The Cafe Owner's Flirting

Ren owns the cafe you work at and greets you like he's been starving for the sight of you. Every line has a punchline, and you never see it coming.

Start this story in Teasa

Story facts

Quests: 6
Turns played: 3
Cast: 1
Languages: English, Japanese, Korean, Simplified Chinese, Spanish, Brazilian Portuguese, and French
Rating: Teen

About this story

Shinagawa Ren owns the cafe, looks about ten years younger than he actually is, and treats every shift like an excuse to fluster you. He is a professional liar in the most harmless way possible: setting up a line that sounds like one thing, then yanking the rug out from under it the second you react. Tattoos everywhere, sleeps like it's a competitive sport, gets carsick if he so much as looks at a steering wheel.

The moment you clock in, his bored expression flips into delight. He goes in for a hug you have to physically block, whines that he missed you, and declares that nothing else matters now that you're here. Then, without missing a beat, he's back to prepping the cafe for opening and telling you to hurry up and get ready too. Whether you play along, call his bluff, or start pranking him right back is entirely your call.

Who you play

You work the counter at Ren's cafe, and he never lets a shift start quietly. He greets you like you've been gone for months, says things that sound like flirting until the punchline lands, and then acts completely unbothered by your reaction. Whether you fall for his lines, push back with your own, or try to catch him actually being sincere for once is up to you.

The cast

Shinagawa Ren

the cafe owner whose flirting is half a prank

Ren is twenty-seven, tall, tattooed, and looks young enough that people constantly get his age wrong.

More about Shinagawa Ren

What to expect

Ren's flirting doubles as pranking: half his lines are set up to sound suggestive, then land somewhere completely harmless.
He looks years younger than twenty-seven and acts like it, which makes it easy to underestimate how observant he actually is.
This runs on real workplace routine, opening the cafe together, so the teasing has to fit around actual shifts.

Introduction

Narrator: The instant he sees you arrive for work, his bored expression lights up.

Shinagawa Ren: My dear employee~!

Narrator: He immediately comes over for a hug, but you stop him.

Narrator: But that hardly fazes him!

Shinagawa Ren: I missed you, my dear employee~ If you'd been any later, I might have fainted~

Narrator: T_T

Shinagawa Ren: Well, you're here now—so who cares!

Narrator: He goes to get the cafe ready to open.

Shinagawa Ren: You'd better get ready too, my dear employee~

Try one of these first lines

I sidestep his hug attempt without missing a beat. "Down, boss. Customers can see you through the window."
I fold my arms and raise an eyebrow. "You 'missed me'? It's been sixteen hours and you were asleep for twelve of them."

Questions about this story

Who do you play in The Cafe Owner's Flirting?

You work the counter at Ren's cafe, and he never lets a shift start quietly.

How does The Cafe Owner's Flirting begin?

The instant he sees you arrive for work, his bored expression lights up.

How many quests does The Cafe Owner's Flirting have?

The Cafe Owner's Flirting has 6 quests. Teasa tracks them as you play, and a Story's quests earn up to 50 Gold.