Foreword

This project will take a very long time as there are three albums that will make my sanity go insane in which are Retrospective 53 minutes, Trojan Green Asteroid and Neo-Traditionalism of Japan. The reason is that three of these albums are extremely heavy in historical facts that will make me need to read upon the locations that the duo have been through. So expect that three of these albums coming out really late if I ever do it.

CHAPTER PROLOGUE – (Intermission)Start

Renko told me her plan to visit an unknown temple in the middle of nowhere. She told me that we would go at night. Although I was rather sceptical about it. Probably just my feelings though.

"Hey Maribel, Since the club needed activities, I am planning to go to this temple at midnight. It will be fun to search for ghosts!" Said Renko eagerly.

"…Are you sure it is a good idea Renko? Going to some unknown temple in which you are not even telling me where the location is? Sounds fishy to me…"

Renko sighed and started packing her stuff in which was a notebook and some photos. She refused to show it to me the content of the notebook. She then walked towards the door and looked at me one last time.

"This is your only chance Maribel. You might miss out on some cool stuff . Who knows what you might see when we reach there. Now are you in or out? Or else I'm just going to leave you here and you will have to go home on your own while I find stuff that you would be jealous of."

I sighed and tidied myself up, nodding at Renko's rather disturbing request. I did not have much of an option either. This is the only club that I was able to apply when I started the university since I am not interested with the other clubs that were available.

"All right all right Renko. I'll follow you in your adventures. Just…make sure that you will show me the notes and pictures that you have been hiding from me since you started talking about this trip will you? I am getting tired of thinking the contents of it."

Renko smiled and nodded at me. Thank goodness she did. Or else I would have done something rather bad to her. I took my brown sweater with me as I know it would be cold especially during autumn. The weather really dropped down to the point where going out during autumn is as bad as going out during winter. Although I noticed that Renko was wearing her usual clothing. Her black hat with a nice white ribbon attached to it, white long sleeved shirt with a cape covering her upper body just above her stomach, and a long black skirt.

"Renko...Umm…Are you sure you are okay with just wearing those?"

Renko just nodded and held her hand. I grabbed her hand because this is what we do every time we meet. It is just normal for us to do. Nothing's wrong with it right?

"Yeah. I'm good with these. They should cover me real nice. And I have you! You'll keep me warm all night as long as I have you around"

Those words made me blush a little so I kept quiet for a bit, then smiled at her. After a brief moment we started walking towards the place that Renko still did not want to tell me about. Ah I wish I have chosen another club instead. But…I felt like this is the right club for me.

Re: Chapter 1 – The Ghostly Field in the Middle of Nowhere

(Song – Ghostly Field Club – Wandering about a Ghostly Field in the Night)

そういえばこれ、誰のお墓かしら?

"Renko. How long is this trip going to take? We've been walking up this hill for an hour and there is nothing in our sights! Are you sure we are going at the right direction?"

I asked Renko as we walked up this unknown hill that had no one living nearby. You can consider it as abandoned too. I had trouble catching up to Renko as her enthusiasm overflowed her too much. She then stopped a bit and looked at me.

"We're almost there Maribel. I can assure you. This is something that no one has ever done before in years. Everything is going to be fantastic! Also, you don't mind me calling you Mary (Merry) Yes?"

I just nodded and sighed lightly. I didn't really have much of an option anyway. We were in the middle of nowhere anyway.

"Mhm. You can call me Mary if you so desire. Just… make sure that this trip is worth all the trouble okay Renko? I'm…kinda starting to give up now."

After that short talk, we started walking up towards the hills once again, and sure enough we reached the top of the hill. As expected, the place was empty, Although I saw a glimpse of an entrance…and..some sort of gravestones? I think.

"All right…This is it Mary. This is the place that I was talking about. Thank goodness."

Renko let out a sigh of relief. I looked around and it appears to be a cemetery of sorts. But I kept quiet for moment and just observed. Renko on the other hand smiled and took off her hat for the moment and enjoyed the view.

"All that walking finally paid off Mary. Here are the photos that I promised you."

Renko showed me handed me the photos and I looked at them. None of them seemed interesting. Honestly, I hoped that we don't get ourselves into trouble. More so acting like a bunch of grave robbers. I wondered the things that we are going to do tonight.

"These pictures are normal pictures of this place Renko. They're not interesting at all. What are you trying to tell me here?"

Re:Chapter 2 – (Inter-Intro)-Where it Began.

Song – Girl's Sealing Club

This club was never a popular or even a known club in this University (University of Tokyo). I, Usami Renko, created this club specifically for those who are interested in supernatural. I was sure that little to no one would even approve. Most of the students here laughed at me when I tried to promote this club in hope of finding those who like these kinds of things. And of course, no one wanted to join the club. I expected it to happen anyway.

I was usually alone in the university. I had no friends at all. So I usually hang out at the café inside the university, reading books about the supernatural alone. I don't eat much because I like to keep it light. Every day I kept on reading and doing research on the supernatural. I was so close to disbanding the club because there was no one that wanted to join it until that one day…

"U-Umm.. excuse me, where is the location of the Hifuu Ghost Club?"

I asked the nearby students about this club that I wanted to join. Most of them just laughed at me and didn't answer me. I had to go as far as the faculty office just to ask the lecturers where the club is located. They were nice enough to write it down on a piece of paper in which I held it tight to make. I was surprised that the location of it is pretty far from the university itself. It's…at rather discreet location too. I wondered if this is why people never wanted to join the club in the first place.

I took the time to reach the place itself, It looked pretty deserted to me. I looked at the paper and read it again to make sure that I wasn't lost. Sure enough I was correct. Although there was no one at the moment or so I thought until someone patted my shoulder. I turned around to see a girl, brown hair, white long sleeved shirt and a brown skirt, just smiling at me.

"What are you looking for girl? Are you lost? If you are, I can show you the way back to the university if you want."

I was shocked for the moment there, the way the she spoke to me was rather pleasant and she seemed to be a really nice girl. I looked at the paper, then looked at her, maybe she knows where the club is located.

"I-Is this…where the Hifuu Ghost Club is located? I-I'm looking this girl named….Usami…Renko. Yes. Usami Renko, the president for the club. Do you know where she is?

I was rather nervous when I asked her the question. But she didn't seem to mind it and only smiled at me, almost about to burst into laughter with the way spoke to her. I started to think that she didn't take me seriously like the rest of them. But then she looked at me with a rather serious face.

"You're looking at her right now. I'm Usami Renko, the president for the club. Are you interested in joining the club? If you are then I see no problem of accepting you as a club member."

She rubs her head a little in embarrassment. I didn't know why though at first. But then she started to explain things to me.

"Well to be honest, there's no one that are willing to join the club. The students here see this club as a joke. Because they think that the supernatural is just a myth. But for me, I see it as something else. It's more than just a myth. So…Are you interested in joining the club? If you do, then this club will not be disbanded after all. The minimum members that are required for this club is two and I will be ever so grateful. I have already planned so many activities for the club. Of course, they are not the occult kind of activities. They are more of exploring and understanding why these supernatural things existed in the first place."

I was amazed how calm she was when she explained to me about the club's true purpose. I was glad that I came to the right place. I would have joined another club if I really wanted to but then I have a secret that no one should know. But I believe, this person, Usami Renko is the one that I can trust with telling her the true reason I want to join the club. But I will keep it a secret until the right time. I then smiled happily and nodded at her.

"Yes! I would love to join the club. I've been looking for so many clubs in this university but I couldn't find anything that fits my abilities. I'm not good at sports or literature or anything. I just want someone who understands about the other side of this world. W-Where do I sign up?"

Renko then smiled happily and brings me inside the building in which appears to be her house or some sort. The place was rather messy because of the stack of books being laid around the house. I didn't mind it a single bit. She showed me to the actual workplace, which appears to be her room. Then Renko took a piece of registration paper and gave it to me.

"Here you go, the registration form. You can give this to the faculty office once you have done filling the form. So, introduce yourself while you fill this"

I took the form from her and started filling in the necessary stuff needed in the form, while introducing myself to her.

"M-My name is Maribel Han. I'm 19 years old. I live near here and just started to attend this university. I…don't have any form of supernatural powers or anything but I am interested in them. T-That's why I want to join the club. I want to learn more about it."

Renko listened to my introduction eagerly and thoroughly. It was clear that she really needed someone who truly am interested in learning the supernatural. She was not kidding about the club at all. I wondered if she had more people that love these kinds of things, she would be extremely happy to do all sorts of activities. I finished filling in the form and quickly put it aside, looking at her.

"I-I'm done. Uhm…What can we do for the time being Renko? I-Is there any interesting things that we can do for the time being? I mean…Umm…N-Nevermind what I said!" said Maribel.

I laughed at Maribel's way of talking. I'm pretty damn sure that she wasn't THAT shy for a girl, probably nervous just like any other person would be when joining something. Oh the look at Maribel's face when she blushed was priceless. I patted her head lightly and smiled at her, rubbing her head just a little.

"It's okay Maribel. There are plenty of things that we will do in the club. For now…Hmm...*she looks at the time* Ahh. Perfect. How about we have some snacks at the back of my house? We can talk more and discuss stuff and some plans that I have created since you're in the club now.

Oh how embarrassing that was…I couldn't stop blushing when she patted my head and I only looked at her innocently. It was so…not my usual self.. My goodness…That was horrible. Thankfully Renko was okay with it nevertheless. And after she invited me for some snacks I immediately nodded in agreement.

"Oh? Okay. You can go around the back, there will be a small table and two seats there. You can go there while I prepare the snacks. Don't worry it won't take long."

I watched as Maribel slowly walk towards the back of the house, then started preparing the snacks for both of us. For once, it definitely felt really nice to have someone with me. It's…I don't know how to explain it but…it just felt nice you know. Soon enough I finished preparing the snacks and walked to meet her.

"Ahh there you are Maribel. How do you enjoy the view up here? Definitely something that you don't see every day don't you think? I feel glad that I rented the house up here even though it's a little bit far than the university. But I regret nothing."

I noticed Renko walking towards me with the snacks and nodded at her question. The view up here was spectacular. I can see almost all the parts of Kyoto from up here. From the busy cities to the mountains at the far end, it was the perfect location for anything.

"Yeah… It's beautiful up here. I'm…amazed Renko. I can see everything from here. I suppose, you hang out here often because it's calm and there is nothing stopping you?"

I nodded at Maribel's question and set up the snacks on the table and sat on the chair, giggling lightly at Maribel's reaction of this place.

"Come and join me here Maribel. Let's talk about my plan for the club. I suppose this is the right time."

I sat on the chair after Renko told me to and looked at the snacks. It was a cup of tea with some biscuits. I didn't mind and was ready to listen to everything that she was about to tell me.

"Maribel…, Let's go to this place. It's an ancient temple that I have found while researching some stuff on the net. I believe it would be wise to do so. I have looked for pictures for this place *static noise that sounds like a fast forward*"

And at that moment, is when everything started to change for the best. I have finally found another member for the club. Maribel Han was her name, the only member in the club. I am glad that I was patient enough to hope for someone to appear to save this club. And I hope…that this, will be the time where all of my research will come into good use. This club will not be lost. Not in a longshot. I will do everything to make sure that this club will stay alive no matter how much I will have to sacrifice. I will do it. I will never give up.

Re:Chapter 3 – An Ancient Temple? Or is it Something else?

Songs – Eastern Mystic Dream ~ Ancient Temple and Ancient Temple in the Netherworld (2 songs in 1 chapter)

Renko showed me handed me the photos and I looked at them. None of them seemed interesting. Honestly, I hoped that we don't get ourselves into trouble. More so acting like a bunch of grave robbers. I wondered the things that we are going to do tonight.

"These pictures are normal pictures of this place Renko. They're not interesting at all. What are you trying to tell me here?"

Renko smiled and showed to me one interesting picture. It seemed to be an ancient temple that I have never seen before. Definitely not the common ones…or rather something that didn't seem to even exist in this world. It looked like something else.

"This…Is the Netherworld Mary. The world where souls of those who have passed away go to live their remaining lives after being sent by the Yama. It is said that this place is considered to be the best place to be. There's also a rumour that this place is guarded by a half human, half ghost, and the place is taken care of by a ghost."

I was rather surprised with how detailed Renko's explanation about the whole thing. But is the photograph supposed to look like it was a cursed or ghostly photograph? I don't know. But nevertheless I continued listening to her explanation. Renko sure was in her high spirits because of this. I wonder…

"Renko. Where did you get these pictures? They look like they're from someone else's pictures. Even if I try finding them on the internet I won't be able to find them at all. These are quite…fascinating you know…"

Renko giggled lightly and on smiled at me. Her sweet smile and that enthusiastic part about her made me…kind of like her. Nevertheless, she only whispered to me.

"I have connections that you don't know Mary. Let's just say that I have sources."

Sure enough, I kind of expected that kind of answer from Renko. She still wants to keep these kinds of things a secret. It's not like she didn't trust me at all right? Maybe I just need to keep following her wherever she goes I guess. But still…those pictures are nothing I have seen so far.

"Now, if we look here, there's definitely something hidden here. It is said that there's a Buddhist gate nearby this are. If only we can pin-point the exact location…"

I tried my best to explain to Mary this place. I knew that there's an ancient temple hidden in this area but I seem to not being able to find it. But I kept myself in a positive state. I knew there is an entrance to this ancient temple. This temple is connected to our world but surely there must be a way to find it. As I looked around the area, Mary tugged on my shirt lightly and pointed to an area north of the field.

"You mean…there, up on the hills? I think I saw some sort of entrance there..,"

I looked closely at the direction she pointed, and sure enough, it looked like an entrance to a temple. I was about just rush in and investigate the area, but Mary deserved a little something.

"Wow…You're right Maribel. That does seem to look like an entrance. Come, let's check it out together. Thanks a lot Mary. "

I patted Maribel's head after thanking Maribel and held her hand. Then we started walking together towards the entrance. I looked at Mary and she was blushing rather harshly. I'm pretty much fine with holding another person's hand especially girl's hand. I'm not sure why Mary blushed so much though.

"Waah…Y-You're welcome Renko…M-My instincts just helped me a little. T-That's why I can see the entrance from here."

After we reached the temple I took out the picture once again and showed it to Mary.

"Now, if you look closely, this temple's entrance looked similar inside this picture don't you think Maribel? This is surely a Buddhist temple."

I listened to Renko's explanation once again. Although I was not convinced her answer of this place being a Buddhist temple. I believe it's a Shinto shrine from the looks of it. I kinda hesitated on telling Renko about that so I kept myself quiet for the time being. As I look up towards the entrance, what I saw was what appears to be a shrine maiden. I only kept quiet as she was staring directly at me. Renko couldn't see her, at least…for now.

"Hey…Mary? Are you okay there? Mary. Mary! What are you looking at!? Hey! Snap out of it!"

I looked at Maribel staring up the stairs but I saw nothing there at all. I quickly grabbed her and shook her lightly, hoping that she would snap out of whatever she was in. For once I thought that she passed out due to the amount of energy that we used to get here, but something was odd. She wasn't breathing…Or so I thought. I grabbed her hand took her somewhere safer. Only then she woke up from that…

"Mary! Hey! Are you okay? Please tell me that you are…Hey…"

I slowly gained my vision back. I opened my eyes slowly and saw Renko in front of me, extremely concerned. What I saw back then, was real. Defintely… Suddenly, I saw someone behind Renko for a split second, then disappeared in a blink of an eye. I couldn't tell who it was. But it was definitely someone else.

"A-Aahh…R-Renko…? What am I…Where…? How am I here..? For a second, I thought I was observing the stairs…"

"Mary…Thank god you're awake. Come. Let's sit down for a while…"

I slowly pulled Mary up and we sat down in front of each other near the stairs. I looked at her and she looked like nothing had happened. I was sure, something happened and she didn't want to tell me about it. But I toughen up and started to talk.

"Mary. What happened back there? I was so worried about you. You were just staring up the stairs like you saw a ghost or something similar. Please tell me you didn't see a ghost…"

Renko asked me so many questions that my brain started to hurt. I-I know that she was concerned of me but it was too much for me to handle at one time.

*holds her head using both hands* "S-Stop Renko…! Y-You're scaring me! P-Please! Let me calm down for a bit here…You know something happened to me…At least let me regain my consciousness properly first…"

I was shocked at Mary's reaction towards my questions. I guess…I was being too harsh and too rushing towards her. I…I shouldn't have done something like this.

"A-Ahh…I-I'm sorry…You're right Mary…Yeah…I'm…I'm sorry for asking so many questions at one time…"

Both of us just kept quiet for a moment, Mary kept on holding her head. I only kept quiet and watched her. I wonder what happened to her that made her become like that…This is so not like her. Soon enough, she calmed down completely and looked at me and started talking.

"I…I saw someone up on the stairs…She…looked like a Shrine Maiden…She just stared at me as if she knew me for a long time…"

"But there was no one up there Mary. No one was there in the first place…Are you sure you saw someone back there?"

"Yes…I definitely saw someone back there…I couldn't hear what she said to me…And I couldn't hear your voice. The next thing I know, you were looking at me…And then another person looked at me behind you…She only grinned and disappeared."

"…Impossible…It's just us here. How is it even possible for two people to appear when it's just us?"

"I…I don't know Renko…I just don't know what happened back there…But I'm fine now. Honest…"

I looked at Maribel directly, she was confident that she is fine. I nodded at her, and hugged her lightly out of the blue.

"All right Mary. I trust you on this. If anything happens, you know who to look for okay?"

I hugged Renko in return, signifying the trust that we have towards each other, then nodded at her.

"Mhm…I know who to look for. And that is you Renko. Come on, let's continue our search."

After the hug, both of us stood up and looked towards the stairs. Then we reached the foot of the stairs and walked up. Both of us were confident. There was something hidden up there. We walked slowly and looked around us. The place was definitely quiet. There wasn't any sound of little critters around to make the place felt lively. It was just quiet.

At the top of the stairs, what we saw, was a single gravestone in front of us. Definitely wasn't a pretty sight. But I believe, we have arrived at a graveyard. Renko took out the pictures once again and sorted some, only to find a picture that looked like an entrance. Or at least, that is what I thought.

"If this is the entrance, then the picture here looks like an entrance to another side of this place. Of course, it is impossible to find it as it is the netherworld…But nevertheless. There must be something that is interesting here."

We looked around and it really looked like a graveyard. Renko started wandering around the graveyard in excitement. I only walked slowly across the graveyard, trying to understand what and why this place is built so far away. I looked around the graveyard and I saw a group of people. Just like before, Renko couldn't see it except me. This time it's not a shrine maiden, or the woman that was staring at me. It appears to be… A lady, and what appears to be her assistant, walking around the graveyard. They noticed me and only smiled at me. I was shocked once again that they seem to just…know who I am.

I hesitated to respond to their smile at first, but in the end I smiled and waved back at them. Thankfully Renko didn't notice this. She would think I had gone crazy. Soon enough, the two of them disappeared and my view changed back to normal. Only I realised that there are quite a lot of lycoris. I don't like them at all. Then I heard Renko calling me from a distance…

Re:Chapter 3 (Intermission) – The Night Cafe

One night, two girls were sitting in front of each other in a café that is open twenty four hours. There, one girl is being told to let out her inner most secrets.

"So where are we going again Renko? It is like in the middle of the night you know…What kind of café that is still operating twenty four hours now days?"

It was the day before our first trip to the field, when Renko suddenly asked me to follow her to a place in town. It was almost 10PM before I met Renko in front of the university. I had trouble meeting her in the middle of the night. I mean…Of course I would! It was in the middle of the night! There was no one and getting lost was the worst thing that could happen to me since I'm still new to this place. Soon enough, I reached the university entrance and there she was. Renko was already waiting for me. She was wearing her usual attire except she has a sweater with her. Sure enough it was cold back then.

*Checks the star and notices Maribel walking towards her* "You're late…By ten seconds flat. But it doesn't matter. Glad that you made it nevertheless Maribel. Welcome."

I looked at my watch and it was in fact 10PM. But I didn't know she was that…accurate? It's kind of impossible for a human to know the exact time and location without using some sort of calculation or just looking at the internet. Still… I was kind of mad at her for no reason whatsoever.

"L-Late…!? B-But it's like 10PM sharp! How am I 10 seconds late!? I-I don't understand Renko!"

Renko looked calm when she looked at me. I guess this is something common for her to do every day before meeting me? Nevertheless…I was still shocked that she considered me for being late here.

"I can tell time to the exact second Maribel. And I say, you are late~"

"Whaa..? But…I…Never mind then! Anyways…Where are we going again Renko? It is like in the middle of the night you know…What kind of café that is still operating twenty four hours now days?"

"Oh just a café that I go often before I met you. I guess it's time to show you what I do most of my time when I am alone. And besides, the food and drinks there are pretty good if you ask me."

"Well…I guess I don't have much of a choice hmm…? Yeah. Why no- W-Whoa!?"

As soon as Maribel said yes, I immediately grabbed her hand and began walking with her to the café. The café itself is in fact located in the city. It took us about 15 minutes reach there. We were quiet the whole time and just observed through the road that we were walking through. There was no one on the streets except some policemen who were doing their daily routine of checking the area.

Soon enough we reached the café itself. The Café is located near the train station. It is quite a popular café because students and even workers tend to go there after dropping off the train station. Maribel was shocked and hit me lightly on my back.

"I-I know this place! T-This is the café that I used to go before moving to your house Renko! I always get my daily coffee from this café. Why didn't you tell me that we're going here in the first place?"

"Oh? So you do know this place. Good. Never saw me here in the middle of the night? Better. Now, let's go inside. The workers here know me since I'm their regular customer. I'll explain it to you once we get ourselves a seat. I have my seat always reserved just for me. Even one of the waiters there remembers me."

Renko walked inside first, I hesitated to go inside with her because, come to think of it, I never knew that this café is actually opened twenty four hours. There were barely anyone inside but it's just opened. I walked inside and was shocked. The atmosphere inside the café was different than what I usually see in the morning. It has that more, calming feel. Jazz songs were playing inside the café and there were few people who were sitting, drinking their favourite drinks available. I quickly followed Renko, only to be stopped by a male waiter. He looked very charming and handsome. Somehow I blushed as I saw him. But the waiter seemed to know Renko very well.

"Ah Renko. Welcome back. What can I do for you tonight? Oh? It seems that you brought a company with you for the first time."

*she takes off her hat and her jacket and holds it for the moment* "Yeah. Found myself a new club member. Mind introducing yourself to her for me? I mean, you are the one that I really know in the café. I still haven't remember the others."

The waiter looked at me and smiled gently. He definitely looked very professional for such a small job in this café. I guess this place have their own standards.

*He bows down with elegance*"My name's Lionel. I'm one of the workers here in the café. I've been the one who have been serving your friend Renko for a long time ever since the café opened. She's been our regular customer and one of the reasons that we opened the café twenty four hours a day, seven days a week. What's your name dear?

He was definitely very professional in doing his work. The way he talks, his dress, everything is just perfect. Although… I never see him before. Then I introduced myself to him.

"Maribel…Maribel Han. I'm Renko's friend. I met her when I was about to join the club that she was in."

"Ahh I see. So you have the same interest as her yes? I can assure you, she is a very nice person and I highly doubt that she will not stop making you feel interested. Surely you've never seen me before in the café right? Well just to answer your curiousity, during the night time we have a number of people who will take care of the café so that's where the waiter's role comes in. The requirements for such role is quite high so only a few number of workers here have been selected. Let's just say I worked hard for this role because I prefer to work at night. And I like it."

"I see. Thank you Lionel, for the explanation. I appreciate it a lot."

I nodded at Lionel's explanation about Renko and himself. Then Renko looked at both of us and smiled lightly.

"Right. Since both of you have introduced yourselves, Lionel, The usual place please. Show her where I usually seat here."

"Most certainly Renko. Follow me please ladies."

Lionel and Renko started walking towards an unknown section part of the café. Even I didn't know there's a special seat that's available for Renko. All three of us walked upstairs. There's a sign that states "Special members only" on the door. Then Lionel unlocks the door and we walked inside…Or it appears to be. It appears to be a balcony with only two seats and a table. That's it. No more, no less. Then Renko walks to her seat and sat on it, signalling me to do as well and followed her instruction, sitting just opposite of her.

"…This is amazing Renko. How did you-"

"I'll explain it to you shortly. Let Lionel take our orders first."

Lionel walked towards us and took out a small notebook and a pen, waiting for our orders.

"Right then. What do you want for tonight ladies?"

"Give me the usual latte Lionel. Only this time, make it stronger."

"Certainly Renko. That's your favourite menu after all." *He looks at Maribel* "And how about you Maribel?"

"U-Umm…Milk…Coffee…Yes. Milk coffee and chocolate chip cookies. T-That's all."

Lionel nodded and wrote our orders down and walked away. Then I looked at Renko once again.

"Right. Now that it's just both of us, mind explaining me how you managed to get this…special area that I have never heard about?"

Renko's face turned rather serious but somehow managed to keep cool. Then she started talking.

"Remember when I told you that I had no one to talk to and such? This is where I usually spend most of my time. Every day when class has ended, I went here. I spent most of my time doing my work here until midnight before going home. One day, the boss here told me that if I liked to stay here even if it's beyond midnight. I agreed. But I didn't know that he would open this place twenty four seven. Because of what I did, business started blooming, as there are in fact people who want to stay here beyond midnight. I managed to get this place because I am their regular customer. Understand? Good. But that's not the point about why we are here. The reason why we're here is.."

Lionel came back with our orders. The latte that Renko ordered smell really good, and so is my milk coffee. Even the chocolate cookies that I ordered were freshly baked and smell really good.

"Here you go ladies. Latte for Renko, and Milk coffee with Chocolate chip cookies for Maribel. Anything else?"

"Nah. We're good Lionel. Thank you so much. You may leave us for now. I'll call you if Maribel or I need a refill."

Author's note - Updated with progress on the intermission. A new side character is added. Also exam is next month~