Green plums cannot become lovers.

"Then pay up, four thousand yen will do."

However, the girl who had been so aggressive just moments before suddenly became embarrassed. Her fingers twisted the strap of her handbag, her gaze darting around, but she dared not look at his palm.

The girl's lips moved, but her voice trailed off.

"Um... could you give me a few more days?" Her voice trailed off. "I don't have that much money right now..."

She had spent almost all her money during the dormitory stay. Buying snacks, drinks, and going out for desserts with everyone added up to a lot of miscellaneous expenses, leaving her wallet quite empty. She had hoped to save some money before the summer vacation ended, but unexpectedly, a "couple's fee" suddenly appeared.

Looking at her embarrassed appearance, An and Asuka recalled the expression on Komari Chika's face a few days ago when she owed him four thousand yen... The same head down, the same fingers twisting the hem of her clothes, the same "Could you make an exception for a few days?"

He couldn't help but laugh.

"Ok."

"Thank you so much!" Salted Lemon said, pressing his palms together and bowing deeply with heartfelt gratitude.

The two exchanged pleasantries for a while longer. A night breeze blew by, carrying the coolness unique to early autumn, washing away the daytime heat. The ginkgo trees along the roadside had already begun to turn yellow, and a few leaves drifted down from the branches, twirling in the air before landing on the sidewalk with a soft rustling sound.

"Then goodbye, Anwa... no, Asuka!" Roasted Salt Lemon waved and said with a smile.

The nickname "Flying Bird" seemed to slip out from between her fingers; she herself was taken aback for a moment, but didn't change it.

"Okay, goodbye." An and Asuka waved as well.

They said goodbye, but neither of them turned around first. The night wind blew between them, carrying the lights of a distant convenience store and the hum of a vending machine. They stood under the streetlight, looking at each other, neither moving.

"Why aren't you leaving?" Salted Lemon asked first.

“I’m waiting for you to go first,” An and Asuka said honestly.

The salted lemon paused for a moment, then burst out laughing. The laughter echoed through the quiet street, crisp like someone tapping a wind chime in the distance.

"Haha, it seems we think the same way."

She laughed so hard she bent over, wiping away the tears that welled up in her eyes. "But it's not good to keep staring like this... How about this, I'll count to three, and we'll turn around and leave together, okay?"

"Okay."

"Okay, one, two, three!! Hey, turn around, no cheating!" She pointed at An and Asuka, her eyes wide. "One more time!"

"it is good."

"one two Three!"

This time, the two turned around at the same time and started walking at the same time. The footsteps echoed twice on the empty street, then faded into the distance, becoming fainter and fainter. The streetlights pulled their shadows from behind to in front of them, and then flung them back behind them.

The girl took a few steps, then couldn't help but look back. The boy's shadow stretched long under the streetlight; he neither stopped nor turned around.

She watched the figure grow smaller and smaller until it was almost out of sight. Then she turned around again and started walking.

This time, she didn't look back.

But after she turned around, the boy stopped at the street corner. He turned back, watched the girl's retreating figure for a while, then turned around again and continued walking.

Both of them turned around, yet each believed the other hadn't. The stars twinkled in the night sky, witnessing it all.

An and Asuka finally felt much more relaxed over the next two days.

He had no 'apprentices' to teach, nor did he need to be anyone's boyfriend. He spent two days in a relationship with Anna Hanami and Hana Himegami.

Today was also their date, and they chose a coffee shop as the location.

As An and Asuka pushed open the door to the coffee shop, the wind chimes tinkled. He glanced inside habitually, then froze.

The shop is warmly lit, with orange-yellow lights streaming down from the ceiling spotlights and onto the dark brown wooden tables and chairs, creating a lazy and cozy atmosphere.

Several tables of customers were seated in the booths against the wall; some were drinking coffee, some were eating desserts, and some were just looking down at their phones.

Everything is normal

What's unusual is the waiters' attire.

A girl dressed in a black and white maid outfit walked out from behind the bar, holding a steaming latte in her hand, her skirt swaying gently with her steps.

She wore a lemon-shaped hair accessory and had a professional smile on her face, but that smile froze instantly when she saw the person at the door.

"Welcome, Master—" Her voice trailed off, as if someone had pressed the pause button, "An, Anhe classmate?!"

Before An and Asuka could answer, another head peeked out from behind the bar. Wine-red hair, light-colored hair clips, and timid eyes. Komari Chika, also dressed in a maid outfit and holding a notepad for taking orders, immediately shrank behind the bar upon seeing An and Asuka, only half her face showing.

Half of her face was already completely red, from her cheeks to her ears, and from her ears to her neck.

"What are you doing...?"

An and Asuka looked at them, unsure what to say. The salted lemon was one thing, but then there was Komari Chika, dressed in a maid outfit.

Her face was so red; she was clearly so shy.

Shao Yanli quickly delivered the coffee to the customer's table, then jogged back to the door, explaining in a low voice, "I... I work here to pay off my debts! Xiao Ju too!"

“I know you’re working.” An and Asuka looked at her maid outfit, then at the red head behind the bar that seemed to want to disappear into the ground. “But you didn’t say it was a maid cafe.”

He truly didn't expect to meet these two girls here today.

"If I told you, you wouldn't have come?" Salted Lemon tilted its head.

An and Asuka thought about it; how could he possibly miss out on such a good thing?

"They will come too."

"That's settled then!" Salted Lemon put his hands on his hips confidently, then, remembering something, lowered them and put on a professional smile again. "Welcome, master. How many are in your party?"

“...One.” Anwa Asuka couldn’t help but smile as she looked at her trying so hard to maintain her “maid” persona.

"Yes, Master, this way please."

Salted Lemon made a "please" gesture and led him to a seat by the window. She handed him the menu, her movements a little clumsy, and the menu almost slipped from her hand, but she caught it quickly.

"Um... what brings you here today?" she asked softly, glancing towards the bar as if to make sure Komari Chika was listening.

"Just passing by." An and Asuka flipped through the menu. "Saw the sign, so I came in and had a seat."

"You're lying." Salted Lemon didn't believe it. "You're definitely doing this on purpose to make a fool of us."

"Do I look like that kind of person? Besides, I didn't even know you guys were working here."

"So you mean you just decided to come and see for yourself on a whim?"

The look in the salted lemon suddenly turned dangerous.

An and Asuka closed the menu and looked at her.

"Okay, I lied to you." He paused, then said, "I was waiting for someone."

"Hanami and Himegami-kun?"

“Yes, that’s right.” An and Asuka nodded in agreement.

"Honestly, why did you choose this place as your meeting place?"

The roasted salt lemon is really ridiculous. What couple would choose this as their date spot? A regular coffee shop would be one thing, but this is a maid cafe!

"I don't understand what they're thinking either."

An and Asuka relaxed their shoulders, but quickly changed the subject, saying, "However, I didn't expect you to look so good in a maid outfit, Lemon."

The dark brown skin did not detract from the beauty of the maid outfit; on the contrary, it looked quite harmonious.

"you!"

The woman with the salted lemon blushed instantly. She lowered her head, flipped the menu to the first page, and pretended to introduce the drinks in a muffled voice.

"...Black tea or coffee?"

"Black tea." (u[尔医叁气z（六^）拌貳)

"Hot or cold?"

“Ice?? Two? Blame gas tumor pull full mirror?? Lü?.

"anything else?"

What do you have today?

Salted Lemon glanced down at the small notebook in her apron pocket, where the names of today's desserts were scrawled in crooked handwriting.

She held the notebook up to her eyes and squinted at it for a while.

"Cheese, cheese... cheesecake, and chocolate mousse."

"Then let's have one of both."

"Okay, okay." She closed the notebook and turned to leave.

“Lemon,” An and Asuka called out to her.

"Hmm?" She turned around.

"You tied your apron crooked."

Looking down, Salted Lemon noticed that the left strap was indeed longer than the right, causing her apron to hang askew. She quickly reached out to adjust it, but her fingers wouldn't cooperate, and she couldn't tie it properly. An and Asuka stood up, walked behind her, and helped her untie the strap and re-tie it.

They worked very quickly, finishing in less than ten seconds.

"All right."

Burnt Salt Lemon stood there, his back to him, feeling his ears burning.

“Thank you,” she said softly, then quickly walked to the bar.

Behind the bar, Komari Chika buried her face behind the menu, only her eyes showing. Those eyes curved slightly when she saw Roasted Salt Lemon walk back, her face flushed.

"What are you laughing at?" Salted Lemon asked in a low voice.

"N-no." Komari Chika held the menu up even higher, covering her face.

Your face is all red.

"You too."

The two looked at each other and sighed simultaneously.

An and Asuka sat by the window, watching the two girls behind the bar, dressed in maid outfits, both blushing. They picked up the iced water that had been brought to them sometime earlier and took a sip. The ice cubes clinked crisply in the glass.

Outside the window, the sun is shining brightly.

As summer drew to a close, the sun softened a bit, no longer so glaring or scorching, its warmth on the skin feeling like someone gently pressing their palm against it.

On the street, people were walking their dogs, pushing strollers, and queuing for coffee at a convenience store. Everything was quiet, ordinary, and commonplace.

An and Asuka leaned back in their chairs, looking out the window and then back into the shop.

Salted Lemon was walking over with his black tea, his skirt swaying gently, trying his best to maintain the composure of a "maid," but the cup on the tray was trembling slightly.

Komari Chika peeked out from behind the bar, holding a piece of cheesecake in her hand. She seemed to be waiting for the salted lemon to go first, or perhaps she was hesitating whether to deliver it herself.

But in the end, she mustered up the courage to come out from behind the bar.

Since they've already been seen, there's no point in trying to hide them anymore.

Komari Chika carried the tray to Anwa Asuka's side, then shakily took out the cake and placed it on the table.

"Master, master ...

Despite trying to encourage herself, when she actually stood in front of the boy, Xiaoju Zhihua was so nervous that she couldn't speak properly, and her stuttering was much worse than usual.

Upon seeing this, An and Asuka couldn't help but smile.

He felt a slight urge to tease her, so he smiled slightly and said, "Hey, is Little Ju really that unwilling to treat me properly?"

No, no, that's not it.

Komari Chika shook her head abruptly, her face flushed with embarrassment.

"Then why didn't you call me?"

Before Komari Chika could answer, An and Asuka suddenly heard two faint voices behind them.

"Birds?"

"What do you want Xiao Ju to call you?"

Anhe Asuka: "...Qi San Si? Weapon Master_Volume 1: Chapter 278 The Plan"

The maid café is lit with warm yellow lights that shine on the dark brown wooden tables and chairs, creating a lazy and cozy atmosphere.

In the booth by the window, Anna Hanami and Karen Himemiya sat side by side, with An and Asuka opposite them.