It felt like a dream, as if drifting through an ethereal, unreal world, she wandered, searching for her own "truth."
But just before she could grasp the light, her body pulled her back into the waking world.
Her limbs felt heavy. Her eyelids weighed down as if tied to something.
After a long while, the blue-haired girl slowly sat up from her desk, groggy, rubbing her temples to ease the residual drowsiness.
Maybe she'd slept too long, her mind was foggy, and an unshakable emotion lingered.
It felt like she had just woken from a very long dream... yet her memory was blank. Only scattered fragments remained. The emotions, however, refused to fade.
"I'm awake... but something feels off."
"...Anyway, let's go play pachinko."
Huh? Why did I think of pachinko?
Yawning lazily, Yamada Ryo mumbled the words before she even realized what she was saying. She blinked in confusion.
Maybe she really was still half-asleep, she couldn't even speak clearly today.
"Huh? That's rare. Ryo, you actually woke up this early?"
"Are you feeling okay?"
Inside the Shimokitazawa livehouse "Starry," Ijichi Nijika widened her gem-like red eyes in surprise, noticing the change from a distance where she'd been scrolling on her phone.
She'd just been wondering when she'd have to wake Ryo up, but today, Ryo was already awake on her own!
Normally, if left alone, this girl could sleep straight into the night!
To most people, this might not seem like a big deal, but for Ryo, this was bizarre.
Worried, Nijika hurried over and gave her unreliable best friend a check-over, even pressing the back of her hand gently against Ryo's forehead to check her temperature.
In Nijika's mind, Ryo was exactly the type who'd be too lazy to even raise her own kids someday.
"Hey Nijika, what time is it?"
"Hmm~ Should be around four in the afternoon! But Kita-chan had something come up again, so she won't be able to make it for practice. It's just the two of us today, like usual."
Hearing that, Ryo frowned slightly, sensing something felt off.
She thought for a while... but that felt like too much trouble. Hating anything troublesome, she gave up on thinking entirely.
If she could, she'd love to float aimlessly through space and stop thinking altogether.
Still, there was one thing that bothered her after waking up.
Slowly, she reached up to her ear, fingers gently brushing the lobe. She seemed to be trying to grasp something... but found nothing there.
She was sure, there should've been something on her earlobe.
That odd gesture immediately caught Nijika's attention. Shimokitazawa's angel of concern was already pulling out her phone to dial some mysterious emergency contact.
Staring at Nijika's deeply worried expression, an inexplicable emotion welled up inside Ryo.
"...Nijika, I don't know why, but I feel really sorry."
"...Okay, seriously, how about you go get a CT scan or something?"
Kazami Haru's everyday life wasn't exactly idle, either.
Unlike some rich girl, whose family owned half the city, he had to fend for himself.
He lived alone in a rented apartment near school.
He had to pay a steep rent every month and cover all his food and living expenses.
Still, he never skimped on meals. No matter what, he had to satisfy his taste buds. Dining out at various restaurants was where most of his spending went.
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Which meant... part-time jobs.
"Kazami-kun! We're almost out of coffee beans, I've got to run out and restock right away! You're on cashier duty for today, okay?"
"Manager, overtime pay."
"Yes yes yes! Just handle everything today for me! Oh, and a new recruit might come by for an interview, can I leave that to you too?! Thanks!!"
With that, the coffee-loving middle-aged lady manager dashed out the door like her life depended on it.
Already used to this, Kazami Haru calmly took off his school uniform, tied his hair into a short ponytail, and slung the black-and-white apron over his shoulder.
A slightly rough yet shimmering sunflower bracelet adorned his left wrist.
Then, with practiced ease, he flipped the store's sign to "Open."
That's right, his job was working at a café.
Of course, it wasn't just making coffee. Since the store was short-staffed, and he was highly capable, he sometimes handled cashier and server duties as well.
On special occasions, he'd even play a tune on the old, nearly dust-covered piano in the corner, charming the hearts of every middle-aged lady in the room.
He'd originally been hired because of his looks. With his lean, well-proportioned frame and cool demeanor in the black-and-white uniform, he looked like a butler straight out of a manga and combined with his "lady-killer" piano skills? The female customer base had doubled—no, tripled.
Honestly, it was almost like he was using his looks to make money, just like a maid café in Akihabara.
"...If I'm selling my looks anyway, wouldn't hosting pay better?"
"If I go beg Miss Yamada now, would she let me live off her?"
With such wicked thoughts in mind, Haru greeted the first customer of the afternoon.
She was a girl whose beauty and aura would stand out in any crowd.
Her silky, pale blue hair flowed down her back. Two side braids were tied with black-green ribbons, and her neatly shaped eyebrows gave her a sharp, intelligent look. Amber-gold eyes calmly surveyed her surroundings.
She looked... familiar?