First Shift

"Hello is anyone here?" Mika shouted across the room for an answer but to no avail did she get a response. "Man this is my first shift so I better not make a fool out of myself." Looking herself in her phone camera she started to style the two ribbons in her hair and fix her twin tails.

There was a blonde girl was slouching against the counter with her arms cushioning her head as a pillow.

"WAH! Is that .... *yawn* ..... you Mika?" Rubbing her eyes she noticed the presence of a person she knew in her brief time in the city. This was the first classmate that Mika ever talked to upon arriving in the city and her name was Hina Kaho. They attended the same school of Hosei High and they were first introduced to each other as table partners.

"What a coincidence, are you working here as well? That means I'm your co-worker and senior from now on. I hope you treat me with respect." Boosting a bit of smugness, Hina had both her arms on her hips.

"Yeah me too I didn't expect you to be here Hina. That's so great that there's someone here I know, it makes me less scared of the job."

"MIKA! Welcome my dear." The owner came running out of the kitchen giving Mika a huge cuddle. "You look so wonderful today my dear, here go and get changed into your uniform."

Upon getting dressed Mika walked back into the dinning area in a collared button up shirt with a white apron around the waist.

Capturing pictures of her, the manager was giving his approval while snapping every camera angle he could find of her. "You look wonderful in that uniform Mika my dear." Clapping a round of applause a chop slapped down on Dino's head. "OW!"

"Stop that brother, can't you see that you're making her uncomfortable." Sighing there was a man in a kitchen chef coat with dark green hair that loomed over one of his eyes.

"Why did you do that Azuki, I was just admiring Mika's beauty." Still recovering from that blow the owner rubbed his head as he was dragged away from his brother.

"Sorry about my brother. You're the new employee my brother was talking about. It's okay you don't have to confess you're love to me, I'm only interested in 2D woman." Raising his hand he indicated no need to tell him the words.

"Don't worry he does this all the time," whispered Hina to Mika's ear.

"It's a uh ... pleasure meeting you too sir." Mika was hesitating on her first still stammering quite frequently.

Hina can you teach Sakura all the basics she needs for her first shift?" After speaking he dragged his brother and himself out into the kitchen. "Hey wait Aki I want to talk to Mika more."

"No you're not bothering anyone else so just shut up!" The brothers could still be heard from inside the kitchen

"Okay let's get started shall we." Hina fist bumped in the air as a little cheer.

Mika's lesson first began with brewing coffee, just a simple task to start off. Somehow though, Mika was already struggling with this as she was roasting the coffee beans and spilled the supply on the ground as she reached down to pick them from the floor *Slip* suddenly Mika face was on the floor face first.

"Oh my god you're such a kultz Mika." Hina was cleaning up the mess that Mika made as she started to apologise profusely

"I'm sorry, I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to mess up like that. You can fire me now if you!"

"Don't worry there's a lot of task that you can do. How about mopping." Sounding optimistic, Hina ran out to the back to grab some cleaning equipment.

Next minute Mika was mopping the area trying to get every nook and cranny. "Am I doing a good job Hina?"

"Um about that, YOU FORGOT TO DRAIN THE EXTRA WATER SO NOW THE WATER'S FILLED WITH PUDDLES!

Hina was cleaning up the mess as Mika grabbed the wrong cloth and was instead using a hand towel to clean the ground. "Mika that's a hand cloth!"

"Ah it is. I'm so sorry!" Hina just sighed thinking about the easiest task in the store.

"She can't be at everything right it's impossible. Just think Hina off something that plays of Mika's strengths. AH!"

"I've finish cleaning the mess. I'm sorry I'm so bad at everything. Do you want me to do anything else."

"What about handling some money at the registers. You only need to do some basic math for that and you're kind of nerd at school aren't you?''

"Yes I can do that!" Mika was concentrating as she counted notes at the register even repeating each number to herself until she closed the draw and suddenly came to a realization, "I FORGOT WHAT I COUNTED!"

"You forgot?" Hina was face palming herself seeing her junior just fumbling at every corner feeling exhausted after all her training. "I wonder what the boss saw in this girl?"

*DING DONG*

"Oh! here's you're first customers, go on and serve them and make sure you don't make a fool out of yourself." Pushing her from behind Mika was forced to serve the customer that just entered the store.

"Welcome to the Aki's café. My name's Mika Sakura and I'll be your server for today. Please ask me if you need any help. My phone number ***3458*** and I'm also 16 attending Hosei High-. "

"STOP! That's too much talking!" Hina glasping her shoulder just shaking her violently. "You have to take there order! You got that?"

"Oh yes I understand my bad. *AHEM*. What can I get you guys today?" The two men were sitting down at this point and after scrolling through the menu

"We would like one small espresso and an omelette."

"Okay I've got that. Thanks. You're order won't be too long ..... Hopefully." Both the men just blushed with a cherry red as Mika optimistically smiled at them reassuringly as she went to relay her order.

She walked into the kitchen *mumble* *mumble* repeating under her breath the order that she was just delivered to her. "So what's the order?" Aki asked with his apron and white coat on waiting for Sakura's response.

"It was a black Doppio with a sausage roll," Mika replied.

"No that's wrong, we don't even sell sausage rolls!" screamed Hina just begging for Mika to not screw up anymore.

Minutes later after bringing out there, "I hope you guys enjoy."

Hina was just watching from the side handling the cleaning, as she just watched Mika stumble again while talking to the customer tripping onto the ground.

"So Mika looks like she's doing great with her job so far." Smiling the owner was behind Hina and just peered pass her with a smile.

"WOAH BOSS! What are you doing there!"

"Oh well after Azuki knocked me out he also kicked me out of the kitchen cause I burnt the toast so now I'm him watching our dear Mika."

"What did you see in her boss? No offense but she's not that good at all her jobs."

"Why I hired Mika you asked sweet Hina. Don't worry about her, Mika may be a bit clumsily, but she's got a quality that you don't see in many other employees."

"Heh, just a bit clusmily?" Hina jokingly replied.

"Yeah she is, but she'll get used to that job. One quality that I look for in workers is tenacity. Because she's so clumsily she's made so many mistakes so she can always rebound. Do you see her now?"

Hina just turned around to see that Mika was happily conversing with the customer, getting them to laugh. She sat casually next to each of the men sitting there with a smile boomed across her face.

"You see that, a café is all about building that connection with your customer, which we can't teach, you just have to be a natural at that. That's exactly the same reason why I hired you."

"I see thanks boss, I understand now. Mika awesome isn't she? I think I want to become friends with her."

Starting to run towards her she screamed, "Hey Mika, let's be friends?"

The boss just smiled from the back as the blonde girl ran towards the employee he just hired as those two laughed with one another.

And that's how Mika got the recognition from her first co-worker Hina after just her first shift.