Living in Tokyo, all I want to do is laze around.

The wind chimes rang, and a guest entered the room.

Kai Uesugi put down his cup and saw a guy in a casual denim jacket walk in. He had a camera hanging around his neck and was wearing casual trousers.

The other person seemed to be visiting the store for the first time, looking at the store's decor with curiosity.

Welcome!

The man walked to the front desk, looked closely at Uesugi Kai's face, then held up one finger and smiled as he said to him:

"One cup, an espresso."

"Estée Chalamet, hmm, is there anything else you need?"

No, it's not necessary.

The man smiled, pulled up a stool, and sat down at the bar, watching Uesugi Kai take the drip filter cup from Kohashi Rika. "Oh, you're using the traditional filtration method?"

While operating the device, Uesugi Kai replied in a calm tone:

"We use this method when we don't have many customers."

"Nowadays, coffee shops mostly use coffee machines. Baristas who use the traditional filter method are as rare as trees in the desert in this area."

The man didn't say much, he just watched Uesugi Kai prepare the coffee.

Uesugi Kai looked up and asked, "How's the taste?"

"A little bitter," the man said, still smiling.

Kai Uesugi understood immediately and lowered the water heater temperature by about 5 degrees.

In less than five minutes, a cup of espresso appeared in front of the man.

Please enjoy your meal.

The man picked up the cup saucer and gently swirled the cup, letting the thick, concentrated portion of the coffee sink to the bottom while the lighter, thinner portion floated on the surface. Once the temperature was right, he brought the cup to his lips, letting the coffee coat his tongue and mouth.

Instantly, the aroma of coffee filled the air.

"Not bad, not bad, not bad."

The man said it three times, put down his glass, and smiled broadly. He stood on the bar with his arms crossed, looking at Kai Uesugi with a smile:

"I won't beat around the bush. I'm Winstons' head barista, and I'd like to invite you to work at our coffee shop."

Kai Uesugi didn't say anything.

The bearded man smiled and pointed to the cup of coffee in front of him, saying:

“I can tell that your coffee style wasn’t learned in Japan. Although the water temperature and astringency of this espresso are very similar to those of traditional Japanese coffee, it has a light roast flavor from Scandinavia at its core.”

Rikako Kohashi, who was listening from the side, asked in a low voice:

"Is there any difference?"

The man smiled slightly and explained, "Japan generally uses a slow-fire, long-time roasting technique. From green beans to the end of roasting, it usually takes more than 20 minutes, which is much longer than the average 15-minute roasting pace in Europe and America. Slow-fire roasting makes the coffee dynamic stable, and the full and complete Maynard reaction allows the coffee to produce a larger number of components during the roasting process. This makes Japanese coffee taste mellow, rich, sweet and slightly bitter."

"Skanders prefer the original flavor, clean, refreshing, bright and delicate aromas. They don't like earthy, smoky, burnt, or overly strong yeasty flavors. This is a fundamental difference in style. I've drunk so many coffees made by Japanese baristas that don't have their own national flavor, so I can naturally taste it right away."

"The Nordic light roast coffee roasting method is unique. Some people call it a fast-fire roasting technique that is completed in a short period of time. It tastes seven parts like juice and three parts like coffee. It is refreshing and has a burst of aroma."

“Traditional Italian coffee emphasizes the roasted flavor of the coffee rather than its original taste, which is the complete opposite of the Nordic style. That’s why Scandinavians don’t like espresso.”

"Although this gentleman has been trying to move closer to Italian coffee, his long-standing habits have made his coffee stand out from the basics and style that coffee should have."

Upon hearing this, Uesugi Kai understood; this guy had deliberately chosen Italian coffee.

###Chapter 445 Let's go eat barbecue together?###

"This is my business card. Please consider it carefully."

Kai Uesugi accepted the business card from the man with a blank expression, glanced at the name written on it: Manabu Takeuchi.

Ding-a-ling~

The wind chimes rang, and after the uninvited guest left, Uesugi Kai casually placed the business card aside.

Rikako Kohashi glanced at the business card that sat alone in the corner of the front desk and asked him:

"Uesugi-kun, aren't you planning to go?"

"Ah."

Rimi Kohashi was curious about why Kai Uesugi didn't want to go, since Winstons was a very famous coffee shop in Tokyo, and its baristas were all very well-known in the coffee industry, with hundreds of thousands of fans for their online instructional videos.

Working for them can greatly enhance one's qualifications, broaden horizons, promote personal growth, and provide access to resources.

But Uesugi-kun doesn't seem interested at all...

Is it that he can't bear to leave Mimi Coffee Shop, or... does he simply not need to learn and grow?

Rimi Kohashi wasn't really aware of Kai Uesugi's coffee-making skills. She only knew him as the national champion in archery and kendo. As for other things, due to the distance between them, she had never had the chance to learn more about him.

Rimi Kohashi felt very lucky to have run into Kai Uesugi at the Mimi Cafe.

Kai Uesugi: "I've prepared the milk foam for you. Try pulling out a leaf."

"Yes!" Rikako nods immediately, trying to make her voice sound very energetic.

"Uesugi-kun, is there anything you like to do?" Rimi Kohashi asked, looking at Kai Uesugi's handsome profile as they latte art was being done.

"Ask me?" Uesugi Kai put down his phone; he was reading some philosophy study materials.

“Yes.” Rikako nods, looking somewhat cute like a girl.

"I enjoy doing many things. I used to enjoy reading, using books as my window to the world. Now I prefer running."

"Running?" Rikako thought to herself. Uesugi Kai was definitely the kind of guy who liked sports.

"Yes, running is that simple."

Kai Uesugi noticed that the little maid Hanabi was running around the shop busily. Hanabi treated the customers with great respect, and every customer she served would smile because of her cuteness.

Hei Huo is different; he places the plate in front of the customer and then turns and leaves.

His expression wasn't arrogant, just very calm, like a robot performing the most ordinary and mundane task.

The customers didn't seem to care about her service attitude; as soon as they saw her face, any words of blame stuck in their throats.

Uesugi Kai felt that her recent behavior wasn't as exaggerated as before, such as tying people up or doing other things.

If things continue like this, Hanabi's illness... should get better soon.

Five minutes later, at 1:30 pm, Totsuka Katsura arrived late and greeted everyone as soon as he entered.

"good afternoon!"

Kai Uesugi nodded: "Yes, good afternoon."

"Good afternoon, Akae-senpai!"

"Good afternoon." Akane Rina, who was clearing away the plates on the other side, also greeted him with a smile.

"Good afternoon, Yuno!"

"good afternoon."

"Good afternoon, Huayu-chan!"

Hanabi Hanabi ignored him and, after finishing her work, lay down on the seat outside the balcony and took a nap.

Kai Uesugi felt that this guy was a bit too energetic today.

And Hanabi... has her personality suddenly changed again?

Akane Rina came out of the store with a mop and handed it to Totsuka Katsura: "Since you're so happy, how about you help me mop the floor?"

"no problem!"

Totsuka Katsura took the mop and immediately began mopping the floor.

Akane Rina approached the bar, watching Totsuka Katsura's diligent work with a look of curiosity:

"Did something happen to him today?"

Kai Uesugi looked up at Rikako Kohashi, who was diligently learning latte art, and said, "Who knows?"

"I've heard that when guys fall in love, they get excited like him. Is that true?"

“No,” Kai Uesugi said. “I’m not like that.”

"Also, what did that guest talk to you about?"

"He's here to poach people."

"what?"

"I have no plans to leave."

Spending an afternoon in a coffee shop, another simple day has passed.

It was 7:30, a little later than usual.

"Kai-kun, Hanabi's going to throw out the trash, she'll be right back."

"Ok."

After tidying up the counter, Uesugi Kai hung his apron on the hook on the back wall and then prepared to leave work.

He walked around the bar and went to the restroom to use the toilet.

I flushed the toilet, turned around and turned on the tap to wash my hands, and took the opportunity to examine myself in the mirror.

Great, very handsome.

As Uesugi Kai turned around and opened the door, he suddenly noticed several cat-eared maids inside the shop.

They all blocked the doorway, several pairs of eyes staring intently at him.

Rikako Kohashi, Yuri Tashiro, Yuno Tashiro, and Katsura Totsuka are all here.

"?"

Uesugi Kai instinctively took a step back, first looking down to check that her pants were on properly, before looking at them:

"What do you want?"