The school day was uneventful as ever.

I recall falling asleep in all my classes due to my previous night's gaming session on the new RPG, Ganshin Unpact.

Three bells charm, meaning the end of self-study, senior student's last period. I put my books away and look out the classroom window to the cherry blossoms covering the schoolyard.

"Hey, wanna go hang out at the mall today?"

One girl at the other end of the room offers.

"My parents are out of town; Let's chill at my place and play some games."

A male coaxes his friends.

I groan.

So noisy, do I seriously have to hear your tentative schedule every damn day?

I collect scattered books lying on my desk and continue towards the door.

"Hey...um, Momoko...right?"

I look behind me to see a girl a bit shorter than me with brown hair and dark brown eyes ask for my attention.

"W-were you perhaps playing Ganshin Unpact on your phone earlier in third period?"

Her eyes met my gaze, then shifted down towards the floor.

I can't believe someone caught me; I'm usually quite secretive about my in-class gaming sessions.

"Yeah...I just needed to finish a mission real quick. Are you going to...tell someone?"

"N-no, of course not!"

She sighs in relief.

"I'm actually glad; I'm a part of the Game Development Club, my name is Sizuhara Mino, but my friends call me Sizu."

Sizuhara flashes a brief smile.

"We're actually performing an open beta for students...but unfortunately, we don't have many volunteers...I was wondering if you'd be interested in testing our game for us?"

This is amazing, a chance to finally make some new friends with similar interests!

"I'd love to—"

Stopping myself, I realize plans were already made with Mikku to watch the premiere of Callistus at that cafe.

"That was rude of me to ask so blatantly. If you have other plans today, we could always schedule for tomorrow or later this week."

The girl reassured with an understanding expression.

"Yeah, sorry, I made plans with someone later today; I could totally do this tomorrow, though!"

"Fine by me, I'll see you then!"

She ran over to a group of girls, smiling.

I walk outside the classroom with a stride. Things are finally looking up for me. I didn't even know this school had a Game Development Club; This is so incredibly awesome!

I continue to walk outside of the classroom swaying my school bag up and down the main hall stairs.

At the final step, my phone buzzes in my bag, notifying me of an incoming text.

It's Mikku; apparently, she can't make it.

It seems like she's a lot busier these days.

She really likes to help others, but I feel like her Student Council acquaintances take advantage of it and give her way too much work.

Being able to rely on others within a group is nice, but it seems like a hassle.

I sigh at the thought and trade in my shoes for my loafers, and close my locker.

"Nngh."

A strange vibrating sensation courses through my body.

It tenses me up and makes it seem like time froze for a matter of seconds. I snap back to reality and come from a trancelike state.

What was that?

Maybe I need to start getting more than six hours of sleep each night, no more late-night gaming sessions.

I walked outside into the schoolyard where clumps of cherry blossom petals had formed, with even bigger clumps of students standing around discussing after-school plans, club activities, and the like.

I walk past the black iron gates and take a right to the shopping district. I continue walking straight onto a narrow sidewalk.

After walking for about ten minutes or so, I make it to the shopping district.

Totally different from Tokyo, Osaka's shopping districts had an assortment of outdoor grills, flower decor, and intriguing small shops with lots of wares.

I pass by a group of stores, once foreign, now becoming more and more common. The beautiful orange and yellow flower arrangements of Ms. Yagumi's flower shop imitating a large sun. Mr. Nakazi's underground bar having several men in suits with slick-back hair standing outside with cigars in hand. Even my sister's favorite fish store, Cali's, allowing the scent of salt and seawater to brisk my nose in the late afternoon.

My loafers clicking with my every step on the white-pristine concrete, I turn my head and engage in a new type of smell. My mouth waters at the smell of freshly made fried octopus balls, glistening chocolate-covered ice-cream cones, and sizzling stir-fried rice and egg, enticing me at every angle from different food stands.

I continue walking, fighting the urge to have a bite to eat on the way to my destination.

They serve food at the manga cafe; I told myself repeatedly, I'll eat once I'm there.

After struggling to get through the shopping district's tempting delicacies, I find myself at a train intersection starting a dirt road.

"Where is this place?"

I pull out my phone.

"The website said near the train tracks at the end of the Minamura shopping district..."

I type in the address on Hoogle Maps.

'Look to your left, you have arrived,' my phone suggests.

I look to my left and see a cafe with wide windows and a wooden sign above reading, Coffee & Manga Cafe.

The sign has a white coffee mug, and a black manga book converged within one another. White and pink tapestries fall from the roof in different formations, like streamers, but a bit more elegant-like.

Stupid phone making me look bad.

I walk up the ramp and pull on the long metal handles connected to the door. A breath of cinnamon-scented air washes over me as the door opens.

I'm taken aback by the serene atmosphere. I step on a welcome mat in the form of Skitty, the floor below it being tiles of clean white marble. The ceiling has wider brown tiles separated by black lacings.

In front of me has a sign that reads, 'New Readers this way'; I take the sign's suggestion and view a brown reception desk that's right of the main walkway.

I walk in front of the counter and notice a sign-in sheet, a bell, and a trendy glass case displaying some delicious chocolate chip cookies.

I decide to ring the bell, which makes a soft, mellow tone.

Shortly after, a blond female in her early twenties wearing a hoodie with the cafe's logo on it, black jeans, and running shoes comes out of a back door to the left of the reception desk with a clipboard in her hand.

She looks over and smiles while making her way to stand in front of me, with the desk being our separator.

"Hey there, welcome to Coffee and Manga Cafe, my name is Tomi! I've never seen you around here, are you perhaps new to the cafe?"

. . .