Colors and the Wrinkles of the Heart [Episode 6] After Spending Time Together

*Read from the beginning of this story*

*Read Episode 5 of this story*

[Episode 6] After Spending Time Together

I call out to the woman who responded to my beckoning and came to the front of the shop.

"Rui-san! Hello. You came! You should have just come inside the shop."

Perhaps she feels uncomfortable, as she doesn't reply in words.

Seeing this, Ritsuki speaks up for her.

"It must have been hot outside, right? We were just brewing some coffee for our own break. Would you like to join us? We'll serve it as iced coffee, so if you have the time, please take a seat and wait."

Accepting those words, she sits at her usual counter seat.
Seeing that, I feel a sense of relief.

Ayame seems to feel the same way.

This woman is Rui-san.
According to Grandma, she is 41 years old and has been coming here for a long time.

She has never worked, has no place at home, and doesn't necessarily want to meet people.

The only place where she can be and feel at ease is [Cafe Colorful].

Grandma doesn't force her to talk, but she lets her drink coffee and eat meals.

Rui-san is very observant of others, and she is well aware that she has no place in society.

That is precisely why Grandma treated her in a way that made this place feel like home.

It seems the reason she was the last one to stay at the shop was because she would clean up as a way to return the favor for the meals she was treated to.

She called Grandma "Yori-san" and adored her very much.
She doesn't hold conversations with us yet, but it seems she talked with Grandma often.

In fact, she told her about having dreams, having things she wanted to do, and feeling that things couldn't go on the way they were.

It wasn't hard to imagine that it must have taken a great deal of courage for her to visit [Cafe Colorful] today, knowing that "Yori-san" might not be here.

"The coffee is ready. Let's have some together."
Ayame said, placing an iced coffee in front of Rui-san.

"Wow, that looks like delicious coffee. Rui-san, may I sit next to you and have some too?"

She looked surprised, but gave a small nod.

"Thank you."
Saying that, I sat down next to Rui-san.

"Rui-san. Thank you for coming today. You remembered the grand reopening date! I imagine you might have felt that my grandmother wouldn't be here... so what made you decide to come?"

A silence followed for a while.

It felt like it lasted for thirty minutes, but in reality, it was probably only about five.

I wanted to interrupt many times, but if she was trying to speak, I wanted to cherish that feeling.
I couldn't catch her words unless I paid attention to even the sound of Rui-san's breathing.

Thinking that, I endured the long silence.

I heard the sound of her taking a breath beside me. I leaned in to listen to Rui-san.

"Because this is the only place I can go. When I come here, even if it's just for a little while, I feel like I can be myself."

I felt like this was the first time I had heard Rui-san's actual voice directly. And although her words were brief, I felt they were very profound.

I thought that she had come today to confirm whether this was a place she could come to.

On this day, after she finished her coffee, she said, "I'm going home," and stood up from her seat.

"You don't need to pay for today. This also served as a tasting for these coffee beans. Please come again if you'd like."
Ayame called out to her as she saw her off to the door.

She bowed politely and left.

After seeing her off, I went outside to water the flowers in the garden.

"I wonder how Rui-san felt about it?"

I was anxious about whether she would come back again.

From that day on, Rui-san came to the shop every day it was open.

She seemed to be getting used to the space little by little, and her stay grew longer. She was also able to eat meals. Our worries were quickly dispelled.

Surprising reports were coming in from my sister almost every day.

We had decided to only accept payment for the coffee from Rui-san.

This was because her grandmother had already paid for the meals in advance.

I took a paid leave day and went to the shop on a weekday.

The reason I went was, of course, to talk to Rui-san.

Today, just like that day, I sit next to you, drinking coffee, and start a conversation.

What do you do at home?

Nothing.

Do you clean your room?

I don't. That's why I can't invite anyone over. Not that I have any friends I could invite anyway.

The fact that you throw in self-deprecating remarks makes me think you might actually be an interesting person. I was used to your curt replies. However, I had noticed that with each passing visit, your expressions were starting to change.

It's about time to make my move.

Since the day I discussed it with Grandma, I decided to finally propose what I had been thinking about in my heart.

Um, if you don't mind, would you like to help me clean this place? My sister has been busy lately and doesn't seem to have the time. I want to help out too, but I thought it would be lonely doing it by myself. I thought it would be nice if I could do it with you, Rui-san. It seems like it would be good exercise, too!

Since you didn't seem to be rejecting me, I continued.

Of course, I can't ask you to do it for free, but this shop isn't quite on its feet yet, so paying you in money is difficult. How about a 'free drink coupon' as a break after we finish cleaning?

No, you always treat me... I don't need to receive that much.

That's a separate matter. It's not for a meal, but a thank you for what you've done. I'll talk to my sister and her husband about it!

Even though I said I would talk to them, I had already received informal consent from Ayame and her husband.

Besides, it doesn't have to be every day. Even though I invited you to join me, the days I can come to this shop are limited. And, well, we're human, so we need breaks. If we go full throttle from the start, we'll get tired, so how about we start with just Saturdays?
The next day is the shop's day off, so I want to put some real effort into the cleaning!

Unusually, the reply to this suggestion didn't take long.

Yes. I look forward to working with you.

And so, from that day on, Rui-san and my great cleaning operation began.

Rui-san's ability to absorb information was better than a sponge.

Anything we did together once, she would take notes on, memorize, and repeat diligently.
The condition I initially proposed—that just Saturdays would be fine—disappeared within a week, and she continued cleaning even on the days I wasn't there.
Rui-san was so thorough, her work ethic far exceeding what a free drink ticket could cover, and before I knew it, she had become better at cleaning than anyone else in the shop.

Rui-san, this is... you're at a professional level now!

There was no verbal reply, but she didn't seem to mind the praise.

The more I praised her, the harder she worked.

Gradually, we were able to converse more smoothly, and somehow, Rui-san's figure began to look more reliable to me.

Episode 7 continues

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