She Comes And Goes As She Pleases (Part 68)
by BrDPirateMan

Classes were still ongoing and the last few assignments of the semester were just about completed. In the midst of the hustle and bustle of college life, the impending closure of WildKat seemed so far away.

Then came December 14, the day before everything wrapped up, and I was suddenly reminded of how by tomorrow, it'd all… end.

One thing I noted was that Mr H had nothing special planned for the final day of work. No discounts, no freebies, nothing. When I casually asked him about it he had this to say:

"I'm keeping it simple. As you already know, we don't get a lot of customers at all, so it's not going to make much of a difference whether or not I hold any events."

"Didn't you say we're gonna go out with a bang? I thought we were going to do something to really cap things off."

"Sure, but having 10% off everything when I'm desperately trying to recoup my losses isn't going to be very beneficial for my case."

"Oh… yeah, I understand."

"C'mon, get your spirits up!" he chuckled. "Tomorrow may be just another day at work… but if you can stick with me till the bitter end, I'll give you guys twice your salary. Think of it like a year-end bonus."

I smiled. "Don't you worry, I never once thought of calling it quits early." Then, jokingly, I added, "And if you're paying, I have even less of a reason to do so."

He appreciated the joke and threw his head back in laughter. "Phones, had I any idea you would be so materialistic, I'd have thought twice about hiring you."

December 14 came and went just like any other day. There was nothing that stood out, nothing that suggested that tomorrow would mark the end of WildKat.

And then, before I knew it, it was December 15 and I was getting ready for my shift.

I stood in front of my dresser, looking at myself in the mirror and giving myself one too many pep talks.

"This is it," I muttered. "You've come this far… Now you just gotta finish what you started."

"Neku?" Eri popped her head inside the room. "Who are you talking to?"

"Oh, uh… myself? I was psyching myself up for tonight."

As she watched me adjust my shirt collar for the umpteenth time, she simply said, "Well, it's the last night. You gotta be ready sooner or later. So… are you?"

"Yeah. Don't worry about me. It's just business as usual."

"It's too bad I can't make it tonight. I wanted to be there to say goodbye." It couldn't be helped. Eri had a test tomorrow and she needed to study for it.

"I'll send your regards to Mr H, I promise. Just make sure you ace that test. I know he'd want you to."

The two of us lingered at the doorstep, sharing the usual embrace to energize ourselves for the evening. I lost myself in the warm, almost tropical flavor of her lips as we kissed.

"You do your best, Neku. Don't slack off now!"

"Got it."

"I'm serious, Neku. Make it a good one."

I smiled appreciatively. "I will."

When I arrived at WildKat's tiny parking lot and cut off the engine, I just sat in the car for a while and took a good look at the cafe where I had fostered so many memories. In three more hours this would all come to an end…

…but darned if I wasn't going to make the best of it.

I strode inside to find that there were more customers than usual – still not a lot, but we'll take what we could get. On my way to the locker rooms, I bumped into Mr H who again looked his busy self.

"It's gonna be a big night, Phones," he said. "Hop to it! We need you in the kitchen."

"On it!"

The first half of my shift was spent doing a lot of things behind the scenes, mostly in the kitchen. Our orders came in steadily; it was not quite the breakneck pace that famous eateries were known to have, but at least it kept us on our toes and made time fly by faster. Fry those hamburgers, cook that soup, do the dishes…

Mr H popped by at one point, asking the lot of us busy bees, "How're you all holding up?"

"Great!" answered a couple of us.

"Good to hear. Keep on at it!"

Eventually it was my turn to man the counter. The number of patrons hadn't changed much since the start of my shift, but as it was a manageable amount and there were no unreasonable characters to deal with, I wasn't complaining.

My thoughts at one point turned to Eri and how hard she must be working for that test of hers. Perhaps I should surprise her and buy her one of WildKat's snacks, or better yet two. Thinking about how she was certain to drown me in thankful kisses gave me a chuckle, so I made a mental note to later buy her the blueberry crepes she loved so much. That was sure to put her in a good mood. And while I was at it, it couldn't hurt to get some snacks for myself too.

After all, this was literally my last chance…

I held a debate with myself over what to get – onion rings or jumbo burgers – and was just about to reach a conclusion when the cafe's two most infamous customers showed up at the scene. They strode in having a little argument about something.

"You don't cook instant noodles like that," said Kariya. "It'll be too hard!"

"It'll be just nice," countered Uzuki. "Last thing you want is for your noodles to get all soggy."

"I've tried cooking it your way once. I don't like the… uh, 'crunchiness'."

"That's because you undercooked it, genius. Big difference."

When they sat down at their usual spots at the bar, I couldn't help quipping, "I see the two of you are getting along well."

"Like bread and butter," deadpanned Kariya, before turning to his partner, "A'ight, girl, here we are. And as you know, today's a little… special. Let's splurge for once, huh? Really blow our wallets to smithereens for a change."

Uzuki was in full agreement with him for once, which was in stark contrast to how they were bickering before. "I'm with you there. Alright Neku, hit us with your finest stuff."

"Great!" I beamed, directing their attention to a particular entry in the menu. "We suggest the giant double lamb chop sandwich with barbecue dressing."

Both of them took a peek at it and Kariya winced slightly.

"Oof… 2350 yen for a sandwich is no joke."

"It's not just a sandwich," I proclaimed. "It's the pride of WildKat!"

"Then it's settled," said Uzuki in a brazen tone. "I'll have one."

"Very good." I jotted it down in my notepad. Turning to Kariya I asked in a joking manner, "And you, kind sir, what shall I get for you this fine evening?"

"Uh… can I get back to you in a sec? I need to count how much I can spare this month…"

Uzuki rolled her eyes. "Oh come on, don't get cold feet now. What happened to that zest of yours? You've been saving up just for this day."

"I… I know. I haven't forgotten all of those cheap cup noodles I've been eating for the past month."

"It's WildKat's last day open. Spoil yourself a little, will you? You can always get that stupid Poolla Magica anime figurine next time."

"It's Paella Magica! And… how did you know I was going to buy a figurine, anyway?"

"Just a wild guess."

Uzuki's scarily accurate with these "wild guesses" of hers… If this kept up she'd be able to predict the future. Maybe I should ask her to help me win the lottery?

"You know what?" grunted Kariya. "To hell with the figurine. I can always get it next time. Phones, hook me up with that sandwich, and make it a good one."

"Heh, you got it!"

"Now that's more like it," said Uzuki, cracking the slightest smile.

I relayed the orders to the kitchen staff before engaging in some brief banter with the two Reapers.

"So, Phones," said Kariya, "you still gonna work part-time after this?"

"Nah, I got final exams in a couple of months, remember? I'm gonna have my face jammed in between the pages of a textbook till then."

"Oh yeah, that's right. Exams… Man, the memories."

"You went to college too, huh? What course did you major in?"

He chuckled. "I didn't even get to go to college. Things happened just after I graduated from high school and, well, I became a Reaper."

Realizing I may have stumbled upon a sensitive topic, I backpedaled in a hurry. I've participated in the Reapers' Game long enough to know how one becomes a Reaper, and it's not pleasant.

"Whoa, sorry, didn't mean to bring up the past."

"Don't worry, we're cool. It was so long ago, it's hardly a big deal anymore." Flicking a thumb to the side at his partner, he continued, "Uzuki's the same way too, you know? Got herself a lifetime membership with the Reapers when she checked out two years after I did."

She just shrugged. "Eh, school sucked anyway."

I began to relax when I saw that they were not bothered in the very least. Still, can one be so nonchalant about death that they'd be talking about it so freely, like they were chatting about the latest blockbuster film? Even I try to avoid having to talk about it but I suppose it's a little different when you're a Reaper.

Kariya flashed me a wide grin. "Did you know? Uzuki used to be a bit of a wild girl back in her high school days."

She grumbled, "I knew you'd bring that up…"

"But it's the truth, isn't it?"

I scratched the back of my head. "Honestly, it's kinda hard to visualize her as the sort to modify her uniform and jump between boyfriends left and right."

"That's because I wasn't," she said. "I was more like a delinquent."

"News to me." Okay, now that's a mental image that could click, somehow.

"Believe it or not, once upon a time I was an underling in an all-girls gang of deadbeats. We were loud, we didn't care for anyone… We'd get into trouble and make a nuisance of ourselves. Hell, a bit of the graffiti I did should still be out there."

Funny how she could talk about her delinquent days like it was nothing, yet faltered when talking about dogs…

I whistled, "Graffiti? I had no idea you're good with spray paints."

"Spray paints?" She suddenly seemed a little self-conscious. "No, um… I won't say that…"

That's when Kariya had to butt in. "Her idea of graffiti was using a permanent marker to – ow ow ow ow…! You're pinching my back! Quit it!"

Without changing her tone, Uzuki hurried to finish the story. "Anyway, that was my life in a nutshell. Sadly or not sadly, that all came crashing to a halt one day. Literally. Ever since then, I've done my best to turn over a new leaf and I think, for all intents and purposes, I've done just that…"

She released her death grip on Kariya, who rubbed the small of his back which had been pinched sore. Hmm, was she hiding something?

"Well," I said, "that certainly was an interesting story. Glad I got to know you guys a little better now."

Despite the pain, he couldn't resist chuckling, "Come visit me sometime and I'll tell you the rest of Uzuki's backstoreeeow ow ow ow…!"

Just what was she hiding that she had to physically stop him from flapping those lips?

I had to admit, now I was curious…

XOXOXOXOXO

Half an hour before closing time, Uzuki and Kariya said that it was getting late and they had to leave. They'd polished off their sandwiches, both declaring that it was money well spent.

"It was fun while it lasted, man," said Kariya. "Tell the old man for us that the food is seriously dope."

I nodded. "Will do."

"Wish him luck too," added Uzuki. "And… uh…"

"…that you love the blueberry waffles?"

Her eyes widened slightly in surprise. "You remembered that?"

"I won't forget," I said with a grin. "Don't worry, I'll relay your compliments to the boss. Oh, and before I forget, here you go."

I handed each of them a bulky paper bag, the contents of which felt slightly weighty in the hands. The rightfully confused pair stared at me for answers.

"What's this?" asked Kariya. "We… We didn't order this."

"A little something on the house," I replied. "My treat."

Kariya's face immediately lit up, completely transforming the puzzled look he had seconds ago. Uzuki had a much more subdued reaction, but it was easy to see she was happy.

"Hot damn," whistled Kariya, looking in his bag. "Waffles? This is some wicked stuff, man! Appreciate it, bro."

"They're blueberry too," added Uzuki with a smile that even she couldn't suppress. "Heh, thanks."

"Hey, you be sure to get something for your lady friend too, a'ight?"

I smiled. "That's my plan."

"Whoa now," said a different voice, "looks like I almost missed you two."

The man himself showed up. Mr H had a lot of last-minute stuff to sort out in his office and was absent for much of my shift. I noticed Uzuki getting fidgety. There was little doubt she was itching to say what she wanted to say, and if all went well I wouldn't need to pass on any messages. Inwardly I told her to go for it; the rest was up to her.

"Well," said Kariya, "been a fun ride, huh?"

With his smile still holding up, Mr H nodded in agreement. "Won't miss it for the world."

"Remind me again how many years this place has been open?"

"Fourteen years. I'd have seen its fifteenth anniversary next April, but you know how things go." Wow, that's a pretty long time. That long ago I was still just a kid.

"Hey, fourteen years is still not bad. A lot of places I've seen don't make it past year five."

"True, and I've got customers like you – and employees like ol' Phones here – to thank for that. If it weren't for you guys and everyone else, I wouldn't have lasted this long."

"Aww, now you're just giving us too much credit, gramps."

Uzuki nudged her partner in the arm but it was too late. He'd pressed a button that should never be pressed. Heck, I stood stock still waiting for something to happen. You don't call Mr H old in any way or form, period.

Mr H's brow twitched a little. "I beg your pardon?"

Kariya was quick to realize his mistake and started to backpedal on his words like there was no tomorrow.

"H-Huh? I just said I've got cramps! In the, you know, legs. Where you'd get them most of the time. Why do you, uh, ask?"

"…I'm just going to pretend I didn't hear that."

"Really? Oh, okay! Th-That's great to hear – guh!"

Uzuki just spiked him in the foot with her high-heeled boot… Ouch. That's one way to shut someone up.

"So… Mr H," she said, trying to change the subject, "what're your plans from here on out?"

The boss himself shrugged. "You mean whether I plan to open another cafe somewhere down the line?"

"Yeah. Uh, are you gonna?"

"It's still too early to say. Hell, I've been so busy these past few months I never really gave it much thought. That said… once I have a better business strategy in place, I might just open one. I probably won't call it WildKat, though. Or even WildKat Mk II which would be pretty silly. No, a fresh start needs a fresh name."

"If you ever do that," said Uzuki, whom I could tell was struggling not to faint from the tenseness, "I hope you bring back the blueberry waffles at least. They're… They're pretty good, you know."

"Ah, a fan!" A wide grin grew on Mr H's face. "That's great to know! You have my thanks, and I'll keep that in mind."

I could sense her relaxing already. She was probably congratulating herself for being able to say that well enough.

Mr H continued, "Just know that I might end up opening a ramen shop."

Kariya was quick to mention, "A ramen shop? Could've sworn you were more of a coffee person."

"A ramen shop that sells coffee. And waffles if there's enough demand for them. Gotta think for the niche audience out there!"

"That's the weirdest idea I've ever heard. But hey, it might work."

"Eh, it's still a long way off though. But if it ever happens, it'd be nice if you two and Phones here become my first customers."

I cheerily said, "I'll be there."

The Reapers were on board too, with Kariya tossing a quip my way, "Race ya."

"Time to go," said Uzuki, nudging her partner in the arm. "It's been fun, Mr H. Good luck out there."

The boss waved as they left. "You kids play nice too, alright?"

Then they ambled through the front door for the last time and were gone, leaving a feeling of longing and emptiness in their wake. There were a few other patrons still hanging around but it looked like they were about to leave too.

Mr H patted me on the shoulder as he was about to head back into the kitchen. "Just a little more, Phones. Hang in there."

The very last customer was a teenaged boy – a real emo type – who'd ordered a salad and fries. As he trudged out the door, I dispensed with the usual "Please come again!" out of habit, only to realise there was no meaning to saying that. Unless, of course, he intended to come back to grab a soda within the next ten minutes, which was exactly the amount of time WildKat had left to stay open.

True to form, no one else entered, lending the café an air of desolation. I busied myself wiping the counter once in a while, but apart from that there was nothing to be done. I took a peek inside the kitchen and there I saw Mr H who was already telling the others to clear things up. It was clear he didn't want to waste time waiting for customers he knew weren't going to turn up at the last minute. I'd be joining my colleagues soon in the final cleanup effort.

The clock hanging on the wall became my prime source of interest. The minute hand crept ever closer to 10 pm… Two minutes left… one minute… Now it was down to seconds…

Mr H himself joined me by my side and together, with a sense of resignation, we watched the time tick by. During that one minute we shared some good words with each other, not as boss and employee, but as friends.

"It's been fun, Phones," he said. "Call me sappy… corny, even. But I'll never forget all of the good times we had."

"Same here," I said with a smile. "And ain't nothing wrong with being sappy or corny. We did great, is all that matters."

"Thanks for sticking by me. Same goes for the others. I couldn't have done it without you guys."

"We're just the worker bees. You're the one who made it happen. But seriously, thanks for everything, Mr H."

"Heh, if we keep exchanging compliments we'll be here all night. Let's just say we all make a good team and leave it at that."

"Sounds good to me!"

Twenty seconds left…

"Phones, do me a favour, will you?"

"Sure, name it."

"Say thanks to your friends for me. For, you know… for being there. And, of course, thank Eri for me too."

"You got it, boss."

Ten o'clock sharp. Mr H turned the sign on the front door over on its other side so that it said 'CLOSED'. WildKat's fate was sealed. That little action right there – the simple flipping of a sign – marked the end of the café's fourteen-year-long run.

"And that's all, folks," sighed Mr H. "It's finally over."

I muttered, "Yeah… it sure is."

"Come on. Time to get to work."

We spent the next half hour tidying up the place. Bar stools and chairs were set aside. The tables were wiped clean. The floor was mopped. Cutlery and cooking utensils were washed, dried and shelved. We worked quietly – whether it was out of sadness or exhaustion, no one said a word. Mr H said he'd have the foodstuffs taken care of, so we didn't need to do anything about it. Once he was satisfied that the place was spick and span anew, we went to the locker room to get changed.

And there I looked down at the uniform I was wearing and realised I'd never get to wear it again. I'd worn this for so long it's become a part of me and it sucked having to say goodbye.

I hung it up and gave it one last look. The material was a little thick and hot to wear during the summer but it served me well, so inwardly I gave it a salute. Farewell…

The soon-to-be ex-staff of WildKat gathered in the dining area. We were standing in a semi-circle in front of Mr H.

Tiredness written plainly on his face, he said, "I'll try not to bore the pants off you guys, but I do have one or two things I'd like to say before we all go home. First of all, thanks – I really appreciate the work you've been doing; it may not seem like much to you but you helped keep the place going for so long. Secondly – and I know I'm being a broken record here – this is officially WildKat's last day open, and as such you don't need to come back to work from next week onwards."

Sad words to hear…

"Lastly," he continued, "as promised, I will now give you twice the normal amount for your salary. Don't spend it all in one go!"

He shook our hands and gave each of us an envelope which felt thicker than usual. My handshake with him felt firm yet warm. Knowing that we'd go our separate ways after tonight, this handshake held more weight to it than usual.

Come to think of it, I only ever see him here. I've never seen him outside of WildKat – not at the bookstore, not at the local fast-food chain outlet, not at Ramen Don… Now that the café was gone, would I even be able to see him again? It's not like he's leaving the country or anything, and we did have each other's contact numbers, but he's not exactly the sort of person you'd want to call for idle chat. He's a busy man, not a gossipy girl like Eri. I'd need quite a fair bit of luck to even bump into him on the street…

"And with that," said Mr H, "we're done. Thanks, gentlemen… now, let us be off."

"Thanks, Mr H," I said, a feeling echoed by the others.

All of us strolled out the front door, with Mr H the last one to exit. I had my salary in one hand, and in the other a big bag full of snacks I'd share with Eri and Shiki. Goodbyes were exchanged and, one by one, my colleagues left the premises, never to return or be seen again. It was such a surreal moment, sitting in my SUV, watching former co-workers get into their cars and drive off into the night, knowing fully well that was the last I'd see of them.

I drove out of the parking lot slowly, and before I swerved out onto the road, I took one last look in the rear-view mirror and saw the boss lingering behind. He was just standing in front of the window, looking inside. Perhaps he wanted to properly say his farewells to the place he'd come to call his baby.

Under my breath I muttered, "See you around, Mr H."

XOXOXOXOXO

It was Friday evening, and like clockwork I took a shower and got dressed. You know, the usual.

But just as I was about to put on my shoes and leave, Eri called out to me.

"Neku? Where are you going?"

"I'm off to work. Catch you later!"

Eri put her hand on my shoulder, stopping me just as I was going to turn the doorknob. "There's no more work, Neku. WildKat closed down last week, remember?"

It suddenly hit me right there. For more than a year I had followed this weekly routine of heading over to WildKat to perform my evening shift. Three hours for each of Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Serve customers, cook food, clean the kitchen… get paid. I was so used to it.

But now I didn't have to do it anymore.

"I forgot," I mumbled. "Force of habit."

Instead of laughing at me, Eri only had words of sympathy to offer.

"Hey, I'd forget too, if I was in your shoes."

The next day, I was shopping by myself at a boutique in Cat Street. Being no fashion expert, I know it must sound out of the ordinary for me to be in a place like this, looking for clothes. But I'd wanted to get myself some new ones for awhile now; the few T-shirts I had were old and starting to break apart in spots. Eri had mentioned this to me enough times that I had gotten sick of hearing it. Incidentally, this was a shopping trip I was doing in secret. Should Eri accompany me, I'd have no freedom to choose what I wanted and she'd drag me all over Shibuya twice over searching for threads to make me look hip.

But I didn't want to be hip. I wanted something to feel comfortable in, and who cares if you looked hip if it's something you wore at home and no one saw it?

At any rate, I found myself a few J of the M T-shirts and deemed my quest complete. On the way out I remembered that WildKat was close by.

It's no more, I told myself. Ain't no point going there.

Out of curiosity, however, that's exactly what I did. I found myself walking on over… The truth was hard to ignore, but a part of me wished that if I went over there right now, it'd be open somehow and I'd be able to buy onion rings again. Heck, I'll get snacks for Eri too.

A few dozen steps later WildKat was within view… and my heart sank. The big sign that carried the café's name had been removed. There was, however, another sign of a different kind – a piece of paper stuck onto the front door. Hastening my pace, I soon found myself jogging towards what was left of my beloved hangout spot. And that's when I could see what that paper read:

FOR RENT

Those words stung so deeply. One of Shibuya's most iconic eateries, reduced to an empty building for someone else to take over. It wasn't fair.

I approached one of the large windows and leaned in, cupping my hands around my face so I could see inside. Over the course of the week, a lot of renovation work must have taken place, because the chairs and tables were nowhere to be seen, not even the benches along the wall that were affixed to the floor. The counter had vanished. Past the missing counter the kitchen was one vast empty space. No refrigerator, no fryer, no table to prepare the food.

No round tables to seat the gang around and have a good time…

No bar stools to sit on and listen to the Reapers beside me have their harmless little arguments about whatever…

Nothing.

I stood back to look at the state WildKat have fallen into and heaved a sigh.

"The story's ended," I muttered to myself. "No regrets here, though. Had some good times…"

Reminiscing about the past was nice, but I had to move on.

Keeping my voice to a hushed whisper, I addressed the stripped-down café like it was an old friend and uttered a single word.

"Bye."

Having finally convinced myself of the finality of WildKat's closure, I turned and walked away.

And I didn't look back.

XOXOXOXOXO

Visiting the now-defunct WildKat gave me an irresistible urge to fuel my nostalgia. Amongst other things, I missed their onion rings, and it was a great loss indeed to not be able to eat them anymore.

"And that," said Eri, "is why you went and bought yourself some?"

"Yeah." I had bought two boxes and handed one to her. "Had to get these from Sunshine. They're not as good as WildKat's, but they'll do."

"I was never big on onion rings, but I won't turn down free food. Besides, who doesn't like a trip down memory lane?"

"You speak my mind."

We settled down on the couch and wasted no time tucking in. The first ring I popped in had a soft and warm flavour that filled my mouth. Sunshine's rings lacked the kick that WildKat's had, so they hardly compared. They didn't even have the special sour cream dip. But from now on I guess that's the next best thing…

As I allowed myself to be lost in the flavour, Eri took the opportunity to grab one of my rings and casually chomped down on it. Hey, that's mine! In mild outrage I thought to do the same. But as soon as I reached out to swipe a little of her food she slapped my hand away.

"Tch. Hands off."

I stared at her, incredulous. This was just like the old days, way back when we were younger, and she'd steal my onion rings in front of me, but stop me from taking hers.

She saw me still looking at her. "What?"

"So you do remember!"