7

With the waitresses very busy, I decided to talk about my strange encounter with Tachibana finally.

"Yusue, you're the kind of person who knows girls from other classes. Do you know Tachibana? Kyoko Tachibana."

His eyes wandered off to some point of the ceiling before gathering enough information to tell.

"I used to know more about her half a year ago. Things haven't changed much, I guess. Class 2-9, above-average test scores. Twintails with a light orange colour." He spat data almost like a robot. "What about her?"

"I'll tell you in a while. Is Tachibana part of any clubs?"

While Sasaki contemplated the exchange quietly, Kanekawa and Yusue were more interested than usual on the new topic.

"No, not anymore. Last year she was in the calligraphy club, but she ended up leaving. In the blink of an eye, apparently. I'm not sure of the details, but I think there was some bad blood between them. Ever since then, she's been looking very different, which is why I think she was dumped or something like that. Maybe parents suddenly died or something, that kind of stuff."

"She's been different? In what way?" Yusue gawked at me as if I had suggested jumping off a bridge.

"I can explain that one." Sasaki casually expressed after leaning forward. "I used to interact with her from time to time."

"You did?" I blurted out without thinking.

"Yep. Not in a personal way or anything. At lunchtime, we used to cross paths. So after a while, we started greeting each other. I deduce it's before the incident you mentioned, Yusue. Because after that, she never appeared again, and in every other instance she ignored me. We didn't exchange names or anything but she acted quite differently, detached from the world in a way."

Kanekawa was wringing his hands, listening carefully to the conversation before finally launching me a question. "Why did you ask about her?"

I didn't spend too much time explaining what happened. However, I clarified anything noteworthy, especially the last part of our conversation. I made sure to describe the monsters and the strange deep-sea she talked about with glee in her eyes as detailed as I could. I got some mixed reactions, going from Kanekawa's quiet nodding from Yusue's overreactions.

"She's crazy, duh." Yusue answered before giving his full attention to the many waitresses, overloaded with work.

"Perhaps she's depressed or paranoid. Maybe it's just a metaphor to say that she needs help to get out of an oppressive environment like in an old novel." Our brown haired friend gave his thoughts, clearly drawing from literature.

"The way Kyon described it sounded more like a warning. A deep ocean isn't exactly what a normal person thinks of hell, but I think you're on the right track, Kanekawa. After all, our vision of hell is a composite drawn from fictional sources such as The Divine Comedy and Paradise Lost, it's not exactly a fire pit. Hell is supposed to be a museum of regrets. If she views hell as an abyssal plain devoid of senses, something she has experienced, whatever she saw in Kyon was enough to warn him about that supposed terror."

"This is much easier than all that weird crap." Yusue said while trying to gather the attention of a waitress. "Kyon attracts weird girls, that's a fact."

"Hey, what do you mean by that?" I jumped in, somewhat offended.

"I just mean that-" His eyes lingered on Sasaki for a moment before choking on his own words. "T-That you have a knack for weirdness around you, you know?"

"Regardless of Kyon's magnetism, it just seems like an odd exchange rather something to get scared about. Fearing hell is tantamount to fearing the plot of a Stephen King's novel." Sasaki's words were always filled with an unchallengeable logic that made it hard to stand up against.

"Is there anything else worth mentioning? Maybe it can help us close the case." Kanekawa's voice took on humble confidence that made it easy to agree with.

"I guess. It's… strange to explain. She talked oddly, you know? Like switching between characters? She also gave me her phone number out of nowhere."

"She gave you what? After that bullshit?! What, how? What's your deal, did you call her? What charm did you use on her?!" Yusue almost lost his nerve and started to goad me into telling the secrets I didn't even know I had.

I couldn't help but notice Sasaki's curious yet melancholic gaze, which I hadn't seen in at least a year. Like a child who had received fruit instead of Halloween sweets but was too late to complain.

"That's the Yusue I recognise." Kanekawa said as he tried to calm him down.

"I didn't call her or anything, don't you see she was very creepy? Who knows why she did that."

"I think you should call her." Sasaki chimed in with words I never thought I would hear. "After all that, I want to know more. Not exactly the actions of a sane human, right?"

"I'm not sure I share the same feelings…" I rubbed the bridge of my nose before continuing. "I think I should forget about it."

"Really? Why? I feel like you'd like to explore the mystery." The manner her words left her body was similar to a puppeteer's measured movements.

"If this keeps up, I feel like she'll approach me after classes and try to stab me with a knife. No, thanks."

Sasaki's stare was hard to get a read on, but her intensity transmitted to me that she accepted my answer but didn't share it.

"Sorry for the wait~" A familiar waitress quickly rushed over, trying to take away all the dirty glasses on the table. "Oh, if it isn't you guys! Sasan and Kyon, my favourite couple! What brings you here~? Is it some super-secret stuff? Philosophy meeting? Or maybe it's the tasty treats?"

With her long greenish hair and enthusiastic attitude, there was no doubt that this waitress was none other than Tsuruya. I had met her quite some time ago, while I was helping Sasaki with the school's culture festival. A more accurate explanation is that she met us because she felt like it.

"Hello Tsuruya, long time no see." Sasaki was quick to create measures to stop the waitress' thirst for knowledge. "Yusue recommended the place. That guy there."

"Oh, I know him." She said with an odd look on her face. "But I also know you! Hi Kanekawa, did they force you to hang out? Such nice friends! I finish my shift in half an hour, can I join as well?"

As soon as she said that, she disappeared with a mountain of plates in one hand.

"She's certainly as explosive as I remembered." I voiced my "Very. I already feel tired." Sasaki said with a slight smile.

Kanekawa and Yusue, however, had something else in mind.

"Y-You knew she worked here? Is that why you wanted to come?" Kanekawa muttered as he tried his best not to be embarrassed.

Yusue giggled like a little schoolgirl.

"Ah, my dear friend. I'm afraid you are being used in my evil plot. If it weren't for this, you wouldn't have come here on your own. I know you have a thing for her, and if I brought Sasaki and Kyon, she would want to join us. Thank my girlfriend for this ideal plan, because I sure as hell haven't come up with it!" Yusue puffed his chest in pride at some unknown plot I was unaware of.

Kanekawa's face started to shift into a red hue as he laughed nervously at this strange predicament.

"That seems very convoluted." Sasaki pointed out.

"What? Who is your girlfriend? She knows us?" I brought up to no avail, as our energetic maid reappeared as quickly as she had left.

"A~lright, what's your order, guys?" Tsuruya appeared out of nowhere, with a notepad, pen, and grin prepared.

"I'll have a black coffee." Sasaki took advantage of the confusion in the table.

"What, you're not going to ask for the weird brew? I'm proud of you, Sasan!" Tsuruya gleefully said, writing it down.

"I wanted to ask about that; I don't think it's on the menu?" Yusue asked.

"Hm? Well, it's called 'Maiden's Love.' It tastes like… strawberry or something? Tastes different depending on the person." She explained, quite badly.

"How's that possible?" Sasaki chimed in again.

"I don't know. I don't make them!" Our maid laughed at her ignorance. "Apparently the recipe came up when a heartbroken school girl asked for a Velvet Shake, another one of the new drinks. Then, a single of her tears fell on the beverage. After she drank it, a boy who just entered the shop fell in love with her."

"That doesn't explain anything." Sasaki pressed forward. "Like, what is it made of?"

Tsuruya fidgeted in place and glanced at the kitchen counter, where an old lady seemed to be inspecting all the waitresses.

"So yeah, that's how the story goes. I honestly wouldn't recommend them bu~t… You heard nothing from me."

"Sounds a bit girly, but I'll take it," Yusue said. "I'll let you all have a taste if you're curious."

I did little to express the diffuse anxiousness I was experiencing at the moment. There was something off in this whole scenario. The smell? The strange acclamation for a simple drink? The unfamiliar patrons that appeared out of nowhere? Why did nobody else find this suspicious?

I turned to Sasaki, searching for support in her logical answers, but I found her staring towards the buildings outside the shop. I didn't find any reason to voice my complaints.

Before I realised, Tsuruya had come back with everybody's drinks. The shop's gallant drink, the Maiden's Love, was of light pink with stripes of some other red addon. It contained some other slices of cherry or any other fruit with red flesh. Yusue looked at it with joy before plumping four straws into it.

"Well? Who wants to try it first?" He pushed the milkshake to the middle of the table.

"I'll pass," Sasaki answered first. "I don't like sugar-filled drinks."

"Me too, I won't be able to sleep tonight even with just a sip." Kanekawa continued.

"Come on, Kyon. Don't leave me alone with this one." Yusue beckoned me with a fake pout.

I didn't want to try it, but I was also curious. And curiosity killed the cat.

"Fine, give me that."

I pulled the milkshake towards me and took a moment to reconsider my decision. Taking a straw, I had trouble absorbing the liquid towards my mouth, and when it finally reached it, the taste of grease and vile almost made me push the whole glass to the ground.

"What? Is it bad?" Yusue asked, pulling the milkshake towards him.

I coughed and held back the vomit traveling through my throat. Festering nausea that stuck to my tongue prevented me from saying anything.

Without much thought, I gulped down my coffee in one swing and breathed relieved as the nauseous liquid disappeared from my tongue. The aftertaste was still there, but it was tolerable.

"It's bad luck to choke with the first taste," Sasaki told me as she patted my back. "Are you okay? You looked a bit out of it."

"Yeah, thanks Haruhi. It tasted revolting. How the hell can you drink that?" I directed my words at Yusue, who was using two straws for drinking the strange viscous liquid.

He stopped drinking it to answer me. "Really? It tastes to me like one drink I had in middle school, in a Tanabata stand. Kinda citric, like an orange. I guess it does taste different to each person." Finishing his explanation, he continued to drink it.

"Good grief, it must have been pretty bad because you forgot my name," Sasaki mentioned, cracking a smile.

"What? Did I?" I stuttered.

"You called her Haruhi or something like that? Who's that?" Kanekawa followed up.

"I... don't know? I don't know anyone by that name. I must have bitten my tongue or something." I tried to explain. "Sorry about that."

"Ah, don't worry, I think it was funny." Sasaki continued. "Yusue does know every living girl on the planet. Perhaps he knows who that is."

"Hey, what is this reputation I've achieved? The only Haruhi I know is from that host club anime that... that I don't watch, okay?" Yusue stopped before giving us a serious look. "Please, don't tell my girlfriend about me knowing every girl in our high school."

"Okay, you stop that, tell us who your girlfriend is!" I almost yelled. "It's like you're omitting it on purpose."

He opened his mouth to answer when thunder suddenly shocked us all. The rain started to pour as the people who were walking on the streets.

"The forecast said it was going to be a sunny day." Sasaki nonchalantly voiced.

"Forecasts aren't an exact science." Kanekawa explained with a worried tone. "But, a thunderstorm is quite scary either way."

The organic, bad taste in my mouth distracted me from the second thunder that flooded our ears for a few seconds. I glanced at the half-filled milkshake glass and looked at the several waitresses running around the place, serving the same substance to different clients who drank it with feverish enthusiasm. From there, my eyes slowly moved towards the kitchen, behind a big metal door.

What the hell was going on in there?