Heavy girl? I feel worse than Black Hole Trigger!

"……What do you mean?"

There was no sales pitch, no forced purchase, and it couldn't even be called a chat, because the man went back to the counter on his own, looking as if he was too tired to say another word.

"what do you mean?"

For example, after hearing her question, the man didn't even turn around.

Shiina Riki slowly asked, "Do you really just want me to come in and sit down?"

"..."

The man stopped what he was doing.

He seemed to be lost in thought and was silent for a second before turning the stool to face Shiina Riki.

The face that had been frozen in astonishment turned to the girl, and then a look of "Isn't this also good?" appeared on it, and even its voice seemed to soften.

"Didn't I say that from the beginning?"

After he finished speaking, his eyes were almost as friendly as if he was looking at a preschool child.

“…——.”

Bathed in that kind of gaze, many fragments flashed through Shiina Riki's little head in an instant.

The fluctuating thoughts and emotions that had been mixed together into a vortex were forcefully blended into words.

She slowly spoke—

"……what?"

Lost Star Chapter 32 Summer Time Record: Chapter He Will Give It His All

"Zheli! We are here."

The first thing Nagasaki Suyo did when she stepped into Nascita was to wave to the man at the counter.

Toyokawa Shoko first saw the girl wearing the "Higaoka Girls' Academy" uniform sitting near the gate and by the window.

"Oh, Sushi... Welcome."

Baodeng Zheli turned around his stool, half-raised his hand and waved it at Su Shi. When he noticed the other people following her, he put away his lazy smile and greeted them with a slightly serious expression.

Toyokawa Shoko smiled and bowed to him, Wakaba Mutsu did the same, while Gao Songdeng stood there in a daze staring at Zheli for a moment before lowering his head, timidly raising his arms and shaking them gently a few times.

Then, Toyokawa Shoko came over to the girl who was looking over at them after taking off her headphones, and smiled broadly.

"It's Shiina-san, right? Hello!"

"Oh, oh... hello."

Shiina Riki responded stumblingly.

While Toyokawa Shoko was chatting with Shiina Riki, Sushi ran over to Zheli and said with a smile, "Zheli, how's business today?"

"As you can see."

Zhe Li heard the sarcasm in Su Shi's words, and spread his hands in the middle of the empty and quiet coffee shop with a helpless expression.

"I'm waiting for Miss Sushi to feed me."

Nearly an hour had passed since the opening hours, and the first group of customers turned out to be members of an unknown band led by Toyokawa Shoko. The cool-looking girl in a Yugaoka uniform didn't order anything in the end, and the remaining milk in the glass had been diluted by the melted ice into ice water with a slight milky flavor.

Although Zheli has long been accustomed to it.

The location of this cafe is terrible: it is hidden deep in the alley, and it is basically impossible to pass by it by chance unless you look for it specifically. The few new customers who visit here only gradually increased after Zheli logged the store on Google Maps at Su Shi's reminder a while ago.

Zheli has never done any publicity or promotional activities, and its main focus is to go with the flow.

Fortunately, he doesn't rely on the income from the cafe to support himself...

"Well, what does Xiao Zheli want to eat?" Nagasaki Suye smiled with her hand covering her mouth.

Hearing this junior high school kid speaking in such a doting tone, Zhe Li rolled his eyes at first, then immediately followed suit, also putting on a smile, and confronted Su Shi head-on:

"What does little Sushi want to feed me then?"

So Nagasaki Suyo's smile widened, "Hmm~ How about omurice today?"

Omurice? Baodeng Zheli was excited: "How much extra will it take to make it delicious?"

"Huh..." Su Shi was stunned for a moment, stroking her cheek with a distressed look: "I don't have a maid uniform at home."

"?" Zhe Li looked at her with empty eyes, pretending to be in deep thought.

"I didn't say I had to do that, did I?"

"But," Su Shi tilted her head and blinked her bright eyes, "Zhe Li doesn't want to see it?"

“…it is an offence to employ a child who has not yet reached the age of 15 on March 3st.”

The girl raised her head and stared at the man's face. "If you don't pay me, it's not considered as employment."

"..."

Zhe Li was speechless and had to reach out and tap Su Shi's forehead lightly. She immediately pretended to cover her head and cried out in pain.

"Mr. Suyo! It's almost time to start." Toyokawa Shoko's voice called out from not far away.

Su Shi's smile paused for a moment, then turned back into a graceful smile:

"Yes~ I'll be right there."

Then he turned back to face Zhe Li, stared at him for a second, suddenly laughed, said nothing, and ran towards the big table chosen by everyone.

Baodeng Zheli just looked at her back with a slightly helpless expression.

Why does it feel like she's becoming more and more articulate?

At first, Zhe Li often chatted with Nagasaki Suyo because of her typical duplicity. However, as time went by, the little brat became less and less willing to hide her true feelings, and even made some outrageous jokes... No, to her, they might not be jokes.

However, there are some things she can say, but Zhe Li cannot respond with the same attitude.

Tolerating children's nonsense is a sign of maturity for adults, while talking nonsense to children is irresponsible.

Because they will take it seriously.

"'Today's victory is Baodeng Zheli's defeat.'..."

Baodeng Zheli muttered something in a low voice, and then suddenly showed a bright smile.

The long-forgotten memories brought back a long-lost emotion. Perhaps it could be called nostalgia.

I don’t know when it started, but I went from being a fool who would talk about anime with complete strangers online until late at night to an “adult” who would worry about the future for no reason even if he didn’t do anything.

If you ask what value there is in a life that has fallen into this state—

"Welcome to 'nascita'."

The blond man handed the menu to the girls.

"What would you like to order today?"

——Let those children who are destined to become the “protagonists” find half a day of leisure and take a break here.

Perhaps this is the only thought that can make this unsuccessful coffee shop manager devote all his energy to this.

●

"Well, Riki-san, could you please introduce yourself?" said Toyokawa Shoko.

"...I'm Shiina." Shiina Riki answered stiffly.

Ah, this child doesn’t seem to be very good at communicating with others.

Baodeng Zheli was leisurely pulling the flowers while commenting in his heart.

The advantage of being a coffee shop manager is that even if you openly listen to customers' conversations at the counter, you can't be criticized by anyone. This is one of the reasons why Bao Deng Zheli still insists on running this shop even though he doesn't make much money:

He found it really quite amusing.

"Lixi's sister is a very powerful person!"

The atmosphere seemed to be a little tense for a moment, and Nagasaki Suyo smoothly took over the topic:

"When she was the head of the wind band, she also participated in the local orchestra and won first prize in a competition."

Nagasaki Motoyo's voice sounded quite high and excited.

However, after spending several weeks together day and night, Baodeng Zheli now clearly knew that she was deliberately speaking with her throat pinched.

Is this Miss Nagasaki Motoyo's character at school? She's really working hard... but it's also kind of funny.

Baodeng Zheli was feeling pity and cuteness for Su Shi, and was not sure whether he should continue to smile.

The atmosphere of the girls' conversation over there suddenly became more solemn after one sentence -

"...Does that have anything to do with the present?"

Shiina Riki held his cheek with one hand, and asked in a low voice as if he was angrily.

"Ah...it's okay, that's right." Nagasaki Suyo quickly replied, "I'm sorry."

Although he had his back to the counter, Bao Deng Zeli could still hear some of Shiina Riki's emotions from the gloomy tone.

This child seems to have been overshadowed by his sister since he was young.

Baodeng Zheli can understand.

When he was a child, he was hit by his elder sister who seemed to be able to do everything and lost his confidence. But later he found out that his sister was just good at learning and there were still many things she was not good at. He also had a younger sister who was dumber, which gave him some psychological balance and prevented him from taking his disappointment in himself out on his sister.

So what about this Shiina classmate?

...Perhaps, we can only see if Toyokawa or Suyo can help her overcome the difficulties.

Zhe Li looked at the girl's back and silently sent her blessings in his heart.

Lost Star Chapter 33 Summer Time Record: Chapter Poetry

At this moment when the girls were speechless and the atmosphere became even more solemn.

"Please use."

Baodeng Zheli brought them the drinks they ordered.

Wakaba Mutsu had mango juice, Toyokawa Shoko had espresso, Shiina Riki and Takamatsu Touma each had a mocha coffee... Until he brought her Su Shi's Earl Grey tea, he saw her smile widely at him.

Maybe he was thanking himself for choosing the right time to resolve some awkwardness.

"There are also sugar and milk." The store manager placed a bag of sugar and a small cup of milk on Toyokawa Shoko's table.

"Please enjoy."

"Thank you." Toyokawa Shoko nodded politely, took a sip of coffee, and opened her eyes in surprise: "It's delicious! The aroma of coffee is very rich."

Su Shi blinked after hearing this, and turned his head to look at Zhe Li who was about to return to the counter.

She just glanced at him and turned back to the table, but Zhe Li knew what she was thinking.

"It's just the coffee machine's fault." Zhe Li said.

After all, as long as he knew how to use a coffee machine, it was difficult to make bad coffee. Furthermore, his Blood Star physique allowed him to perform every action with unparalleled precision. When he had previously told Su Shi that "tea tastes better than coffee," he was quite literally good at making tea, and if he had to make a cup of coffee, it wouldn't be that bad either.

He suspected that Albert had deliberately added something to the coffee to make it look like a cup of muddy water...

"Well--"

Between these words, Shiina Riki seemed to suddenly realize that he had said something out of turn, and lowered his head to sip his mocha coffee.

"...delicious."

She was not as good at appreciation as Toyokawa Shoko, so she just uttered the word slowly.

Baodeng Zheli uses Arabica beans produced in Kenya, which have a full-bodied, sweet and sour fruity flavor. They are brewed into mocha coffee and flavored with a little chocolate and milk foam to dilute the bitterness of the coffee beans themselves, allowing you to taste the rich aroma.

The bitterness was diluted by the sweetness, and the sour and sweet taste of the fruit balanced it, and her mood seemed to calm down a little.

She raised her head and happened to see Gao Songdeng across the table also sucking on a straw with his head down.

To be honest, her first impression of this timid-looking girl was not very good.

Although it is not clear what position she holds in the band, given her personality, it seems that it will be difficult to integrate her into the band.

Now, she didn't know if it was because the delicious coffee made her feel a little happier, but looking at the other person's appearance, she felt that he was as cute as a little animal.