Hearing the confirmation makes Ryoji smile. "I'd tell him not to work you too hard, he jokes, sliding into place in the short line in front of the service counter, "but I know how hard he works himself already."

Ryoji likes Mikoto's flowershop. He doesn't visit as often as he should, now that spring has come and he's gotten to admiring the buds that pepper the roadsides instead of the blossoms in the warm, comfortable shop, so he makes a mental note to stop by sometime and maybe he'll be lucky enough to catch Chloe on her shift. He'll find a way to pay her back later, because he won't say no to a free drink.

"If you're sure, I'll have one of the pukka teas I mentioned before, with cinnamon and ginger."