Out of shock, I immediately retracted my hand.

I look to the side to see a pair of eyes looking back at me, in a similar state of shock.

With a glance, I see a young girl with a petite figure, presumably younger than me. She has a neck length bob cut, a steely gaze and... cat ears?

We stood there silent, like introverts stuck in a trap of social awkwardness.

I noticed “she” is wearing a matte black overcoat, with a suitcase similar to the one given to me during transit in her left hand. 

“Are you…… an employee?”

I nod in agreement with her question as I fumbled with the doorknob. For one thing, I appreciate Chester for locking the door despite knowing there will most likely be nobody around to snoop around here, but that also means we’re both locked out.

I begin to search for the spare key that I always keep with me in my backpack ( I can be a careless person at times ). She stares attentively at Mazaka, observing and gawping at the items he took out of my bag. I decide to break away the awkwardness between the both of us.

“Is this your first time here?”

No reply.

“Do you have a name I can call you by?”

“…… name?”

Her ears twitch to the side, with the uncanny likes of a cat. She looks unmistakably human, but with those cat-like features, it's hard to say otherwise. I notice her tail swishing from side to side.

“You know, a word that is associated with you, as a person…… I’m sorry for being brash, but may I ask how are you able to use English to communicate?”

"......"

She remains silent. I assume her grasp of the English language is still not strong enough yet to comprehend more complex forms of human speech. Perhaps she understands another language? Considering she has similar enough vocal cords to replicate the English language to a comprehensible level, this might not be completely untrue. For further communication, however, I think Chester’s help would be needed. Still, I am quite surprised at the fact that entities with such an extent of similarities with humans do exist, and I can say for certain this is certainly one of the first times I am interacting with one.

Eventually, I felt that unmistakable rigid, metallic feel in one of the compartments, those small enough that things often get forgotten inside them, and pulled whatever it was out. Sure enough, it was the key. Under her steely, unwavering gaze, I don't think I had ever unlocked the doors to Blue Horizon with such haste.

Being my usual, introverted self, my heart is already pounding fast from the peer pressure, even if those around me aren’t even humans!

In the corner of my eye, I spot that she is fidgeting with her suitcase.

I twist open the doorknob and pry open the doors to the side, securing the door facing outwards as to prevent it from swinging around in the wind. Gazing in, I see a familiar sight. A wave of relief hits me.

“Ah, finally back," I thought

I turn around to usher her into the cafe. I mean, we could consider her as the first customer of the day, but that just doesn’t sound right. We’re the ones treating her, right? I ponder about this as I carry my luggage up the steps adjourning the front entrance. When I came back out, I saw her standing there, feverishly observing her surroundings. "Hey, instead of just... standing here, why not take a look around?" She nodded in agreement, seemingly understanding what was just said but unable to give a verbal reply.

An elevated wooden path passes through the front entrance of the cafe to the back exit, separating the serving area and the preparation area into two. As we walk down the path, we pass by the “Rest Area” of the cafe, where both Chester and I frequent. Located in the bottom left corner of the cafe, the Rest Area is composed of a large “L” shaped sofa tucked into the corner, flanking a low table in the center. Its top is covered with just about anything you would expect to find in an employee lounge - Tablets, electronic gaming devices, magazines, half drank juice bottles, and for Chester, replacement batteries that he was too lazy to place back into the recharging ports. The area is lowered from the wooden walkway, so tripping up at the partition is not particularly rare. Right beside the Rest Area is Blue Horizon's main attraction -The Pastry Way- The place where we serve our pastries and do the final touches to them. A long line of display cases lines the perimeter adjacent to the wooden walkway. Within them would be pastries of varying styles; Chinese, French, Japanese, American, you name it. The display cases are empty, however.

Chester, being a “Defective” AI because of having emotions, also has the problem of being forgetful, too. But in exchange for him being able to accompany me, I’ll let it slide any day.

Before I could begin to gesture to her, she was already glued onto the cooking appliances. I wonder what she thinks about them. Perhaps her kind eats similar food to humans? What would she think about the preferences of humans on food? There is an array of smaller cooking appliances placed on the table behind the display cases, where I do most of the more intricate hand-done work.

I feel a gentle tug on my shirt.