“Albus, you′re amazing. I could never handle those boring guys’ ridiculous requests.”

  I practiced frothing milk by hand, as it creates a gentler, smoother foam.

  “Little sis, if you stay long enough, you′ll be able to make every coffee in the world, whether it exists or not,” Albus said nonchantly, washing a cute porcein cup with Snoopy on it. “As for whether it’s drinkable or not, that’s not your responsibility—it’s up to those boring people.”

  “True,” I said, ughing again, silently memorizing the first lesson's vocabury from the English textbook on the table. The milk frother in my hand kept swirling.

  The school year had started a week ago, and I was still adjusting to the life of a high school girl who worked part-time at night while preparing for college entrance exams—one of those lifestyles that sounds “cool” when told to cssmates.

  So far, I thought my life was well-pnned and full of energy, not like the typical high school student who spends their afternoons at cram school, trying to fight off sleep from earlier csses, passing notes, or heading to smoke-filled internet cafés to battle virtual monsters for a “Super Ultimate Sword” or useless gold coins.

  Working at the fragrant café, I could learn all about brewing coffee, tasting different fvors, work alongside the deadpan humorist Albus, and learn life philosophies from the deep and mysterious young owner—this, to me, was the ideal after-school career for a healthy high school girl.

  Occasionally, some cssmates would come to the café to show support, and I′d get to wear my white apron, like a little princess, serving them coffee I brewed myself and hot waffles drizzled with heart-shaped caramel. It gave me a sense of pride, like, “See? I'm more independent than you guys!”

  “By the way, you′re not going to cram school but working here instead? Won't your family get mad at you?”

  Albus had finished washing all the cups, and it was almost 10:30—closing time for the café.

  “Nope, my dad disagrees, but I’ve already worked it out with my mom. As long as my ranking in the monthly exams doesn’t drop, I get to earn pocket money here instead of going to those boring cram schools. Cram school is so dull! It's just a pce where girls pass notes, or those guys who think they're so cool try to ‘make friends’ with girls. They really watch too many novels,” I said, emphasizing the phrase “make friends” with a sarcastic tone.

  High school girls hate boys, and that's only natural. Except for him.

  “Then when you go back, take a shower, read a bit more, and then go to sleep,” said Albus.

  “How can the super cool Albus be more worried about my schoolwork than I am?” I stuck out my tongue.

  “I don’t want to have to retrain a new partner in two months,” Albus said with a cool smile.

  Albus finished cleaning the st ceramic cup and gnced at the clock on the wall—10:25.

  Five minutes left until closing.

  But today, for the entire day, not a single cup of the "Boss Lady's Special Blend" coffee was sold.

  So, the boss dy is still waiting for someone.

  The shop had no more customers. The boss dy sat alone at the round teak table, barefoot and cross-legged on the white velvet armchair, reading a book.

  On the small round table, there were only two clean, empty coffee cups.

  “Five more minutes,” Albus said, taking off his white apron, folding it neatly, and lighting a cigarette.

  Only when it's nearly closing time and there are no customers in the shop does Albus smoke a cigarette.

  She always waits thoughtfully for the iron gate to be pulled down, then goes to meet her girlfriend, who is still in college, for a te-night snack.

  “He′ll definitely come,” I said, leaning on the counter and sipping the freshly frothed milk.

  The boss dy looked up and smiled at me. She knew it too.

  No matter how busy his day at work was or how wild the weather got at night, even if a tornado suddenly hit Hsinchu, or if it snowed or hailed, he would do everything he could to arrive, to drink the special single-origin coffee she made, one cup a day, only shared with one person, and whose fvor was always uncertain. Then they would chat.

  Although that person had never shown up.

  Because the boss dy's story, too, had yet to begin.

  (T/N: Hsinchu (新竹) is a city in northern Taiwan, known as the "Windy City" due to its strong seasonal winds. It is a major hub for technology and innovation, often called the Silicon Valley of Taiwan because it houses the Hsinchu Science Park, where many leading semiconductor and tech companies, such as TSMC and MediaTek, are based.)