My eyes opened briefly as I once again woke up unexpectedly from my sleep. My hand moved around my bed until I was able to find the alarm clock. 5 A.M., so there was still plenty of time to enjoy my sleep. I didn't know if I had fallen asleep before I started hearing the noise again, completely removing any intent I had of sleeping. This time it didn't sound like a ticking clock, more like the noise of high heels walking around but not as loud, as if the thing making the noise was trying to be silent. It was still coming from the same direction.
This time I didn't hesitate to walk up to the screen door.
It had to be the cat.
That was the only answer that made sense.
So when I abruptly pulled open my curtains and saw nothing at all, a load of confusion filled my head. I rubbed my eyes and inspected it again. Nothing. The only thing I could see was the tree in the neighbour's lawn and their house next door. Yet the noise continued. It still came from this direction, be it from the window or around it.
I looked up, down, right, and left. Nothing odd. I placed my hand against the window, searching for vibrations to no avail. However, as thorough as my searches were, I couldn't find any culprit. Blaming the lack of light, I flicked the light switch and tried to end this nonsense once and for all. But just like last time, the noise stopped as soon as the light flooded my room. Even then, I didn't finish my search and continued for a few more minutes. Shortly after, I returned to my still-warm bed after switching off the light.
My mind suddenly remembered and lingered around Tachibana's words. Perhaps whoever is making the noise is inside the walls.
Saturday once again.
I woke up relatively early for a weekend, but both of my parents were already up. My sister was still sleeping. Out of annoyance or perhaps pure curiosity, I asked them if they had heard any noises at night. As expected, they didn't hear anything. I brushed it off for the moment, but the thought still lingered on my mind.
The day continued without anything noteworthy. I exchanged a few messages with Sasaki and Yusue, mostly transmitting the hour and location of the meetup point. Not too long after I had lunch, I headed out.
"Good afternoon, cat," I said as I shut the front door behind me. "Are you always there, or do you just wait until I head out?"
The animal was in the same position as yesterday, laying down on the wall surrounding the house. Even then, the cat was utterly still, watching over me.
"You know, if you're going to stay around here, you're going to need a name." Several cat-like names crossed my mind, but not even one of them fit it. "You're probably a female since male calico cats are scarce and… Ah, forget it."
I got a hold of my bike and headed out, this time feeling less intimidated by the feline stalker.
After passing a good deal of time pedaling and finding a spot to lock up my bike, I slowly reached my destination in the city downtown. Crossing the street to reach a plaza near the train station, I spotted a long and restless queue crossing the corner of the square. Whatever it was, my attention focused on a voice calling me.
"What's up Kyon, come' ere." Yusue was already there waiting for us. "You're the first one to come."
"Hey there. I didn't expect you to be the first one to arrive." I guessed Sasaki would be here beforehand, but I was wrong.
"My scores might be crap, but I still know when to arrive at the right hour." He said with a goofy smirk.
"I could say the same." I pondered for a second before asking something. "So why did you actually invite Sasaki?"
"I told you, didn't I? Because I wanted to be nice and-"
"That might be part-true, but I want the real reason." I interrupted him. "You're not the type of guy who acts for the sake of it. It's like you've been body swapped or something."
"Geez, so hostile. I'm really doing it to be friends with her too." He accepted defeat with a heavy sigh. "But also, there's a place where you get a discount if you bring four or more people."
"That sounds more like the old you."
"Hey, what the hell! That's just the secondary objective. Because seriously, this new place I'm talking about? They're serving like some refreshing drink. Apparently, it gives you good luck and tastes like the heavens; everybody is crazy about it." He explained with a quick gesture to the queue outside the plaza.
"I was about to ask. Forming a line that long for just a drink sounds excessive."
"Yep. So you know it's good." He glanced at me, a wry smile painted on his face. "Maybe you'll get the luck you need with Sasaki, eh? Or maybe she'll be the one to confess?"
"Sasaki? In love? That's like mixing oil and water. If you had to listen to the number of explanations on the biology and psychology of love like I've had, you wouldn't even dare to make that question."
"Hey, I understand why people get hungry, and that doesn't make me immune to it! Besides, this kind of thing is better to ask before you regret it." His voice tone slightly changed as he said those last words, but quickly regained his usual cheer. "Yo, look who it is."
Kanekawa and Sasaki were talking, slowly walking towards us, more than likely fighting each other in a battle of wits. The two students with the best grades in class were friends with the class' two worst students. That irony wasn't lost on me.
"Hello, everyone." Sasaki greeted us while waving her hand. Her casual clothes were as ordinary as any other, but watching her with a purse instead of her school bag was refreshing. "Thanks for inviting me."
"No problem, it was Kyon's idea." My eyes rolled over to Yusue as he said those words.
"It was a collective idea." I countered as I looked over to Kanekawa for support. "It wouldn't be fair if you weren't invited after all since, excluding the man changed by love, Kanekawa and I are friends with you."
"I get it, I get it, no problem," Sasaki mentioned as she observed us. "So, what's the plan?"
"The plan is..." Yusue mimicked the sound of drums before pointing at the crowd of people with an extravagant cheer. "To wait in that queue!"
Sasaki stared at the line of people with a neutral expression.
"That does sound like a plan. What are we in for?" She expressed.
"I think it's because the nearby cafe got some new owners, and they've expanded their business. Everyone keeps talking about it, they're a bit too overenthusiastic over the idea, in my opinion. It's just beverages, right?" Kanekawa pointed out, giving us some new knowledge.
"New owners, huh?" Sasaki muttered. "Then, let's see what they have in store for us."
"I like the way you talk!" Yusue almost yelled. "Let's stand in line before more people come in."
We made our way to the queue and waited. While Sasaki and the other two talked, I began to notice an odd trend in the people coming in. They all looked our age; I couldn't see anyone older than me. But some were different. Those shifted nervously, glancing around at the people behind them, trembling now and then. With time, I realised something else. They tried their best to ignore the window displays of the different shops that the queue passed by.
"And what do you think, Kyon?" Sasaki asked me something, perhaps noticing that I wasn't listening.
"I'm not sure what I'm going to get either. I mean, we don't know the new drinks or pastries." I answered correctly, leaving her with a small smile.
"Why don't we let Sasaki decide. You know, since… She's kind of the guest?" Kanekawa mentioned sheepishly.
"Oh, good grief. I see what it is. I'm here to decide what to drink, huh?" She calmly said with a wicked smile. "And here I thought you were considerate with me."
"See, she's talking like you as well. She's totally in love." Yusue whispered to me.
"Shut up." I hissed back.
"How long has this new menu been on anyways? I knew about the cafe, but I haven't heard about any changes." Sasaki inspected the rest of the queue, noticing the odd strangers.
"Uh… Dunno. At least a few weeks. I wanted to come with my girl, but you know, she was against the idea." Yusue confessed. "Something about not liking the circumstances, she's kinda cryptic sometimes."
"There does seem to be…" Sasaki tiptoed for a moment, looking into the far distance. "Something odd about it."
A yell made us turn toward the front of the line. A deranged man seemed to be wrestling against another bulkier and healthier man.
"Let me in you damn…! I have to get in there! They're coming, they're coming, and we can't stop it!" The crazed man groaned.
The bulky man shoved him, but the lunatic charged back in. Without any other option, the muscled man punched him in the face, knocking him out in one punch. Some people stared for a moment and went back to waiting, while others tried to check on the man's condition.
And then there was Sasaki. As if the quarrel had never happened, her expression was blank and deep in thought, slowly recording what had happened into her mind.
"Damn, he got one punched. He wanted to cut in line or something?" Yusue casually said, bumping his elbow against me.
I gave some half-assed answer as I nudged Sasaki to break her out of her trance.
"That was something." Her response was half-baked and automatic. "They're coming, he said."
"Probably referring to the other owners, who knows?" Kanekawa tried to make sense of the situation as well. "The line is still advancing."
I followed him, only to be stopped by Sasaki.
"Hey, you didn't tell me what happened yesterday." Her fingers ran through her hair. "Are you going to explain it to everyone? Or do you want to talk about it privately?"
"It's fine. I'll explain it when we get in." Without further ado, we followed the other guys.
Shortly after that, we discussed the situation, not too shaken by the experience, and continued to advance to our objective slowly. Yusue cracked some jokes, Kanekawa tried to stop him while Sasaki encouraged him. I couldn't say that regardless of the strange experience, we weren't having an awful time. I felt strangely at ease, watching Sasaki being her usual self and not the typical girl act she put up in front of strangers. Our eyes met for a brief second before continuing their way.
"And finally, here we are, Café Dream." Yusue pointed out as he stood still in front of a window display, with a few wallpapers and signs covering the entrance.
"It seems the same as always in the interior," Sasaki mentioned as she studied the insides of the shop.
In the middle of the street, not too far from the train station, was the café Yusue was talking about. It looked a bit out of place with the rest of the city, with two decently sized alleyways separating it from the other building. These alleys were decorated with a few artistic murals, making them look less shady and warmer to the bystander. The windows were big enough to let sunlight into it, and you could barely see your reflection on them.
The interior wasn't any less decorated. The tables were neatly arranged, filled with plates and cutlery, but with not a speck of dust on them, coupled with the floors followed the same style. Modern yet rustic. And surprisingly small. However, appearances were deceiving, and the strange pungent odor that emanated from it made me ill at ease, like the smell of grease and rot. Nobody else seemed to notice.
Luck was on our side, and we quickly took over a table that had been abandoned by their previous users a few moments before. There were still a few empty glasses and dirty plates on it, but losing the table was a worse fate than this.