Chapter 2: May — The Long Holiday

On a day during the May Golden Week, Tsumugi was at a café.
It was a newly opened café, one that had become a small topic among her friends.

She savored her fragrant coffee and the cake that looked and tasted delightful, basking in a graceful moment of leisure.

“Excuse me, miss—”

A sudden voice addressed her.
When she turned toward it, she saw a college-aged waiter holding a white envelope.
What was handed to Tsumugi was sealed with a heart-shaped sticker—plainly, a love letter.

Startled by the sudden turn of events, Tsumugi looked back and forth between the envelope and the waiter’s refreshing smile, letting out a small “Eh? Eh?” and, confused, accepted the envelope with both hands.

“Um… ah…”
As Tsumugi faltered for words, the waiter simply said, “It’s from that customer over there,” and left.

When she looked toward where he had pointed, there sat Shingo—striking a fresh, actor-like pose and giving a light wave of his hand.
Unfortunately, he lacked that crucial spark.

Tsumugi was grumbling in frustration as she crumpled the envelope, when Shingo sat down across from her.
“How was it? Did your heart skip a beat?”
He gave a sly grin, but Tsumugi wore a sullen look.
“Thanks to you, I regained my composure.”
She said it with a glare, then took a sip of her coffee.

“I’m glad I could be of help.”
“I just told you there’s no chance. Try to get that through your head.”
When Tsumugi looked toward him, she saw a large tropical drink on the table—half finished.
Shingo stuck a second straw into it and offered it toward her.
“Care to share?”
He offered it with what he thought was a refreshing smile.

“Seriously, that’s gross—just stop…”
She said it while turning the straw the other way, trying to sound composed.

“This time, I considered the time and place, and made an approach suitable for it.”
Shingo grinned confidently.

“Right, makes sense… no café waiter would actually be carrying a love letter.”
She sighed and took another sip of her coffee.

“I always carry a love letter, just in case I run into you, Tsumugi-san.
Its contents are ‘My feelings for Tsumugi-san.’
May I have your answer?”

“Not going out with you. That’s it. I’m leaving.”
She downed the rest of her coffee in one go and stood up from her seat.