The grandfather clock ticked on slowly, creeping up to the hour of 10am as the waitresses tied on their aprons. Everything was in.place for another good day at Amadeus Cafe and Diner. As per usual the clock chimed exactly on the hour and the owner, Mariko, set about unlocking the doors.

The second the key slide into the latch, a sharp wind flew past lead by a silver haired girl. With a confused squint, Mariko circled the girl and reached the till, staring at her as she eyed the glass display case like a ravenous hawk.

"Welcome to Amadeus Cafe, how can I help you?" She suppressed her confusion and repeated the standard greeting to her un-average customer

"Hi!" She replied, still distracted by her search "So, do you guys sell red velvet cake here? I don't see any today?" Pulling herself upright she made the innocent query.

Mariko smiled politely "I'm sorry ma'am, our cakes aren't delivered until midday. We do have a range of teas and sandwiches though" she offered her condolences to the now slouching student.

The girl retained her heavy sigh and simply exhaled "I'll take an elderflower tea please" sliding a note across the table she made the order. Every day after school she would power walk down to this cafe in hopes of eating the magical scarlet desert they displayed there, but no matter what she tried the store was always closed by the time she arrived. She had hoped that by coming in her break she would at least manage take some.for later, unfortunately not so.

Plugging the order into the counter, Mariko collected the girl’s change and shouted back to the kitchen for the elderflower tea. To be honest she felt bad for the customer she was serving, she knew that the red velvet cake was always in very high demand. It seemed like the student had been craving it for years! As a pick me up, she took her pen and drew a small cake slice on the receipt as she gave it over "We're open an extra hour later on Friday, perhaps there will be some left then"

The girl nodded "I sure hope so" she have a weak smile and took a seat on one of the couches at the back of the restaurant, pulling out a text book and a practice paper for her design class. "Guess I'll use this time to study then"

Hansol was on tea duty that day. He took great pride in preparing relaxing brews for customers, especially when they ordered something different like elderflower tea. 250 millilitres of hot water poured into the bag, turning the dyad around it a sweet pink colour. He added two drops of vanilla extract before glancing out of the door at the customer he was preparing for. He instantly recognised the beige uniform of the whiny girl. She seemed a little low in spirit.

'A touch of cinnamon' he thought, adding his touch to the brew 'that ought to make her smile' he placed the clay cup onto the saucer and brought it over to her.

"Elderflower tea?" He asked as he smiled and placed the cup down, discreetly looking at her books was she working on

"Oh, yeah thanks" she moved her pencil case to make room for the beverage "so, do you really not have any red velvet cake here?" She asked with an almost pleading tone in her voice.

Hansol exhaled quietly "well we do, but it's pretty popular around girls your age. It sells out fairly fast" he explained, retaining the formality in his speech

"Around my age?" She queried, trading her sadness for the lack of cake for curiosity. She raised an intrigued eyebrow. Despite her whimsical demeanour, this girl wasn't a fool. She took great care in keeping her private life private, this range from having a different name on her SNS to using a Little BB cream to change the appearance of her skin. Usually people guessed her at least three years older than she actually was.

"Yes?" Hansol was taken aback by her tone of voice. Hoping he hadn’t offended her he continued "you are 19 aren't you?"

She nodded slowly, impressed by his accuracy "what gave it away?"

A series of things really.

The books she had left on the table indicated high school standard at the minimum, and her simple back with a few anime figure keychains lead him to believe she was still a little childish but internally mature. The uniform, the choice of tea, desire for cake and the posture she held when she walked. The list went on "Oh, just a guess" he dismissed, chuckling a little and shrugging.

"I don't think that was just a guess" she took a sip of her tea and rested her head on her hand, staring up at him "I like your eyes"

"Um... Thanks?"

"I think you’re special." She continued, not taking her hazel eyes off his "They say people with eyes like yours are special"

Hansol frowned, slightly disturbed by her, unsure whether he should accept the compliment or not. "I-"

"Earl Grey to table 5!" Mariko's order snapped Hansol from his trance. He looked over at his clearly irritated manager and then to the clock. He'd been talking to her for 5 minutes? How did the time go by so fast?

"E-enjoy your tea" he bowed politely again and jogged back to the kitchen to prepare the next brew.

That girl was definitely strange.