Don't you guys dislike me?

Opportunities like this don't come often, and Yuichi always keeps a distance from her, and this time is no exception.

The delicate atmosphere was broken as Yuichi took half a step back. The scent between them dissipated due to this half-step interval, allowing the cold air to enter and blowing away the warmth on the girl's face.

Miura Yumiko raised her eyes again and looked at him. Many thoughts flowed in her emerald eyes, but she didn't say them because she was concerned about something.

Maybe he wanted to ask why he asked for leave yesterday afternoon, why such a big thing happened the next day, and whether all this had anything to do with him?

What happened last night?

She was unable to ask, but the strained relationship between them made her always cautious when interacting with Yuichi. Maybe she was afraid of scaring Yuichi away again?

It made her, who was usually straightforward, become timid.

The girl's lips were tightly pursed, and her long eyelashes trembled slightly. This silent gaze seemed to drag Youyi back again.

He hurriedly talked about business and barely managed to resist the gradually forming vortex:

"Yumiko, I may have to trouble you with something today."

"Huh?" Yumiko Miura was slightly stunned. That Yuichi Hoshino actually asked her for help.

The corners of her mouth curled up, and there was a hint of sarcasm in her words:

"Hmph~ Do you have anything else to trouble me with?"

"Well, I accidentally cut my hand while cutting vegetables last night, so I might have to ask you to do the latte art."

"Like this..." The girl glanced at Yuichi's hand with some concern and asked, "Is the wound deep?"

"well enough."

As soon as Yuichi raised his hand, Yumiko took it. His palm was wrapped in bandages. She couldn't see the depth of the wound, but the thick bandage couldn't cover up the blood-red that spread like plum blossoms.

"Have you disinfected it properly?"

When questioning, Miura Yumiko no longer had the frivolous look she had just shown. Instead, her concerned look made Yuichi unsure of how to deal with her for a moment.

“It seems that…”

"Huh?!", angry questions spread in the small coffee shop. Youyi couldn't help but look around. Fortunately, there were no customers in the store now, and the manager was reading the book in his hand intently as if he was deaf.

He tugged at it, trying to withdraw his hand, but failed.

"What do you mean by 'seems'? What if the wound gets infected? The knife that cut you should be clean, right?"

A series of questions followed by those wide eyes came up, and the close distance made Youyi lean back.

"should be…"

In that situation, how could Yuichi know whether the utility knife in Murakami Aiko's hand was rusty or dirty? He could only respond vaguely again.

“Should…?! Huh——”, Miura Yumiko seemed a little angry, she was looking up at Yuichi with her arms crossed.

But as the girl's gaze and aura became increasingly sharp, she seemed to suppress Yuichi invisibly. For a moment, Yuichi didn't know how to deal with Miura Yumiko in this state.

"Really? If you can't help, just go home. What can you do here with a broken hand?"

"I can still do cashiering and stuff like that."

"I really admire you. If that's the case, you should just be a good cashier and don't get involved in other things. Otherwise, your injury, which should have healed long ago, will be delayed. Even if not for yourself, you should think about me."

"I have to do the work for two people here!"

Miura Yumiko stopped asking questions like an old lady, and Yuichi secretly breathed a sigh of relief:

"Then trouble you."

"Since you know you're bothering me, take good care of your injuries and be careful when you're at home."

"Yes yes yes~"

This slightly awkward concern was really not something that people would dislike. His slow smile made Youmeko, who had a serious face, blush suddenly.

The girl turned her back in vain, leaving only her slightly red ears, not knowing how to cover them, and muttered:

"You should change your clothes too!"

……

As guests come and go, the sound of wind chimes rises and falls, but it still cannot be called busy.

Even though the coffee tastes good and the environment is nice, due to its remote location, it is never as popular as the few beverage shops in front of the station.

Few people have the time to walk a long way and then sit patiently in this carefully decorated environment to taste the store manager's unique ingredients and craftsmanship.

The fast-paced life has taken away their private time, and drinks have become more of a stress reliever during work breaks.

Yuichi once thought that this cafe would go bankrupt. With only a few people visiting every day, it was no longer a question of whether it made money or not, but how much loss it would suffer.

But it turned out that his idea was wrong.

The store manager never mentioned any issues regarding store operations in front of them, and as a worker, Youyi had no intention of saying anything.

Looking at the store manager who was reading a hardcover book with great interest, and taking in the quiet surroundings, Youyi couldn't help but think:

Maybe the manager decorated this shop for himself. Maybe he just wanted to enjoy the atmosphere, and selling coffee was just a by-product?

……

The clear light passed through the starry sky pendant, casting scattered shadows. It was almost time for Youyi to get off work.

Yumiko was busy the entire afternoon, doing everything by herself, from preparing the coffee to serving it to the customers. Yuichi stayed at the cash register for two hours.

Although he was injured, he was not unable to do anything. Yuichi felt a little guilty about Miura Yumiko's strong attitude towards taking care of everything.

He glanced sideways inconspicuously and saw the girl half-bending over, washing cups and plates. A few strands of her golden hair were soaked with sweat and stuck to her forehead.

The store had a suitable air conditioner, but it was obviously not enough for the busy girl.

The healthy pink on her pretty face was slightly obscured by a hint of paleness. Even though there were not many customers, her body probably couldn't handle serving two people at once.

Thinking of this, Youyi looked at the store manager who was sitting on a rattan chair reading a book for the whole afternoon, with a gloomy look in his eyes.

Even if they are both part-time workers here, the manager should at least help Yumiko when Yuichi is inconvenienced, right? It's really hard to ask a girl to do so much...

Perhaps noticing Yuichi's gaze, the manager finally raised his head from the book, gave him a meaningful smile, and then continued to bury his head in the book.

The moment their eyes met, Youyi knew that this uncle... was doing it on purpose. If he wasn't there, the manager would definitely come to help.

What a nosy old man. I shouldn't have said so much to him if I had known.

Thinking of this, it was hard for Yuichi to just sit there at the cash register as if nothing had happened, so he decided to share some of the burden with Yumiko.

Yuichi walked out of the bar without noticing the cessation of the running water. He came to the wooden table and prepared to wash the last few cups.

When he turned around and was about to go back, Miura Yumiko, with her sleeves rolled up, was standing in front of him, staring at Yuichi with her emerald eyes. Even though she was very beautiful, he still looked away.

"Thank you for your hard work this afternoon. Let me do this little thing."

The girl's beautiful eyes widened slightly, and her blue eyes were filled with a smile, as if her busy afternoon had paid off. Her dry lips were a little painful when she smiled...

Mutual dedication is the key to maintaining a relationship. Since Yuichi's sudden departure that day, their relationship has become strained.

I didn't know how to start a conversation at school, and when I was working, most of the time I talked about work. I didn't dare to get close to her easily. It seemed that their relationship could no longer be mixed with personal emotions, and the two of them were like familiar strangers.

She tried to talk to Yuichi, but he never opened up to her like he used to.

It’s not that she hasn’t reflected on herself, but the conclusions she came to were a little hard for her to accept and a little incomprehensible.

Could it be that incident? Because of that incident? Is Yuichi's... heart too sensitive?

However, the stiff relationship has loosened up. Yumiko is in a good mood. She snatched the cup from Yuichi's hand and hummed:

"That won't work. What if your hand is injured and you can't hold it steady? I don't want my whole afternoon to be wasted because of your carelessness."

Without saying anything, Yumiko Miura took a few cups and returned to the kitchen. The sound of running water could be heard, accompanied by soft humming.

His original intention was not to let Yumiko get tired, but seeing that she seemed to be very happy while washing, Yuichi didn't say much.

Youmeiko, who was humming a little tune, suddenly stopped, wiped her hands a few times, picked up her cell phone to check the time, and continued to wash with her head down.

But this time she washed very quickly, as if she was in a hurry? No... should it be said that she was looking forward to it?

After all, she was smiling.

When it was seven o'clock, the store manager closed the book he never tired of reading and did a final check.

Yumiko Miura carefully looked at every detail of her face, then applied the lipstick on her lips, then smoothed a few strands of hair on her forehead, and then slowly came out of the lounge.

The girl's heart was leaping with excitement. She quickly scanned the hall and finally saw Youyi's figure at the door. She hurried over in two steps.

Yumiko opened her mouth and called out to Yuichi, but as she got closer, Tachibana Haruna, who was blocked by Yuichi, also came into her sight.

The words I had prepared long ago were stuck in my throat, unable to come out or swallow.

183. Yumiko's Mother

"Ms. Yang…Ju."

Miura Yumiko spoke in a particularly stiff voice, her pretty eyebrows were furrowed, but her mouth was smiling.

It seems that ever since Tachibana Haruna knew that Yuichi was working here, she would come to pick him up after get off work from time to time.

Are you Yuichi's mother?

"Ah~ Miura-san, good evening."

When in front of people she is not very familiar with, Tachibana Haruna always smiles gently, and she doesn't care about the change in the address of Miura Yumiko.

Instead, she tilted her head and leaned forward, letting her long hair fall down. The light in the store made her already soft hair color look even more gentle.

"Good evening... Miss Tachibana is here to pick up Yuichi again?"

"Well, I'm his neighbor anyway. I happened to pass by here after get off work, so we can go home together."

Before she finished her words, Tachibana Haruna felt Yuichi's questioning gaze. She retracted her head and winked at Yuichi, telling him not to care about such a small matter.

How could a coffee shop in a remote alley be convenient? She had to work hard every time she came here.

"It's almost time. Yuichi and I will go back first. Bye, Miura-san."

"Well, bye..."

Yuichi also waved to Miura Yumiko and prepared to leave.

"Hey! I'm not saying goodbye to you."

Yuichi turned around puzzledly, looked at the girl's hand holding his clothes, thought for a moment and said:

"Thanks to your help, otherwise my salary today might have been deducted to a fraction of what it was."

"I didn't want you to thank me, idiot."

Youyouko muttered, and her raised face drooped again, and a light pink spread across her pretty cheeks, but it was not obvious.

"What is that...?"

She calmed down, but still reluctantly... or rather, not quite frankly said:

"hand."

Hearing this, Youyi understood and put his hand in front of her.

"I'll give you one last reminder before you go home. Don't let your wound get wet and change the bandage in time to prevent it from getting worse. If you really can't come tomorrow, don't come and stay home."

Yumiko's mother kept nagging him and Yuichi listened silently. She was always concerned about her friends. Perhaps that was the reason why she went to find Kotonoha to ask for punishment when she heard that Tobe Sho was being bullied.

"Hey! Are you listening to me?!"

"I'm listening."

Yuichi smiled calmly, but Miura Yumiko felt that he was just fooling a child. She pouted her lips, looking a little displeased.

Tachibana Haruna stayed quietly aside without interrupting. The faint sound of conversation reached her ears and made her eyelids droop, as if she was thinking about something.

"If the wound still hasn't healed after a few days, don't be stubborn. Go to the hospital if you need to. Originally..."

The chattering voice suddenly stopped, which seemed a bit abrupt. Yuichi asked:

"What was it?"

With her bangs covering her face, Yumiko glanced at Tachibana Haruna calmly, fiddled with her long hair, and said calmly:

"Nothing...see you at school tomorrow. I'm leaving now."

Without waiting for Youyi's reply, she walked away in a hurry and soon disappeared into the darkness.