Vol 1 Chapter 45 – Fruit Parlor【Vol 1 – Turning Point】

In Kuratani, there are all sorts of dessert shops. “Desserts”—what an enchanting word. When I think of desserts, the only memory I have is the soft-serve ice cream my parents bought me when I was little; beyond that, I have no recollection.

No wonder—back when I was still loved, when I was in elementary school—my brother was still at that needy stage.

Speaking of my brother, I suddenly remembered: when he entered middle school, he came home with bags of dagashi (cheap candies) and we held dagashi parties together. They were so much fun, and I was thrilled. We did it quite a few times, and I worried about his allowance.

That brother moved out as soon as he graduated high school, leaving behind, “Wait just a little longer.”

While I was running this train of thought, Michiru-san suddenly asked,

“Rin-kun, do you like fruit?”

I only have fleeting memories of fruit, too. Still, I’ve loved every fruit I’ve ever tried.

“Yes!”

So I answered.

“Then let’s go here!”

The shop’s sign read Fruit Parlor.

“Yes!”

Somehow, my heart fluttered. Fruit desserts—how could they taste anything but amazing? In my head, I saw bananas coated in ice cream. It had to be delicious.

I followed Michiru-san inside, and it felt more like a café than a dessert shop.

“Bonjour, mademoiselle. This way, please…”

The attendant was an older gentleman, tall, with a gravelly baritone.

“Did I pick the wrong place…?”

But Michiru-san looked uneasy.

“Eh? I think it’s got a great vibe.”

Now it was just the two of us. To loosen up, I had to drop the honorifics and speak casually…

Both the attendant and the shop had a calm atmosphere that somehow felt… sexy. Maybe my sensibilities are too lacking to judge properly.

“Besides, he said ‘mademoiselle,’ right? In French it means ‘young lady.’”

That was definitely embarrassing. Even though I look like this, I’m still a guy. But I couldn’t blame her if she thought I was a girl—after all, I model for a kids’ goth-loli brand…

“Um… so… like… a flirt?”

That’s something I’d heard when I helped Tachibana-chan tune her instruments the day before yesterday. Of course, I picked up a bit of basic instrument knowledge, too.

“Huh—if this were Hachihongi or Kinza, I’d get it… but this is Kuratani!”

“Is that so? Want to try somewhere else?”

At my words, we both stood up—and the attendant sprang forward.

“Wait! Wait! I’m absolutely confident in the taste of our fruit! To be honest, I got so excited about having my own shop… but please, try something! Anything—just taste it!”

He was so desperate I nearly laughed. It was lunchtime—the slowest time for a dessert shop—though some people do grab sweets instead of lunch. Still, seeing the nearly empty tables, it was obvious business wasn’t booming.

“If you’re that sure…”

I thought, if it really tastes good, I might post photos on Tsubuyaitter.

“But if it tastes bad, you know what happens, right?”

Michiru-san’s voice was terrifying enough to make the hair on my neck stand up.

“Y-Yes! W-What would you like to order!?”

The attendant was trembling all over.

“All right, I’ll have the recommended Fruit Mix Set.”

There were so many unfamiliar fruits listed that I just picked the top menu item.

“Then I’ll have that, too! If it tastes bad, I have no excuse!”

Michiru-san wore a truly wicked grin as she said it.

“Two recommended sets, coming right up!”

Even so, the attendant strolled into the kitchen looking completely confident.

Michiru-san earns two million yen a month—she’s insanely rich. I thought I was out of luck, having to compete on flavor against someone like her.

A little while later, the recommended Fruit Mix Sets arrived—luxurious bowls piled with blueberries, raspberry soft-serve, banana, pineapple, even mango. And tea, filling the air with a sweet fragrance that looked utterly delicious.

VTuber rule number one: if something looks like it’ll go viral, take a photo. But I still don’t have a smartphone, so Michiru-san took it for me.

“Okay, I’m taking it!”

“Thanks!”

With the photo done, it was time to dig in.

I scooped up some raspberry soft-serve with my spoon and brought it to my mouth.

“!!?!?!?!”

A refreshing tartness, with a hint of vanilla from the soft-serve. Sweet, sour, delicious—but there was a lingering tang on my tongue.

That made the tea look all the more tempting.

“So good! If it tastes this amazing, I understand the confidence!”

Michiru-san seemed completely satisfied, too—she’d never had sweets this tasty before.

I took a sip of the tea. It was full-bodied, with a gentle astringency that washed away the tartness and prepped my palate for more sweetness.

“This is incredible!”

Honestly, the flavors were irresistible. The fresh fruit was amazing, too.

“I see—since most of these fruits are quite tart, Assam tea fits perfectly… what a fantastic shop. Michi Mama loses!”

With that, Michiru-san smiled radiantly.

On the way home, we both tweeted the Fruit Mix Set photo on our Tsubuyaitter accounts. Because of that, this shop later became famous.