Volume 2, Epilogue
“Whoa~”
The box was opened to reveal a chocolate cream cake shaped like a log stump. Atop the stump stood a small spirit figure in green, playing with butterflies and flowers. The girl who came to pick it up with her mother saw the cake that looked like a scene in a play, and their eyes sparkled with anticipation. The mother smiled at her daughter and handed money to Helena.
Helena closed the box that the girl was peeking into, swiftly wrapped it, and handed it to the girl in a paper bag.
“I’ll hold the cake!”
“What?!”
The girl exclaimed, and her mother and Helena stared at her in shock. Not only was the weight too much for a four or five year old girl, but neither Helena nor the girl’s mother could fathom letting the small girl carry such a delicately decorated cake by herself.
They tried to persuade her to give up, but the girl stood her ground stubbornly, pouting and sulking in silence and troubling the two adults. Risa, who had been watching them, ran out of the store with a small paper bag in hand. She turned to face the showcase at the storefront, and took out the decorative flowers lining the cake box, putting them into the paper bag. She squatted down to the little girl’s height.
“The cake is really heavy, so why don’t you hold these?”
“These?” freew(e)bnove(l)
“Once you get home, you can decorate the cake box with them. Can we count on you to do that, miss?”
“Yeah!”
Feeling her responsibility grow from being called miss, the girl nodded firmly. Risa glanced at Helena and the girl’s mother, who were both sighing in relief. Risa watched the girl hold her mother’s hand in one hand and the paper bag in another leave, then she flipped the sign on the door before going back into the store.
She was closing up early for her employees’ sake as well. The mother and daughter were the last customers for the day.
They quickly cleaned up and began getting ready to go home. Olivia was planning on spending time with her son, and Helena and Alan were going to hang out with their families for the new year.
“We are heading out then.”
“Thanks for all your hard work!”
After the three people went home, Risa and Zeke changed out of their uniforms and headed upstairs. They had a date tonight. Risa’s spirit, Basil, read the mood and disappeared off somewhere.
The two of them cooked side by side in the small kitchen on the second floor. It was much smaller than the café kitchen, and they brushed each other every time one of them moved. freeweb(n)ovel.com
“Mm, this is good!”
Risa exclaimed as she tried the finished soup.
“Eh, really?”
Zeke stopped working on the salad he was making and moved near her. Thinking he wanted to taste it too, Risa spooned a spoonful of soup from the pot.
“Here, a sip for you too.”
“I’ll just have it here.”
Zeke pushed away Risa’s hand that held the spoon and circled his other hand behind Risa’s head, pulling her close.
“Eh, mmm!”
Risa’s yelp was silenced by Zeke’s lips and his tongue invaded her inadvertently opened mouth. Risa lost all strength in her as Zeke’s tongue searched for traces of the soup in her mouth, and the spoon in her hand fell into the pot of soup. Zeke’s hand that had pushed hers away circled around her waist, which Risa relied on to stay standing.
After a while, Zeke released Risa’s lips and murmured satisfyingly, “Mm. It’s good.”
Risa’s foggy vision snapped back into focus with his words.
“D-d-didn’t you want a taste?”
“Yeah, and I got a taste of both you and the soup.”
“!!”
Zeke said boldly, even sealing it with an extra kiss. Although it had already been half a year since they began dating, Risa was still being teased left and right. Zeke in love wore his emotions on his sleeve, completely the opposite of Zeke at work.
Risa stewed in her heart, both happy and frustrated by his honesty. Embarrassed, she rescued the dropped spoon from the bottom of the pot while Zeke chuckled.
“Geez, don’t laugh!”
She glared at Zeke as she placed the soupy spoon in the sink. He only laughed harder.
“Ah, I just thought you’re so cute.”
He said as he again circled his hands around Risa’s waist and pulled her in. Risa didn’t struggle and quietly fit herself in between Zeke’s arms. Zeke leaned over a little and gazed at Risa.
“Did you hate it?”
“…I don’t…hate it, but that was mean.”
Risa said, looking away in embarrassment. She rested her head on Zeke’s chest, and Zeke’s arms squeezed her slightly in a hug.
“Even if I’m mean, I want to see all the different faces you can make.”
“Ughh…”
Risa groaned. Zeke laughed and leaned forward to speak in her ear.
“I like you, Miss Risa.”
“…Me too.”
Zeke’s eyes widened as he did not expect such an honest answer, and he smiled happily. He raised Risa’s chin and they kissed.
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