Haruto fell silent for a moment, gazing at the girl standing in front of his booth.
She wore a crisp white shirt and black jeans, giving off a fresh and clean impression. Standing before him, her eyes held no trace of fear or shame. Her composed demeanor made Haruto briefly wonder if he had misunderstood her intent.
He hesitated for a moment before nodding slightly, as if he had grasped the situation. Then, he let out a quiet sigh.
"Sorry, but I'm not hungry right now."
"No, that's not what I meant. Are you alone?"
The girl glanced past him into the booth before settling her gaze back on him. Facing a clean and delicate-looking young man, she figured that even if he didn't have much money, she could afford to lower her price a little.
"Isn't it lonely to sit here all by yourself? I can help keep you company. For just... 150,000 yen, I can offer you my services."
Her words were blunt, leaving little room for misinterpretation. Even if Haruto had misunderstood at first, he now clearly understood the purpose behind her approach. It was exactly what he had initially suspected.
A girl who would openly ask if he was "needy" was clearly here to "recruit clients."
He had heard rumors about this sort of thing before—stories of women knocking on doors in internet cafés or manga cafés that offered overnight stays, asking if the occupants needed "company." But encountering such a situation firsthand was a first for him, leaving him both surprised and somewhat curious.
Looking at the girl before him—who could be considered quite cute—Haruto felt a strange mix of emotions.
Her clothes were simple, not extravagant, and her face was free of heavy makeup. She looked like the girl next door—so ordinary yet standing here, offering herself so casually. The stark contrast between her appearance and her words sparked his curiosity.
"Come in."
He stepped aside slightly, making room for her to enter his booth.
The girl, who had assumed he might not have much money, was momentarily surprised. But she still stepped in and, without hesitation, closed the booth door behind her.
"Just so you know, I've never had a boyfriend before. I'm not very experienced with this sort of thing. I hope you don't mind."
Once inside, she reached up and began unbuttoning her shirt.
Haruto instinctively reached out and gently took hold of her slender wrist.
"No, that's not necessary."
"Oh? Do you prefer to keep clothes on? Is that your fetish?"
"No, that's not it. Why don't we sit and talk for a bit first? You're not in that much of a rush, are you?"
His eyes met hers.
She studied him for a moment before nodding. Without bothering to rebutton her shirt, she sat down against the wooden divider of the small space. A strand of black lace peeked through the gap in her shirt, drawing Haruto's eyes for a fleeting moment.
"At school, boys are always sneaking glances at this area. But boys have their own, don't they? What makes a girl's so special?"
She leaned back, her gaze meeting his as she voiced a question that had long puzzled her. She knew that boys and girls were different, but she had never understood why boys were so fixated on that particular difference.
"Maybe it's because we can see our own, but we can't see a girl's. That makes it more intriguing."
"That… actually makes sense."
She nodded, a look of understanding crossing her face.
Her gaze shifted to the manga lying on the table. A hint of surprise flickered in her eyes as she reached out, picking up the top volume and flipping through the pages. A faint smile played on her lips.
"I've read this before."
"Oh?"
"A long time ago, I think. When I was at home, feeling lonely and not knowing what to do, I found an old manga lying around. I think it belonged to my dad. It was pretty worn out, but when I started reading it, I found it really interesting. Do you like this one too?"
Haruto met her gaze and nodded.
"Yeah. It's an older series, so you don't see it in bookstores or on street stalls anymore. I happened to come across it earlier while browsing and decided to pick it up."
"So, you were reading manga just now?"
"Yeah."
"Huh. That's unexpected. I haven't seen you around before—this must be your first time here?"
"It is."
"I thought so. So you're just here to kill time?"
"Yeah."
Haruto nodded slightly in response to her question, his gaze lingering on her. Her pure and innocent smile contrasted sharply with the reality of their encounter, deepening the sense of contradiction he felt.
"Have you... been here for a long time?"
His question made her pause. She caught the underlying meaning behind his words but simply smiled and nodded.
"Yeah, I've been staying here for quite a while. But this is my first time actually going out to 'find customers.' You're the first one—a pretty good-looking guy, at that."
"Your first time?"
"First time."
She confirmed it with certainty. Seeing the crease in his brow—his confusion, his doubt—she gave a small smile and turned her gaze toward the bright overhead light.
"I ran out of money. If I don't figure out a way to make some soon, I won't even be able to stay here. I'll have to start sleeping on the streets."
"You live here?"
"Yeah."
Her soft response carried no trace of sorrow or bitterness. Yet, it was precisely this calm acceptance that unsettled Haruto even more.
"Are you... curious?"
Noticing the expression on his face, the girl didn't seem to mind. Instead, she smiled playfully and turned the question back on him.
"A little."
"People don't usually care about others' lives, you know. You're kind of weird."
"Am I?"
"Definitely. But..."
She hesitated for a moment before tilting her head with a teasing smirk.
"If you're really that interested, I can tell you my story. But... you have to promise not to tell anyone else."
The girl raised her index finger to her soft, glistening lips, signaling Haruto to keep her secret.
Looking at the girl before him, Haruto felt his curiosity growing. He had a feeling her story might be a heavy one, but even so, he nodded.
"I'll keep it a secret."
"Then let's seal it with a pinky promise."
She extended her delicate hand, her small pinky finger reaching out toward him. Haruto glanced at her slender, snow-white finger before extending his left hand, gently hooking his pinky around hers. The warmth and softness of her touch lingered for a brief moment before they let go.
With the promise made, the girl smiled faintly, her face tinged with nostalgia as she slowly began to recount her story.
At first, she had a family like anyone else—her father, her mother—the three of them living peacefully together. Looking back now, she realized that was probably the happiest time of her life.
"When I was in middle school, my father got into an accident and ended up in enormous debt. At first, he reassured me and my mom that he would find a way to get through it. But when the debt collectors started coming after us... he and my mom both chose to take their own lives."
Her voice softened as she lowered her head, resting her face against her knees. A moment of silence passed before she lifted her gaze to Sage once more, her lips curving into a bitter smile.
"After they died, some relatives helped with their funerals, but the debt collectors took everything we had. Without my parents, I had no way to stay in our home anymore. The neighbors had probably had enough of the constant harassment from the collectors, too."
Her dry, hollow laughter made Haruto uneasy. He could imagine the kind of hardships she had faced but had no idea what to say.
"I had a little bit of savings, but it didn't last long. I wandered the streets for a while before discovering that internet cafés and manga cafés offered cheap overnight stays, along with places to shower. Even though the cost was low, I still needed about fifty thousand yen a month to live there. On top of that, I was still in school, and even working part-time wasn't enough to cover everything."
"Then, one of my teachers noticed my struggles and told me about a way to make money."
Haruto had already guessed what she meant. The girl, seeing his expression, slowly spread her arms, tilted her head back slightly, then lowered her gaze back to him.
"At first, I hesitated... but I was too hungry to care anymore."
She ran a hand over her stomach.
Haruto let out a long sigh. He had seen tragedies unfold online, but rarely in real life. And yet, that one simple sentence—"I was too hungry to care"—somehow struck a chord deep within him.
"This place serves food, right?"
"Huh? Yeah, it does..."
"Then let's go. My treat. Consider it a thank-you for sharing your story."
"Eh? We're not going to...?"
"Fill your stomach first. Then we can talk about the rest."
"...That makes sense."
The girl gave him a genuine smile, and together, they left the booth. At the café's dining area, Haruto told her to order whatever she liked while he simply got a fruit juice. He sat quietly, waiting as the food arrived.
When the server placed the steaming plate of curry in front of her, the girl glanced at Haruto apologetically.
"Don't worry about it. I already ate this morning."
"Then... I'll dig in."
Pressing her palms together in a small prayer of gratitude, she picked up her spoon and took a bite. A look of pure contentment spread across her face.
Watching her, Haruto couldn't help but smile, too.
"By the way, I haven't asked for your name yet."
After finishing her meal, the girl turned toward him.
She hadn't intended to ask, but after he had treated her to a meal, she felt it would be rude not to at least know his name. This day—this small kindness—would be something she would never forget.
"Miyamizu Haruto. Just call me Haruto. And you?"
"Mito. Mito Yuka."
When they returned to the booth, Yuka started to unbutton her shirt again, but Haruto gently held her hand, stopping her.
"Stay with me for a while. Let's read some books or watch a movie together."
She met his gaze. The warmth in his eyes, the softness of his expression—it made her pause. Silently, she nodded.
For the rest of the afternoon, they sat together in the small booth, watching cute animal videos online. Time passed quickly, and before they knew it, the evening had arrived.
Hearing the sounds of people moving outside, Yuka finally realized how late it had gotten.
When she was with Haruto, the world outside seemed to fade away. Her worries, her burdens—they all felt so distant. Sitting beside him gave her a strange sense of peace, a feeling she couldn't quite understand.
"It's already evening... I should get going soon."
Haruto glanced at the clock, a little surprised himself.
Being alone had always made time drag on, but with Yuka by his side, the hours had flown by.
"Are you leaving?"
"Yeah, I should head back."
"But we haven't... you know."
"That's true."
Yuka should have dreaded this part. But strangely, she found herself feeling... expectant.
And yet, the young man in front of her simply pulled out his wallet, took out ten crisp ten-thousand-yen bills, and placed them on the table.
"I don't know how much this will help, but I hope that the next time I see you, you'll still be smiling."
Then, standing up, he glanced at the pile of manga beside them.
"Could you return those for me? I'll be heading out first."
"..."
Yuka sat frozen, watching as he stepped out of the booth. When she finally snapped out of it, she grabbed the money and rushed out, searching for him—only to find that he was already at the counter, returning his room key.
He was leaving.
She wanted to run to him, to ask, "Will I see you again?"
But remembering what he had said earlier, she suddenly felt her face flush.
Wouldn't it be shameless to ask something like that?
Hesitating for just a moment too long, she could only watch as his figure disappeared through the door.
— — —