The subtle clinking of plates and teaware jingled across the brightly lit room as I took a sip of the milk tea in my cup.

  “It was a bit of a surprise when you asked if we served tea, Yoiya. How do you like the milk tea I made you?” Hati nuzzled against me as she sat beside me.

  “Uh…” I gradually shifted myself away from her as I spoke in between sips. “Shouldn’t you be working?”

  “Don’t worry. I’m on my lunch break. So I figured I’d keep you company!”

  “I see…” I said, muttering a nervous reply.

  “Hati! It’s my turn next.” Lois said with a pout, placing her free hand on her hip as she held up a plate of cups with the other.

  “Get back to work, Lois. My father is here today, so we’re getting alot more orders of the house special. Don’t keep the customers waiting.” Serbi said with a stern voice as she passed by with two plates.

  “Kay. I’ll be back later, Yoiya! Wait for me!” Lois said, rushing off.

  “Don’t run so fast, Lois. You’ll drop it!” Mia shouted at her with a bit of a whine as Lois nearly ran into her.

  I took another sip of the milk tea, enjoying and memorizing the rich flavor.

  “So anywayyys, Yoiya.” Hati continued. “It’s been two months since you started school now. How’s it been going so far? We would love to hear about it!”

  “Is… there something specific you wanted to know?” I asked, continuing to take momentary sips of my delicate beverage.

  “Hmmm… I dunno. How about…” Hati placed her finger to her lips as she thought about it. “Got a girlfriend yet?”

  I swallowed abruptly, coughing as in surprise to her question and my sudden reaction.

  “Wh-What? Girlfriend? What does that even mean? I’m friends with you girls, aren’t I?”

  “Awww… How sweet of you to say, Yoiya! But I think we’re a little too old for you. Hehe!” She tapped me on the nose with her index finger as she smiled brightly at me.

  “Huh…? Are… we not friends?”

  ~Maybe I should reevaluate my understanding of social relation… I’ve interacted with these girls enough to consider them friends, right? Are Mia’s mangas not accurate depictions of friendship?

  Hati quickly patted me on the back and hugged me as soon as she looked at my face.

  “No, no. Of course, we’re friends. Just by ‘girlfriend’, I meant like…” She looked away, placing her hands gently against her rosy cheeks as she smiled. “Like… Lovers.”

  ~Lovers? Is that different than being friends? Seems like it. I do recall some of Mia’s mangas mentioning something along the lines of ‘love’ but it was always rather confusing for me.

  Confused, I decided to simply ask straight out.

  “What are lovers? Is that different than being friends?” I said, voicing my exact internal questioning.

  “Ah no… Loving someone is something more… It’s like… You always want to be with them… and stuff like…” Hati tried to explain, her facial expressions being rather fluid as she made her attempts.

  ~Always want to be with them?

  Thinking about it that way, the first one to come to mind was Mia. Then… I remembered Ake’s smile and warmth.

  “Wanting to hug and k-k-k-kiss them…” Her voice quieted down at that last part, her face lighting up and her cheeks turning red.

  ~Hug and kiss?

  I thought about it for a moment. Then a strange memory came to mind: Rea as she sipped on tea in the clubroom. Her soft lips pressing against the cup…

  In that instant, I could feel my cheeks burn a bit and I shook my head, erasing the thought from my head as the feeling it gave me felt strange and a bit uncomfortable.

  “Awh! So cute!” Hati leapt at me from the side, pulling me into a sudden bear hug and causing me to spill the rest of my drink. “I never seen you look like that before! You’re so, so adorable, Yoiya! I could just eat you up…!”

  ~Crap.

  “Now, now. Give my lil bro some space. He’s still adjusting to school.” Mia said, walking up to the table with an upset look on her face.

  “But he’s too cute, Mia!”

  Mia quickly pulled Hati away from me. “I said that’s enough, Hati!”

  “Hati.” Serbi spoke, startling the two by the table as she approached from behind. “Your break should be over now. Clock back in and get back to work.”

  Hati let out a sigh and raised her free hand in surrender. “Yes, ma’am…”

  As Mia and Hati entered the staff room, Serbi leaned over the table to clean the spill.

  “So.” She said softly. “How far have you gotten in school?”

  “I think it’s gone well so far… I hope.” I murmured, uncertain if my standards matched mortal perspective.

  “I see. That’s good.” Serbi continued. She grabbed my cup and set it upright on the coaster plate, then placed it on a larger metal plate in her arms. “Mia mentioned you joined a club. I believe it’s the same one my younger sister’s in? Maybe you could tell me about the other members, my sister never talks about school at home.”

  ~Sounds about right. Your sister has always been rather silent during the club meetings…

  I began to talk to her about Mashiro, her chaotic and comedic banter; Raneko, his straight-arrow personality and troubled expressions; Serbi’s sister Eliba and her silent yet foreboding aura. Then—

  “Yeah… I suppose my sister does have that vibe. I think she gets that from our father.”

  I began to mention Rea.

  “Oh.” I took careful note of Serbi’s comment regarding her sister and father, but then continued. “There is one other member though.”

  “Oh? Is there?” Serbi had sat down across from me at the table at this point, careful to listen to my story.

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  “Yeah. Her name is Rea and she’s—”

  Thinking about Rea’s cute doll-like appearance and her calm, inviting kindness. It reminded me a lot of this place, the apartment, or even how I initially felt about the Void. In short, it felt like a home.

  I looked away, my presence suddenly silencing as I felt my cheeks begin to burn with newfound furosity.

  In the distance, I met Mia’s gaze and she simply smiled at me, giving me a small wave as she continued to work.

  I could still feel Serbi’s gaze. It was gentle, curious. It reminded me of Rea’s gaze, just— more grown-up.

  ~Will Rea be like them in the future? I wonder…

  “You must be the boy my staff have been talking about lately.”

  A large figure walked into my view, filling it entirely in just a few moments. I looked up to see the face of the figure, his amber eyes looking down on me from behind a thin set of gray hair bangs.

  Serbi immediately stood to her feet.

  “Ah, father.”

  “Father?” I looked at Serbi and then once more to the man before me.

  He was tall, muscular. Extremely muscular. His presence was even more foreboding than Eliba’s. I could tell immediately what Serbi had meant about Eliba inheriting that aura from her father.

  “Allow me to introduce you, Yoiya. This is Fen Cerubi, my father. Father, this boy here is Mia’s little brother, Yoiya.”

  “A p-pleasure to m-meet you.” I raised my hand for a hand shake nervously. “My name is Yoiyami Yuruichi.”

  The man—Fen– said no words. After a quick glance from which he seemed to take in my presence in all at once, he decided to take my hand with his, gentle shaking it.

  “Good to meet you, Yoiya. It seems my girls have taken quite a liking to you, despite your strange aura. I hope you continue to enjoy my cafe.”

  “Y-yes sir. It is indeed very lovely.” I said, nervously smiling up at him. “I hope to continue my visits.”

  “Hm.” Fen said, giving me a slight, extremely subtle nod. He then walked away.

  “Ah… I better get back to work, Yoiya. I’ll bring you a refill while I’m at it so I hope you can continue to relax here.” Serbi said, smiling. She quickly ran after her father and muttered to him softly.

  “Stop scaring our customers, dad!”

  From afar, I saw the man scratch his head nervously after his daughter admonished him, but his gaze had flicked to me again for a second.

  Sighing, I stretched out my arms across the table before me, yawning.

  ~Who knew meeting new people could be so exhausting?

  I looked up at the lights and closed my eyes, letting the sounds and smells of the cafe fill my ears and nostrils. With a deep breath, I began to calm down.

  I felt relaxed— so relaxed, in fact, that I began to drift into a slumber.

  …

  My breathing had slowed.

  My thoughts had softened.

  The world had dimmed.

  But when I opened my eyes, I found myself there again.

  Here, atop of this sea of darkness. Here, beneath this starless sky.

  The only light was the moon centered in the distance.

  But something felt off about it, I could not quite tell what.

  This was not the issue I needed to be worried about, however.

  I knew this place. Though it may had been quite some time since I had last been here I did not forget the pain it has caused me in the past.

  I looked around, spinning and turning with my senses firing on all cylinders.

  Pitter patter. Pitter patter. The splashing of feet against the water.

  I turned towards the sound.

  ~There!

  I began to run. Looking back, I counted.

  Five phantoms— five figures of pure darkness pursued me. But there was something else: a couple of figures that shone like white stars against the blackness. One wielded a book, one wielded a blade.

  The one with a book created orbs of light and fired them. But they were not aimed at me— No. They were aimed at the shadows between me and them. One shadow turned, getting hit by the attack.

  The other four dodged and of those, one created a sword to clash with the white swordsman. The rest continued to pursue me, with the book wielder pursuing them.

  ~Gotta get away. Can’t let them touch me!

  The pain of those visions from the first dream still remained clear in my own memories. The emotions, the screams, the confusion, the voices.

  ~But why are there light ones now? There were only dark shadows before.

  That’s when I finally noticed it— The moon, once full, was no longer whole. It was hard to tell at first, but looking at it closely, a sliver of it had disappeared.

  Drip. The sound echoed and rippled across the waters.

  A white droplet dropped from that white sphere in the sky.

  ~That’s where they’re coming from?

  One shadow caught up, leaping towards me, its hand outstretched.

  “Yoiya!”

  Just like before, Mia’s voice cried out. Both shadow and light distorted before me, the closest shadow’s hand vanishing inches away from my throat.

  “Yoiya!”

  …

  My eyes snapped open.

  The cafe lights flooded back into view, warm and golden. Mia was shaking my shoulders, her face pale with worry.

  “M-Mia…?” My voice came out thin, barely more than a whisper.

  Serbi, Hati, and Lois stood behind her, their faces also filled with worry. I could even feel Fen’s gaze from a distance.

  Glancing over, it also appeared to be filled with concern.

  She let out a shaky breath. “You scared me. You weren’t just sleeping—you were twitching, and your eyes were… open.” Her hands tightened on my shoulders. “I thought something was wrong.”

  I blinked slowly, trying to steady my breathing. The café’s warm lights felt too bright. The chatter too loud. The air too thick.

  Everything felt wrong.

  “I… I had a dream,” I murmured.

  Mia’s expression softened, but worry still clouded her eyes. “A nightmare?”

  I didn’t answer. I couldn’t. The images were still too fresh—shadows leaping, light clashing, the moon bleeding white droplets into the sea of darkness. And that hand—so close I could almost feel its coldness on my throat.

  I swallowed hard.

  “It’s okay,” Mia said gently. “You’re safe here.”

  Safe.

  The word echoed in my mind, hollow and fragile.

  Was I?

  I glanced toward the café window. For a moment—just a moment—I thought I saw a second silhouette behind my own reflection. A faint outline. A hand still reaching.

  I blinked.

  Gone.

  My heart hammered against my ribs.

  ~These dreams feel too real to be just dreams.

  I thought about it, then I realized something.

  “Yoiya?” Mia spoke.

  “Is he okay?”

  “What happened?”

  “Has this been happening often?”

  The girls whispered amongst themselves behind Mia, occasionally placing their hand on her shoulder as they clearly wanted answers.

  Mia whispered back to them, trying to come up with some explanation but she would ultimately resign herself and admit that she didn’t know anything.

  Though, their voices were just background noise at this point. As my thoughts had finally organized themselves.

  Even though, I myself, also did not yet know what these dreams were. One thing was clear.

  ~Dreams only happen when I sleep, right? So I just gotta not sleep. WIth my mana… it should be fairly doable…

  I couldn’t let these dreams consume me.

  I couldn’t let these figures touch me.

  Not ever.

  This was my only option.