Chapter 16: Sumida Coffeehouse
Chapter 16: Sumida Coffeehouse
KOUYA placed the steel beam on the ground and helped Azusa to her feet. He then turned to the frightened shopkeeper who had fallen on his butt and offered him his hand.
“Are you all right?”
“A-AKAONI!” The man shrieked in horror at the sight of Kouya’s hand moving toward him and scuttled backward. Cold sweat beaded his forehead and dripped onto his cheeks.
“I am occasionally mistaken for him, but I am not the Akaoni,” Kouya reassured, lifting the hair from his face to reveal dark yellow-brown eyes—the color of the contact lenses he had put on earlier.
The shopkeeper sighed with relief at the yellow-brown color of his eyes, not realizing they were merely contacts. He took Kouya’s hand this time and stood.
“C-Come on now, lad! Don’t scare me like that! I was seeing things because I was just talking about the Akaoni. Sorry for the misunderstanding!” the shopkeeper chuckled with embarrassment as he wiped sweaty hands on his smock.
“It happens often. Don’t concern yourself. If you will excuse me then. Someone is waiting for me. Goodbye.”
“Sure! Oh! Hey! Wait! Take this as an apology for mistaking you for some monster,” the shopkeeper said, stopping Kouya to hand him a paper bag full of fruit.
“…Are you sure?”
“Yeah! Sorry again! Also, thanks for saving this lass!”
“Thank you,” Kouya said with a light nod before leaving. He acted as a mild-mannered young man from when he arrived to his departure. The shopkeeper patted Azusa on the back as he watched Kouya leave.
“Isn’t it great that a good person passed by at the right time?”
“…Yes.”
“So, lassie, are you going to buy? Not going to?”
“I’m sorry, Mister! I need to go thank him!”
“What? Wait!”
Azusa chased after Kouya’s retreating figure without heeding the shopkeeper’s calls to stop. She ran down the main street at full speed. She caught up just as he was turning in to a side street. Azusa tugged on the back of his shirt with all her strength to stop him. He turned around with his usual expressionless face, but frowned upon seeing her.
“…Why did you follow me? Are you done shopping?”
“I’m done! It’s fine! Anyway, I wanted to—”
“Are you hungry?” Kouya asked, interrupting her. His question took her by surprise, but she gave a firm nod after a short pause—it was already past twelve.
“Come this way then,” Kouya said and proceeded down the side road without her.
“Ah, please wait for me!” Azusa frantically ran after him.
***
A coffee shop sat at the outskirts of the downtown area. The building was shaped like an acorn and the walls resembled mud walls. A closed sign rested on the finely carved wooden door.
‘Sumida Coffeehouse’ was neatly engraved on the cutely adorned signboard beside the door. Regardless of the closed sign, Kouya opened the coffeehouse door. Azusa tried to stop him, but he went inside anyway.
“Oh, Kou! You’re early! I was waiting for you. What’s it been? About half a year since you last stopped by?” asked a young man with blonde hair waiting inside the shop.
From appearances alone, he looked the same age as Kouya or a little older. He seemed about the same age as Subaru. All his hair was swept back and held in place by a headband. His clothes fit the image of a typical coffee shop employee, but…
Is it just me or is he flashy from the neck up? was Azusa’s first impression of the man.
“Ah, Kouya, we were waiting for you! Please sit wherever you like!”
A cheerful woman with her hair in a bob appeared next. The slightly oversized strawberry hairclip pinning back her bangs was part of her employee image. She appeared to be in her early-twenties. She looked normal in every way.
The woman suddenly cornered Azusa when she spotted her timidly entering the coffeehouse. She snatched up her right hand and vehemently shook it up and down.
“You’re Azusa, right? I’m Ichigo Himeji! Let’s be friends since we’re both human!”
“What? You are human too?! I totally thought you were a vampire as well!” Azusa exclaimed.
“No, no! Not me. I’m your run of the mill weakling human. Don’t lump me with the likes of Takeru!”
“What the heck? So mean. You make it sound like I’m some kind of pariah. How could you say that about me, Ichigo?” pouted the young man called Takeru. He walked over to Azusa and held out his hand.
“I heard about you from Kou. Let’s get along, Azusa! We reserved the whole place for you guys today, so enjoy yourself to the fullest, okay?” Takeru flashed a fangy smile when Azusa accepted his handshake. “Also, if it’s not too much trouble, I’d be happy if you became friends with Ichigo too.”
“Sure!”
“Now, take a seat! Are you okay with the usual, Kou? Azusa, you can look at the menu and take your time deciding,” Takeru said and led her to a table next to the window.
Kouya was already sitting at one of the two chairs gazing out the window with his chin on his hand. Azusa timidly sat in the seat across from him.
“Were you hurt at all?” Kouya asked the moment she sat down, only turning his eyes toward her. His eyes had returned to their natural red—he had removed his contact lenses at some point.
“Ah, no, I wasn’t. I’m okay.”
“Is that so?”
“Um, is this one of your favorite places to eat at?”
“I just come here every once in a while. Can’t really call it a favorite.”
“True. You can’t call it a favorite spot, can you? Hasn’t it been over half a year since you last stopped by, Kou? I was so lonely.”
Azusa glanced in the direction of the pouting voice to see Takeru place two cups of coffee and one menu on the table.
“……”
“I’m such a nice fellow for reserving my entire precious restaurant, the source of my livelihood, for someone who isn’t even a regular customer. Yup, this mustn’t be one of his favorite places. How could he like a coffeehouse like this?”
“…It’s my favorite coffee shop,” Kouya gave in with a sigh.
“Good boy,” Takeru grinned.
Azusa stared at them as they bantered. Takeru turned toward her before leaving and quietly whispered in her ear, “Azusa, you might want to remember this guy is weak to being pressured. Don’t you want to ask him something?”
Takeru gave her a thumbs-up and left their table for the kitchen. Azusa sat up straight in her chair.
“Can I ask you something, Kouya?”
Kouya quit looking out the window and faced her.