my room and handed me a wooden katana.
Saya: Use this.
Ryota: Eh? What for?
Saya: For emergency purposes. You know where you're going tomorrow, right?
Ryota: Ah, that's right.
Ryota: Kyoto.
Saya: And that place is where the Main House of the Shinomiya Family is located. You know that the Kaedehara Family always kept an eye to the Shinomiya Family ever since then.
Saya: We may be in the Reiwa Era now but.......
Saya: And the Kaedehara Family may have fell into decline after our great-great-great grandfather Akito, in the Taisho Era...........
Saya: And the complete collapse of the Kaedehara Family during the end of the Showa Era.........
Saya: Yet, the Kaedehara Family still never forgot to watch out for the Shinomiya Family.
Ryota: You know, when I drew an o-mikuji at the shrine during New Year's Day, I received a unique designation of dai-kyō (great misfortune).
Saya: That's kinda........
Ryota: It was romance and disputes.
Saya: Romance and disputes? An odd combination.........
Saya: Also, great misfortune in romance?
Ryota: I had a bad omen, although it was only just an o-mikuji, I burned it. But I knew that maybe something bad is about to happen and I can't just sit and watch.
Saya: You told us that Ai-chan is working under the Shinomiya Family as a maid, right?
Ryota: Yes.
Saya: And the message you received back then.
Saya: Ryota, as of now, you're the only one who can do it.
Saya: You're the only one who can save Ai-chan from her suffering.
Ryota: I know. But, I guess this is also the perfect chance for you to gain evidence of what really happened to your parents.
Saya: Don't worry. There will be a time for that.
Saya: Besides.........
Saya: If Ai-chan will be free, it will be more easier for us to expose the one who truly cause the accident of my parents.
Ryota: .........
The death of Saya's parents, is actually connected to the Shinomiya Family. Since my uncle and my aunt were the casualties of that incident...........
My Dad and Mom decided to investigate this case. The café being used as a source of intel.
Most members, if not, all members of the Shinomiya Family are ignorant of of the Kaedeharas ancient past. So, they would carelessly slip any information to their companions whenever they come to the café.
With this method, while they were happily chatting while drinking hot coffee, we are secretly gathering information from their loosed lips.
And whenever that opportunity comes, we would use it the information we gathered to the greatest extent.
Now.........
This school trip will be a secret war.
Saya: Ryota, if the Shinomiyas are always sneaking in the shadows.......
Saya: Then, show them how it's really done.
Ryota: Yeah. I will foil their plan.
Ryota: That's what I'd like to say.
Saya: Huh? What do you mean?
Ryota: After all......
Ryota: All I can do is support them in the shadows.
Ryota: The one who can free Ai-chan from this situation is herself and Shinomiya-san.
Saya: ........it seems like you were able to grasp what is going on or rather, finally found out the reason of your bad omen.
Ryota: Yes.
Ryota: Don't worry. I'll make this school trip worthwhile and I'll make sure......
Ryota: That those two could finally reconcile and for her........
Ryota: To finally be happy for herself.