Chapter 6: The Station Cafè

After classes, Tokio walked home, his steps slow, the world around him blurred by the noise of his own thoughts.

A stray cat slinked out from a pile of leaves by the sidewalk. Its fur was dusty, and it mewed softly. Tokio crouched down, reaching a hand out.

“Hey there…” he murmured, patting it gently. The cat nuzzled his palm, eyes half-closed.

“Meow,” it said again. Without thinking, Tokio meowed back.

As he scratched behind its ears, his mind kept racing. Before the mall incident, I actually thought the Phantoms were just part of Shina’s wild fantasies… talking about fighting evil terrorist organizations and saving the world. But now… there’s no doubt something bigger is going on.

He continued walking, the cat scampering off to follow him for a few steps before darting away. Why did Shina Yatoizawa want me to join the group? And what did she mean by needing a Mad Scientist? And divine weapons? For what exactly?

“She never explained anything properly… and honestly, there’s too much mystery around her,” he muttered to himself, sighing. I think it’s time to ask her directly.

His train of thought broke as a familiar voice called out.

“Isn’t it Tokio-senpai?”

He looked up. “Oh… Hibe. What’s up, man?”

“Are you heading home already? So you’re not in any clubs?” Eyepatch asked, walking casually beside Tokio.

“Yeah, I’m not. I was in the science club for a week or two, but it was a waste of time, so I dropped out.” Tokio replied, hands in his pockets. “What about you? You heading home too?”

“Nah, I’m going to that café near the station. Wanna come?”

“No.” Tokio’s answer was blunt and immediate.

But likewise, Eyepatch ended up dragging Tokio along, even though he said no.

At Station Café, as Tokio and Eyepatch entered, Tokio was surprised to see Anya and Memeko already sitting at a table.

“Whoa, you brought Senpai with you, Hibe?” Memeko asked with a teasing grin.

“Yeah, yeah… he just dragged me here,” Tokio muttered, shooting a side glance at Eyepatch.

They both sat down at the table.

Anya ordered a giant cream puff, Memeko went for a hamburger, and Hibe got himself a coffee.

“What about you, Senpai?” Hibe asked.

“I’ll take a black tea.”

“You mean black coffee?”

“Yeah, yeah… whatever,” Tokio sighed.

Suddenly, the waiter came to take their order—

To Tokio’s surprise, it was none other than Blade in a café uniform.

“Junior? You?” Tokio blinked. “You work here as a part-timer?”

“Wait, what?” Blade said, a little confused.

“You didn’t know, senpai?” Memeko asked, tilting her head.

“How am I supposed to know when no one tells me anything!?” Tokio raised his voice, clearly annoyed.

“I didn’t tell you, dude?” Blade asked.

“Of course not!” Tokio barked back.

Eyepatch chuckled. “Actually, not just him, me and Memeko work here part-time too.”

Tokio squinted at them. “So… don’t you two have work today?”

Memeko answered casually, “Me and Hibe take the Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday shifts. Blade works Sunday, Tuesday, and Thursday. So today, we’re customers.”

She leaned close to Tokio and whispered but loud enough for everyone to hear “Free food, of course.”

“I see… so that’s why Blade hasn’t been showing up for gaming on Sundays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays…” Tokio muttered.

Then he looked around and casually asked, “By the way, where can I find the boss lady?”

Everyone turned toward him.

“You mean Shina?” Anya replied, then added, “She said she’d drop by today.”

“Here? Seriously?” Tokio asked, surprised.

“Yeah, she texted me earlier. I mean, it is her café, after all,” Memeko said.

“…Wait, what? What do you mean by her café?” Tokio blinked, confused.

Memeko made a face. “Oh no. Don’t tell me no one told you this either?”

Eyepatch finally stepped in. “This place, the ‘Yatoizawa Station Café’? It’s owned by Shina Yatoizawa’s family.”

“Whaat!?” Tokio nearly stood up. “Now that you say it, the café name does make sense…”

Memeko smirked and added, “Our boss comes from a super rich family. The Yatoizawa Group holds a massive chunk of the country’s market shares.”

“Wait… what!? You mean that Yatoizawa family? One of the richest in the entire country!?” Tokio was stunned.

Tokio’s inner thought:

That girl is damn rich… So that’s how she gets these idiots; By renting them as part-timers at her own café?

…WTF am I even thinking.

Just then, the bell above the door jingled.

“Hey, everyone’s here?” came a calm but commanding voice.

They all turned. It was none other than Shina Yatoizawa, walking in with her usual aura.

“It’s Shina!!,” Anya said with a grin.

Tokio leaned back in his seat. “Tch… Speak of the devil.”

“Umm… our mad genius Tokio is here too? I wonder what brought you,” Shina said, glancing at him with a teasing smile.

“Hey, don’t call me that,” Tokio replied, clearly annoyed.

Before he could say anything else, she added, “By the way… welcome to the café. Order whatever you like.”

Leaning close to his ear, she whispered, “Only for you, since I owe you.”

“…What?” Tokio muttered, clearly confused.

Then Blade returned with their orders.

Shina said, “Guys, why don’t we sit in a karaoke room?”

“Karaoke? Where?” Tokio asked.

“We also have karaoke here,” Shina replied casually.

Tokio stared, bewildered. Wait! Having karaoke in a café is normal nowadays? I didn’t have a clue…

The karaoke turned out to be surprisingly fun. Blade took a break from his shift and joined in. Naturally, everyone ganged up on Tokio, forcing him to sing. He resisted like his life depended on it but eventually caved.

Big mistake.

He tried his best, but what followed was a performance that made him question his entire existence. Blade joined in for a duet, thinking he was a rockstar. The two of them… lost all dignity that day.

Anya sang too; Decent, nothing flashy. Just normal.

Memeko and Eyepatch, however, stayed silent, claiming “sore throats” with suspicious timing.

Then finally, Shina took the mic.

And she was… actually amazing. Like, record-deal level amazing.

Tokio sat there in shock, sipping his tea.

“This is unfair,” he muttered. “She’s rich, she’s smart, she owns a café and she can sing?”

Blade patted him on the back.

“Just accept it, man. We’re all side characters in her origin story.”

After all the fun, everyone, Blade included, headed home once his shift ended.

Tokio pretended to leave with them, waving goodbye like the rest.

But once they all turned the corner, he doubled back—

Sneaking quietly, slipping into the café again.

He had something on his mind.

And he needed to talk to Shina.

Alone.

Tokio didn’t see Shina anywhere inside.

He glanced around, then approached one of the staff.

“Hey, do you know where the shop owner went?” he asked.

The staff member pointed upward. “She went up to the rooftop.”

“Figures,” Tokio muttered, then made his way toward the stairs.

The rooftop door creaked open as Tokio stepped through.

A cool evening breeze brushed his face.

There she was Shina, quietly watering the plants lined up along the edge.

“You’re persistent,” she said, still facing away. “I thought you went home.”

Tokio stayed silent for a moment, then Shina said,

“Thanks… for looking after Blade.”

A pause lingered in the air, heavy with the memory of the day.

Earlier that day — inside the café’s office…

Shina sat in a chair, arms crossed, posture straight.

The door clicked open. Blade walked in without knocking, but she had already sensed his presence.

“So, what do you want?” she asked without looking up.

“Umm… ummm…”

Blade fidgeted, rubbed the back of his neck, then suddenly blurted out,

“I’m sorry, okay? For what I did the other day. I know I was careless. I shouldn’t have done that… So yeah—I’m apologizing.”

Shina blinked.

Now that was a surprise.

Blade apologizing?

She didn’t say anything for a moment, hesitating.

Because, truth be told, she had spent the whole night practicing how to say sorry to him, thinking maybe she’d gone too far.

But now… the apology was flipped.

And she was the one left speechless.

Blade stood stiffly, his hands stuffed into his hoodie pockets.

Shina leaned back in her chair, unreadable as always, but her eyes lingered on him.

“You’re apologizing?” she asked, raising an eyebrow.

“Yeah, I mean… I screwed up. I get it now.”

Blade scratched his head. “It’s not like I’m some hero or anything, but that day I… should’ve acted smarter. I get why you were pissed.”

Shina looked away, arms now folded tightly.

“You’re right,” she said quietly. “You were careless… But I also—” she stopped herself.

Blade tilted his head. “What?”

Shina sighed. “I might’ve overreacted. Just a bit.”

Blade blinked. “Wait, was that… your way of saying sorry?”

She stood up, brushing imaginary dust off her skirt.

“I didn’t say that,” she said coolly.

Then added, with a rare, almost-smile, “Don’t let it get to your head.”

Blade gave a small laugh. “Too late.”

They both stood there in awkward silence like two people trying to apologize without really knowing how.

Back to the rooftop…

Shina stood with the watering can still in her hand, eyes fixed on the glowing horizon.

“You told Blade to apologize, didn’t you?” she finally said, breaking the silence.

Tokio flinched slightly.

“What are you even talking about?” he muttered, looking away.

“…I figured that much,” she said calmly.

Then, after a pause, she added, “Also… thanks. For looking after—no, for looking out for everyone. You know, they’re actually a bunch of troublemakers sometimes. But you… you always try to keep things balanced, don’t you?”

Tokio’s inner thoughts,
What’s with this sudden change of persona? Is it just me, or… why does she seem so gentle today?

Trying to play it off, he replied,
“Come on, don’t mention that… As a senior, it’s my duty to keep them under pressure, isn’t it?”

Shina let out a soft laugh. “Under pressure, huh? Sounds more like a dictatorship.”

“Well, someone’s gotta run the regime.”

They both laughed, the rooftop breeze gently carrying their voices across the fading sky.

Under the orange glow of the setting sun, the rooftop felt like another world—a quiet space suspended above the noise, where secrets waited to be spoken.