Six months after my family died from the accident, I had resolved to end myself after graduating high school. To make sure I don't stray away from this goal, I made a bunch of rules for myself that I vowed to follow. However, among these rules are 3 laws that I should never break.
The first law is to never get involved in anything grandiose, over stimulating, indulgent, or dangerous.
The second law is to always exert just enough effort t0 pass. This includes exams, conversations, tasks, what have you.
And the third law is to never, under any circumstances, go out of school together with anyone.
These laws are the standard for any of the other rules I made for myself. They are my guiding light to the peaceful eternity of death. And yet, in just under a week I've somehow managed to break all three laws.
After we left the baseball field, Kurebayashi took me to a cafe in the commercial district. When we entered, the tantalizing aroma of freshly made muffins and waffles immediately gave my nose a 1-2 combination. The interior of the cafe itself is filled with all sorts of knick knacks and oddities. Perhaps they're souvenirs the owner brought from traveling around the world? That would be an interesting background story if that were true. Regardless of the seemingly chaotic arrangement, it's actually quite cozy inside. The soft jazz music also complements the atmosphere quite nicely. I could honestly say I want to stay here for the rest of the night.
"Thank you once again for agreeing to come with me."
Kurebayashi said. On the way here, she didn't seem like her usual self. It was really obvious that she wanted to tell me something, but was probably waiting until we got to the cafe.
"It's no big deal. It's actually quite nice here so I really don't mind."
And I meant those words. Normally, I would be irritated to death about this impromptu excursion. But finding out about this cafe more than makes up for it. I think I'll come by here every Friday after school from now on.
"Really? I'm so glad to hear that. I happened upon this place a few months ago. It's so charming and pleasant and the food is also quite delicious. It's one of my favorite places to relax."
From the way she describes this cafe, she must really like it. And I agree with her about the aesthetics. But I won't be so easily swayed when it comes to food. I'm very picky when it comes to sweets, and it would take a really tasty one for me to say that it is indeed good.
As we're talking, the waitress comes along and brings us the food we ordered. I got three of their regular cupcakes; strawberry, chocolate, and peach flavor. I look over to Kurebayashi and it looks like she just ordered a simple cup of tea and a plate of mini cookies.
Based on looks alone, the cupcakes do look appetizing. They're just the right size and the ratio of cake to frosting is perfectly balanced. There's also a tiny bit of topping based on the flavor. I immediately take a bite out of the strawberry cupcake first.
"How is it, Sugiyama-san? I've had their cupcakes before. They are incredibly delectable."
I could barely hear what she said. All my senses are focused on this heavenly bite of soft, creamy, velvety goodness. The cupcake itself is moist yet firm. And the strawberry cream frosting is not too sweet and does not overpower the natural strawberry taste. As I swallow the remnants of this delicious treat, I could feel a single tear well up at the corner of my eye.
God damn it. Where has this cafe been all my life?
"Umm… Sugiyama-san? Are you alright? You have been quiet for a while now. Were the cupcakes not to your liking?"
"No… I've never had such a delicious cupcake before in my life. I don't think I'll ever be able to go back to any old cupcake or pastry ever again."
"Oh my, that is quite the compliment to give. I'm really glad that you like them. If you'd like, we could come back here another time."
"Yeah, that sounds goo—"
I stopped myself before I could finish what I was saying. Coincidently, I was also midway towards the last bite of my trio cupcake set when I realized what I was going to say. This has gone too far already. I should not make any sort of arrangement to go again with her.
I quickly compose myself by taking a sip of water before calmly putting down the unfinished portion of peach cupcake back on my plate.
"A-anyway, it's pretty obvious that you wanted to talk about something. That's why you brought me here, right?"
"Well… Yes. I wanted to talk to you about Sakakibara-san and answer your questions about him. But I wanted to move to a more appropriate place before answering."
"Yeah, I can understand that. But are you sure you want to talk about it? It's really not a big deal for me if you don't."
"With all you have done to help me, this is the least I could do in return."
Well, I can't really argue after hearing that. She takes a sip of her tea and begins to lay out just who Sakakibara Daiki is to her.