Author Note
Bold = English/ Other Language (Japanese excluded)
Trigger Warning:
- Minimal Swearing
- Inappropriate behavior toward a minor
Adjusting her mask, Y/n looked down at the order, her brain tried to decipher the letters "Two large americanos, one sweet potato latte, one strawberry latte, and one caramel macchiato."
"God, I feel so self-conscious." whispered her coworker Hoshi Tanaka as she kept her head down while making a different order.
"Why? You look great," asked Y/n.
"They're always looking, always staring; I feel like a fucking animal."
"Don't let it bother you," said Y/n as she started on one of the lattes.
"Well, we were hired for our looks. The cafe is called Vanity Cafe." another coworker entered Keiji Yasutake's conversation; "Order for Kasumi Maita," he called.
A girl came up to the counter, her face blushing at the sight of the boy before her. "Thank you," she whispered.
"And the pay is good," added Y/n as she finished the sweet potato latte. "Hours are somewhat flexible; management isn't bad, either."
"They're only that nice to you since everyone knows you're the star of this location; customers come for you," said Aoi, taking her helmet off and getting her drink from the breakroom.
"Not all customers; I'm not for all demographics." Y/n smiled. However, Aoi just rolled her eyes.
"Anyone with eyes can see you're beautiful, Miss Beauty Embodiment."
Y/n's face flushed "I didn't choose that name."
"The school rush is ending," Hoshi smiled as she interrupted the conversation. "Now we just gotta prep for delivery. Do we have enough boxes?"
"We're good on the boxes. Is it hot outside?" asked Y/n to her coworker.
"Not that bad, but there's construction near the bank on four, so traffic's a little behind there."
"Okay," Y/n put the lid on the caramel macchiato, "Should I do that shortcut through the grocery store parking lot?"
"Nah, a lot of people are using it. Go through the department store parking lot on two, and cut through all that traffic using the back."
"Depart, two got it. This is my last order; ready to go?"
"More than ever," sighed Aoi, "I have been eyeing that one new ramen restaurant in block three; I'm dying to try it."
"Tell us how it is when you get back," said Keiji.
"I heard it's really good," said Yukiko, startling the others.
"When did you get here?" asked Y/n, "Order for Takahiro!" a group of middle school boys came up to get their drinks, each nudging and teasing the other.
"You tell her."
"What? Why me?"
"Excuse me," said one of the boys.
Y/n turned back around and smiled. "Yeah? Do you need anything?"
The boy seemed to freeze when he realized her eyes were focused on him, "Can I get another straw?"
"Of course, no problem." Y/n handed the boy a straw and watched as he robotically walked back to where the others were waiting for him.
"It's the Y/n Effect," said Keiji.
"Stop calling it that," said Y/n.
"How are you guys coming along?" asked the manager, Juro, interrupting their conversation as he put a hand on Y/n's shoulder.
"We're doing great; just my last order before I head out," said Y/n.
Juro's eyes looked down at her, and he gave her shoulder a firm squeeze. "Alright, keep up the hard work." He nodded and returned to his office.
"He's checking to make sure the boy wasn't hitting on his property." teased Keiji.
"Oh please," Y/n rolled her eyes as she took the helmet from Aoi.
"Everyone knows Juro's just waiting for Y/n to turn eighteen so he can get at her."
"Juro's a pervert," said Hoshi angrily.
"Tell me about it," added Aoi as she took her apron off. "He's always so handsy with you; it's creepy."
"You should find another job," said Yukiko as she looked directly at Y/n.
"Oh, come on, it's not that serious. It's just a joke," said Keiji as he gently bumped shoulders with her.
"I'm serious because it's a serious issue." Yukiko looked at him, the smile gone from her face; she turned her attention back to Y/n and handed her an order ready to go. "I'm telling you this because I care about you. I have a sister your age back home, she is still in school, but I wouldn't want her to work in a place like this with some pedo like Juro."
Y/n stayed quiet; as she put on the helmet and set the drinks on the counter, Aoi put her hand on Y/n's shoulder. "You're only sixteen; being emancipated might make you legally an adult, but you're still a kid. Be careful around men; you're too kind and trusting and not an object to look at. You're a kid. Be safe."
Aoi waved the group goodbye as she walked out the door; "Way to ruin the mood," said Keiji.
"Just get to work," said Hoshi. "Thankful no customers heard, and the online orders are starting up."
Y/n stared at the group before turning around and walking to turn on her motorcycle while she waited for the next three orders to be done. You should find another job. Those words rang through her head as she secured the delivery box and switched on the small fans inside the box.
She hadn't thought about that as an option; Juro could be a little... friendly at times, but it wasn't that big of a deal. He had never really tried anything or crossed a line; some comments were weird but not unbearable. Y/n could take the comments in stride; besides, they were just comments, nothing serious.
Returning inside, Y/n took the next two orders and put them with the first order, inserting the addresses into her GPS. Moving to the front of her motorcycle, Y/n opened the small basket inside; her snack pack, as she called it, was filled with snacks, and her bottle was ready to hydrate her on her orders.
Turning her attention to her GPS, she began figuring out what routes would save her time. "Four is blocked, so behind the depart should cut about four minutes, but the traffic would add..." she muttered as she looked in the distance and made some calculations.
"Don't forget your jacket; it might get cold." said a voice behind her as this voice's hand touched her lower back.
Spinning around quickly, Y/n saw that it was Juro; "Right," she said weakly.
"We wouldn't want our precious Y/n to get sick, right?" the older man put a hand on Y/n's head before sliding it down to cup her face.
Y/n's face went bright red; even though the mask shielded half of her face, her ears were turning red.
A knot formed in her stomach; anxiety began coursing through her body as a smile formed underneath the mask. "Y/n! The fourth order is done; come get it!" shouted a voice from within the store.
"Coming!" replied the girl as she backed away from her manager, resisting the urge to slap his hand away. Speed walking inside, she grabbed the multiple cups and glanced at the work schedule.
Vazquez Y/n 4:15 PM- 12:00AM
She would be the last worker with Juro as her closing partner; Y/n's stomach sank. "You okay?"
"Hm?" Y/n looked at the voice; it was Hoshi. "Yeah, I'm fine, just checking the schedule; I kinda forgot it."
"I can swap with you if you want." said the college student.
Y/n thought for a second before smiling. "No, it's okay. You gotta study for the test. Didn't you say you were having a hard time with it?"
Hoshi had her studies to worry about, as did every coworker except her and Juro; Hoshi needed to study; Y/n knew that if she failed a class this semester, the girl would lose her scholarship.
Hoshi looked at her, unsure "Are you sure? It's Friday, don't you have any plans for the weekend? No plans tomorrow? It's your day off."
"All my friends are busy tomorrow," Y/n muttered, embarrassed.
The older girl leaned in close. "Are you going to be okay with him by yourself?"
Y/n appreciated her concern; she did; it was nice to feel like someone was looking out for her. "I'm fine, really." she insisted. "I better get going; I don't want to be late with these orders."
Waving goodbye, Y/n walked out the door, thankful Juro was nowhere in sight. She got onto her scooter and looked at the first address before double-checking that her drinks were secure.
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"Come on, Bakugo; you're telling me you aren't even a little curious?"
The blonde boy looked at his classmates, "Why would I bother with something so stupid?"
"She isn't stupid!" said another boy, "She's perfection..."
"Perfection, my ass," said Bakugo. "Is that why you guys ordered from there?!"
"Since you won't go to her, we thought we would bring her out here."
"She should be here any second now. She's punctual."
knock knock
"Katsuki!" shouted Mitsuki from the kitchen. "Get the door!"
"Don't tell me what to do, old hag!" Katsuki got up and snatched some money from the small table near the entrance; opening it, the boy was stunned by the eyes staring at him.
"Hi, I have a delivery here for Bakugo Katsuki," the girl extended the drinks towards him.
Those bastards used his name. "Yeah, that's me," he said as he looked away from her, a slight blush on his face.
"Alright, that'll be ¥1200, please." taking the money, Y/n smiled one more time. "Thank you for choosing Vanity. Have a great day."
The boy watched as the girl got on her motorcycle and reached into her bag in the basket at the front of her bike, pulling out a granola bar and eating it before driving off.
"So?" asked his friends as soon as he was back inside.
"So what?" he snapped back.
"Wasn't she pretty?"
Katsuki rolled his eyes as he sat down. "I couldn't even see her face with that stupid mask."
"But she's pretty!" his friend sighed dreamily. "You can tell she's beautiful just by her eyes."
"Some say she wears a mask at work because she's only pretty in her eyes; the rest of her face is super ugly."
"Ah! Don't say that!"
"Get back to studying! I'm not gonna fail over some girl!"
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Once back at the cafe, Y/n began stretching; she loved driving around, she did, but it isn't the same when you're working. "Ready to go eat?" Aoi smiled as she watched Y/n unhitch the small cargo trailer from her motorcycle.
"I'm starving," Y/n said as she undid her apron. "How was the food?"
"It was good, not the best, but it makes a decent meal. Where are you going for lunch? Well, it's more like dinner."
"I'm looking for something familiar, something comfortable."
"So that Korean restaurant,"
"Old faithful," replied Y/n as she did a quick cash count, clocking out on the machine; Y/n got back on her motorcycle. "I'm heading out; see you in an hour."
The ride to the restaurant was short and familiar; Y/n swears she could smell the food outside the building. Her stomach seemed to sense she was near the restaurant; the girl smiled as the elderly lady greeted her. "Hello, sweetie." said the woman, Sun-Hi Gwon.
"Hi, granny; how are you doing today?"
"This weather is making my joints hurt, but other than that, I'm doing great. Here from work?"
"It's my lunch break; I need something familiar." Y/n sat down at a table near the cash register. "Can I get-"
"Two plates of tteokbokki, add eight sausages, four in each plate cut into even numbers. Two servings of tuna kimbap, two of beef kimbap, and one serving of pork intestine blood sausage soondae. Two colas and two glasses of water?"
"Yes, please." Y/n smiled sheepishly. Do I really come here that often? she thought as she reached into her bag, pulling out her reusable plastic utensils.
"Say Y/n," called Sun-Hi from the kitchen.
"Yes?"
"Are you free tomorrow?"
"Yeah, it's my day off."
"Would you go with us to an event tomorrow?"
"An event? Are you catering?"
"Yes, we were hired a week ago; my daughter was going to help, but she has a business meeting that day so I would be managing the stand with Seoyeon, but it wouldn't be enough. I could pay you,"
"I can do it; you don't need to pay me. I have nothing to do anyway."
"Thank you," said Sun-Hi as she brought the four plates of food, "I threw in a few dumplings as a thank you."
"You didn't need to, but thank you." Y/n smiled as she excitedly picked up the chopsticks. "Where is the event at? What's it for?"
"It's at the Retired Hero Home; it's just an event to show appreciation for the old heroes. We'll cater to the retired heroes, their families, and staff."
"Sounds fun; where should I meet you?" Y/n asked before shoving a piece of tteokbokki into her mouth.
"Let me write it down, then I'll give it to you, so you have all the information," said Sun-Hi as she patted her apron pockets to look for a piece of paper and pen.
"I have some sticky notes," Y/n reached into her bag and pulled out her planner and sticky notes. "You can use this pen too."
Sun-Hi thanked the girl and scribbled on the sticky note quickly before handing it back to Y/n. "Alright, I'll leave you to eat; thanks again."
"It's no problem; it's not like I have any plans anyway." Y/n quickly wrote down the information in her planner before eating.
God, you can never go wrong with tteokbokki, she thought as she quickly finished her first plate. Pulling out her phone, Y/n went to her conversation with Juro. The previous conversation with the girls from work really got her thinking about all their interactions.
I should probably find a job, but how do you do that? Y/n wondered as she ate some kimbap. Y/n hadn't applied for the Vanity Cafe; she had been walking past the store when they approached her.
If today's shift ended without incident, she would give it another chance; if the shift ended... with more excitement than planned, she would be handing in her resignation tomorrow before heading to the event with Sun-Hi.
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"I'm heading out then." Yukiko gave Y/n a quick hug, "Text me when you get home."
"Okay," Y/n said as Yukiko walked out the door. "I'll start cleaning the espresso machine."
"Sure, I'll wipe the tables and put the chairs up." Juro grabbed the cleaning supplies. "Let's finish this quickly so we can go home."
"Yep, I can't wait to go home." the girl felt relieved when the older man went across the store.
Things went by smoothly, too smoothly; Y/n should have known it was too good to be true. With her motorcycle on, Y/n walked back inside to fetch her things, looking through her purse to ensure she had everything; she felt someone hug her from behind.
"You don't have to be shy anymore; it's just the two of us."
Y/n quickly stepped away from the hug and turned around in fear. "What are you doing?"
Juro grabbed her hand. "Don't worry; there's no one around. We can just be ourselves."
"Please don't touch me." Y/n yanked her hand away.
"Why are you upset?" asked Juro, concerned as he grabbed her forearm, this time with more pressure that Y/n knew was going to leave some marks. "You didn't like the present?"
"The presents?" Y/n looked at his face. "Are you the one who keeps sending things to my apartment? Those couple gifts? We're not a couple." the girl tried to step back, but his grip on her was too strong.
"We are a couple; we're dating. We were going to announce it to everyone today,"
"What?"
"I was just waiting for you to start, but you didn't, so I'm guessing you were nervous. Don't worry; I won't show any favoritism towards you at work; I'll keep it professional."
"There is nothing between us; we are not a couple."
"Then why did you smile at me? Or bring me coffee?"
Y/n looked at him, confused. "Mr. Juro, I smile at everyone; I smiled at you today because I was nervous, and I always smile when I get nervous. I work at a coffee shop; I always bring people their coffee."
"We had dinner late at night,"
"That was a work outing; we went with everyone. Please let me go." Y/n kept trying to push him away, but his grip stayed firm; her eyes shifted towards the door, hoping someone would come back.
"We went on dates every Wednesday; we went on a date this week."
"I don't do deliveries on Wednesday, so I walk home. We just happened to meet a few times on my way back."
Juro moved his grasp from her forearms to her arms and gave her a little shake. "Why are you upset? It's okay; you can tell me."
"Mr. Juro, you're hurting me; let go, please." Y/n struggled.
"If you're worried about me going to jail, don't worry; the age of consent is thirteen; you're sixteen, so it'll be okay."
"Mr. Juro, listen to me," Y/n looked at his face. "I'm nice to you because it's the right thing to do; I treat you nicely because it's decent. I'm not interested in you; you're married, Mr. Juro."
"Don't say that," Juro let go of her right bicep and lifted his hand for her to see. "You don't have to worry; I left her for you. I'm not married anymore."
"I don't like you!" shouted Y/n as her patience finally ran out, "I am not dating you; I have never dated you, I will never date you. You are old enough to be my dad! I don't care if you're married or single; I don't care if I hurt your feelings with everything I'm saying. So let go of me because you're hurting me!"
Shoving past him, Y/n began to run to the safety of outside when Juro grabbed her again, this time by the hair. With a startled cry of pain, Juro brought his face close to hers. "We just need to kiss, and you'll realize you love me."
"No!" Y/n moved her head as he tried to kiss her lips, his hands grabbing her face hard enough for her to feel his nails clawing her skin. Thinking quickly, the girl swung at his face with her helmet.
Juro stumbled back and grasped his head in pain; seeing the opportunity, Y/n bolted outside; not bothering with her helmet, the girl threw it into her front basket. Y/n's mind raced a thousand miles an hour through the dark streets of Japan. She felt like she was going to throw up.
Stumbling through her doorway, Y/n threw her keys in the small dish near the front door before running to her bathroom.
Swishing water in her mouth after vomiting, Y/n looked at the mirror. Her hair was a mess from Juro yanking her, and as she looked at her bicep; small scratches and bruises were starting to form.
"Mother fucker!" She shouts angrily, throwing the glass cup against the bathroom wall.