Blend 15

Hachi had noticed his time ticking closer and closer. He started getting much worse-quality sleep, though, at the same time, it seemed to last longer and felt deeper each time. One of these days, he could easily close his eyes and never awaken.

Though, he wasn’t about to give up just like that. He still had coffee to brew. He would plough through death for coffee. Hachi tried pushing out these depressing thoughts to focus on what mattered—the delectable taste of coffee. Nothing would make him forget this…

“Mr Hachi, you have quite long hair,” Clara commented, breaking Hachi out of his thoughts on coffee for something he deemed meaningless. Clara looked bored as she balanced a pencil on her lip. Perhaps this was why she was asking something trivial.

“You’re very observant,” Hachi responded sarcastically.

“How come your hair is so long?”

“It just is,” Hachi responded. There was no deeper meaning behind his hair length. It was as it was.

“I see; you’re a man of many mysteries.”

“Nope, I am who I am. I like coffee. That’s pretty much all you need to know about me.” Hachi honestly responded.

“You don’t have a secret love life? A hidden mistress whom you rendezvous with each month as the moon glows, embracing each other as the candelabrum flickers?” She asked, dancing exaggeratedly.

Hachi knew she must have been practising this line over and over. She had never used half those words before and likely would never use them again. Rather than a deep and thought-provoking retort, he simply responded.

“You don’t have any secret pocket, do you?”

Clara began searching her clothing to see if she actually had a secret pocket she didn’t know about. This reminded him that no matter how complex the wording she used, she was still an idiot. An idiot, he surprisingly enjoyed spending time with.

The door chimed, and the first customer of the day entered. She was a woman with glamorous blonde hair who was wearing a large hat and sunglasses. She looked to be dressed pretty similar to Clara’s mother when she was trying to hide her identity. For a moment, he thought perhaps this was a secret older sister he didn’t know about.

“Hi there, what can we get for you today?” Hachi asked.

Clara’s reaction, or lack thereof, confirmed to Hachi that there was no relation between them, which only further raised the question of why this woman was trying to conceal her identity.

“Hmmm,” The woman pondered for a moment before asking, “Which coffee would look the best?”

How do I respond to that? What would you say when asked who your favourite child is? The best-looking coffee? There was none. Hachi wasn’t going to choose between his precious children.

“They all look good in different ways. Is there anything in particular you are looking for?” Hachi opted to play the diplomatic route.

“I want a coffee that has art on the froth. You know, the pretty ones that look like art.” She replied.

“Perhaps a latte,” Hachi offered.

“That sounds good. Could I get that, please? Oh, and I would like that with oat milk. Do you have oat milk?”

Oat milk is a somewhat challenging flavour to balance compared to other types of milk. But, of course, it was easily within Hachi’s capabilities.

“We do indeed, and you absolutely may.”

Ah, the Latte—the classic. It was one of Hachi’s favourites to prepare. It was an art. The balance of flavours, the aroma, the craftsmanship—it was beyond that of other coffee. It was what all coffee strived to be.

And that wasn’t even factoring in the latte art itself. A swan, like the one he created for Clara, was symbolic of the magnificence of the Latte. The beauty of it is the transformation from bean to drink. It was beautiful.

Hachi began crafting his art. Mindful of the woman’s request for art. He hadn’t drawn a swan for anyone since Clara, and for some reason, he didn’t feel like doing one now. He would do something different.

The woman sat at a window seat and took off her hat and sunglasses. The moment she did, Clara’s eyes lit up like a firecracker.

“Oh my God! You are Scandalous Bear, the social media celebrity, aren’t you?!” She excitedly questioned, like a crazed fan.

“I’m impressed you recognised me.” She smiled at Clara.

“How could I not?! I love your content!”

“It’s nice to know someone is still watching. Do you want to take a photo with me?”

“Can I?” Clara looked like she was about to faint from excitement. Hachi had no idea who this woman was and didn’t want to imagine what a Scandalous bear may get up to.

Clara and the woman took a photo together, and Hachi brought over the Latte. He opted for the cute bear art, which he rarely did. He was originally going to go for the more complex unicorn, but he wanted to flex his coffee muscles, especially as his muscles were breaking down, and this may be the last chance he got at making something this cute. Also, if she was a ‘Scandalous Bear,’ it was in keeping with having a bear design.

“Oh my god, that’s adorable. I’ve never seen such a cute coffee before.”

She took a photo of the coffee, which impressed Hachi. He respected someone who appreciated coffee.

“Sorry, I was distracted by how cute the bear was. I didn’t know you were also a fan,” she commented. “If I knew, I would have gotten a photo with you as well.”

She seems to have the wrong idea, Hachi thought to himself. What a pain.

Rather than prolonging a misunderstanding, Hachi believed it was better to be honest. To be brutal.

“Sorry, I have no idea who you are, and I’m not really interested in social media. I heard something about a bear, so I wanted to make it thematic, as coffee is the world’s most important and beautiful thing.”

“Hachi!” Clara looked horrified.

This was something he didn’t foresee. He was prepared to be brutal to stop the misunderstanding before it spiralled, but he was not prepared for Clara’s reaction. Damn. What a pain.

The woman burst into laughter.

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry,” she said, trying to compose herself. “I appreciate the honesty. Honestly, I’m an influencer, but my viewer base is declining. So not as many people know who I am anymore.”

“How come?! Your videos and modelling are amazing!” Clara added.

A dark expression came over the woman, and she let out a sigh. “I suppose it is because of ADV. My audience is dying out.”

There was an awkward silence, and for once, Hachi was glad he wasn’t the one who had caused it. He could blame Clara for that. Now, she couldn’t get angry at him for being so blunt before.

“I’m sorry,” Clara mumbled.

“You have nothing to apologise for. Actually, you might be able to help.”

This brightened Clara’s mood.

“How can we help?” She asked excitedly.

“Since my old audience is dwindling, I’m trying to capture a different audience. Seeing the coffee before made me think, maybe I should expand into photos of food and drinks.”

Is there a market for that? Hachi thought.

“Absolutely! I would follow that.” Clara nodded.

A smile came over the woman’s face.

“Alright, I think I’ll do it, and I have the first image already,” she smiled as she took a sip from the Latte. “This is perfect indeed.”

Hachi didn’t know who this Scandalous Bear was, but he considered following them out of their appreciation for his coffee.

They left her to finish her coffee, and she pressed a few buttons on her phone. Shortly thereafter, she got up and paid, and before leaving, she showed them that she had posted the image of Hachi’s coffee on her social media pages. After she had left, Clara turned to face Hachi.

“Mr Hachi, have you ever thought about showcasing your work online?”

“No.”

“Why don’t you? I’m sure many would love to see your work.”

“A photo can capture a particular moment in time, but it can’t create the smell, the taste. No image I take would capture the true beauty of the coffee. It would only be an inferior copy. The real thing is far more magical.”

“How romantic. Are you sure you aren’t seeing anyone?”

“Coffee is my only love.”

“Hey Hachi!” Clara called.

“Huh?” Hachi looked up as Clara snapped a photo of the two of them.

“I just wanted to capture this moment in time.” She smiled, hugging the phone close to her.

∘•········ʚ ♡ ɞ ········•∘

End of Chapter 15