Chapter 1 – A New Beginning
It was 6 a.m. The window glass had a thin layer of frost on it, and the cold wind was slipping inside the room. Haruki reached over, turned off his phone alarm, and glanced at the screen.
"Woke up on time," he murmured softly, letting out a long yawn as he sat up.
Yawning, he looked at his reflection in the mirror and muttered,
"Lately… I've been getting way too lazy…"
The moment he threw off his blanket, a wave of cold rushed from his feet up his body. He shivered,
"It's freezing today," he said under his breath, but still pushed himself toward the bathroom.
The hot shower steamed up the small bathroom, fogging the mirror as warmth wrapped around him.
A while later, Haruki stepped out, drying his hair with a towel. He slipped on a dark blue jacket, jeans, and a scarf, stuffing his hands into his jacket pockets. Locking the door behind him, he stepped out into the cold morning air.
---
🌇 A New Start
The streets were covered in a thin blanket of snow, sparkling faintly in the pale sunlight. Haruki exhaled and saw his breath turn into mist, vanishing quickly into the air.
"I just moved here yesterday. From my hometown, Akari. I came here for work… that's why everything here—the streets, the people—is new to me," he thought.
A little further down the road, he saw a small café – old-fashioned but charming. Snow had piled up on its little wooden door, and a tiny bell above it chimed softly when the door opened.
Haruki paused for a moment, taking it in.
"This café is small… so there are only two staff members. One is me… and the other… I don't know yet," he thought.
Taking a deep breath, he pushed open the door and stepped inside.
---
☕ First Encounter at the Café
Inside, the café felt warm and cozy. Small heaters hummed softly, and behind the counter sat a man, flipping through some files. This was the café manager — Jin Yun (45).
Haruki, a little nervous, stood at the counter and said,
"Hello sir… my name is Haruki." (20)
Jin Yun looked up from the file.
"Yes, go on."
Haruki straightened his scarf and added,
"I'm the new staff member. You must have been informed about me already."
Jin Yun flipped a page, then smiled slightly.
"Ah yes, I was told you'd be starting today. Sorry, didn't recognize you at first."
Haruki gave an awkward little smile.
"No problem, sir."
Jin Yun stood up and gave Haruki a quick tour.
"That's the kitchen, and over there is the changing room. And from my side…"
Haruki thought he might say something more formal, but Jin Yun simply smiled.
"Welcome to the café."
A small smile tugged at Haruki's lips.
"Thank you, sir."
"I hope you'll give your best to this job," Jin Yun said.
"Yes, sir. I'll do my very best," Haruki replied firmly.
---
Work Begins
Haruki tied on his apron and stood behind the counter. The café felt warm, but nervousness still lingered inside him.
"I have to work really hard. If I get fired from here too, it'll be hard to find another job," he thought.
Customers started coming in, orders were taken, and Haruki's first day officially began.
---
First Meeting
Around noon, the café door opened again, and with the cold air came a light flurry of snow.
A girl stepped inside — Hina (18). She brushed snow off her coat and walked to the counter with a bright smile.
"So you're the new staff they told me about yesterday?" she asked.
Haruki nodded.
"Yeah… that's me."
In his head, he thought, "Wow… she's really cute."
"I'm Hina," she introduced herself.
"I'm Haruki… from Akari," Haruki replied with a small smile.
Hina giggled.
"Why are you sweating in this cold weather?"
"Uh… nothing, it's just…" Haruki stammered, quickly wiping the sweat from his forehead.
"Hn, it's obvious," Hina said, holding back another laugh.
Haruki glanced at her and thought, "She looks even cuter when she laughs like that."
From behind the counter, Jin Yun called out,
"Talk later, work now."
Haruki and Hina quickly went back to work.
---
Lunch Time
At lunch, Haruki sat at a corner table. Steam curled up from his hot soup, and in front of him sat a plate overflowing with food.
Hina came over, eyes widening.
"You're going to eat all of that?"
Haruki casually replied,
"Yeah. I always eat this much."
"You're really going to finish it?" she asked again, still surprised.
Haruki frowned.
"Yeah… do you have a problem with that?"
"No, no… no problem at all," she said, trying to calm him down.
Hina turned back to her phone and muttered to herself,
"What a glutton…"
Haruki, chewing, thought,
"She probably thinks I'm a glutton."
---
The conversation turned to studies. Haruki, looking a bit downcast, said,
"I dropped out of middle school…"
Hina's tone softened.
"Oh… I see. Sorry if I asked something I shouldn't have."
Haruki smiled faintly.
"No, it's okay. I quit school because… we didn't have enough money for me to continue."
After lunch, both of them quietly returned to work.
---
The day slowly came to an end. Outside, the night had fallen, and snow clung to the café windows. Inside, the heater hummed, and Haruki and Hina took off their aprons, ready to leave.
---
🌙 Heading Home
Outside, snow was still falling softly. Haruki tightened his scarf and walked alongside Hina.
After a while, Hina stopped and pointed toward a small street.
"I go this way."
Haruki nodded with a smile.
"Alright."
"Bye, see you tomorrow," Hina said.
"Bye," Haruki waved.
Hina walked away through the falling snow, and Haruki, watching her back, smiled before turning toward his own street.
---
🌌 A Stranger
Haruki had barely taken a few steps when someone called out—
"Hey, you there!"
Haruki turned around. A boy stood there, snow dusted on his hair, jacket half unzipped, and a mischievous smile on his face.
"Yeah? What is it?" Haruki asked cautiously.
"I've never seen you around here before," the boy said in a deep voice.
"Yeah… I just moved here," Haruki answered nervously.
The boy suddenly laughed.
"You got scared by my little act, didn't you?"
He kept laughing, and Haruki thought to himself, "Is this guy nuts?"
The boy held out his hand.
"I'm Isame." (19)
Haruki shook his hand.
"And I'm Haruki."
The two began walking together through the snow.
"I'm a college freshman," Isame said casually.
"You still in school, or in college now?"
Haruki replied in the same casual tone,
"I'm not studying… I work."
Instead of being surprised, Isame just smiled.
"Oh, I see. That's fine. Good that you're working."
Haruki thought, "This guy's different. He didn't react like everyone else when they hear I left school early…"
They talked for a while, their breath misting in the winter air.
Haruki pointed at a building.
"I live here."
Isame smiled.
"Then we'll be running into each other a lot."
He waved goodbye and walked down his own street.
Haruki watched him go and thought,
"This guy's a little strange… but friendly."
With cold air swirling around him, Haruki finally stepped into his home.