Volume 2 Chapter 76 Kokonoe-San And Shibata-San Seemed To Have Become Quite Friendly Without Me Even Realizing It
Now, it's the next day, Saturday, and I have another shift at the patisserie.
Lately, the sales have been going up, so I have a regular shift like everyone else. I start at 7 a.m. and finish at 4 p.m., while Shibata-san starts at 10 a.m. and finishes at 7 p.m.
Well, weekends and holidays are busy times for the service industry, and it's always good to have enough staff.
Until now, on Saturdays, I would come in first thing in the morning to prepare for opening, doing cleaning and preparations. Then, when Kashiyama-san arrived at 10 a.m., we would switch places. But starting today, we'll be working together.
So, as usual, I arrived at the patisserie at 7 a.m.
"Ikurumi-san, good morning."
"Yes, good morning. It's a long day today, but make sure to take breaks when you need to."
"Yes, understood."
After finishing cleaning the showcases and the glass inside the shop, and assisting the pastry chef with tasks like cutting fruits in the kitchen, I quietly worked until it was time to open.
It was just before 10 a.m, and Kashiyama-san and Shibata-san arrived.
"Good morning, Kashiyama-san, Shibata-san."
Kashiyama-san smiled and said to me,
"Hey, good morning. It's nice to work together today, so let's do our best."
"Sure, same here. I'll probably be helping Ikurumi-san in the back most of the time."
Then Shibata-san also smiled and said,
"Good morning. If we need extra help, we'll call you, so please be ready."
"Got it. It might be tough with just the two of you during peak times. By the way, Kashiyama-san, what are the peak times on Saturdays?"
When I asked Kashiyama-san, she thought for a moment before answering,
"It depends on the weather, but usually around 10 AM to 3 PM and 5 PM to 7 PM."
"Usually around the same time as lunch or dinner, huh?"
"Yeah, yeah. It seems like there are a lot of times when people stop by before or after shopping, or on their way home."
"This shop isn't in a bad location when you think about the foot traffic, but compared to shops in the station or near the station building, it's a bit lower, I guess?"
"Maybe that's true."
"If that's the case and we want to increase customer traffic, it'll be tough without spending money on advertising."
"Yeah, probably. I think it's better to talk to Ikurumi-san about those things, not me."
"But people who actually see customers coming in at the hall might understand things too."
"That's definitely true."
And then, as the sweets finished baking, they were displayed in the showcase, and soon a customer arrived.
"Welcome!"
The first customer was a girl I knew.
"Howdy!"
"Kokonoe-san?!"
"Yes, I'm here again."
"Oh, maybe you liked it here when we celebrated winning the tennis doubles championship?"
"Yep, that's right!"
"So, are you getting takeout today? Or are you eating in?"
"Zettai ni eating in! Let's chill out and tanoshimi the food."
"Alright then, this way please."
I guided Kokonoe-san to the seating area for eating in.
And then, I handed things over to Shibata-san.
"So, Shibata-san. Can I leave it to you from here?"
When I asked that, Shibata-san smiled and nodded.
"Yes, leave it to me."
Shibata-san, who took over from me, went to talk to Kokonoe-san with a menu in hand and came back with a smile.
"Today, it's the recommended dish at the shop."
"Got it. I wonder if Shibata-san and Kokonoe-san come here often."
"Yes. They often visit on Saturdays."
"I see, it seems like Kokonoe-san really likes this place."
I'm not sure if Kokonoe-san is part of a club, but if she is, she might bring her club friends here.
It would be great if word of mouth about this place spread among the club she belongs to, but it might not happen.
I think I'll go with a fresh seasonal fruit cake this time.
I prepared a small cake with white peaches and yogurt cream from the showcase, as well as a semi-freddo with blueberries and yogurt cheese, and gave them to Shibata.
"Thank you for waiting. Here are our special dishes: a small cake with white peaches and yogurt cream, and a semi-freddo with blueberries and yogurt cheese. Please enjoy, everyone."
"Wow, it looks really oishi!"
By the way, Semifreddo is a half-Italian dessert that's like a partially thawed ice cake, and I think it's perfect for summer.
Kokonoe-san smiled and nodded.
"Well then, itadakimasu!"
After that, Kokonoe-san and Shibata-san were happily chatting.
And then Kokonoe-san beckoned to me and Kashiyama-san and said,
"September 7th wa Shibata-san no birthday desu. So, let's have a tanoshii birthday party together!"
"Hmm, I do remember that September 7th is Shibata-san's birthday. I think that's a great idea."
Kashiyama-san also nodded with my word.
"Of course, I'm fine with that too."
I don't have a strong connection with Shibata-san from the time I spent with Shinonome-san, so it might be more comfortable to celebrate at this restaurant with the members I met here.
"If I had to say, maybe I could invite Saikachi-san to join us here because she played doubles with Kokonoe-san and we were together at the celebration party before."
When I said that, Kokonoe-san smiled and said,
"Leave it to Hata-kun, ne."
"Okay, I'll check when we have time."
After that, customers started coming in one by one and it got busy, so we had to get back to work.
And when Kokonoe-san finished eating her cake, she left without finishing the conversation about Shibata-san's birthday party.
Well, we're still at work now and today was definitely busy, so maybe we can talk about it slowly tomorrow or later.
...
...
Clear.
- Going shopping with Fumi-chan
- Fumi-chan's school festival
- Date with Fumi-chan at the rose garden.
- Going shopping with Gouriki-kun
- Hirose-kun's birthday
- Shopping with Saikachi-san
- Learning sewing from Auntie Satsuki and Yayoi-chan
- Go to buy Shinonome-san's birthday present with the usual members.
- Go shopping for yukatas with Fumi-chan and attend the Tanabata festival
- Shinonome-san's birthday
Schedule.
- July 21: Participating in a small doujin event with Shibata-san
- July 29: Going firefly watching with Saikachi-san
- August 1-3: Going to the beach with Fumi-chan
- August 5-8: Camping in the mountains with Kokonoe-san
- August 10: Fumi-chan's birthday
- Obon in August: Participating in Comiket Day 1 and Day 2 with Kashiyama-san
- August 20: Going on a pool date with Nakagaito
- August 23: Going on an aquarium date with Namiki-san
- August 26-27: Going to TDR with Yayoi-chan
- End of July and end of August: Making plans to do homework with Shinonome-san.
- September 7: Shibata-san's birthday
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