Chapter Text
"Should be arriving soon." Kafka muttered to herself as she gazed out her huge window to marvel at the beautiful night sky.
Kafka was an extremely gorgeous woman who lived and breath a life of utmost elegance and luxury. She lived at an expensive mansion that she had paid a generous amount to be built on a hill at the northern end of the city. Kafka would admit that she was a proud woman as she had to go through countless hurdles and challenges throughout life in order to get to the position she was in now. Though that didn't mean that Kafka couldn't be humble. She knew that countless people meant countless lives with countless differences and circumstances. Hence why she would never looked down on people who were just living their average lives all content and satisfied. An exception to this rule were those elitist who think that they were well above others as they were born into the life of wealth without working hard for it. It was her pleasure to show those kinds of people where they truly belong.
She was pulled from her train of thought by the sound of the mansion's intercom notification system popping off.
"Hmm actually earlier than the estimated time of arrival?" Kafka hummed impressed at the punctuality of her delivery. Usually she had to choose the priority option on her VIP delivery app account to make sure that her delivery would always arrive on time. This time though she didn't pick that option as she really didn't mind waiting for a bit as she was just resting and relaxing at home alone after a long week of hard work.
Her personal phone had an app which was connected to her home's intercoms. This was to make sure that she could check whoever was at her gate or door no matter where she was as long as she has access to her phone and the internet. With the use of her phone she quickly opened the app to take a look at whose at her door.
"Oh?" Kafka's eyes lit up in interest at what had appeared on her phone's screen. On her screen was a young adult woman whose looks could only be described as between beautiful and handsome. Her hair was in the color of gray which was quite unique and it was styled in a manner that managed to obtain the look of both messy and neat. Her eyes had the striking color of bright gold which looked like they were glimmer ever so slightly as the lights hit them. She seemed to be wearing a red and black jacket with the logo of the company she's working at is printed by the right breast pocket.
Kafka only realized a minute too late that she was staring at the screen in complete silence when the woman on screen looked suddenly worried waved her hand to get her attention. She shook her head as if to will herself into focus.
Really now Kafka?
Staring like an idiot at the camera?
How unbecoming of her.
She feigned a cough before speaking to her phone. "Delivery?" Kafka asked to make sure. The answer was immediately given to her via the woman nodding with a cute smile before raising a paper bag with the logo of the café she ordered at. "Well done. I'll open the gate, enter and wait for me at the door."
After granting access to the delivery girl at her gate, Kafka walked up to a vertical mirror in order to get a good look at her current state. As she was currently trying to relax and get some good rest, her attire wasn't the least bit formal. She was currently wearing a long-sleeved black shirt paired with dull white leggings and black socks. All in all, a very casual and comfortable attire. Though even this kind of seemingly casual attire was quite expensive to a regular person. After brushing a few of her bangs out of her face and giving one attractive smile at her reflection, Kafka decided that she looked amazing, as usual of course, and went to answer her door.
Opening the door to her mansion, Kafka came face to face with the woman she saw on her phone's screen.
'Hmm she's cuter in person.'
'And way taller than I expected.'
Kafka gave her a smile which in turn made the young woman blush making her look that much cuter. Though her cologne could use some changing. It smelled quite cheap and someone of her appearance would surely fit a much more better cologne or for certain a perfume. But she wasn't a cruel person to point that out and embarrass the young woman.
"Good evening to you." Tilting her head slightly to the left as she gave a small smile in greeting.
Kafka raised a brow in slight annoyance as the woman in front of her didn't greet her back in return and instead opted to rummage through her rough looking shoulder bag slung around her body. She was about to say a few words to chastise this person rude enough to ignore her greeting when she snapped her mouth shut as the young woman unexpectedly pulled out a sketchpad from her shoulder bag. Kafka could only watching in silence and utter disbelief as the woman began to write something on her sketchpad with a pen.
Seemingly satisfied with whatever she wrote on her sketchpad, the woman bowed down quite deeply towards Kafka before turning her sketchpad around presenting Kafka with the words she wrote.
'Good evening. My name is Stelle. I'm really sorry, I can't speak, I hope that doesn't bother you.'
Kafka was honestly completely taken aback after reading the written words. Here she was thinking that this woman in front of her was someone rude that couldn't be bother to give a greeting back, when in fact the truth was completely in the opposite.
She was quite ashamed of herself in thinking that and that feeling only doubled over when she glanced upwards and saw the withdrawn expression on Stelle's face.
It was as if she was really sorry that she was mute and thought that that fact offended Kafka in any way.
No.
That won't do.
Kafka took a few deep breath before smiling in the most comforting manner she could ever manage. "Hello there Stelle." She spoke in gentle manner in order to make Stelle ease up and it seems to have worked a bit as she noticed her posture soften ever so slightly. "You don't have to say sorry for that ok? Never. For surely I don't find it a bother not even in the slightest."
Stelle looked at Kafka with wide eyes for a few seconds before smiling at her with such warmth that Kafka thought she could literally feel her own body warm up as if she was being embraced by this girl.
'Thank you miss Kafka.' Stelle wrote after crossing out her previously written words on the same page. Despite being able to communicate only in writing, Kafka could somehow get some semblance of the girl's personality bleeding onto the paper via the written words. Not surprised that Stelle knew her name, Kafka deduced that she knew her name from her account on the delivery app. "I have your delivery right here~"
Kafka could only smile more reading the words before she was handed the paper bag slung underneath Stelle's arm. As Stelle handed her the paper bag, their fingers brushed against one another. Though it seemed really cliché, Kafka indeed felt like there was a electrifying sensation surged pleasantly through her entire hand from her fingertips.
Within this brief exchange between the two of them, Kafka was able to observe some things about Stelle.
One, Stelle tries her best to avoid looking at Kafka directly into her eyes. She caught Stelle look at her eyes three times before she swiftly casted her sight downwards. It was as if she felt she was doing something wrong just by looking at Kafka's face.
Two, Stelle seemed wary regarding her surroundings. When not looking down at the ground, her eyes would sweep left and right uneasily as if she was afraid of something.
Third, Stelle always maintained a certain distance away from Kafka.
This third observation was what Kafka found most intriguing. Was Stelle afraid of her? Was that why she always tried to keep a distance away from her? But she didn't do anything that might've intimidated her right? Kafka decided to test this out when Stelle wrote on her sketchpad asking for the code for confirmation of her delivery. Telling Stelle that she was just bringing her food inside her house, Kafka entered and deposited the paper bag on a shelf somewhere near the door. Kafka then turned around toward Stelle and smiled as friendly as she could before gesturing for Stelle to come inside.
Stelle then nodded before walking towards Kafka. However, she soon stopped in her tracks before she could even enter through the doorway. Her eyes were on the pristine tiles on the floor of estate's entrance. Her sight soon shifted downwards to her feet, looking at her old shoes anxiously.
"What's wrong?" Kafka asked softly.
Stelle rubbed her arm nervously before writing once again in her sketchpad and turning it towards Kafka with her face in an completely ashamed expression.
'I don't want to dirty your beautiful house. I'm sorry.'
Kafka looked at Stelle's shoes which were in the color of white and black. Though they looked well-cared for, the pair looked like they've seen better days. They looked quite old and very worn down suggesting that they've been well used. Looking at pair of shoes closely, one could some traces of them being repaired several times in the past. A fact that she seemed to be embarrassed about.
Kafka honestly couldn't think of anything to say. What words could she exactly say so that she could bring some comfort to Stelle? She genuinely didn't want to hurt or offend the girl even if accidentally. While looking really embarrassed, Stelle wrote asking for the confirmation code again which Kafka gave easily this time after she snapped out of her thoughts.
'Please enjoy the rest of your evening. I'm sorry if I offended you in any way.' Stelle wrote before bowing deeply once again to Kafka.
"Wha- No Stelle you didn-" Kafka raised her hand in an attempt to console Stelle but it was futile as she immediately turned away after bowing turned around and sprinted out towards her gate.
Kafka stood there in complete silence as she hears the sound of a bicycle getting far and far away from her home. Her heart ache so much for the poor girl. The girl looked so afraid in doing something wrong that would make her be reprimanded or scolded by someone. In truth though, the girl didn't do anything to offend her. Such an ashamed expression totally didn't suit her beautiful face when a smile no matter how subtle suited her much more.
After a few minutes of her just standing at the doorway in silence, Kafka entered her home and rested her back against the door after closing it. Slowly she slid down to the tiles and sat there staring at her phone despondently. She navigated through the app and saw that she was being asked to rate the delivery person's performance which was Stelle this time. Kafka let out a small giggle as she stared at Stelle's employee account photo. The girl had a small soft smile in the photo seemingly at complete ease unlike their earlier interaction.
A smile genuinely suits Stelle's face more.
Kafka tapped to give Stelle a full five star rating when she was prompted to give a rating from 1 star to 5 stars. Normally she would just leave it at that like she had always did with all her previous deliveries from the same company. But this time, Kafka wrote a review praising Stelle's performance as much as she possibly could without making her words appear too cheesy or too unrealistic. Before she could finish the performance review and lock her phone, she decided to give Stelle a big tip in hopes to show that she didn't really do anything wrong regarding her treatment towards Kafka.
Astral Express.
That was the app she used when she wants to have something delivered to her doorstep or really wherever and whenever she was. As she stared at the locked screen of her phone, an idea suddenly popped up in her mind which made her smile. She wanted to apologize to Stelle and tell her that she didn't do anything to offend Kafka. Even going as far as planning on giving her a gift that would she her sincerity about the matter. Now the only problem was getting Stelle's details such as her personal contact number and even if possible her address.
Fortunately for Kafka, she was quite close the owner of the company Astral Express.
Her smile grew slightly brighter as she unlocked her phone, scrolled through her long list of contacts, tapping on one of them, and bringing her phone to her ear after seeing the person she was calling answer after a few seconds of ringing.
"Hello Himeko?"
To be Continued.