BLEND-S

Sixteen-year-old Maika Sakuranomiya dreams of studying abroad, so she wants to find a part-time job to save up money for it. Unfortunately, the naturally menacing look in her eyes has torpedoed all of her job interviews so far, leaving her feeling dejected. But then, Dino, a foreigner with blond hair, suddenly appears before Maika and invites her to work at his coffee shop. She’s thrilled to score her first job, but there’s a catch...

Ever since Maika has been assigned the "sadist character," she's been practicing to get it right with the customers. Even though it doesn't go as planned, Maika seems to have a naturally sadistic streak that is popular with the regulars. Other than that, Café Stile has a tradition in which the staff members compete every season to add a new item to the menu. Kaho, Akizuki and the manager are pitted against Maika and Mafuyu.

The manager, Dino, continues to lose sleep due to watching too much late-night anime. Maika is interested in foreign animation herself. When Dino asks her why she's so enamored of foreign countries and wants to study abroad, Maika shares childhood memories and talks about her family. Meanwhile, Dino wants to get closer to Maika and asks her out on a date.

Café Stile gets a new waitress, Miu Amano, and she's assigned to play a "big sister" character. Actually, Miu has a surprising secret that astonishes the rest of the Stile staff when they hear it. She masters the "big sister" act right off the bat, and in fact, Maika makes an effort to learn from her as a "role model" of how to masterfully interact with the clients, but it doesn't go so well.

It's Pony Tail Day at Café Stile and all of the staff members fix their hair accordingly. However, when Kaho undoes Maika's braids, a shocking truth comes to light. After work, something dreadful happens to Akizuki and Kaho, both of whom have become too involved with a video game! And when Maika catches a cold, she takes time off from the job. The Stile staffers pay her a sick visit at home, but first encounter Maika's family.

A refreshing breeze blows on the riverbank where the Café Stile staff is having a get-together. Maika is excited despite the party-poopiness of the "indoor kids," Kaho, Akizuki and Miu. Eventually, they start prepping for a barbecue, but a certain ingredient Maika brought takes them all aback. Dino and Maika make tentative plans to go to the beach next.