Camilla perked up, putting on a cheerful smile as her earlier discomfort faded away. "Come on, let’s go! You gotta see this café, it’s seriously like, one of the best hangout spots in Mahalo City!"
Noelle and Rachel exchange a look, their anger still apparent, but they choose not to say anything more for now. They walk alongside Camilla, while you, still feeling a little uneasy after the confrontation, follow behind them.
Camilla leads you towards the heart of the city, chatting about the café and the things she does there.
As you walk, you notice a few people passing by looking at you. Some of them are just curious, but a few of them seem to be sneering or whispering to each other. It's clear that your presence on the island is drawing some attention, and not necessarily in the best way.
Camilla suddenly stops in front of a colorful café with a vibrant outdoor seating area adorned with tropical plants. The name “Hau’oli Café” is written in bright, cheerful letters above the entrance.
The interior of the café is as vibrant as the exterior, with bright colors and a casual ambiance that makes you feel right at home. There's a mix of local residents and tourists, enjoying their coffee and pastries while chatting and having a good time.
Camilla leads you to a cozy table near the window. "This is our usual spot," she says casually, as if nothing had happened just moments ago. The rest of the group takes their seats, but you notice a slight tension in the air, their eyes flicking towards you occasionally.
A cheerful waitress approaches the table with a notepad in hand, a smile plastered on her face. "Aloha! Welcome to Hau'oli Café. What can I get you all today?"
Camilla looks around the table. "I'll have the iced macadamia nut latte, Rachel?"
Rachel glares at Camilla but then turns to the waitress with a tight smile. "A mint green tea, please."
The waitress jots down the order and looks at you expectantly. "And for you?"
“Hey, Alice here can speak Albionish,” Rachel smugly whispered to the waitress, whose eyes widened with delight as she looked at you with a new vigor.
“Xánn itch héba vótra cømandi?”
…Can I have your order, you translated in your head. Darn Rachel for throwing you out there like that - your Albionish wasn't THAT good. Looking at the menu in front of you, you couldn't begin to wonder how to say any of it in Albionish, so you stuck with something simple like…
You translated in your head, I would like a black coffee with cream. “...Itch hill líkhe ã bløkh khavé ghwíth krem,”
The waitress nods with a grin and writes it down. "Coming right up! Pastries or snacks, anyone?”
Noelle speaks up, her voice still laced with irritation. "We'll have a plate of malasadas to share, please."
Camilla grins. "Ooohh, good choice!”
The waitress smiles. "Great! The drinks and malasadas will be right out." She gathers the menus and leaves to place the order.
For a moment there's an awkward silence at the table. The previous tension is still palpable, and it seems like nobody knows quite what to say.
With perfect timing, a buff, tanned, curly-haired young man with an open palm tree-print shirt holding a manga in his hand walked up to your table with a sly smile.
“Wassup, Camilla! Got some new pals, I see!”
“Uh, who's this guy?” Rachel asked with furrowed brows.
“He calls himself ‘Simpai’,” Camilla answered, gesturing to the manga in his possession. “He's a big anime fan and loves manga and light novels too.”
“I mean,” Simpai interjected. “I do love a good mango, but the mainstream ones especially be hella wack.”
“It's manga—” Rachel corrected, narrowing her eyes.
“Shaddap! This is a fuckin' MANGO, dude!” he rebutted, shoving his manga in Rachel's face before pulling it away. “And y'know what pisses ya boy off ‘bout these got-dang mangoes? These mofos are so scared of characters that have melanin it's crazy!”
Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.
Noelle sat there baffled at how she went from chastising Camilla to this in the span of half an hour.
“And tell y'all what, there was this line in a light novel I saw that had ya boy fuming. ‘Her skin was so milky-white that it was almost translucent, and her perfect hourglass body was something that girls across the world could only dream of having’. What in the name of sardines on a Monday morning? How did no-gotdang-body mention how FUCKED that description is? Objectifying language that puts down other people like that hasta STOP! ALL skin tones are beautiful, ALL body types are beautiful! Can we all as gorgeous human beings just agree on that one thing?!”
You listened intently to the conversation at the table. The tension from before still hung in the air, but this newcomer's outburst seemed to have shifted the focus.
You sipped your black coffee, watching Simpai's passionate rant with mild amusement. He was certainly opinionated and direct, just like you were in certain topics.
Camilla seemed a bit embarrassed by Simpai's unexpected entrance, but she tried to keep a smile on her face. She knew he could be a handful, but the guy had a good heart, even if he didn't always know when to tone it down.
Rachel rolled her eyes at Simpai's comments, not really caring about the guy's opinions on manga and skin tones.
Noelle sat silently, her body shifting nervously from Simpai's sudden presence. His intense personality and loud volume were not what she had expected when she agreed to come to the café.
Zalgo couldn't help but feel a slight pang of sympathy for Simpai's frustration.
I understand where he was coming from, she thought. Representation and inclusion in media are indeed important issues, but maybe this isn't the right time or place for such a passionate speech.
Just as Simpai was about to continue his rant, the waitress returned with a tray of drinks and plates of steaming hot malasadas. The arrival of food thankfully interrupted Simpai, giving everyone a moment to collect themselves. The waitress set down the drinks first, making sure to place the correct order in front of each person. Then she carefully placed the plate of golden, fluffy malasadas in the center of the table. The aroma of cinnamon and sugar filled the air, tempting everyone to dig in.
The sight of the delicious pastries seemed to distract Simpai from his short tirade. His eyes widened as he took in the sweet treats, and his stomach growled in anticipation. The rest of the group gratefully took their drinks, thankful for the momentary break from Simpai's outburst.
Camilla, seizing the opportunity, quickly grabbed a malasada and took a bite. The warmth and sweetness on her tongue seemed to soothe any lingering tension from before.
Noelle took a more reserved approach, cautiously picking up her tea and taking a small sip.
Rachel couldn't resist the temptation and picked up a malasada as well. The crispy outer shell and soft, doughy interior melted in her mouth.
Simpai, still hungry from his earlier rant, reached for two malasadas at once and began devouring them voraciously.
Seeing Simpai's ravenous appetite, you couldn't help but smirk slightly as an avid foodie yourself. You picked up your own malasada and took a bite, enjoying the combination of flavors. For a moment, the group shared a companionable silence as they all savored the delicious treats.
But the silence was short-lived as Simpai abruptly decided to continue his earlier rant. “But y’know what I'm sayin’, right?”
Rachel, still unconvinced, rolled her eyes. “I'm just going to tell you that Ōkuninushi has different beauty standards and leave it at that.”
Simpai slammed his fist down on the table, almost making the drinks spill. “Well those beauty standards are straight up RACIST, buddy ol' pal! Don't get me wrong, saying “I prefer fair skin but I have nothing against other skin tones”, that's a preference, sure! But when ya say “I ONLY prefer fair skin, dark skin is unattractive”, then it's not a preference anymore - DING-DING-DING-DING, congrats, you are a colorist upholding harmful beauty standards!”
Simpai then looked at you and leaned in to observe your features up close, making you stop in your tracks, your coffee mug in your hand. “You know, girl, black and brown anime girls freaking rock, and you're the prime example of why I believe that. Look at your glowing, deep brown skin. Your medium-sized nose, full lips and high cheekbones, your long black hair with the curls, WHAT?! See, you're fuckin' beautiful too, man! And I ain't tryna objectify you or put you on a pedestal ‘cause there's definitely beauty in all races and skin colors, but I'm just sayin’, dude, your features are unique and BEAUTIFUL. YOU ARE BEAUTIFUL!”
Simpai's outburst seemed to have a mixed effect on the group. Camilla was trying to smile through it, but you could see a touch of embarrassment in her eyes at her friend's vigor. Rachel and Noelle looked annoyed and uncomfortable, respectively. But when Simpai's intense gaze landed on you and he began to rant about your looks, your brain screeched to a halt. No one had ever talked about you like that before. Your skin, your nose, your hair, all the features you'd been so self-conscious about your whole life...being praised like this? Complimented so fiercely to where everyone in the cafe could hear it?
This feels wrong. Unnatural, you thought.
Yet at the same time, a strange warmth bloomed in your chest. Maybe it was the way he spoke - passionately, sincerely, with so much fervor and conviction. Or maybe it was just the contrast between the constant stares and whispers you'd gotten when you first arrived and now. Either way, you were too stunned to say anything in response.
The waitress who served them decided to go back to their table in an attempt to diffuse the tension.
“Hello again, everyone. Would you like any seconds or perhaps refills?”
With the waitress's intervention, the group's attention was momentarily diverted. Some people seemed relieved for the momentary break from Simpai's earlier passionate rant, while others like Camilla quietly dreaded the thought of even more talk from him.
"Well, I'm up for another one," Simpai replied enthusiastically, pointing at the malasadas with a wide grin.
"I'm all right, thanks," Rachel spoke up, wanting to put some distance between herself and Simpai.
Noelle shook her head in agreement. The less she had to interact with him, the better.
Camilla hesitated for a moment before looking at the waitress. "Sure... I'll have another one," she said, her eyes darting towards you as if silently pleading for some backup.
The waitress smiled and nodded, then turned to you. "And you, ma’am?" she asked, her eyes sparkling with curiosity.
You were still lost in thought, still processing Simpai's impassioned compliments about your features. At the sound of the waitress's voice, you were brought back to reality and fumbled around your thoughts before responding, "Uh... I’d like another, please."
The waitress smiled warmly and nodded, making a note of your order. "Coming right up!" she said, turning around and heading back to the kitchen.
Once she was gone, the group fell into an awkward silence. It was broken after a few moments by Simpai, who couldn't help but finish with his rant.
“Oh, one more thing, these people were—and still are—salty as FUCK about a female gacha character's tit size being reduced, and yet skin tone diversity is superficial because “it's just a game”? What about the boneheads complaining about a pair of anime tits and wanting THEIR voices and protests heard by the developers? I thought it was “just a game”, huh? HUH?! Really out here acting like representation in anime and gachas is 'woke' and whatever, but guess what - at its core, breast size is a part of representation AS WELL! These chumps, I swear. But yeah, that's it.”
“Geez, 'bout time you stopped your little yap fest about anime boobs and stuff,’’ Rachel quipped, flipping her platinum hair with a huff.
Simpai’s eyes widen and his face flushes. He looks at Rachel, clearly embarrassed but still trying to maintain his composure. “Shut up! It was a valid point!”
Rachel rolls her eyes. “Yeah, sure, it was. But did you really have to go off on a tangent about anime boobs in front of everyone?”
“It was necessary to prove my point!” Simpai retorts, trying to defend himself.
Rachel shakes her head, her expression becoming playful. “Yeah, necessary because you just wanted to talk about anime boobs. I bet you always do that.”
Simpai’s frustration is evident on his face as he responds, “No, I wasn’t— that’s not the reason!”
Rachel laughs, clearly enjoying the banter. “It's okay. We all know you have a thing for anime waifus. You call yourself Simpai, after all.”
Now feeling exposed, Simpai's blush deepens. He tries to argue, “No, I don’t! I mean… I do, but that’s not the point!”
The rest of the group chuckle at his reaction, enjoying the lighthearted teasing as they waited for their order.