V2 - Saki Akito Won't be Denied: Part One

AUTHOR'S NOTE: All future chapters and volumes will be uploaded under this novel page! Also, the grammar and such will be less polished in coming chapters because they haven't gone through the same amount of revisions as volume one. It may be updated in the future, but please bear with it, as I beleive volume two onward is really where the stort starts :)

 Tiffany’s Cafe. A sight that in recent times has become increasingly familiar to Katsumi.

Leon Shnieder, the owner, stood behind the front counter with a calculator and a notepad—scribbling something down on it. Sitting in front of him was Kaede, who also had a notepad, but instead of a calculator she held onto a sheet of paper.

A woman that Katsumi vaguely recognized as Leon’s wife, Shoko, sat in a booth with two other women—talking and sipping on drinks.

It is six-o’clock. I guess it makes sense for Hirano to be here.

As Katsumi approached the front glass door Shoko looked up from her conversation and gave him a wave.

He gave an awkward smile and a small wave in return.

The glass door opened which caused the bell above it to ring. Leon and Kaede simultaneously shifted their focus towards the source of the noise.

“Oh, Katsumi, good evening.” Kaede greeted him.

The boy acknowledged Kaede’s greeting with a nod and found a spot next to her at the counter.

Kaede gazed at him briefly before asking, “Doing any better the last few days? What’s it been now… three days?”

“You’re so tactful.” Katsumi rested his head on his hand.

“It’s the obvious question to ask. What else do you want me to say?”

“I’ve… just been going to my classes. That’s about it.”

A concerned look grew on Leon’s face. “Did something happen to Murakami?” He asked Kaede.

“Teenage drama and angst.” She smirked.

“Stop giving me shit, you were there. You know.” Katsumi snapped.

“Alright-alright. Sorry. Being so serious all the time doesn’t help anyone though.”

Katsumi didn’t dignify this with a response.

“So what happened?” Leon restated his question.

“He made the decision to cut off Mayumi because of his lifestyle choices.”

Leon considered this for a moment. “I guess I’ve never had to do that. I don’t know the details, but I’ll assume he did it for good reasons.”

Katsumi took his head off his hand and sat-up straight. “What’d you mean?”

“I mean I’m from Germany, all we do there is drink and smoke. It’s somewhat a stereotype, but it’s pretty true. So I’ve never really had to ‘cut anyone off’ for my lifestyle because that’s how everyone lived.”

“So what, your solution is for me to become German?”

Leon laughed at his comment.

Kaede patted Katsumi on the back and said, “Come on, lighten-up, no need to be so down. You still have all your other friends, right?”

He brushed off her hand. “It’s different though… I— I don’t know why but it’s just different. It wasn’t the same type of connection that I have with my other friends.”

“I get what you mean,” Leon commented. “It was the same way with Shoko and my friends. Although, I don’t think Kaede can relate at all though.”

“Ouch— I get thrown into the crossfire?” She chuckled.

“So what’s your point with all this?” Kastumi interjected.

“My point is, you’ll have connections like that. With some people you get deeper into knowing who they are, you naturally understand them better. And sometimes that fact will end up driving you apart.”

Kaede added her voice. “Don’t worry Katsumi, there’ll be more chances with other people you meet. It unfortunately ends this way sometimes, and there’s nothing you can do about it. Like I said, you made the decision and followed it through. And that might not be such a bad thing.”

“Hasn’t she talked to you at all?” Katsumi’s tone sounded on the verge of being desperate. He didn’t want the topic of his decision to end with the idea that it was set in stone.

This question seemed to catch Kaede off a little. “...No actually, she hasn’t.”

Katsumi sank down and rested his head back on his hand.

“Aww~ my poor baby~” Kaede teased, making sure the sarcasm was more than present in her tone. She went to embrace Katsumi.

Leon laughed as Katsumi continued to scowl.