Chapter 6: Unexpectedly

It seemed that the next day, the alarm was even more deafening than before.

To be completely blunt, I hate every aspect of it. The simple, consistent beep was annoying; the increased volume after each interval irked me; it was a merciless electronic with no heart; it would constantly save me from tardiness at times when I'd rather sleep in. Love-hate relationships with both living and non-living things are quite unfortunate, aren't they?

I groggily pushed my limp body off the pillows and moaned seeing as it was so early the sun hasn't even begun to rise. Without the inspirational image of an ascending sun, I continued, with a defeated atmosphere, to swing my lower body over the side of the mattress and lifted myself off the bed; trying to balance my body weight on the two pale sticks I'd call my legs. The remaining warmth of the plush blankets brief as my skin and clothing made contact with the cold air causing a small shiver to trail down my spine.

The alarm still kept up its annoying ring until I took the bulky gadget by its cord and swung it onto the bed, only muffling the jingle yet giving my eardrums a rest and I happily took advantage. Before the machine could sneakily vibrate its way out of the cocoon of tousled blankets, I lightly tapped the dismiss button, smirking in triumph when the chimes ceased and strode towards the bathroom, keeping the bed ruffled and messy with the alarm roughly buried in the center.

Maintaining my quick and simple routine, striking much emphasis on quick, I lightly buffed a pale pressed powder from my temples to the bridge of my nose and so forth to conceal the tiny imperfections, barely visible on my face. The pearl compact closed with a snap, the sound of rustling leather resounding in the bathroom when I tossed it into the bag at my side, the same bag I had taken with me the day before.

A white flash caught my eye, and after a few moments of digging into my purse, I cradled a soft white cloth in my hands, its size decreased into a thick folded square, the creases among the fabric sharp and crisp. It was as if Len had bought it yesterday rather than four years ago. Staring at the small square in my palm, I realize that its significance was greater than anything I considered important—besides school. Peeking behind Len's farewell gift was the handkerchief Miku had given me, the presents that both Len and Miku were supposed to have bestowed onto me as a sign of remembrance, yet their lack of foresight prevented me from receiving the two, and left me with one, lacking to inform me of the background of it all.

Fortunately, Len was able to notify the oblivious me about their former plans, and I appreciate the attempt. To boast about their achievement, I unfolded the cloth and tied the ribbon not on my head, but at my neck as a type of scarf since a ribbon required a headband that I currently didn't have. To match, I slipped on a white flannel shirt over a muted undershirt, cleanly folding the cuffs to around my elbows for a more chic look, and pairing it with a black pleated skirt to follow my colorless fashion standards. After popping a few colorful yet subtle additions to my makeup, I took my golden bangs by the tips and tucked them behind my ear, carefully shoving white hair clips to secure them in place.

I checked the hazy reflection constantly, making sure that my outer appearance met not only my standards, but my career's principles as well. Earlier, a breath I unintentionally held met the outdoor oxygen as I released a sigh of relief when reading the regulations for clothing, which included my normal way of dressing. Of course, it should be nothing too revealing as it leaned more to the professional and sophisticated side, despite the majority of my wardrobe being oversized sweaters and tights, both decorated in one way or another. Today just seemed to be one of those days where you have to wear certain attire to please your colleagues, even though I didn't really care of their wandering thoughts.

Quickly arriving at the base of the doors, I grabbed simple leather boots. Tasteful belt straps scattered among the thick frame of the shoes accentuated the belt straps on my purse that were very similar in style, and could almost complement the other if the color weren't such off hues.

With a sigh, I exited the apartment building altogether, with the bag on my shoulder and the faint scent of citrus wafting in the surrounding air. A few rays of faint sunshine crept behind the horizon and into the darkened sky, slowly casting a bright peach color against the feathering clouds. My face filled with blank excitement as I made my way down the florescent streets occupied with a couple of commoners. For a brief moment, I smiled, knowing that these walkways, which were a little less than deserted, is as close to a peaceful stroll as I'm going to get. Therefore, I took this short-lived moment of stillness with utmost reverence, and forced the heels of my boots to come down gentler than normal to keep the amount of noise in the area to a minimum.

The extended period of serenity lasted longer than I predicted, and until the sun rose over the tall towers of Tokyo, the city remained in its hushed state.

Technically speaking, this was the first time I entered the café. The pale pink walls planted the small seeds of sweet cravings in my stomach, and since I skipped breakfast, I had to struggle to ignore the hoarse growls in frustration that my belly made. The base of my shoes clanked softly against the cool grey tiles as I headed towards the door specifically marked for, "employees only," and the gentle taps of my heels quickly transformed into loud, surprised shuffles as a pink-haired bullet tackled me the moment I came in.

Pale arms clasped around my neck, while chapped, cherry lips whispered in my ear a tired yet repetitive, "Thank you so much, Kagamine-san." She clung on me as if I was her savior, which I wasn't nor wanted to be. Trust me, filling in for a fellow colleague wasn't a big deal, which was why I took her reaction to my arrival with a grain of salt.

Starting with a mumble of confusion, I coldly grunted, "Uh, Megurine-san was it? Well I'm glad I could help but please, unravel your arms from my neck, it's beginning to ache." Waiting until her arms were inches away from my collar I readjusted the white ribbon, feeling for the knot and finding it towards my back. I shoved it towards my right and stared straight into the eyes of my coworker.

She smiled after brushing a few long strands of rosy hair out of her face and tucking it back into her up-do filled with neat braids of different sizes. Conscious of the difference of our appearances, I began to fumble with my own hair finding it pale in comparison to the sophisticated woman in front of me. A wave of trivial shock trailed down my body as I heard her soft, tender voice as opposed from the slightly annoying whispers of appreciation. "Ah yes, I'm Megurine Luka, and thank you Kagamine-san for filling in for me today. I had a last minute call from my other job and I can't ignore it, so again, thank you."

My eyes moved away from Luka's graceful figure and towards the empty metal tables, which should hold a cluster of colorful confections later in the day. "It's alright," I mumbled indifferently, beginning to lack my former passion. "I'll take care of the rest, so go on ahead—"

"Erm, Hatsune-san…Isn't Megurine-san occupying your couch already?"

"Wait." A firm voice overtook my usual mutter. Due to the surprising change in tone, Luka shifted her head towards me, a red satchel slung over her shoulder and her hand just shy from the door. "By any chance, do you know Hatsune Miku?"

With a nod, Luka smiled, showing off her sparkling white teeth. "Of course, she's an associate of mine. Is she a friend?"

"Yes, she's a childhood friend of mine. Does that mean you're a model as well?" I asked, failing to filter the faintly intimidating undertone.

Luka's brows raised in astonishment, clearly finding the tinge of menace in my voice and yet responded with an amused smirk as she spoke, "Yes, I work with Hatsune-san during my other work hours—which, isn't much—and am currently residing in her home, if you were interested." Her rosy smile widened, while her water-like eyes staring straight into mine. Amid a shiver, I realized this familiar feeling was similar to when I first encountered Gakupo. "So you must be Kagamine Rin-san, yes?"

My lips parted as a controlled jaw drop and I watched in bewilderment as Luka's arm smoothly brushed a small speck of dust off her shoulders. "How do you know my name?"

Wait. She must've spread the word about me like Len did with Kaito-kun.

I sighed.

I must be the only one who doesn't tell others about my friends.

"Erm, never mind, I can guess Hatsune-chan—ah—Miku told you." I stammered, temporarily remembering Miku chiding me when I'd call her, "Hatsune-chan."

Holding a loose fist to her grin, Luka chuckled softly, "Mm, Hatsune-san has told me much about you; your kind, shy side as well as your great amount of arrogance."

My brows furrowed, "Wait—"

Before I could finish, Luka quickly took a glance at her expensive-looking watch and gasped. "Oh shoot, I'm going to be late. It's been nice talking to you, Kagamine-san! See you!"

With an extended hand, I watched the double doors aimlessly swing as the sound of clamoring heels faded into the crowded streets. I grunted with disgust as I placed my purse on a gnarled bronze hook, and plummeted head first into the complex and cruel world of the serving occupation.

My first customer was a kind, levelheaded young man who seemed to be preparing for work. His casual chatter calmed my frayed nerves as I constantly refilled his never-ending streak of consuming coffee in its purest form: black. After a few topic changes, I realized that this refined man was a professor who was heading to the university as a volunteer to prepare the grounds, and decided to get a quick drink (or drinks) before doing so. He specialized in history—not my most favored subject but it was useful in many cases. I, however, live by the well-known statement, "It's not like you'll find, 'who did _ for _ in year _?' on a job applicant form."

He parted quietly, promising that he'll stop by later on in the year and would maybe even greet me in the halls of the university. I didn't catch his name and he didn't obtain mine, however his classy suit and tie wasn't just for show, and I strode towards the pale purple cashier counter with a more than acceptable tip in my fist.

Thank you Sora for such a great experience, your kind and laid-back actions were very useful for this job.

Very few clientele came through the cheerfully chiming entrance despite the large amount of activity behind the transparent glass door. Even the usual lunch rush seemed to die faster in the café.

Time sluggishly passed with taps of my drumming fingers and bored twirls of blond locks, the occasional passerby coming to look at the little pastries before making a quick order that required no serving.

With my head buried against the skin of my palm, a loud ring reverberated in the silent room causing my body to jolt up in surprise. Seeing the golden ponytail that I was quite overly familiar with pass under the bell held by the single red string, my lips pursed, the area where the bow was tied growing warmer as the seconds passed. My eyes locked on him, wondering as to why he stood so casually and completely unaware at the strange faces I made him while he gazed at the confections with feigned interest.

I caught every obsessive glance he took, shooting a look to me and then quickly averting back towards the small range of tarts behind the glass dome.

Before I could retort in any way, he beat me to the punch, "Hey, did you get a haircut?"

I blinked, a bit bewildered at his question yet I answered, "N-no, why do you ask?"

His glances came to a short halt and returned with a simple stare. "Eh? No way—you lie. Your hair was like—what, down to your hips? Right, you totally didn't get a haircut while I was gone." He rubbed his jaw in a gesture of deep thought. "Actually, you're voice is a lot higher than before…are you Ri—?"

So he did recognize me. How unfortunate to find him in such an unintentional meeting place.

"—rii?"

I blurted out an unprofessional, "Huh?"

"Wait, you're not Ririi? Oh crap." The blond boy seemed to be even more confused than I was.

With a crooked grin I responded, "Uh, no, I'm not." I tugged at the white bow fixed around my neck, releasing a bubble of heat trapped against my hot throat.

He spotted my embarrassed and uncoordinated motion and gasped the souvenir he had given me the day before found to be already in use. His relaxed and childish face dropped into one of surprise and shock. "Rin-chan?"

I freed a small chuckle lodged in my gullet. "Yeah, I'm not Ririi. Who's she, another friend of yours?"

"Actually, I'm the manager for Café 15, Ririi is just a Romanization of my name." Said a mature voice of a female that seemed to have came from the area directly behind me.

Without even glancing behind me, I immediately greeted the blonde woman with a respectful bow, knowing that she was the manager for the café, and the one who offered me the job to become a part-time waiter. Her golden nametag pinned to her white flannel shirt, which seemed to be the same shirt as I wore, gleamed at a level that matched my height, reflecting the light of the ascending sun into my eyes, it read, "Lily; Manager."

She spoke to me lightly, her light eyebrows rising in curiosity. "So, you know Len-kun?" An outline of a kind smile and twinkling blue eyes figuratively clutched my miserable start of the day and chucked it out the open windows. "He's a constant customer here at Café 15, it's really nice to see him every day, and he really likes to chat to the employees." Lily ruffled the top of Len's head, causing the bridge of his nose to flush with embarrassment as he pursed his lips in a tight line of humiliation. "Len-kun's such a sweetheart, doing all this for me even though he lives so far away!"

When hearing this great and convenient opportunity pop out from the midst of the afternoon breeze, my eyes jerked upwards towards Lily's proud stare and Len's gaze of defeat, locking my gaze onto his averted eyes. My eyes softened at Len's miserable face, knowing that the attached strings behind the curtain of his kind act were meant for his eyes only.

What are you up to?

I assumed my conclusion from yesterday was correct.

I began forming words but my voice lodged in my chest, making unable to speak when Lily continued, her arm tightly wrapped around Len's shoulders. "Oh, but you know, it's weird how he thought you we're me, I mean, we don't really look alike. And I'm sure that Len-kun would never forget a face, so…hm." She sounded lost.

Len struggled to force Lily's arm off his mouth and spoke with a disgruntled voice, "Well I haven't seen her for three years—even I have my limits."

I stopped my thinking process for a second, and practically divulged my hidden thoughts. "But you did see me yesterday, so recognizing me shouldn't have been a problem." I realized that what Len didn't want me to say aloud and what I just said seemed to be on the same terms, as whenever a word escaped my lips, Len's crushed expression deepened, bypassing his breaking point.

Len wore his grief alongside a melancholic smile, his eyes mocking as if telling me that he expected nothing more from me than this, and he sighed, almost in relief. I'll admit that it made me angry, but masking emotions was a skill where I excelled in and my face went slack however, I was a bit surprised to see Lily doing the same.

"Whoa, whoa, wait a moment." She said frantically waving her free hand. "You saw her yesterday? Did you get your head hit by a kamikaze bird? Is that why your memory —?"

Her concerned yells were interrupted by Len's soft whispers, and it irritated me further when I couldn't make out the words. I almost blew my top when I saw Lily take a few sly, engrossed stares at me, making no effort to hide her attempts and chuckled, nudging Len in his side. It seemed we were both a bit annoyed that afternoon.

Their low voices, that were no doubt gossip-filled, ended when Lily droned a long, "Now I get it," extending the syllables to a point where it was almost upsetting. She turned back towards me and stated that it was, "No big deal," and that I should forget about it.

Of course, I didn't, it being in the back of my mind for the rest of the conversation. Because of this I couldn't really think much about the idle chat between Lily and Len, which was why I was quite surprised to find them exchanging number with me, and even more taken aback when I found myself going along. With my golden phone in my hand and I had froze in the middle of typing Len's phone number into my contacts, Lily's already submitted into the small number of friends.

Before I could ask anything, Len began with a flustered face, "Hey Rin-chan, you live pretty close by the University, right?" He asked, watching as my head bobbed softly. "Cool, so…uh…do you think I can…erm…stay at your apartment until the breaks? Uh—don't worry, I'll pay for my own meals and everything like that, but you know…I live a bit far from here so I might be late every time I get to school. I don't really want that so…yeah. I just need somewhere to stay, and since Kaito and Gakupo are already filling up a dorm I can't really go with them."

My reaction to this was only a couple of blinks until it all began to set in, and my face burned with heat. Len caught my drastic color change and went into a state close to panic. "Uh—no! I'm not gonna do anything bad! I'm not that kind of guy—I swear. Please Rin-chan, I really need this, and I can just sleep on your couch or guest room—or even the floor. I'm not picky!"

Seeing him beg like this made me a bit uncomfortable, sad even. "A-Alright. Sure. Yeah, you can." I said uncertainly, just eager to see Len's face light up for once. However, my conscious seemed to dislike that kind action to a point where I can say that was the reason why I suddenly remembered the significant fact that I forgot earlier. "Wait. You live far from here?" I asked, partly faking confusion while the other half of me had realized this long ago. "I thought you said that you lived near me."

Lily muttered a couple of dramatic "ooh's" and "aah's" into Len's ear, her breath softly grazing against his stray hairs before quickly catching my eyes. With a peachy smile, she winked and returned to violently rubbing her head against Len's. "Wow, you even lied? Geez Len, what's wrong with you?"

"There is nothing wrong with driving a girl to her house. The distance between us doesn't matter when it comes to that, so  off." Len grunted, shoving Lily's slim head and preventing her from knotting anymore of his messy crown.

"So you admit you lied." I bluntly stated, not trying to force myself to question him, as I already knew.

Len sulked, lowering his head, but it was only for a moment, and with a defeated smile he admitted to his sin. I'll admit that sin is a bit dramatic, but in this case, it worked.

I grinned back, reassuring that he was able to stay at my apartment, which was, coincidentally, made to be for two, and fortunately I had room for one more. He thanked me with multiple, overly polite bows, and caused Lily to practically roll over laughing. I returned the thanks with a smooth wave of my hands and jumped as the bell to the door rang, a couple of teenage girls entering and immediately sat at a pale blue table. I didn't even needed to them as Momo did, however I greeted them with a smile.

Lily swept her eyes over her customers with satisfaction and sent a brief adieu, leaving shortly after to revisit some papers in her office.

Len keenly watched as I served the girls with an unwavering grin, calmly and politely taking their orders. The loud tap of ceramic plates against the colorful acrylic tabletops mutedly echoed in the small café, the small yet eventful chat fading into the distance as I refilled their tea cups.

Occasionally I came back to check on the two girls, both claiming to have a good time although they noticed the handsome blond boy observing my actions in the background with a small smile. I simply told them that it was nothing interesting, and moved on to billing them.

As they began to leave I walked back behind the counter, yelling a, "Have a nice day!" And turned to find Len's head facing mine, his face unchanging. After a while his beaming expression began to irritate me, and I sharply asked, "What?"

"I've never seen you smile so naturally." He calmly spoke, causing my lips to tighten into an emotionless line.

"Yeah, well you're mistaken, it wasn't natural at all." I discarded his kind words with a snap, but was taken aback at his sudden topic change.

"The bow looks nice on you." His clear blue eyes curved against his smile, but before I could retort, Len lifted his arms from the counter and started to move towards the door. His hand was on the bar when he turned back. "So, I'll see you later at your house?"

I spoke reluctantly, "A-At room 607, I'll be there soon."

Len smiled, this smile a bit more pleasing then the rest. It was his signature cheeky smile, after all. "Gotcha! I'm gonna go get my things while you work. Bye!"

I returned the smile with a grin. "Yeah."

15: Japanese word/number play for Ichi go/Ichigo/Strawberry

A/N Note that I'm also not a waiter, please don't criticize me for assuming! Thanks for the comments and follows, too!