The next morning, something unusual happened—Grandma Sato's Café was closed.
A small sign on the door read:
"Closed for the day! Resting my old bones. See you tomorrow! – Grandma Sato"
The three boys—Leo, Riku, and Haru—stood in front of the locked café, staring at the sign like it was written in a foreign language.
Haru scratched his head. "So… no work today?"
Leo nodded slowly. "No work today."
Riku suddenly gasped. "THAT MEANS—FREE DAY!"
The three of them cheered, throwing their hands in the air. "WOOHOOO!"
Without wasting time, they made a super serious plan—they were going on a trip.
Haru stuffed his pockets with snacks. Riku grabbed a backpack and filled it with random things (including a spoon for no reason). Leo, being the most mature, packed a single bottle of water and acted like he was fully prepared.
Then, without thinking twice, they ran straight to the train station.
A Shocking New City
The train ride was wild—Haru got distracted by the vending machine, Riku almost got left behind because he was busy counting pigeons, and Leo got into an argument with an old man about the best way to eat noodles. But somehow, they all made it safely.
When they stepped off the train and looked around, their jaws dropped.
The city was huge. Tall glass buildings, flashing billboards, fancy cars, and people walking around wearing stylish clothes, talking on phones, and carrying shopping bags.
Haru gasped. "W-Where are we?! Did we just enter another world?!"
Riku grabbed Leo's sleeve. "Bro… do you see this?! Look at that man! His shoes are so shiny, I can see my face in them!"
Leo was too stunned to speak. He just nodded like an old wise man.
They had never seen so many "high-fi" people before. Unlike their small town, where people wore simple clothes and greeted each other with warm smiles, this place was fancy. The people looked important, and nobody seemed to be in a hurry to say hello to anyone.
Haru whispered, "Do you think… they are all rich people with strong skin?"
Riku nodded seriously. "Definitely."
Ice Cream Adventure
The first thing they did was rush to an ice cream shop. The sign outside said "Luxury Ice Cream – The Best in Town!"
The boys walked in excitedly, their eyes sparkling. The place was so clean and shiny, they were scared to touch anything.
A fancy-looking man behind the counter greeted them. "Welcome! What flavor would you like?"
Haru immediately yelled, "CHOCOLATE!"
Riku grinned. "STRAWBERRY!"
Leo crossed his arms. "Vanilla." (Because he thought it made him sound mature.)
The worker nodded. "That will be 500 per scoop."
The boys froze.
"F-Five… Hundred?" Riku stuttered. "For one scoop?"
Leo gulped. "I thought ice cream only cost fifty…"
Haru quickly counted his money. "Uhh… I have 120…"
Riku checked his pockets. "I have 85… and a button."
Leo sighed. "I have 200, but I was saving it to buy a new pair of socks."
They looked at each other, then at the ice cream.
A painful decision was made.
"One scoop of vanilla, please," Leo said sadly.
They sat at the table, sharing a single scoop of vanilla ice cream with three spoons. Each boy took the smallest bites possible, making it last as long as they could.
"This is the fanciest ice cream we ever had," Haru whispered.
"Yeah," Riku nodded. "It tastes… expensive."
Fun in the Park
After their painfully expensive ice cream, they decided to go to the park. It was huge, with a giant lake, fancy fountains, and people jogging around in expensive workout clothes.
Haru ran to the swings. "WHEEEE!"
Riku chased pigeons. "Come here, birdies!"
Leo sat on a bench, acting mature, but secretly enjoying the cool air.
For a moment, they forgot about how different the city was. They laughed, played, and had fun just like they always did.
Even though they didn't belong to this fancy world, they still had the most important thing—each other.
As the sun started setting, Riku stretched his arms. "Okay, should we go back?"
Haru pouted. "I wanna stay longer!"
Leo smirked. "Then go ask a rich person to adopt you."
Haru gasped. "Wait… CAN WE DO THAT?!"
Riku and Leo burst out laughing as they pulled their clueless friend toward the train station.
Their city may not be high-fi, but at least their ice cream was cheap.
And that was good enough for them.