Corruptions Are Best Exposed In The Autumn!

Chapter 5 - Mr. Two-Timer

Every time a new customer entered, a pair of jingle bells above the door would ring a gentle chime. Within the short period I've worked here, It's already become the most annoying sound in all of humanity. Bring in a bee's buzz, the squeak of a door swing, or even the engine of a flying plane. Anything to replace the -

Jingling!

I twitched while listening to Rin's endless blabber about her boyfriend Elias - he was all she could talk about. I never imagined that sitting across from such a pretty girl would be this suffocating. On top of that, the sounds of customers walking in kept occurring, and the café stereo never seemed to stop playing its century-old jazz track. I got so bored that I could even start smelling the different blends of roasted beans which filled the room; give me a hundred bucks and I could probably guess which blend was being roasted.

"Hey, aren't you... going to change out of that?"

Huh? I thought and sighed in relief. She wasn't going to ask me about my background?

"That shirt you're wearing, isn't it kind of dirty?"

I stopped midway from taking another sip from my cup, which Lora brought to the table for me. Rin pointed toward my shoulder, and I peered down to see what caught her eye. A small, round spot of light brown sat on top of my chest pocket; it was dry, but incredibly noticeable since my T-shirt was as white as snow. I blushed in embarrassment - normally one wouldn't be that bothered, but for some reason, I found myself instantly clenching my fists.

"Haha, yeah I guess."

I couldn't possibly tell her it was because I was trying to save on laundry, which was why I wore the same clothes to work for several consecutive days at a time.

"And also..."

Her face stared blankly at my ears while moving from one side of my head to the other. She then moved her pointed finger, which was first directed to my shoulders, to the left side of my face. Haven't her parents ever told her it was rude to point at someone?

"You had earrings before?" she asked. "How come you took them out? Did you think you looked bad in them?" she smirked with a pesky face. Her grin grew as wide as her mug.

"Ahaha, not really."

Why this fucking...!

Imagining all the threats that I could have made at her (if I kept my status and wealth) brought me shots of dopamine. Just who did she think she was talking to?

Ignoring my tense face, Rin raised the brown mug and took a sip of her drink -

"BLEHHHHH!"

and immediately choked, spitting out parts of the liquid over the table and even on top of her eggs benedict, as if topping it off with extra dressing.

"W-What's the matter? You okay?!"

"Dude, what did you make me? I thought you said it was just a latte!!"

I gulped, feeling a shiver down my spine. Did Lora do something weird when she made the latte?!

"Taste this shit!" She held the mug in front of my face. Her hazel eyes were no longer relaxed, but now a sharp glare. I could see her pink nails so clearly that the light from above reflected off them like glass. Her hand was silky smooth, but the way she grasped the cup was vicious.

A few seconds passed before my hands finally took over the handle of her mug. While slowly tilting it against my lips to take a small sip -

"EWW!"

- nothing but a gag popped out from my mouth. Rin continued her glare with a frown over her face while crossing her arms. She probably got the reaction she was expecting.