"Finally, you have a break." Scaramouche sighed in relief as Kazuha sat down in the vacant chair across from him. He was in the 'Cupid Arrow cafe' near his neighborhood.

He left his house this afternoon after his illness lessened. Since he had nothing to do in there as Yae excuses him in every subject, his mind died in boredom.

Kazuha was working here as his part-time job, which is laughable because the guy is an heir to his parent's company. Anyways, Scaramouche decided to visit him.

Their boss didn't give Kazuha a break, even though he was working there since morning. Thankfully, this time he allowed Kazuha to take a break. Talk about being so indifferent.

Though he quite hates how his boss is so joyful and was really into cooking.

"Well, my boss saw my hard work." Kazuha shrugged his shoulders as he look at Scaramouche. "I read from gc, you're sick. Why are you here?" He looks at him suspiciously.

"Do you think I ditched my home? My illness lessened up and I died in boredom in our house." Scaramouche commented which made Kazuha scoff at him.

"But don't worry, I'm fine now. I just lack sleep." He added.

"Yeah, I heard from Lumine that you will not be able to attend the party last night because you wanted to sleep."

Scaramouche can't remember saying something like that last night. He guess Aether made an excuse for him. He quite appreciates it though. It will be embarrassing to him to admit he was lacking sleep because of the fucking council when his friends confront him for being too responsible which is not true by the way.

"Shocking to say you attend." If Scaramouche was the type of attending a party, then after it, he will not attend another. Kazuha on the other hand was someone who rarely showed up at parties, aside from special occasions.

"I can't just decline the invitation. It turns out the party was good though, it was worth it." Kazuha mischievously says.

"It's Lumine's party." It's not shocking to say that the party was good.

Kazuha shook his head.

"No, no, not about that. Something happened at the party." Kazuha grinned, much to Scaramouche's confusion.

Come to think of it, no matter how many times Scaramouche scrolled down in their gc, the others didn't say anything about what happened at the party, all of them were about him being sick.

"What is it?" Scaramouche curiously asks Kazuha.

"It's about the person-who-get-in-your-nerves, your honor."

Scaramouche's day was ruined. He instantly lost interest and glared at Kazuha.

"Don't be angry with me. I just wanted to share this with you 'kay?" Scaramouche continues to glare at him before nodding.

"The thing is Aether showed up with a woman at the party."

Scaramouche stopped working.

"You know Ayaka right?" Scaramouche froze in his seat. Of course, he knows Ayaka. Who wouldn't know about the most popular girl with the beauty of a goddess in their batch?

"Hmm. We had a little conversation before about the intramural."

"So yeah. Because Aether was an alpha and never brought an omega girl into their house, Lumine was so shocked that she yelled about Aether being a playboy or something like that."

So, to be exact, Lumine made a scene in her party. Although, Scaramouche quite agreed.

He was a playboy in his mind. He can't believe that Aether brought a woman after picking him up at their school. Scaramouche wanted to laugh without humor. He was the other woman.

"Hey, we heard about the rumors about Ayaka and Aether before, about them dating secretly," Scaramouche muttered. He remembered it was before first-year college when someone saw Aether and Ayaka going together in some cafe.

Though at that time, Scaramouche didn't Aether was Lumine's brother and just some kind of dude who got rumored with Ayaka.

"Wait, I don't remember something like that." Kazuha squinted his eyes, trying to remember it.

"It happened." Scaramouche rolled his eyes. "It was Tighnari and Mona who sent a picture of Aether and Ayaka in our group chat." Since the two like to gossip even with people they don't even know about.

"I will take a look at it later."

Scaramouche just snorted. He was telling the truth.

"I heard something fascinating too. That you got angry when Albedo and Tighnari shoved into your face that you were single yesterday in the faculty." Kazuha laughed.

"Even that?"

Scaramouche still didn't forgive the three for not returning to the council office. They made him do more work.

"They're annoying." Scaramouche rolled his eyes. He narrowed his eyes down toward Kazuha.

"It's fun to see you being worked up like that." Kazuha didn't even hesitate to say that. If someone says that to Scaramouche when they're not close, he will probably throw a punch in their face.

But It's Kazuha, so Scaramouche didn't mind.

"Anyway, we're going to visit you later. Even you're saying that you're fine."

"Even if I disagree, you all will still go." It just shows how shameless they are.

Kazuha just laughed at him.

"So... How's your life?" Scaramouche decided to ask Kazuha who frowned upon his question.

He squinted his eyes towards the latter.

"Running away from your problems is not a good habit you know."

Scaramouche heard from his mothers about Kazuha's matters. He concluded that it was the reason why Kazuha was declining to use the money from his parents and work here.

Kazuha sighed.

"It's just---"

"Kazuha!"

Kazuha's words were stopped when one of his co-workers hurriedly goes to their table. Seeing the worker alarmed face, Scaramouche gets up out of concern about Kazuha.

"What happened?"

"Your mom called us. She says you need to be there right now, as soon as possible." The woman with the name tag Yoimiya said.

Scaramouche rolled his eyes. This is what he was saying that running away was not a good habit.

Scaramouche watched Kazuha freeze on his feet, having a hard time deciding, and sighed before looking at Kazuha's co-worker.

"Yoimiya, is it?" Scaramouche read the name tag. The woman with orange hair nodded. "Can I be his substitute?" He pointed at Kazuha who was startled.

"You just recovered from ill!" Kazuha shakes his head toward Yoimiya.

"And what? Let your moms decide about your future without you?" Scaramouche knew it.

Kazuha's life was in the steak right now. Even if he just recovered from sickness. Is that more important than his friend whose freedom was about to be taken away?

No. He can rest tomorrow if sickness appeared again. Scaramouche had no problem with that. He had a problem if Kazuha's freedom got taken away from him.

"I can't decide about it on my own. But I will explain it to our boss since he will understand why." Yoimiya said. Even with the look of hesitation, she was still smiling.

Upon hearing it, Scaramouche glanced at Kazuha.

"Just go."

Kazuha didn't respond and looked at Yoimiya.

"Tell me if he creates a scene here, if he ever got furniture broken, reduce my wage to pay that."

Scaramouche was just being nice, yet this is what he received?

"Get lost fucker." He had a temper but he had some dignity left in his body to make a scene in Cupid Arrow's cafe. But he was relieved that Kazuha agreed to make him his substitute because he will force him to agree if he don't.

"Good luck," Scaramouche muttered. "Tell the others about this later?" Kazuha said before muttering a 'thanks' to Scaramouche.

Scaramouche and Yoimiya watched Kazuha leave the cafe.

"I'm sure our boss will understand," Yoimiya mumbled.

"He should," Scaramouche responded. He took the apron from Yoimiya and wear it. He never had experience working in a cafe, so he probably is terrible at this.

"Do you have any experience with this?" Yoimiya asked.

"...I don't." Scaramouche shakes his head.

The girl beamed as she heard his answer.

"This will be a good real-life experience. Be patient with people too even though they're annoying. Just smile." Yoimiya advised Scaramouche to take it seriously since he might ruin Kazuha's work if he didn't.

With a furrowed eyebrow, Scaramouche looks at the two people who called him to make their orders. Scratch what he said earlier, his patience was already on the edge by just seeing them.

Why did he have to serve the one who got on his nerves every time? With a woman that Scaramouche was fully familiar with.

"I'm sorry about my sister's behavior last night, she was just surprised."

Scaramouche heard the shitty blond-haired guy say to the woman across from him. He wanted to roll his eyes down at him. So, it was true that Ayaka and Aether were dating. If not, Scaramouche will not see them being here, looking like a couple.

"It's okay, my brother would react the same," Ayaka said in an understanding tone.

Scaramouche continues to walk forward.

"Excuse me." Scaramouche takes a deep breath as the two customers turn their heads toward him. "May I take your order?" Scaramouche had the urge to throw curses in frustration when he met Aether's indifferent eyes.

"It's you!" Ayaka's eyes opened wide at the familiar person, and she greeted Scaramouche happily. "The secretary of the council! I didn't expect to see you here!"

Scaramouche either. He almost wanted to roll his eyes at the mention of his position at the university.

"Can I have sweet madame? And a boba tea too."

Scaramouche then looks at Aether who continues to stare at him shamelessly. Why can he find some annoyance in that stare?

"What's your order mister?" Of course, he will pretend they don't know each other just like before he doesn't know he was Lumine's sister.

"The same order." Aether pointed out Ayaka. Scaramouche nodded.

"Are you new here? I never saw you here before." Ayaka asked as Scaramouche was writing down all orders they say.

Scaramouche didn't dare to look at Ayaka and answered.

"A substitute."

Ayaka nodded in understanding.

"For Kazuha?" Scaramouche narrowed his eyes down to Ayaka. He expects the latter to know that Kazuha was working here. Since Ayaka looks like a usual customer here, seeing her saying that boldly quite startled him.

"Yes. Is there anything else?" Scaramouche glanced at Aether.

Seeing him with an indifferent expression while staring at him. Scaramouche didn't waste his time at their table.

"Please wait for a moment."

Aether's stare is making Scaramouche conscious about his looks right now. Even though he knew he looked good in the uniform of the cupid arrow cafe, even Yoimiya says that. but Aether stare is something else.

Why are these two here anyway?

Scaramouche walks to the counter where Yoimiya is currently assigned.

"Two sweet madame and two boba tea." Scaramouche recited the list to Yoimiya who nodded her head.

"Do you happen to know them perhaps?" Yoimiya asked as she talk with the person in charge of cooking.

"Yup, why?"

"You look annoyed when I saw you go to their table. But you did great smiling at them though." Yoimiya chuckled.

Scaramouche tilted his head. How can he not get annoyed though?