Blend 3

A few days passed, and Hachi was beginning to get used to Clara. She still got on his nerves now and then, but she was doing a good job; she generally treated the coffee with respect and always tried her best. Hachi could tolerate that.

“Mr Hachi, can I ask you something?” Clara asked.

“Every time you ask me something, I feel a little part of me die,” Hachi responded. He would have only thought this a few days ago, but now he had learned that he could say this to her without her getting offended.

Hachi was good with coffee but not with other people. He was never particularly good with communication. It was too much hassle. Perhaps having Clara around wasn’t a bad thing after all.

“Did you name the shop after yourself?”

For once, it was not a dumb question. Hachi thought to himself, his mental image of Clara improving somewhat.

“Oh, no, it’s the name that came with the café when I bought it,” He replied.

“So the eight in the title is just a coincidence?” She asked, clearly doubting him.

“I suppose so,” He shrugged.

She paused for a moment to think before asking.

“Then do you believe in fate?”

“I believe we are all going to die in a year. I suppose that’s fate.”

“No, I meant like destiny. Like, say, our meeting. Do you think that was predetermined?”

“No,” He brutally responded. Though he was grateful to have improved his communication abilities thanks to her, he also didn’t think it was predetermined or fate. Just luck, she stumbled in here, and he said what he did—just pure luck.

“You don’t think it was a predetermined meeting?” She asked again, looking devastated to hear that from Hachi.

“Nope,” Hachi responded brutally honest once again.

“You just don’t see the beauty of encounters,” She pouted.

“Suppose not,” Hachi was already tired from the conversation.

The doorbell rang, and a young boy and girl who looked to be Clara’s age walked in.

“Welcome to Eight Blends. What can we get for you today?”

“Um, could we get two hot chocolates and a strawberry shortcake to split between us?” The girl responded.

“Have here?” Clara asked.

“Yes, thanks,” The girl replied.

“Grab a seat anywhere,” Hachi commented as he was already preparing the hot chocolates.

Clara grabbed a bottle of water for the two of them before heading back to prepare the strawberry shortcake.

Hachi began work on the hot chocolates. Many would be familiar with making hot chocolates at home, yet that drivel had a higher sugar content and much lower caffeine. Hachi would never lend himself to such a vulgar lesser drink. He believed in the pure stuff. That being said, he wasn’t opposed to the sweetness of the drink. It was all about the balance.

Hachi used rich chocolate, although he would have preferred dark chocolate; however, its bitterness might be too intense for most customers. Rich chocolate also presented its own challenges. Making the perfect hot chocolate was all about timing the melt of the chocolate just right. Hachi gently melted the chocolate to ensure the ideal consistency and a good blend of flavours with the coffee.

To top it off, he added a marshmallow to each drink. Since there were two hot chocolates, he opted to go with one pink and one white. It would upset the balance of the hot chocolate to have the same-coloured marshmallow for both.

As he laid the drink down, the boy turned to Hachi and blurted out.

“Mr… How do you have sex?”

“…”

Hachi stared with a dead expression for a moment before commenting, “Newbie, this is a problem for you to listen to.”

Hachi began to walk off, but Clara grabbed his arm.

“Why me?”

“Because this is something I don’t want to deal with.”

“I’m sorry I asked. Forget about it.” The boy looked embarrassed.

“No, we would both be happy to discuss things.” Clara commented on behalf of both of them and gestured comedically to Hachi, “Mr. Hachi here is just a tsundere.”

Tsundere? Where the hell was Clara getting all this? Hachi thought to himself.

“So what’s this about…” Clara looked around the empty store before whispering, “…sex?”

The boy shifted awkwardly, and the girl looked straight down, not making eye contact with anyone.

“You see, um… We have been friends for a long time.”

“Yeah,” Clara nodded.

“Well, we don’t have long left, and we both don’t want to die as virgins.” The boy added.

Although the girl was still looking down, her face was now a bright red.

“So yeah…” the boy trailed off.

That doesn’t explain much, Hachi thought to himself. Do they not teach kids about sex these days?

“Are you familiar with the milk and the latte?” Hachi asked.

“I think you mean birds and the bees.” Clara corrected.

“Birds and bees? They don’t even mix. Lattes and Milk go hand in hand.” Hachi maintained.

“Is that how you look at Lattes?” Clara looked disgusted at him and began to distance herself.

The boy and the girl laughed at Hachi and Clara’s bickering.

“Of course, we know about the technical elements of sex. We are just wondering how to make it less awkward.” The girl commented.

“Have you tried talking to each other?” Clara asked.

“Yes.” They said in unison.

“Well then, I don’t know. What do you think Mr Hachi?”

“Love is like a coffee; it can be extremely bitter or sweet. Find the blend that works for you.” Hachi shrugged.

“Hmmm, so you do know something about romance after all?” Clara quipped.

Hachi shrugged. Responding much more than that would drag him into a conversation he didn’t want. He’d much rather spend that time making coffee.

“I’m sorry. I realise this isn’t the sort of thing you should ask a stranger,” the boy shrugged.

“It’s not that we don’t wish to help you, but it is just we don’t know. It’s the sort of thing that requires you to figure it out yourself.” Clara kindly offered.

“I see,” the boy said, looking somewhat disappointed.

“I think we should discuss this a bit more once we get back home.” The girl mumbled to him.

“Yeah, I suppose so,” the boy responded.

With that, the café fell silent, and they began drinking their hot chocolates.

“This is a really good hot chocolate,” the boy commented.

“Mhm, it’s so good~” The girl added.

“Honestly, it may be the best I have ever had,” the boy added.

“I’m glad you are enjoying it,” Hachi smiled slightly.

They began eating the strawberry shortcake before finishing the rest of their hot chocolates. A short time later, they thanked Hachi and Clara for listening to their problems and left.

“Gosh, that was spicy.”

Hachi didn’t say anything. Clara hadn’t worked at Eight Blends for very long. Once you have worked at a café as long as Hachi, you have heard everything and more.

“Mr Hachi, can I ask you something?”

“I told you this already, but your questions always give me a headache.”

“When you mentioned Latte and Milk being like the birds and bees, it was to ease the tension between the two of them, right? So, they would be more comfortable discussing sex and opening up to each other about what they both want, right?”

Hachi was surprised that Clara had figured this out. He might come across as cold and a bit aloof, but it’s simpler to take on this role so others can work out their problems themselves.

“No, truth be told, I only care about coffee.” Hachi lied, and Clara knew he was lying.

∘•········ʚ ♡ ɞ ········•∘

End of Chapter 3