Tokyo Rebirth: Start From Picking Up Sayu

In this way, Kato Yusuke also came to Shinjoka after school on Tuesday, and even brought a gift to his door.

Mainly some snacks that girls like to eat, and a few bags of coffee beans.

Through the information Xiao Xi accidentally revealed yesterday, he learned that the other party also liked drinking coffee, so he brought some over.

Perhaps because she was upset about not being able to welcome them yesterday, today Xiao Xi ran to the door to greet them as soon as they opened the door.

The girl just said to them "Welcome back~" with a soft and healing smile on her face, and then carefully helped them arrange the shoes they had taken off in order.

After finishing these things, I returned to the kitchen and continued busy.

As promised before, Xiao Xi carefully prepared simple but heartwarming dishes for them.

The main dish is Japanese hamburger steak, with corn salad and pickled radish as side dishes, rice as main dish, and miso soup.

Although the overall combination feels like a set meal, the taste is more than a little better than outside.

Whether it's the juicy hamburger steak, the refreshing and delicious salad and pickled radish, or the stomach-warming miso soup.

Everything is memorable.

At least Kato Yusuke eats comfortably.

The girl did a good job of restoring the taste that he had never forgotten, and quietly touched his heart...

Because he had been mentally prepared in advance, his reaction was not as rude as yesterday, and he just quietly enjoyed the food very attentively.

Seeing his reaction, Xiao Xi also felt extremely happy, with a smile on her face.

After dinner, she rushed to the kitchen to wash the dishes. Shinjoka was about to help make coffee, but was stopped by Kato Yusuke.

"President...?"

Facing her questioning look, the young man responded: "You sit down, I'll take a dip."

After saying that, he stood up and walked to the kitchen, coming to the coffee machine next to the microwave.

Although the coffee machine purchased by Shin Tiao Xiang is a different model from the one Shi Yu gave him, the operation methods are similar.

Open the lid of the bean bin, unpack the fresh coffee beans, and pour them in.

After adjusting the grinding degree, Kato Yusuke was about to look for a cup and milk, but when he turned his head, he happened to face a small head.

Probably because she had nothing to do after washing the dishes, the girl was standing next to him and staring intently at his movements.

"Xiao Xi...?"

He asked with some confusion: "What are you doing?"

"It means when you were making coffee, Yusuke-san..."

Serizawa Yuu observed while thinking and said: "It turns out that it all starts with grinding coffee beans. Men are indeed more particular about these aspects."

"…Do you like coffee very much?"

"Coffee? Yeah! I like it."

The girl nodded her head affirmatively and asked, "Hey, can you buy me a drink later?"

"Well, I'm getting ready to make the milk now. Before that, can you get me the cup, milk jug and whole milk?"

"Cup and whole milk, right? Um, ok!"

As Serizawa Yu said, she immediately brought three mugs, a milk bottle and a bucket of milk.

"Here you go~ Yusuke-san."

"Well, thank you."

"Yusuke-san, will you make coffee for us? Hehe... I'm looking forward to it." The girl said to herself excitedly.

The lively and cute look made Kato Yusuke smile.

Make a little preparation, pour the milk into the milk jug, and then start grinding the beans.

As the machine buzzed, the unsuspecting Serizawa Yu couldn't help being startled. His body trembled reflexively, and then he curiously watched the changes in the coffee beans.

"Uh-huh, the 'Kalakacha~' sound is ringing!"

"It's grinding after all."

"Hehe, it always feels so magical~"

"Haven't you seen it before?"

"Um...no."

The girl slowly shook her head, "Including coffee shops, I haven't been to those kinds of places very often."

Kato Yusuke's expression froze slightly, "Didn't you go there with your friends?"

Serizawa continued to shake her head and recalled in a confused tone:

"No. Because my family has a lot of rules. If I don't go home directly after school, my parents will be angry.

I was basically not allowed to go out on my days off... so I never even thought about going to a coffee shop. "

While saying this, a little loneliness and loneliness appeared on her face involuntarily.

Kato Yusuke was stunned.

From the moment the words were spoken, time began to move backwards rapidly.

The picture was pulled back frame by frame, and the man in front of him and the girl hidden in his memories gradually overlapped and overlapped.

In a coffee shop in the past, a girl with a lonely face looked out the window like this and said similar words to him in a nonchalant tone.

At that time, she was sitting opposite him, and the heavy light and shadow reflected on her body, like a beautiful and dim silhouette behind a thin curtain.

The hum of the machine sounded distant to his ears.

It felt like my chest was being tightened, making it difficult to breathe.

The girl who has never been loved pretends to be optimistic and cheerful, as tough as the weeds that spread everywhere and are happy with everything.

As a result, after being loved for a little while, his true colors immediately emerged, and he was full of expectations and wanted to give everything he had for him.

Even though she was just a barren weed, it didn't stop her from wanting to give him a little more of her barren life.

"..."

Kato Yusuke stood there, not knowing what to do for a moment.

Perhaps feeling that her words were too heavy, the girl spoke softly again.

"But I feel a little happy to be able to drink coffee brewed by Brother Yu himself like this."

"Um……"

The dull voice promised her.

The young man removed the grinding handle, used a powder mixer and a tamping hammer to flatten and compact the powder, and then placed it in the water outlet on the other side to start extraction.

In order to prevent himself from continuing to think wildly, he took the initiative to explain.

"... Generally, the grams of ground coffee beans is about 18g, and the amount of water extracted is twice that of the powder."

"Hey~~ So that's it?"

Next to me, Serizawa Yuu nodded while listening, and then asked: "Can we add milk to it after the extraction is complete?"

It can be seen that she is really interested in the process of brewing coffee, so that her little face is full of seriousness.

So Kato Yusuke continued to talk without hesitation.

"It's true that you need to add milk, but you don't add it directly. You need to froth the milk before that."

"Frothed milk?"

"Yes, just use the steam head on the side of the machine. I'll show you. You stand a little to the side first to be careful not to get burned."

"Okay~~" The girl obediently moved a step to the side, observing with her eyes wide open, for fear of missing the slightest detail.

Kato Yusuke first turned on the air conditioner to warm up.

After the temperature rose, he began to froth the milk while explaining it carefully.

"The steam pressure of household coffee machines like this is usually relatively small, so it will take a little longer. Just whip the milk until it is thick and fine, and the temperature is almost hot."

"Hmm~ I remember, and then what?"

"Then just add it to your coffee."

As he spoke, he picked up the cup and slowly poured the whipped milk into the espresso.

After a while, two cups of milk coffee without latte art were ready.

"Try it and see."

"Wow~~Thank you Yusuke-san."

Serizawa Yu took the coffee happily, put it in front of her nose and smelled it, and a strong aroma hit her face.

"Ah, this smells so good~!"

"Because it's just made, drink it while it's hot. Be careful not to burn your mouth."

The girl agreed with "Yes!", carefully put her soft lips to it, and took a small sip.

A second passed.

"Hey, it feels a little sweet? It tastes good!"

Kato Yusuke confirmed her words, "This kind of lightly roasted beans tastes like a bit of fruity sourness and sweetness, so it is very suitable for girls to drink."

"Hey, is that so...?"

Serizawa Yu murmured in confusion, her eyes fell on the two cups, and she suddenly noticed something.

"Hey, only two cups of coffee?"

"Well, these two cups are for you and Shinjo. I'll make them myself."

Kato Yusuke paused here and asked: "I plan to use another kind of beans next. Do you want to try it and see how it works?"

The girl was stunned for a moment when she heard this, and then her eyes immediately burst with light, "I, can I-?"

"There's nothing wrong with it. You just saw my steps."

"But, but...what if I did something wrong..."

"——I will be watching you from the side, so it doesn't matter." The young man reassured her.

After a little hesitation, Serizawa Yu couldn't resist the excitement in her heart, so she nodded and agreed.

"Then...can you please Yusuke-san?"

"Won't."

The two changed positions.

After guiding the girl to clean the bean warehouse, Kato Yusuke brought her a new bag of coffee beans.

"This is a bean I often drink. Pour it in first."

"good."

Serizawa Yuu did as she was told and poured the coffee beans that she tore open the package into the bean bin.

"Wow, the color of this bean is so dark!"

"Well, because this coffee bean is darkly roasted, the color will be dark brown." Yusuke Kato explained patiently.

"This kind of beans tastes thick and full, with a high bitterness and a low sourness. The advantage is that the aftertaste is relatively sweet, full of aroma, and rich in chocolate flavor."

"I see...it's so awesome. I feel like Yusuke-san knows a lot!" the girl said with admiration.

"Anyway, you try it first and see if you don't understand anything. Just ask me."

"Um--!"

So...

Imitating what the young man had done before, Serizawa Yuu started to operate step by step.

Grinding beans, pressing powder, extracting...

Even though they were just ordinary things, the girl still did them meticulously, with a look of concentration on her face.

Kato Yusuke watched silently, wanting to remind her not to be so nervous, but finally gave up.

In the living room, Shinjoka watched their interaction, silently memorizing various key points and steps in case of emergency...

Even though it was her first time making coffee, Serizawa Yuu still showed off her ingenuity, and in the end she successfully made a cup of coffee without any surprises.

"I'm done——! Yusuke-san, is that so?"

"Well, the steps are all right, take it to the table."

"OK."

Taking three cups of brewed coffee, the two returned to the low table.

Shintiao Xiang took some creamer and sugar from the kitchen and added three packets of each to his cup of coffee without hesitation.

Seeing this scene, Serizawa Yu couldn't help but said in surprise: "Wow, Xiaoxiang, you added a lot of sugar and milk, wouldn't it be very sweet?"

"Who told me that I hate bitter things~"

"I hate bitter things... Well, it turns out that Xiaoxiang doesn't like coffee?"

"?~~"

Shinjoka smiled and said nothing, just slowly stirring her coffee with a spoon.

Kato Yusuke took a sip of his cup of coffee.

Since milk is added to it, it tastes smoother than what he usually drinks.

Just as he put down the cup, a pair of slightly nervous eyes looked over.

"Um, how does it taste...?"

"Um……"

He pondered for a moment: "Basically, that's how it would be if I made it myself. You did a great job."

"real--?"

"Yeah, really."

As if a big stone fell from his heart, Serizawa Yuu breathed a sigh of relief with a smile on his face.

"Great...I was worried that I might ruin Yusuke-san's coffee because of my clumsiness."

After saying that, he relaxed and drank his coffee.

"Huh...it tastes good. It feels like an adult."

Kato Yusuke glanced at her and said: "Those opened coffee beans cannot be left for too long. Don't feel embarrassed. You can drink them anytime you want."

"Ah...well, thank you Yusuke-san."

"Won't."

"But then again, why does Yusuke-san know so much about coffee?"

"Because my girlfriend loves coffee, I heard a lot about it from her."

After explaining, Kato Yusuke suddenly asked: "Also, Xiao Xi, I have something to ask you."

"What?"

"I heard something about you from Shinjo before. Are you living with your uncle now?"

"That's right..." Serizawa sat up unconsciously, with a wry smile on his face.

"After my parents died, I was adopted by my uncle's family, but our family has always been hated by our relatives..."

"Can you tell me the specific reason?"

"Well...there's nothing I can't say."

The girl paused and said, "Actually, my parents loved to show off and were always arrogant towards others, so it's normal for them to be disliked."

Kato Yusuke nodded and continued to ask: "...So, did your uncle's family do anything excessive to you?"

"Ahaha, no."

Serizawa smiled and waved her hands, her voice lowered.

"Or I should say, I really did nothing... But for a person, being completely ignored is the most uncomfortable thing..."

"Ignore it completely...?" The young man couldn't help but murmured.

In a sense, except for the different targets of cold violence, this situation is basically the same as what Sayu once experienced.

"——Well, completely ignore it."

The girl forced a smile and said: "Maybe I would rather they do something to me, at least it means they are still interested in me.

I tried hard to get them to forgive me, but it seemed like it was too late. "

When he heard this, Shinjoka, who had always been relatively quiet, suddenly couldn't help but ask:

"Is that why you ran away from home? To make them pay attention to you."

Perhaps because this question went deeper into his heart, Serizawa Yu couldn't help but fell silent and unconsciously lowered his eyes.

"Actually... I also want to be a good boy."

The girl let out a breath, then raised her gaze again.

"I'll be leaving on Sunday morning...so until then, can you let me practice being a good boy here?"

Looking at that brave smiling face, Kato Yusuke said nothing, but nodded affirmatively.

Vaguely, some immodest thoughts flashed through his mind...

…