When I Start Changing My Character's Scumbag Status, Strange Things Started Happening To Me - 14 - Unexpected Meeting With My Seatmate!

“I did not expect seeing you here, Mochizuki-san.”

As the waitress placed my order in front of me, her silver eyes met mine, mirroring the surprise I felt at our unexpected encounter. It was none other than Mochizuki Fuuka herself, donned in a waitress uniform.

“I can say the same here to you, Amano-kun. What are you doing out here?” Fuuka asked, her tone curious as she looked at me.

“I was just wandering a bit when I saw this cafe, so I decided to grab a meal here.” I replied, opting not to mention the slight melancholy that had driven me to seek solace in the quiet ambiance of the cafe.

Fuuka nodded in understanding, a small smile playing at the corners of her lips. “Hehh. Is that so? Ah, that’s right. Do you mind if you can wait here until the shop is closed?” Fuuka asked suddenly, her tone slightly nervous.

Seemingly caught off guard by her request, I blinked in surprise. “Sure. What time will you be closing though?”

“The manager usually closes the shop at 8 PM.” Fuuka replied, her silver eyes glancing at the clock on the wall. I then checked my phone. It showed ‘7:30 PM.’ There’s still plenty of time until closing, but I can wait here.

“But wait, is it fine for me to wait here until closing?” I tell about my concern. Unless Mochizuki-san is close to the manager, I don’t think anyone want someone to wait here until closing time.

“You don’t have to worry about that, Amano-kun. This place is owned by one of my relatives, so rest assured, you can stay here until closing time.” She replied confidently. Oh, so that’s the reason why she’s so carefree while working, I thought.

“Sure, I can wait.”

“That’s great! Then I’ll be going to my work then. I’ll be seeing you after my work.” Fuuka said with a smile before returning to the counter, attending to the cafe’s customers with practiced ease.

I watched her go, my mind buzzing with questions. What was Fuuka up to? Why did she want me to wait until the cafe is closed? I couldn’t help but feel a sense of intrigue tinged with anticipation. Whatever the reason, I had a feeling this was going to be an interesting evening.

As I waited for Fuuka to finish her shift, I sipped my coffee and observed the comings and goings of the cafe’s patrons. The atmosphere was relaxed, the soft murmur of conversation mingling with the clinking of cups and plates. Despite my initial surprise at running into Fuuka here, I found myself enjoying the quiet respite from the chaos of the outside world.

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A few minutes has passed and the numbers of customers in the cafe are slowly dwindling. Meanwhile, I have already finished consuming what I have ordered, so I scroll down a bit in my phone to kill some time. Eventually, I’m the only one left at the cafe.

As the clock ticked closer to 8 PM, Mochizuki emerged from behind the counter, her silver hair catching the light as she approached me with a smile.

“Thanks for waiting, Amano-kun,” she said, her tone warm with gratitude. She then sits down at in front of me, still in her waitress uniform. Now that I take a closer look of Mochizuki, she looks really gorgeous. Just like with Emiko, I can imagine any kind of clothing would complement at her perfect stature. Wait, what the heck am I thinking?

“No problem at all,” I replied, snapping back to reality and returning her smile. “So, what did you want to talk about?”

As I asked, Mochizuki seems hesitant for a moment, her silver eyes flickering with uncertainty.

“Ummm… Here,” Fuuka murmured, passing an unusually large paper bag to me. Curious, I peered inside and my eyes widened in surprise. Nestled within the bag was a complete set of “Skeleton Adventurer” light novels, each volume meticulously preserved and well-loved. I couldn’t help but marvel at the collection before me.

“This is… Skeleton Adventurer. And you have all of the volumes,” I said, unable to contain my astonishment.

Fuuka’s cheeks flushed with a mixture of pride and embarrassment as she nodded. “Yeah. I’ve been following it since I first saw it in the bookstore. Ever since then, I’ve been binge-reading every volume available, and now it’s one of my favorite series.”

We then delved into a discussion about the series, and as we did, I felt a strong sense of connection with Fuuka. Bonding over our shared love for the series was an exhilarating experience. Listening to her enthusiasm and sharing our likes and dislikes of itmade me appreciate the series even more. Despite Fuuka letting slip a few spoilers, I didn’t mind—I knew I’d forget them soon enough anyway.

“But I still can’t believe you bought all of the volumes. That’s seriously impressive. Hm?” I remarked, my gaze shifting to the contents of the bag. Among the familiar volumes of “Skeleton Adventurer,” I noticed a few books with covers I didn’t recognize. Curiosity piqued, I reached for one and examined its cover—a blonde elf carrying what appeared to be a large piece of luggage.

“Ah, that’s right! Do you know this one, Amano-kun?” Fuuka asked eagerly, her eyes alight with excitement.

I shook my head, turning the book over in my hands. “No, this is the first time I’ve seen this one. Is it good?”

Fuuka’s smile widened as she nodded enthusiastically. “Oh, definitely! It’s called ‘Journey of the Elven Nomad.’ I won’t spoil any important parts of it but basically, it’s a story of an elf, who lives in an undisturbed elf village, decided that she wants to know what’s beyond her village and starts exploring the whole world.  It’s one of my absolute favorites. The world-building is incredible, and every characters that she met are so well-developed. I think you’ll really enjoy it.”

Intrigued by Fuuka’s endorsement, I flipped through the pages, taking in the intricate illustrations. It seems the “It sounds interesting. Thanks for lending it to me, Fuuka-san. I’ll make sure to give it a read.” Seemingly

Fuuka beamed at me, her silver eyes sparkling with delight. “I’m glad you think so, Amano-kun. I can’t wait to hear what you think of it.”

As I glanced at my phone to check the time, it’s shows ‘9:45 PM’. A sense of urgency washed over me as I realized how late it had gotten.

“Crap, it’s getting late. I need to go home,” I said, reluctantly gathering my belongings and preparing to leave.

Just as I was about to bid farewell to Mochizuki and make my exit, the owner of the cafe appeared at our table, his presence commanding attention. He wears a butler style uniform, paired with his silver hair and greyish eyes. When you look at him for a moment, he has a striking resemblance to Mochizuki, seemingly clear that he and Mochizuki were relative.

“Ah, Fuuka-chan, there you are. How was you heart-to-heart talk with our guest over here?” he said with a warm smile, addressing Mochizuki.

“Ah, Uncle! I was just having fun talking to my friend here.”

“Is that so?” he replied before turning his attention to me. “And you must be Amano-kun. I’ve heard a bit about you from Fuuka-chan. My name is Mochizuki Hiroshi. I’m the owner of this cafe, and Fuuka-chan’s uncle. You can call me Hiroshi-san.” he introduced himself in front of us.

“Thank you for keeping her company tonight.” after introducing himself, he then continued.

I then blinked in surprise at the unexpected turn of event. “Oh, um, it was no problem at all. Mochizuki-san and I were just chatting like your normal friends.”

“I see. Well, I just wanted to express my gratitude to you, Amano-kun. Fuuka-chan doesn’t often open up to others, so it means a lot to me that she had someone to talk to tonight.”

“Geez, Uncle! You really don’t have to say that!”

The owner chuckled, a twinkle of amusement in his eyes as he hears his niece’s response. Looking at this kind of situation seems  kinda wholesome, I thought.

“Now. It seems that it’s getting late, you need to go home as soon as possible, Amano-kun.”

As if on cue, I then gently went up and make my way to the entrance. The two of them, follows and looks at me.

“Let’s see each other in school tomorrow, Amano-kun.”

“Yeah. Well, we always see each other anyways though.” I said.

“When you come back to our cafe, Amano-kun, your next meal will be on the house. Consider it a token of my appreciation for your kindness.” Hiroshi-san told me this. A free food? I’ll accept it gladly!

Surprised by his generous offer, I could only manage a grateful nod in response. “Thank you, Hiroshi-san. I’ll be sure to take you up on that.”

As I made my way home, thoughts swirled through my mind. The encounter at the cafe had been unexpected, to say the least. Things seemed to be getting stranger as the days passed, and I couldn’t help but wonder what other surprises lay in store for me in this unfamiliar world.