Chapter Text
It was one of those busy, busy days where Toya ran back and forth across his little cafe, delivering one person a coffee while balancing a tray of cookies in the other hand. While he only had enough seats for around fifteen people, that didn’t stop the flow of customers coming by to order drinks to go, and so he barely had time to rest before another customer was calling.
It was exhausting and draining, and he absolutely loved it.
“You’re looking happy as usual, Toya,” Tsukasa remarked as he set his drink down in front of him. “Are you sure you don’t want any help?”
“Thank you for the offer, Tsukasa-senpai, but I’m fine,” Toya promised him. “I enjoy this very much.”
“That’s Toya-kun for you!” Saki sighed, slicing off a bite of her cake and popping it in her mouth. “Mm, your sweets really are amazing.”
“They really are! And this coffee is second to none, I swear!”
“Thank you both. To hear that from you two is especially encouraging since your cafe has been open for longer than mine.”
“Ah, it’s nothing,” Saki reassured him. “It’s fun working there, but it gets tiring after a while. I’m glad Minori-chan is always so enthusiastic about making us take breaks. On that note, do you think we could get some sweets for the workers back there?”
“Of course.”
“You’re so capable despite being on your own,” Tsukasa said admiringly as Toya returned shortly with a box of assorted cookies and cupcakes. “I suppose I don’t even have anything to worry about. But I can’t help it.”
“Yeah! Thanks again as always, Toya-kun! We’re both very proud of you!”
“Again, thank you,” he said happily. “All your help means so much to me…”
“Excuse me, could I order, please?”
“Ah, I’ll be right there!”
“Good luck!” Saki called as the two picked up their things and left the cafe, waving.
Toya waved back, his heart so full he thought it would burst. Everything about this was perfect–his cafe, his customers, his friends–all of it was so amazing he thought for sure he must be dreaming.
It’s so difficult to manage everything here by myself…but it’s so fun at the same time.
I love this job.
I want to keep working here forever.
The hours wore on, and gradually the last of his customers left the store with smiles on their faces. Toya waited until the hand on the clock in the corner of the room had landed squarely on 8 before stepping outside and flipping around the sign that read open to closed. It was such a simple action, but every time he did it filled him with a mixture of feelings that bubbled up inside him. Satisfaction, joy, relief…and that was only what sat at the surface. So many more things burned inside him, some of them happy, some of them sad. It was confusing.
However, Toya was happy to be able to name each feeling at last.
He left for his car with his bag slung over his shoulder, already deciding which book he would read that night.
Toya’s days were very repetitive, and that was how he liked them.
Get up at 6, open the shop at 8, spend all day until 8 in the evening working with the occasional break, go home and eat dinner, take a bath and then read until 11 before going to bed. After a few weeks of floundering in orders, taxes, and other things, he’d managed to carve a steady routine into his days. It was definitely soothing (although he always felt guilty whenever he was even five minutes late to opening the cafe.)
Although he did his best to be flexible, he disliked it immensely when that routine was disturbed.
Today was one of those mornings, but unlike the rest, there was no explanation for the incident–and it bothered him more than it should’ve.
The day started off fine, and although he woke up a few minutes late and had to scramble to get out the door, traffic was relatively light so he had no problems getting to his cafe. Toya parked in his usual spot, slinging his bag over his shoulder and exiting the car. He was just unlocking the door to the cafe when he heard a loud crash from inside.
He instantly stopped in his tracks, warily scanning the interior for signs of life. When there were none immediately visible he slowly stepped inside, unconsciously clutching his bag a little tighter to his side just in case. “Hello?” he called.
He was greeted by silence, which was a little surprising. Usually in these cases one was immediately met by the intruder’s demands, but apparently that didn’t seem to be the case today.
Toya took a few cautious steps forward, discovering the source of the crash instantly–one of his mugs was lying in pieces on the floor. “Oh!”
…It’s broken.
Someone must be in here.
The thought sent a chill down his spine, and he took a hasty step back towards the door before logic him. But the door’s still locked–and the windows are all intact. It doesn’t look like anyone’s entered.
Maybe it just…slid off? The thing I hang them on has been getting weaker later.
Yes, that’s it. Surely.
But a part of me feels like it doesn’t make sense…
Toya realized with a guilty jolt that it was already past the time to open. For now, he simply swept the unfortunate mug up in a dustpan and threw its remains away, resolving to buy another at the next opportunity.
He was slightly annoyed by the delay in opening, but he tried not to let it bother him and hurried to get set up before he was late–he could already see the first few customers waiting patiently outside the front door, curiously peering through the glass to see what was happening. Best not to keep them waiting too long.
“You look a little tense today, Aoyagi-kun,” Kohane said worriedly, accepting her latte and staring up at him. “Did something happen?”
“Ah…well, I thought there might’ve been an intruder in the cafe, but no one was there,” Toya admitted as he prepared a steamer for the customer near the door. “One of my mugs was broken. I believe it fell…at least, I hope it did.”
“That’s a shame. You seem to really love those mugs judging by how well you take care of them,” she sighed. “Well, that shelf has looked unsteady for a while now. Maybe it’s time to replace it.”
“My thoughts exactly.”
…Wait. I installed security cameras here last year, didn’t I?
Tsukasa-senpai practically forced me to after someone tried to break in a few weeks after I opened. This is what they were intended for, so…maybe it’s worth a look.
I’ll check it once things slow down.
Toya hurried to finish the steamer and serve it to the correct customer, bringing another batch of cookies and yet another a slice of cake before heading back to the counter. The screen that displayed the security cameras’ feed was lit up like always, showing him images of himself, the front door, and the main dining area. I just have to go back a few minutes.
I got here at around 8, so it should be around that time…
He barely registered Kohane peering curiously around the counter as he rewinded the feed, carefully watching to see if anyone was visible. He was relieved to see that no one had entered the store since he’d left it the night before–yet it made the sight of the mug suddenly falling from its shelf much eerier.
…It just fell.
There’s no real sign of the shelf giving way or anything, and no one could’ve knocked it off.
I want to blame the shelf, but…
“Aoyagi-kun?”
He started at the sound of Kohane’s voice. “Oh, pardon me, Azusawa-san. I was just checking the security camera feed to see if anyone was in here earlier.”
“It’s a relief that there weren’t any…right?”
“...Yes.”
It was definitely a relief. No one wanted strangers breaking and entering whenever they wished.
And yet Toya found himself wishing the mug had an easy explanation.
As he closed up for the night, Toya stopped to examine the shelf his mugs hung on. The metal was bent into a simple “tree” shape—one that had charmed him from the instant he’d seen it so long ago with its simplistic design and sturdy “branches.” Most of his mugs had dangled safely from it since he’d bought it, and it seemed impossible that one would just fall for no apparent reason.
I knew it, he thought as he experimentally fiddled with the empty branch. It’s still as heavy and stiff as ever. If it had bent or broken, it would have made sense, but…
…It’s too late to think about this right now.
I should hurry and head home already.
A small shiver ran down his spine as he stared at his mug tree again, wondering uneasily if he was imagining the way the lights had ever slightly dimmed.
It’s late, it’s late. I can’t waste more time here.
Toya hurriedly grabbed his bag and locked the door behind him, oddly clammy despite the cool summer night.
“Hasn’t it been awfully cold recently?” An complained.
Toya stopped preparing her iced tea to properly stare at her in disbelief. “Shiraishi-san, it’s the middle of August. What do you mean, ‘cold?’”
“Not outside, in here!” she said impatiently, tapping her nails against the counter in a rhythm he couldn’t identify. “Is your AC broken? ‘Cause it’s been way colder all week than it has been since summer started.”
…She’s right. I wondered if it wasn’t working or something, but it still responds to me changing the temperature. It’s only the numbers that are off, I guess.
A broken mug, a broken AC…what next?
Toya sighed to himself as he squeezed a fresh slice of lemon into the glass. Overthinking it won’t do me any good. It’s probably just acting up because of how hot it’s been…again. And the mug was just because the shelf is old. I did buy it cheap, after all.
It’s fine.
It’s just a bit of bad luck.
Paying to have the AC fixed again is going to hurt my wallet, though. I just had it fixed last month when summer started.
Good grief.
Toya handed An her glass, accepting her thanks as he casually glanced up again. That’s when he saw it–behind her, near the door, he could see what looked like a menu floating in the air.
…What?
He blinked, and it was back on its shelf again–albeit drooping more to the right than it had been a minute ago. It stuck out of the perfect stack he’d straightened only a few moments ago like a sore thumb.
Toya nearly dropped An’s card as he went to swipe it, hands trembling. It was floating. Just for a moment, that menu was floating.
Did I imagine it?
I must’ve imagined it. There’s simply no other explanation.
“Aoyagi? Are you alright?”
He looked back down at An, who was frowning in concern. “Your face is white as a sheet,” she said worriedly. “Are you okay?”
“...Yes. I’m fine.”
I imagined it.
I imagined it, that’s all.
He told himself this for the rest of the day, half of his brain pretending it hadn’t happened as the other half kept an eye out to see if it would happen again. Toya had convinced himself it was a hallucination brought about by stress by the time he had closed, and although he was still sure he had actually seen it floating, he was determined to believe otherwise.
Menus can’t float, the air can’t suddenly become cold, and mugs don’t suddenly fall for no reason.
Nothing strange is going on.
It’s just a series of random accidents.
He continued to tell himself this even as he sat down and watched the security footage from that day. A shiver ran down his spine at the sight of the menu floating in the air, plain as day to anyone who happened to be looking. Even creepier was how it immediately slid back to join the others as he glanced past An, as if whatever force that had kept it in the air had hurriedly put it back.
It knew it had been noticed.
How would it act now that it knew its presence had been sensed?
…I don’t want to admit it, but I’m scared.
Everything’s felt off since last week, when that mug first broke. Now my AC is acting up and my menus are floating.
What next? All my lights go out at once? Things start going missing?
I die in the middle of working?
…It feels like something is here.
And I don’t know what it is.
Toya’s pulse thundered in his ears as he quickly packed up his things, locking the door behind him and practically sprinting to his car.
Everything was normal a week ago.
Why can’t it go back to that?
“Toya, you’ve looked incredibly tired lately,” Tsukasa said, tone heavy with obvious concern. “What’s going on?”
“I’m fine,” Toya assured him, setting a plate of cake down in front of him. “Just some problems. But they’re nothing I can’t handle.”
“You say that, but the bags under your eyes are massive!” Saki protested. “Plus, you’re not nearly as relaxed as you usually are. You’re super tense! You keep looking around like you’re expecting someone to jump you.”
“Like I said, it’s fine. It’s nothing I can’t handle.”
The siblings looked at each other wearily. This wasn’t the first time they’d had this conversation with Toya–ever since he’d caught the menu floating a few days prior and realized the full implications of what his mysterious visitor could apparently do, he’d been almost too frightened to sleep. The idea that something was in his shop—something capable of moving things, touching things without being seen—was nerve-wracking, and Toya wasn’t sure how to make it go away.
It would be impossible to explain all this to his friends, though. There was simply no way to explain it…
Or maybe there was? After all, even if they thought he was insane at first, they couldn’t just explain a menu floating by itself.
…I’m scared.
I’m honestly scared. Something I don’t know enough about is hiding in this cafe, and I don’t know why or how.
If I tell them, they’ll tell me to close the cafe. And that’ll be safer for all of us.
I can’t, though. There’s no way I could close it.
His cafe was his safe space–his pride and joy, the proof he’d managed to escape from the life that had been laid out for him as a child. To lose it would be losing one of his limbs, or maybe his heart.
If things keep going like this, I might have to actually do it.
But whatever this is hasn’t moved to hurt anyone yet. It’s possible it doesn’t want or need to, and if that's the case, then I want to learn more about it.
I can’t learn about it if they tell me to stay away.
…Just a little bit longer.
“Well, just call us if you need anything,” Tsukasa ordered, getting to his feet and gathering his things. “We may be just as busy as you are–maybe even busier–but I swear, you need only to give us a call and we shall arrive at your front door within minutes!”
“Onii-chan, keep it down a little,” Saki scolded playfully as a few customers looked around in surprise at the loud shout. “But yeah, what he said. Call us if you need anything, Toya-kun. Got it?”
“Yes, thank you. Take care.”
Toya watched them go, wondering whether it had been the right decision to hide his fears from them. If something happens to me, they’ll probably blame themselves. And if something happens to this cafe, it’ll be my fault.
But if this is a threat, then I need to learn more about it before acting.
No matter how you look at it, this isn’t ordinary.
I have to figure out what’s going on.
The thought of staying out any later like this made him even more nervous than before, but once everyone had left he sat down and patiently checked the security cameras again like he had every night since the menu incident. There was nothing to be seen, and he breathed a sigh of relief. Maybe he wouldn’t have to worry much. Maybe whatever it was sensed that it wasn’t welcome and had elected to leave him be.
Either way, it had been quiet since the menu. Almost eerily so.
What if it was some kind of warning?
…Whatever comes next, I’ll have no choice but to face it head-on.
He sighed, shutting off his computer and picking up his phone—freezing in place when he saw that one of his pens was slowly being lifted from its mug.
“What the—” he managed, quickly getting to his feet as he made a grab for it.
The pen whisked away, and Toya realized a used receipt had slid from the counter drawer and settled against the surface. He watched in shock as the pen set itself against the paper and slowly, deliberately began to move, writing out some kind of message he couldn’t clearly see from where he sat.
It stood still for a moment after finishing, balancing on its tip before it abruptly toppled over and rolled across the counter. Toya scrambled to grab the paper and read it, heart pounding.
I’m sorry for causing trouble.
The words were written in a messy scrawl in the blankest area of the receipt, slightly weak but steady enough to be legible. It wrote me…a message.
It’s…trying to communicate?
What kind of development is this?
When Toya arrived at the store the next morning, all was quiet.
He unlocked the door and peeked inside, scanning the building for signs of strange activity. It looked safe, so after one more moment of careful watching he stepped inside, checking the security cameras before anything else. Sure enough, there was the pen floating and writing on the receipt (which sat abandoned on the counter, message still the same as before.) I was hoping I’d dreamt it.
This is…amazing, to say the least.
I don’t know for sure whether it’s the good or bad kind yet.
Toya cleared his throat, glancing around the cafe. “Hello?” he tried cautiously. “Are you there?”
Everything was still for a second. Finally the same pen from last night floated out of its mug once more, bobbing in the air as if saying “hello” back. Toya fought the urge to smile–now that he’d been expecting it, it was a much less creepier sight than the night before. “I see you’ve taken up residence here. Can I please ask why?”
The pen hesitated, absently revolving in the air as if the thing holding it was spinning it between their fingers. “Oh–you must need paper. Pardon me.”
The pen followed him as he opened the drawer behind the counter and set about finding a large, blank piece of paper. He finally located one and spread it out across the countertop, turning back to the pen. “There. Ah, I actually ought to open now,” he added as he glanced outside and saw a couple of people waiting expectantly outside the doors, peering through curiously to see what he was doing. “If you wouldn’t mind waiting until no one is here to watch, I’ll gladly talk to you. I’m curious as to why you’re here, but for now I have to work. Feel free to watch.”
The pen dropped obediently back into its mug as he hurried around the counter, flipping the sign around to open and unlocking the door. “Good morning. Thank you for coming early as usual, you two.”
“No problem!” An chirped, Kohane trailing in after her. “Ah, man, it feels good to beat the worst of the crowd. I see it’s still really cold, though, huh?”
“Yes, unfortunately. I haven’t gotten around to fixing the AC yet.”
“Good morning, Aoyagi-kun,” Kohane greeted. “Mm…could I get an egg sandwich and a latte?”
“Of course. You too, Shiraishi-san?”
“Yes, please! An iced tea for me, though.”
The two girls sat and chatted amicably with him as he took care of their orders. They were both classmates at the university nearby–which incidentally, Toya had attended for a year or so before quitting to deal with the cafe–so they often came early on Saturday to take care of some of their homework. As such they were usually some of his first customers then (although they typically came by later on the weekdays) and they were typically very friendly, so it was always a nice way to start the work day.
They’re around my age, too, so talking to them is easy. It’s like having friends.
I must thank the Tenmas again for helping me access this.
“You seem a little less nervous today, Aoyagi,” An pointed out as she bit into her sandwich. “Something good happen?”
“Ah…I wouldn’t say that,” Toya replied with a rueful laugh. “It’s true I don’t feel as stressed as before. I can’t really explain it, though.”
It’s a relief to know that whatever’s in this cafe doesn’t seem malicious…yet.
I doubt it would be so cautious if it was trying to hurt me, at least. It just seems curious so far.
I need more answers from it before I can come to any conclusions, of course, but it hasn’t come off as evil or anything like that.
I want to learn more about it if possible.
The doorbell rang, and he was reminded that he had other customers. Toya temporarily put the visitor out of his mind as he hurried to take their orders, greeting them with the same friendliness he did every day.
The hours passed, and for once Toya was almost impatient to finish his day. He bid the last of his customers farewell and flipped the sign around to closed, taking a deep breath and turning around to see the pen slipping out of the mug again. “Alright. Now, where were we?”
The pen hovered over the paper before beginning to write. He noticed that the position and angle at which it was held put him in mind of a person around his height–maybe it was human after all.
Or something close, at least.
…It must be a ghost. It makes sense after everything I’ve seen.
But why stay here?
The thing tapped the pen against the counter, getting his attention again. Toya leaned over to read what it had written, frowning slightly as he did.
Again, I’m sorry for causing trouble and breaking your mug. I’d leave if I could, but I don’t know how to.
“Ah, don’t worry about the mug. I have plenty. But…you say you don’t know how to leave? Can you elaborate?”
I’m afraid I can’t. I genuinely don’t know why.
“You don’t?” Toya repeated, surprised. “What do you know?”
The pen paused, aimlessly spinning again. He got the feeling it was thinking through something very carefully.
A moment of silence passed before it began to write again.
I don’t remember much at all, but I think I escaped here from someplace else and got stuck. I’ve been trying to work this out for a few days now, but I can’t recall anything beyond that.
Toya hummed, settling back in his chair. “Alright, I understand. Is there anything you know about yourself, at least? Your name, maybe?”
Another pause, and then the pen lowered again to write a name out with a practiced ease.
Akito.
“Hmm…Akito. It’s a nice name. Is that all?”
The pen bobbed up and down like it was nodding. “Well, I’m Toya. It’s nice to meet you, Akito,” he greeted. “This is my cafe, although you might already know that. Have you had ample time to get to know the space? Is it to your liking?”
Another little “nod.”
“I’m glad to hear it. It seems you might be here for a while until we can figure this out, but I’ll do my best to help.”
The pen tilted neatly in a “bow”, and Toya smiled. Perhaps communication wouldn’t be the ordeal he was afraid it would be after all.
“May I ask you something about the menus real quick?” he asked as he leaned forward in his chair. “I noticed you seemed to be interested in them, so I was wondering what you thought about their design. You see, art isn’t my strong suit, but everyone told me they looked alright…”
The ghost continued to write in response to his questions, gradually warming up a little bit as time passed. Eventually Toya realized he had to go home since it was incredibly late, but as he didn’t work on Sundays he promised the ghost–Akito, he reminded himself–that he’d come back to try and talk to them more. It seemed rather lonely to be stuck in an unfamiliar place with no idea of how to get out.
I wonder where it came from…or why it’s here. But it doesn’t look like either of us will get any answers for a while.
I know now that it doesn’t want to hurt me or anyone else at the cafe, though, so I’ll call this a success.
Toya stared at his book without really reading it, his mind whirling round and round. What does a ghost need to escape from?
The afterlife? If that’s the case, should I look up a way to send them back?
Or maybe they’re separated from their body…in which case I could ask around and see if there’s been any accidents lately. Perhaps this Akito is actually stuck in the hospital.
But why would they be escaping, then?
Wouldn’t they want to stay attached to their body?
Finally he gave up and slid the book back into its proper place, accepting that he wasn’t going to get any answers on his own. There’s no use in these pointless speculations.
If I just sit and wonder, I won’t get anywhere. All I can do is work together with Akito and see if we can find an answer to this.
Now that I understand what’s wrong, I have to help them fix it–for both our sakes.
Toya fell into bed, staring up at the darkened ceiling. Really, though, what can we do?
Say we find the answer. How do we fix it?
I don’t think I’m equipped to deal with anything paranormal.
If only there was some expert I could talk to…there’s always a paranormal expert in the movies.
He worried about this for another ten minutes, feeling drowsier and drowsier the more he did.
It wasn’t long before he’d fallen completely asleep, the mystery of how Akito had arrived here drifting away in the sea of his memories.
Toya got up the next morning in considerably high spirits, following each step of his routine with extra care. Today is usually my day off…it feels so odd to be heading to the cafe.
If anyone sees me, I’ll have to come up with some excuse. Maybe I’ll say I just needed to take care of a few things?
Well, hopefully it’ll be fine.
He made his way outside and into his car, enjoying the early-morning warmth as he sat down behind the wheel and hearted the good morning messages Tsukasa and Saki had sent. It’s really so nice to be able to talk to them whenever I want.
…Ah, they’re asking me about whatever’s happened recently again.
This is going to be difficult. I still haven’t decided whether or not to tell them about Akito.
There’s a high chance they’ll believe me, but even so, this is too strange to force on other people.
Especially if I have to take more drastic measures to help them…like an exorcism.
What’s more, whatever they’re running from likely isn’t safe for anyone, human or ghost. I’ll need to be extremely careful.
For now, though, I’d best just stay by their side and ride this out with them.
I’ll keep it secret a little longer.
He arrived at the cafe before long, parking neatly in his usual spot and hurrying inside. “Akito?” he called. “Are you there?”
The same little orange pen lifted from its cup and spun lazily through the air in reply. He couldn’t help but smile at the sight. “Good morning,” he greeted as he set his bag down on the counter and eased into the chair. “Did you sleep alright? Well, can ghosts sleep?”
It bobbed back and forth in a sort of affirmation. “That’s good to know. Ah, would you like some paper?”
He rifled through his bag and pulled out a few sheets of blank paper, stacking them carefully together on the counter. “There. Feel free to write whatever you wish to say down. Do you have any questions? Or anything you think might help us?”
The ghost pondered this a moment before dipping to write. I’m afraid there’s still not much I could tell you, they answered. Bits and pieces are slowly returning, but it’s still very faint. I apologize.
“There’s no need to apologize. I’m sure being a ghost is very difficult,” Toya said sincerely. “Is there we can build your strength a little? Perhaps that would help your memory.”
He leaned back in his chair and thought for a minute. “Could you say that you’ve changed any since entering the cafe?”
The pen tapped the counter absentmindedly. Maybe. I couldn’t touch things for a couple of days without going through them, so I didn’t think I could break that mug. It’s possible that my form might be changing a little.
“Then I think the best thing we can do is take our time and hope more returns to you,” Toya decided. “I don’t mind letting you roam around the cafe, but could please try not to scare my customers if possible?”
I won’t. Thank you for your help.
“It’s nothing. If you have any ideas, please run them by me as soon as you can.”
Toya debated asking them if it would be fine to show them to Tsukasa and Saki but decided against it for now–it felt wisest to hold off just a little longer, to share this little secret.
The silence felt awkward, so instead he asked, “Can you eat?”
He swore the pen wavered almost guiltily. I can’t. Already tried.
“Really? When?”
You left a pudding on the counter at one point when the day was slower, the ghost explained with a sheepish tilt to the pen. I tried to eat it, but I couldn’t.
Despite himself Toya couldn’t help but laugh. “You really shouldn’t do something like that without asking. Plus, that was for a customer.”
I was hungry and there were more in the fridge.
“Please don’t interfere with the cafe too much, Akito. I can make you a pudding of your own when you’re strong enough to have it.”
The pen stilled briefly before picking up again. Thanks.
“It’s nothing. I promise it’ll be the best pudding I’ve ever made,” Toya said firmly. “I’ll find a way for you to enjoy it no matter what.”
Akito didn’t even write an answer to that. The pen floated uselessly in the air, hovering over the page as though they wished to reply but couldn’t find the words.
The silence wore on, and so Toya hastened to change the subject.