Chapter 5

Sun Fang went to a famous shopping district. The stores there were high-end and varied, a large supply of different services making its home there. It was the perfect place to go to relax and do some window shopping. Who knows, he might even find something he likes enough to buy?

He whistled as he walked down the old-fashioned cobblestone street, his purse hanging over his shoulder and dancing softly in time with his steps. He wandered slowly, taking his time to explore.

He'd been here many times of course, but it was nice, to be able to take his time. There was no reason to rush; he had nowhere else to be. He could just... walk along the streets and spend his time quietly looking through windows and at people. Nobody really paid him much attention here, too busy with shopping to bother with him. It didn't even make him restless, walking here. It was just calming.

Here was a thing he'd done surely around a hundred times before, but he'd never taken the time to actually take in the area. He'd just hurried through store after store, not bothering to stop and pay attention to the buildings architecture, the fountains placed here and there, the transparent glass dome that covered the entire shopping district to protect it from the sun's rays.

Most of the buildings were old, made of brick and mortar. They were rarely painted anything, instead left with their natural brown color. Sun Fang found that the architecture seemed charming to him now.

As he passed buildings by, he peeked in through their windows, glancing over their window displays. A shop selling furniture, one selling art supplies, another selling brand clothing... there was no end to the variety of things that could be found here. There was even a cinema showing the latest (and also old classics on designated days, which made a shimmer of interest manifest in him) movies.

Sure, on other, wealthier planets with more importance concerning things like raw material and trade centers, there were shopping districts four times as big and much more impressive—but Sun Fang liked the quaintness of it. It was nice.

He'd been walking the streets for hours by the time he got hungry enough to find a place to eat. He scratched at his cheek as he tried to make up his mind. He didn't want to go to a restaurant—in fact, he felt like trying out a new establishment. He had just started a new chapter, a new part, of his life; he should take the opportunity to try out new things as well.

The winner ended up being a small café. It was located on a calmer part of the street, an offshoot from the main street, that didn't see as much traffic. The exterior was decorated with flowerpots and blooming flowers, and the scent immediately made him relax.

Sun Fang walked through the yellow door, the bell above it ringing gently to announce his entrance.

The inside was somehow more calming than the exterior had been. The walls painted a pale yellow, the floor light-colored hardwood, the lights in the ceiling unobtrusive and relaxing. There was a stairway to the right that presumably led to another floor. All the tables were low coffee tables, some of them round, others square shaped; all of them wooden and different shades of light-colored. Armchairs and sofas that looked unfairly inviting stood around them—all of it spread out so that there was an illusion of privacy and no feeling of crowding.

Sun Fang loved it instantly. He took a step inside; it was the middle of the day and only a handful of tables were occupied. Yes, this would certainly be a nice place to sate his hunger.

Smiling politely so he wouldn't get thrown out if the owner recognized him, Sun Fang approached the counter to the right, his eyes tracing over the pastries on display. Cakes, muffins, cookies, pies; Sun Fang felt a little bad that he wouldn't be able to eat all that at once.

He would just have to return, then.

"Hello," Sun Fang greeted the employee behind the (also wooden) counter. "I'd like a cup of coffee and two apple cupcakes, please."

The employee blinked, obviously distracted for a moment there. Sun Fang noted that the man had very pretty eyes—a very startling shade of blue. "Black coffee?" the man asked, his voice kind of gravely.

"Yes, thank you," Sun Fang said and waited while the man loaded it up on the tray, his tanned hands careful when he handled everything. The frown of concentration on his face was unexpectedly pleasant to look at.

His gaze drifted to the name-tag on the man's chest, and he quietly noted it down. Mo Cheng, huh? Sun Fang wondered if the man was the owner as well, or maybe the baker. He certainly smelled so strongly of pastries that he must be around them a lot. The scent was so clear that it drowned out the pheromones and Sun Fang couldn't tell what the man's secondary gender was.

But he smelled sweet. Sun Fang liked it.

After he'd paid, Sun Fang held his tray in his hands and walked over to a table in corner, nicely isolated from the rest. He put it down on the low, circular coffee table and sat himself down on one of the two armchairs.

It was nice and comfortable and so soft that he felt like he could just about disappear into it. Squirming a little to make the absolute best of it, Sun Fang picked up a cupcake and bit into it. The taste was heavenly and it was decided; he would definitely be coming back. The rest of the cupcake disappeared between his teeth in several quick bites, and he took a sip of his coffee.

There was a low sound of music drifting the through the café. Together with the smell of pastries and the relaxing atmosphere the color-scheme created, Sun Fang felt more serenity than he could ever remember.