When had Tokai Teio ever suffered such humiliation before?
Now her face was drenched in coffee—she'd probably still smell it in her sleep tonight.
If it weren't for the other's status as her senior, Teio would've lost her temper right then and there.
"Ahem… sorry, I choked just now…"
Flustered, she patted her pockets. Luckily, Manhattan Cafe had a habit of keeping a handkerchief tucked in her skirt.
Sunday Serenity carefully wiped Teio's face.
"Mmm…"
Beside them, Green Grass watched with barely contained excitement, immediately pulling out her own handkerchief as if eager to join in.
"That's enough, one person is plenty," Teio refused outright.
That instantly crushed Green Grass's enthusiasm. She glanced toward Sunday Serenity, who shook her head nervously.
No luck, huh?
So much for her long-cherished dream—to encounter a careless junior during a meal and kindly help wipe their mouth.
"I'll treat this as an accident for now, Cafe-senpai."
Teio grumbled, still displeased even after being cleaned up.
"Yes, it really was an accident."
Sunday Serenity replied, her gaze nervously drifting toward where Manhattan Cafe had been sitting.
The two of them had settled at a table not far away. If you strained your ears, you could just make out their conversation.
"During this season, the Spring Triangle shifts south. In a few more days, you'll see the autumn square rising slowly. The night sky will look even more beautiful."
"Is that so… I didn't expect Admire Vega-san to know so much about this."
"I occasionally read about it in the library. Weren't you there too, Cafe-san?"
"Me…?"
The two had moved on to a topic they were clearly invested in, seemingly unaware of the scene that had just unfolded.
What do I do? I really want to run away.
Sunday Serenity looked down at the table, where her half-finished coffee—now completely spit out—still sat.
"Cafe, are you feeling unwell?"
Green Grass suddenly asked from beside her.
"You haven't eaten anything since we got here, and you look pale."
"Cafe-senpai always looks like that, though,"
Teio chimed in from across the table, picking at a carrot with her chopsticks. "She's always ghostly pale, but I think it's just how she is. Every time I see her at night, she looks the same."
"Is it really just that?" Green Grass still sounded worried.
"Don't worry, I'm perfectly fine," Sunday Serenity brushed it off, eager to make her exit.
She felt a little bad toward Green Grass, but this little senior-junior exchange had to end now.
Picking up her coffee, she took several quick gulps.
"Pfft—!"
Hot!
So hot!
Even though the coffee should've been cool, the moment it slid down her throat, it felt like scalding boiling water, scraping against her esophagus like a brush studded with sharp nails.
Itchy, numb, painful—three unbearable sensations crawled up from her chest into her brain, setting off a mental storm.
Amid the chaos, two glaring words formed in her mind: Do Not Consume.
Absolutely… under no circumstances… should she ingest any of this.
Just as the burning in her throat intensified, a hand patted her firmly on the back.
"Breathe out," Sunday Silence said sternly.
"Cough— cough, cough, cough!!"
She coughed violently until every last drop of coffee that hadn't reached her stomach was expelled. Only then did the burning fade.
Why… why was this happening?
Sunday Serenity couldn't make sense of it.
"Perhaps… you drank something that wasn't meant for you."
Not meant for her?
"To this day, no ghost has ever been able to eat the food of the living."
So it's impossible?
Her body felt like a burning charcoal briquette had been shoved inside.
It wasn't just desire—even her physical form was rejecting these things as if they were foreign invaders.
Finally catching her breath, she lifted her head—only to see Tokai Teio, whom she'd just finished wiping down, once again drenched and dripping.
Teio still held a bite of food poised with her chopsticks, not yet eaten.
Slowly setting down her utensils, the young girl's cheeks puffed up. Just as Sunday Serenity braced for an outburst—
"Cafe-senpai… are you okay?"
"Huh?"
"What do you mean, 'huh'?! I'm holding back my anger with everything I've got, forcing myself to stay calm right now. If I hadn't seen how much pain you seemed to be in just now, I would've grabbed my tray and run off, swearing I'd never speak to you again!"
This kid… is kinder than I thought.
"So? Senpai, don't tell me that coffee was poisoned or something?"
Still wiping the slick brown liquid from her face, Tokai Teio pressed on.
"My stomach's just a bit sensitive today," Sunday Serenity lied, clutching her abdomen for effect.
"So there really is something wrong! The infirmary—we should go to the infirmary! Can you move? I'll carry you on my back!"
Green Grass, having handed a handkerchief to Teio, looked deeply concerned.
"There's no need, senpai, really," Sunday Serenity waved her hands dismissively. "I just need to rest a bit."
"Sorry, Green Grass-senpai. I originally wanted to chat more with you during this time…"
"Not at all! Just having Manhattan Cafe here already makes me incredibly, incredibly happy! To be honest, being able to spend time like this today is something I never even dreamed of!"
Green Grass exclaimed excitedly, "If possible… after you're feeling better, next time… maybe we could go out together or something?"
"If senpai doesn't mind."
"I'd love that!"
"Hey, Cafe-senpai." Tokai Teio, who had been wiping her face, looked up again, her eyes half-lidded. "What about me? You're not forgetting me, are you?"
"I'm… thinking about it…"
"You'd better be! If you avoid me again without saying a word, I'll be seriously angry."
"I'll… do my best."
With that, she dragged her stiff body away, slipping out of the cafeteria without drawing further attention.
Having finished cleaning her face, Tokai Teio stared down at her meal, now thoroughly soaked with coffee.
The scene of getting sprayed replayed in her mind, and the more she thought about it, the angrier she got.
Her cheek twitched. Then she slammed a hand on the table.
"Manhattan Cafe-senpai! You owe me, and you'll never repay this debt—!"
Meanwhile, somewhere else, Manhattan Cafe pricked up her ears.
"Did someone just call my name?"
"Did they?"
Admire Vega, who had been listening to music, removed one earbud.
"Maybe it was just my imagination…"
Manhattan Cafe glanced back but didn't see anyone looking their way.
Just an illusion, then?
"By the way, this is a piece I really like—instrumental, called 'Evening Breeze.'"
Admire Vega offered her the earbud, inviting her to listen.
The intimate gesture felt a little unfamiliar, to be honest.
After that incident last time when Admire Vega had slipped into her bed, things had simply… ended there once she left.
The few times they'd met since, Admire Vega seemed to be tailing her intentionally or not.
But whenever Manhattan Cafe turned around, she'd scurry off nervously.
Now that they finally had a chance to talk, the first thing Admire Vega asked was:
"Cafe-san, what kind of stars do you like?"
A somewhat baffling question.
But Manhattan Cafe answered anyway. She loved the night sky—just a few nights ago, she and a 'friend' had gazed together at the brightest of them all, Rigel.
--+--
T/N: While I am an inexperienced Translator, I have a Patreon! While it may seem empty as of now, webnovel will get 3 Chapters Every Day, and advanced chapters will be uploaded on Patreon.
It may not seem worth it now, but maybe in the future. Who knows!
[email protected]/AspenTL
If you guys wanna check it out.