He slowly got used to the environment he was unused to, and after a week, Amane had some grasp of the work.
His job was mainly to serve the customers, and not to make any dishes, which relieved him.
There was no need for him to brew coffee for the customers, but he was taught how to brew coffee at the counter as practice. The cafe placed a high emphasis on coffee, and would not allow any compromise of taste.
Any variations in the beans and the granules meant that the extraction temperature and time would change. Amane had to keep practicing as this was the flavor to be provided to the customers, until he could replicate it.
In any case, he should be able to brew a decent coffee as long as he remembered the timing, and how to use the equipment. After serious coaching and continual practice, Amane managed to do it.
“Hmm, it’s nice.”
There were few customers, and thus a certain frequency of orders. Kayano and Oohashi handled the outside, and Amane was assigned to train under Miyamoto.
It was a siphon brewed coffee, as to be expected of a cafe, and it seemed fine.
“You can shorten the extraction time, I guess.”
“I used the timer though…”
“You aren’t familiar with it and delayed it, I guess. Also, you got nervous since you’ll be serving it to the customers, right?”
“Sorry, I’ll deal with it.”
Miyamoto was not being strict and nitpicky; on the contrary, he was kindly explaining things, detailed and patient. Amane was not confident enough to brew coffee for the customers however, and it probably was a reason why he spent too much time. Also, the siphon was made of glass, and he was worried if he broke it.
It seemed Miyamoto too understood what Amane was thinking, I didn’t dare touch it either when I started out. It looks fragile after all, he chuckled.
“Just don’t break it, and don’t be too violent, and you’ll be fine. You’re rather delicate at handling things.”
“That’s good…”
“I think you’re being so attentive about this because Rino broke it on her first day, Fujimiya-kun. Don’t worry, it’s a human error, it’s not like you’ll be scolded that badly if you break one. If you break a few of them however, the owner’s probably going to scold you with a troubled look.”
“It sounds like you experienced that yourself.”
“Rino did that.”
The owner’s face froze back then, Miyamoto gave a nostalgic look as he whispered so. Amane responded with an ambiguous smile, quietly swore to pay attention, and took a sip of Miyamoto’s coffee, followed by his.
The rich bitterness spread on his tongue. The bitterness would not last too long on the tongue, and instead would give a warmth aftertaste with depth.
He did not like coffee that was extremely acidic, and this coffee was a fine blend of acrid and acidic, and the slight sweetness of the beans. It was delectable.
“Ah, it’s so good. Looks fragrant~”
Amane took a quick break while nobody placed an order, and Oohashi suddenly entered, with saucers and used plates in hand. The customers must have left, and clean up was needed.
“Fujimiya-chan, give me a sip.”
Oohashi put the plates into the trough, and asked for Amane’s coffee. Amane wondered what to do, and the next moment, Miyamoto tugged her by the neck, pulling her away.
“Oy, Fujimiya has a girlfriend. Don’t do anything that’ll cause a misunderstanding.”
“Ah, sorry, looks like he has. I got a lot of brothers though, so I don’t really care.”
Amane had explained the reason why he was working, which was why Miyamoto stopped Oohashi, who obediently backed off.
On one hand, Miyamoto was clearly looking dumbfounded, and on the other, Oohashi was giving a dumb smile. They appeared to be really close, unlike normal colleagues, or so Amane seriously thought over the past week, but he had been wondering if he should ask them about this.
“You two really are on good terms.”
“We’ve childhood friends. Together for twenty years or so.”
“Well, I can say we’re platonic at least.”
“How rude!?”
The displeased Oohashi swung a karate chop at Miyamoto’s flank, and was pinched on her own, squealing away.
This bond was not something that could occur over a single day. Amane immediately understood the reason for their intimacy.
Even then, they seemed to be a little too close as childhood friends. He had no childhood friends, and so he tilted his head, not knowing if this was normal.
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