I relax a bit and calm down while waiting for our order. Sato-sama studies my drawings (tablet intact, hooray!) and carefully reads my notes in the notebook. I thought she would immediately dismiss all my ideas, but she carefully examines everything, nods approvingly to herself, and even takes pictures of my notes on her phone. I don't interrupt her, giving her time to go through everything on her own.

I instantly liked the cafe-bar: a clean and cozy place with minimalist aesthetics, no unnecessary pomp or excess details. Perhaps that's why the Dragon Princess loves this 'Den' so much. The distinctive feature of the establishment is its special symbol: a classic oriental dragon with long body and long moustache. In different poses, it is either carved in wood or cast in metal in the most unexpected places in the cafe: on the back of a wooden chair (only on mine), on a spoon (only at the neighboring girl's table), on a mug (where the handle of the mug is the dragon's tail), as a tattoo on Momo-chan's forearm.

Sato-sama is right; it's quite crowded here due to the end of the workweek. The cafe seems cute, but something bothers me. There are more women here than men, many of them sitting in pairs... I look closely at Momo-chan. Maybe she doesn't look like a classic masc, but her entire appearance and charisma scream: lesbian! Big rings on her fingers, large tattoos (some with images of American pinup girls), a clean but unironed black T-shirt under the apron. Wait a minute... is this a lesbian cafe? It can't be. When I was looking for a job, I checked all the places near our office for any lgbt theme, but found nothing like that. Maybe it's an unofficial lesbian spot? But if Sato-sama knows the cafe owner well and comes here regularly... Oh my god!!! Did I win the lesbian lottery? No, no, I'm just an unlucky dreamer. It's just a coincidence. We are colleagues. She is my boss. I'm even glad that I can spend time with her.

"Suzuka-sensei, are you still with me?" Sato-sama giggles, looking at my bewildered face. "Our order has already been brought, and you didn't even notice, daydreaming about something."

Damn, lost in my thoughts again.

"You're right. I often dream about different places and things that can't happen in reality, but it helps with work."

"I often drift into my fantasies too," Sato-sama unexpectedly confesses.

"I would have never thought so," I say, practically diving into my food.

"I've learned over time to hide it. Sometimes I sit at a boring conference or meeting and escape into fantasy worlds in my thoughts; I already know in advance what everyone will say or think: some people are very predictable. Now I don't even know if it's good or bad to have such a quirk."

"I think it's good if you're thinking about something good."

"Sometimes I drift too far into my fantasies because reality often disappoints me."

"So that's why you reacted like that to my words about past lives and destiny?"

"Yes. I didn't want you to think that your boss has gone mad and believes in some nonsense."

"If you're not ready to talk about it, I won't insist. I know that confessing even in something innocent and good can turn against you. I confessed to a friend, a former friend, that a fantastic world appeared to me one morning at breakfast (most likely, I was just tired and not fully awake). And she told everyone about it, and now they gossip about me, thinking I'm a lunatic, they were sure you invited me to your office to fire or reprimand me."

"They're fools. You're doing great at your job. And what you believe in or dream about is your personal business."

"Thank you, Sato-sama. I never thought I would discuss something like this with you while sitting in such an... interesting place."

"I would never allow myself to do this if... oh well... nonsense. Are you ready to discuss your work now?" Sato-sama finally breaks the awkward silence.

"Yes!"

❣️❣️❣️

The book is finally complete! The access to all chapters of "The Evening Stroll" you can find on
• Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/treepipit
For more wlw content join us on
• IG: treepipit_and_bibinomad

Nota bene: some chapters feature mature content!

The cover and illustrations belong to ©treepipit

No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without written permission of the publisher.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents either are products of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events or locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

All rights reserved
© treepipit 2019-2024