The walk to the café wasn't long but the puddles and leftover from last nights drizzle had him dodging the mud splashes like he was in a video game. He saw the cafe up ahead. Unlike other cafes this was the closest to his school and didn't have and outdoor seating. A beautiful aroma of coffee floated through the air, mixed with the earthy scent from last nights drizzle and entered Kiyota's nose, making him smile.
He walked to the entrance door and absentmindedly read the sign as he opened the door. 'Anteiku.'
As soon as he opened the door, a burst of hot wind and flavorful aroma washed over him. Not wanting to let the heat out, he hastily closed the door behind him.
'It's pretty warm in here.' Kiyota thought as he took off his jacket and looked for Rika, 'I guess I'm early.'
Kiyota went to sit at the table near the door. 'There is already someone there.' Kiyota noted as he saw a guy with black hair, his head down, staring at a book he was reading. He looked a little older than Kiyota.
Kiyota sat at the second table closest to the door so he could see Rika the moment she came in. The door opened.
'God damn it. Thanks for getting my hopes up dude.' Kiyota thought to himself as he saw a guy with blonde hair walk in. The blonde-haired guy sat with the guy reading a book.
Kiyota leaned back in his seat. A waitress came up to Kiyota and stood there with her notepad. She had short dark blue hair with a bang that covered half her face.
"Ah yes sorry can I please just have a black? Thank you." Kiyota said to the waitress with a smile. 'Shit she's not bad looking herself.' Kiyota thought, watching her nod and walk away.
The TV that was wall mounted above the register started playing todays news.
"Early this morning, authorities discovered several unidentified male bodies inside the Aqua building. A commercial centre located in the 20th ward. Investigators found what is believed to be ghoul saliva on the bodies of the deceased. As a result, the incident has been labelled a ghoul crime."
Sudden laughter erupted from the table infront of Kiyota. It was the blonde guy.
"Oh c'mon it's not that funny." The black haired guy said to his friend.
"Man you're hopeless. You can't take her to a bookstore for the first date." His friend replied.
'I hate to eavesdrop, but this blonde guy might be a pro with the women. A bit of advice from such a guy wouldn't hurt'. Kiyota thought to himself.
"Why not? She might think it's an awesome idea." The black haired guy said, slightly annoyed.
"Look don't do it. Trust me. She'll think you're lame." The blondie said.
"T-then I'll take her to big girls or hamburgers." The black haired guy said.
Kiyota sighed and leaned forward, resting his chin in his palm. "Big Girls or Hamburgers? What kind of date spot is that..." he muttered under his breath.
The blue-haired waitress returned and gently placed his coffee on the table. "Here you go," she said with a small smile before walking off again.
Kiyota nodded to gesture a silent thanks and took a sip from the cup, the bitter warmth waking him up a little. The door opened again, and this time, it was her.
She stepped in as the cold wind blew past her, rushing to cover the cafe. Her uniform was crisp and her neatly tied-back hair was slightly tousled from the wind.
"Hello Captain, did you have to wait long?" she asked casually as he spotted him and walked over.
"Nah I just got here." Kiyota said with a slight smile.
"I had to pet a cat on the way, that's why I'm late." Rika replied as she pulled out the chair opposite him and sat down.
"Want a coffee to warm you up?" Kiyota asked, noticing tiny goosebumps over her arms and wrist.
"I don't think we would have enough time if I did." She said.
Kiyota noticed the blonde guy looking over at his table. He was clearly impressed. Kiyota grinned, feeling smug.
"We should get going before I'm late for my first class on my first day." Rika said.
"Right, can't have you making a bad impression already." Kiyota said as he stood up and grabbed his jacket.
"I'm relying on you Mr tour guide." she said as they started walking towards the door.
"Want my jacket?" he asked.
"I'm not that fragile, you know." Rika said with a grin.
"Didn't say you were. Just trying to be nice." Kiyota replied as he stated pulling the jacket halfway off anyway.
She bumped his arm lightly with her shoulder as he opened the door. "Save the chivalry for when I actually start freezing."
"Alright, noted." Kiyota laughed.
As soon as the door opened, the cold air slipped in and hit them both in the face.
"Okay, maybe I should've taken tha-," Rika muttered while hugging herself, but before she could finish, Kiyota had already put his jacket over her.
"Pride has a price." Kiyota said with imitation of a wise voice
"Shut up and walk." She said as she rolled her eyes but smiled anyway.
They stepped out onto the damp sidewalk. Scattered puddles reflecting everything like mirrors. The sun just began to peek through the thinning clouds, making beams of light hit the ground.
"Hey." Rika said as she is glancing up at the sky. "kinda feels like one of those fake peaceful moments before something crazy happens in a movie."
"You've been watching too many late-night movies," Kiyota replied smiling.
"Maybe. But still… the air feels weird, right?" She said with a shrug.
"Probably because of the recent increased ghoul activity. Did you hear about the binge eater from this morning's news?" Kiyota said as walked with Rika towards the school gates.
"Yeah, the Aqua building thing right?" Rika asked as her tone dropped down slightly.
"Yeah. Kinda messed up." Kiyota replied. "The bodies were snapped like twigs. Makes you not wanna be outside at night. Which is what you were doing yesterday."
"Good thing I've got a tall basketball captain touring me around then." she said.
"Tall guys are the first to go in horror stories y'know." Kiyota said. Rika laughed.
As they walked, the pair passed a woman with purple hair, red glasses, wearing a dark blue and white dress and holding on to a book bag.
'She looks pretty cute. I guess she is going into Anteiku. Maybe she's the girl that black haired guy was talking about.' Kiyota thought to himself.
Soon they arrived at the crowded gates. A sea of students all wearing white uniforms with red accents.
"Wow, there's a lots more people than I expected." Rika said as he looked at the crown before her.
"Yeah, mornings are always like this." Kiyota replied, slightly increasing his voice.
"Any chance your tour includes a secret tunnel to class that skips all this pushing?" she asked with a half-serious tone.
"No secret tunnels, but I can show you the vending machines with the good snacks." Kiyota laughed.
"Perfect." Rika said.