Cafe Sorrisi was a small, quaint coffee shop located in the middle of Tokyo's business district. It was a place where you were always greeted with a smile and a warm handshake. In addition to the cheerful staff, the variety of teas and coffee were sure to amaze, and the quality was nothing short of great. Anyone with something intelligent to say was welcomed, and it had been years since the Cafe had been forced to cater to someone otherwise. The music was contemporary and modern, as was the décor.
Simply put, it was a pleasant place to eat on your lunch break. Business men had crowned Sorrisi as their choice coffee house for three years running, and the employment of pretty young women definitely helped.
“Rin-Chan, I'm taking break now,” Kaneko Akira called, removing the primarily green company apron from around her waist and lying it across a chair. She grabbed her black and pink backpack and headed towards the door, determined to use her twenty-five minute lunch to do something productive. She mused over her choices, 'Tennis would take to long...' Akira reminded herself, bringing a slender finger to her strawberry pinks lips. What to do?
The barista thought a little longer before finally coming to a decision. “Tama-kun's birthday is coming up.” she muttered, clipping her shoulder length honey-brown hair up as to avoid the heat. Already this early in June, the suffocating heat of summer was becoming inescapable, which brought her to the obvious choice of a gift. “He doesn't have air conditioning... does he?”
Akira giggled, thinking of her rather childish best friend. Leave it to him to suffer through scorching Tokyo temperatures without so much as a fan.
“Off to the store, I guess,” The young woman thought, humming her favorite summer-time song as she walked optimistically along. 'Tama-kun would never ask... but I think I'll get him a new tennis racquet, too...' The girl continued to contemplate over gift ideas for a few blocks, unaware of the dark and stormy clouds forming overhead. Only when she became shrouded in shade did she think to check the sky. Sure enough, the cumulonimbus clouds were there, and the low rumble of thunder threatened to drench anyone outside.
Kaneko's shoulders slumped. So much for buying Tama-kun a gift today... she sighed in aggravation 'Well, we need the rain,' she reasoned, 'and there's always tomorrow, right?'
She began to head back in the direction of the Cafe, cheerful as ever. Why focus on all the little negative things when you could focus on the good aspects of life? That was her motto, and she made sure to live by it each and every day. Unfortunately, the rain couldn't hold back anymore and the small droplets began their decent to earth, unbiased and impartial.
Akira held her hand out, letting the cool water splash onto palm. A small smile formed on the woman's lips and she looked up at the darkening sky, letting the rain fall on to her brow and mingle with her hair. No big deal, not to her at least. She took one more second and then began her sprint towards Cafe Sorrisi.
