Renegade

“Thank you, please come again!” you brightly say to a leaving customer. He couldn’t be bothered to acknowledge, rushing like his life depends on it after hearing something on the phone. The café’s quiet again, your sigh seeming to echo despite the decent soundproofing. That was only your third customer after nearly six hours of operation. 

The business strategy sounded pretty solid and straightforward when your friend and owner Takaki suggested it. A café with a cozy ambience and plenty of amenities for students of the nearby university. Pricing’s also a major thing, in that it isn’t very major. Well-suited for their budgets. Projected losses in the early days, of course, but the traffic’ll pay it off in time.

Well, difficulties along the way put delay after delay which means your grand opening is smack dab in the middle of summer break. You can individually track each customer over the past two weeks, so barren it has been. 

“Ah, well. Good thing dude’s filthy rich. Next month will pay off, trust.” You busy yourself with whatever baristas do when it’s quiet, wiping down tables over and over. There must be more cleaner residue on those than there have been actual stains. The windows, too. At least that you kinda enjoy, as any stains bother you immensely. 

At one point you take over the chill jazz and soul R&B playing on repeat, blasting your own mishmash of genres while singing them to your heart’s content. A decent use of the pricey double glazed glass at least. 

Unfortunately, slaving the speakers to your phone means the welcome bell doesn’t sound when a customer does open the door. “Now let me show you the shape—ahh! My heart!” You jump at the sight of the mythical customer just as she closes the door behind her. She’s hardly affected. Maybe her eyes widened a bit, but that’s it. 

“Sorry, sorry! Pardon me. We are open, yes! Lemme just…” You stumble and scramble to the counter, the squeaky clean floor working against you. The playlist switches back to company SOP, along with your disposition. “Please, come in. What can I get for you today, miss?”

She approaches the counter silently, her eyes only changing when she reads over the menu. “Do you have anything that’s…brightly colored? Except for red,” she croaks like her voice is trying not to disturb the ambience. 

You raise a brow at the peculiar request. “Well…if I’m getting you correctly, our matcha latte’s what you’re looking for.” She winces, curling her lips inwards. “That’s…green, isn’t it?”

“Yes it is.”

“Anything that’s like…purple in color? Violet, something like that?”

“Eh…not as of yet, unfortunately,” you give a slight bow. “Maybe you could give some suggestions? We can add it to the menu later, still feeling things out here.”

She sighs, shoulders slumping but not loosening. “No, I’ll just take one large matcha. Normal sugar and ice.” 

“Gotcha. Anything else? Our sandwiches are pretty good—”

“Just…the matcha latte, please. Thank you.” Her answer is curt, but doesn’t bite very hard, like its teeth had been worn down.

“Of course, one large matcha latte, normal sugar and ice.” You give her the QR payment code and she scans it, movements almost robotic. “Very well. I’ll get this ready for—oh, almost forgot!” You chuckle brightly and tap on your forehead, trying to melt away at least parts of the wall of ice she brought in. “What’s the name for the order?”

“Enami. Enami Asa,” she answers, efficient and no warmer, already turning away to look for a seat. “Enami…Asa. Like this?” You show her the writing on her cup. Asa offers a passing glance, confirming with a single nod and continuing on her way. You finally relent and accept the cold. Perhaps it’s what she needs right now far more than whatever you could offer.

You do maintain your own temperature as you deliver the drink to her table. Asa returns a brief thanks; polite, sanitised. You give a slight bow and return to the counter, readying yourself for another customer…that doesn’t come. Back to filler activities you go, minus the obsessive cleaning and personal karaoke, that is. Only you, the gentle music, the air conditioning with hints of coffee, and Asa. 

Seriously, she didn’t bring anything with her other than her phone, it seems. And even that sits idly in her pocket. She takes a small sip every now and then, otherwise just observing the interior in silence, barely moving her head.

Bit by bit her cup empties, and on the last sip she places the cup back in the exact same spot it’s been in; not even the ring of water on the table is out of place. She gets up and puts the chair back in place, turning towards the exit. “Thank you, please come again!” Asa’s arm flies up to chest level before she snaps them back to her sides, offering a half-bow on the way out. You return it and watch her walk away. From where you can see, it seems like her head doesn’t quite know where she’s going, her legs merely following whatever path they’re on.

“Hm. Quiet, uptight…purple drink lady.” You hum and add her to the small bank of customers in your mind, fully expecting this to be your only encounter with her.

But it isn’t. Asa comes back every three to four days, making her the first and so far only recurring customer. Each time she orders the same thing. Sits in the same spot. Makes no conversation beyond what is chiefly necessary. You thought the cold silence would be suffocating, what with your polar opposite energy. Strangely, that’s not the case. You find her presence to be some sort of anchor, something to look forward to with less than ten customers a day. 

On the third week after your first encounter, you almost wish for that back. Academic year’s in full swing, numbers previously requiring a week to reach easily surpassed in three hours. You and Takaki both man the counter full-time, no longer taking turns. He’s already thinking about hiring another employee, too.

When Asa shows up again, you almost don’t recognise her amidst all the fast-moving chaos. “One moment! Welcome to the Camel Café. What can I get—oh! Hi!” You just about jump on your feet upon seeing her. A wide, unabashed grin blooms across your features, half of the day’s tension melting away from your shoulders.

Asa seems equally awestruck by the crowd, if not perturbed. It’s the first new expression you’ve seen from her. “I see business has…taken off.” A casual, non pragmatic (well, less than usual) comment too? You can’t help but laugh, to the confusion of Takaki behind you amongst his juggling of four orders.

“Yeah, you don’t say. Weird to see the place so lively, isn’t it?”

Asa shrugs. “Well, its capacity is paying dividends.” 

“Anyways, what can I get you? The usual?” Your fingers hover above the screen, ready to punch in her order.

“Actually…looks like I won’t need anything from you today,” she murmurs. Your smile drops a degree, tilting your head. Your eyes follow where hers seem to be fixed upon, then you hum in understanding. “Ah, your spot’s taken? It’s fine! Hey, Imma let you in on a little secret. See that dude in the sun hoodie? He’s gonna book it out of here in—”

“No, it’s not fine. I’ll return on a later date. Thank you. I won’t obstruct your business any longer.” Asa bows and turns about face before you can begin to argue. You watch her walk away with a small frown on your face, one you immediately have to curve back up for the next customer.   

That continues for the succeeding occasions. Asa will only come in and order if her favourite spot’s available, backing away as soon as it’s taken by someone else. When she does manage, she orders the same drink and does the same thing. Among the hustle and bustle of university students with their drinks, laptops, headphones, extension sockets and the like, her table is jarringly still and sterile. A single large matcha latte. Raised from and lowered onto the exact same spot that it first occupied the table on.

Even on the rare quieter days. If her spot is taken, Asa won’t enter. You decide to make use of the quiet to go after her, asking Takaki to take over. “Wait! Enami-sama!” Her entire body straightens into one line, turning around so smoothly it looks choreographed. “Yes?”

“I just—” You cough as you catch your breath, hands on your knees. Damn, you need to exercise. “Just have one question. I gotta know.” 

“Is it pertaining to me and or important?”

You stand up and face her squarely. “It does pertain to you. And it’s important. To me.” Asa narrows her eyes a bit, one corner of her mouth tugged up in thought. If not for her standoffish, enigmatic nature (or maybe because of it), she does look rather adorable. 

“Go ahead, then. What is it?” Oh, right. The question. “Why…oh—I lied. Well, forgot. Two questions, actually. Is that alright?”

“Was that one of them?”

A snort makes it past your nose before you could stop it. “Eh, no. Unless you count it as one, then it’s three questions.” You could swear that her mouth twitched a few millimetres at that. Maybe you’re just seeing what you want. Whatever, unimportant.

“Very well, then. We’re already here, anyways.” She crosses her arms. “Right, first off. Why that spot in particular? Like, you’ll take nothing else but that spot. Why?”

Asa exhales and looks over her shoulder, then down at her shoes. “It’s…spacious. Secure. But not out in the open.” She looks back up at you. “That’s why I chose that spot.”

“Hm. And there’s no other spot that fits the bill?”

“Well, there are a few others that may, from my observations. But…I fear they won’t achieve the same effect.” You nod and let her answer settle. At least out here the silence isn’t idle. Some cackles in the distance from a group of students, the birds in the trees, the deep diesel rumble of a bus setting off from its stop.

“I see.” Asa’s body starts shifting side-to-side, like your acknowledgement was the permission to loosen up that it was waiting for. “Next question, then. Why purple?”

“Excuse me?”

“When you first came to the café. You asked for brightly colored drinks. Except red. You wanted purple or violet, but settled on green with the matcha.”

Asa scoffs—actually scoffs. Her lips curve up into a small, tangible smile. Which stays. “You…remember all of that?”

“Of course I did! You’re among our first customers, first one to come back, and with that request of yours?” You list off with your fingers. “Pretty hard to forget, Enami-sama.”

She lets out what might have been a chuckle, definitely some humoured expression. “Didn’t dope that as something so memorable.” 

Your eyes and ears perk up. “Dope…it?” 

“Ah, it’s this…when riflemen hone in their scopes to their rifles? And they use the data for quick reference, different ranges—anyway, that’s what that means.”

“Oh…yeah, yeah, I get it. Interesting! You work with firearms or something?”

That small smile droops to only a small hint of it. “I…used to.” 

“Really? What—” You just now catch her expression, feeling like her whole person shrunk a few centimeters. “Oh, sorry. I pried too much, didn’t I?”

Asa waves you off quickly. “It’s alright. And to answer your last question…” She looks you in the eyes, but her pupils unfocus. “I have my reasons. About the colors. It…it isn’t something I’d like to discuss right now.”

“That’s completely fine. I was just curious more than anything.” You put your hands together in front, fingers fiddling. “Well, I should…get back. Thank you for your time, Enami-sama. See you later.” You bow and turn around after she returns it.

“That was more than two, by the way.”

You stop and turn around, finding another, slightly bigger smile on Asa’s face. “Sorry?”

“That was way more than two questions. Shouldn’t you be better with numbers, running a business and all?” she chuckles. It’s soft, but definitely a chuckle this time.

You shoot back a smirk. “Aha. Good point. Though, I think you’re more than just business, Enami-sama.”

“Is that so?” She raises a brow. Your face runs a bit cold. To be honest, you don’t know why you said that or really what it meant. Just saying what felt right at the moment. 

“Since I’ve gone over so much, one more wouldn’t hurt, would it?”

“I thought you had to get back to work?”

“Well, call this customer networking…or whatever. Bossman’s the one with all the business jargon.”

“You just said I’m more than business.”

“More than just business. May include business somewhere in there,” you tilt your head.

Asa laughs, the bright noise bouncing around the quiet street. “You’re unbelievable.”

“Unbelievably good,” you snicker. “Anyways, what I meant to say was…you said there are other tables that could suit you, yeah?”

Asa nods. “Correct.”

“Maybe next time your current spot’s occupied, you could…try those, if available. You might hate them, you might like them more than the usual spot. Nobody knows. Not until you try them.”

Asa smiles and puts her hands in her pockets. “I’ll…keep that in mind. Thank you, ‘More than just business’ barista-san.”

You laugh freely, waving at her. “You’re welcome, Enami—”

“Call me Asa,” she interrupts. “Enami-sama sounds a whole lot like ‘just business’.”

 “Right, right.” You nod. “Then…see you later, Asa-san!” 

“Let me have the…peach tea,” Asa gingerly asks. You hum in fascination, nodding. “Different drink? Nice! Hot, right? Or are you an iced tea freak like I am?”

“Hot, please. Like it needs to be any colder this October,” she giggles. She’s been doing that a lot more since that afternoon. Still some tension evident, but she’s letting them off more often. 

“Thank you very much. Well, I know where you’re sitting. One hot peach tea on the way,” you chirp after she makes the payment.

“Actually?” She peruses the interior. “I’m going for a different spot today. Testing out my candidates.”

“Heck yeah! What’s the occasion today? Lots of firsts!”

She smirks. “Does there need to be an occasion?”

“Word,” you nod. “Well, go for it. Let me know about the…assessment later?”

“I will. You’re the only one interested anyways,” she scoffs, waving as she goes for the new seat despite her usual spot being vacant. Delivering her drink feels a bit strange, not taking the route you’ve got wired in. 

“Yo.” Takaki nudges your arm. “I got news. Big one.”

“Congrats! When’s the wedding?”

He swats your back with a rag, only making you snicker louder. “Wiseass. I’m thinking about a new line of drinks.”

“Ooh. What kind?” 

“Tropical. Refreshing, colourful, fruit mixes, that kind,” he states with a ‘wow’ gesture.

You scoff. “Tropical? In this climate?”

“Well, not right now, obviously. We need that new staff first.”

“Right! You got someone in mind?”

“Got a couple candidates. Anyways, thought I should let you know early. Pass the news to that VIP customer of yours. Heard she likes colorful drinks?”

“VIP customer, really,” you giggle. “What, she your…girlfriend then?”

“Now hold your fucking horses.” You brandish the portafilter towards him. “She—”

A loud clatter grabs your attention, snapping your head in search of the source. Easy to find with everyone else’s heads turned towards it; Asa’s new table. Her cup is no longer on it, fallen over with its contents spread across a big splatter on the floor. Asa herself is breathing hard, chest rising and falling, mouth partly open. Sweat glistens on her temple, her eyes unfocused and darting all over the place.

“Shit.” You don’t think twice and run around the counter towards her side, navigating around pulled out chairs and extension sockets on the floor. “Asa-san? Can you hear—”

“GET DOWN FROM THERE! Get your head down! What the fuck are you doing!” she roars, hands flying to cover her own head. 

“Okay, okay.” You lower yourself to level with her eyes. “Why are we getting down?”

“Didn’t you—you don’t see what happened to her?!” Asa screeches and wheezes, curling into herself further. “They shot her! THEY SHOT HER IN THE HEAD! She was smiling and they shot her! Blood…there’s blood everywhere…”

“Alright, Asa-san. Listen to me—”

“We’re all gonna die! We’re stuck out here, we’re gonna—”

“Enami Asa!” you call out just loud enough to be heard over her own rambling. “Look at me! Over here, where my voice is. Can you hear me?”

 Asa slowly lowers her head and complies, looking in your general direction. “Good. Now breathe. Slow in, slow out. Don’t rush. Let it through.” She nods and tries, taking multiple attempts to smooth out. 

“Easy…good. Now, what are you sitting on right now? Can you feel it?”

She snakes her hand down, tapping and rubbing her chair. “C–Chair. A…a chair.”

“Can you say it for me?”

“Huh…huh?”

“‘I am sitting on a chair’. Say it. Take a breath first if you need to,” you gently guide her.

“I…I am—” She takes the preceding breath. “I am sitting…on a chair.”

“Good. Now where is that chair?”

“It…ah!” She ducks to avoid something invisible. “In…in the café—Camel Café.”

“Good. Say it for me. ‘I am sitting on a chair in the Camel Café.” This cycle repeats, each time adding more and more components that help guide Asa back to the present she’s been distanced from. 

“Very good. You’re coming back. Now…” You reach out for her still trembling hand, laying your hand on top of it with the lightest touch that’s enough for her to feel all of it. “You are in here, not out on the battlefield. You are with me, not with your troops. You are…safe, Enami Asa. We’re here for you. I’m here for you.”

Some colour begins returning to Asa’s face, her breathing much softer and quieter than before. “I…” she attempts something but it ultimately fades away. “You don’t need to say this one back, just nod if you understand all that. Mmkay?”

Asa stares at you for several more seconds before she nods. A quiet sob breaks through, then breaks down into longer cries. The tables around you breathe out a collective sigh of relief, returning to their business. You softly tap Asa’s hand throughout, whispering quiet assurances to her.

“I, uh…” Asa sniffles sometime later, her voice hoarse but relaxed. “I guess you know about my past life now, huh?”

You shrug. “Yeah, very few professions would cause such an…effect on someone. I could see some signs earlier though. Not too big of a surprise, heh.”

She nods and chuckles, wiping her nose. “Not at all.”

“Yeah.” You look over your shoulder at Takaki who’s signing you to get back to the counter. “Well, I…gotta get back now, okay? I’ll be right over there—”

“Wait, wait. Just…stay. A bit longer, please?” Asa reaches out for your hand. You smile and nod, mouthing ‘five more minutes’ to Takaki. 

“How, um…how did you know to do that? The…whatever you did to me.”

“Ah, that?” Your lips stretch to a pensive smile, shifting in your seat. “It…my dad. On his way home from the city he was hit by this…sports car thing. Went stupid fast and blew through a red, and…my dad’s car was in his way.” You nod and swallow, your throat feeling a bit heavy. “Dad made it, but uh, Mom…Mom didn’t.”

Asa’s grip on your hand tightens, some moments of silence passing. “That…I’m sorry. I don’t know…what to say. That’s horrible!” she whispers. 

“You don’t gotta say anything,” you wave. “Anyways, it’s a few years ago now. But, Dad still has these…episodes, occasionally. A lot more then, he’s much better now. But yeah, that’s how I calmed him down whenever it happened!” You shrug and smile, wiping away non-existent snot under your nose.

“Gosh, what a mess. I’m sorry, Asa-san. I shouldn’t…” You sigh. “It was my fault, I–I got you into this, pushed you towards it. It was a big mistake.”

Asa squints her eyes at you, the most hostile expression you’ve ever seen her wear. ”It wasn’t a mistake for me.”

Your eyes open a bit wider. “Wait, what?”

“It…it did create a big mess, and it was scary, but…” Her expression grows warmer again. “ …I’m feeling braver than I’ve felt in years now. Years!”

“Really?”

“Mhm! I don’t know if I would ever have tried it without you.” She cringes and peeks at the floor. “That is a lot of tea on the floor, though. I’m sorry, I would clean it myself, but…I know you won’t let me.”

“You bet!” you scoff as you stand up. “Dude will actually curse me for three generations if I make you do it. It’s my responsibility anyway.”

Asa laughs, looking down at her lap. “Thank you. For that, for…everything, really.”

“You’re welcome—whoa,” you raise your hands, leaning back. “You’re not going away or something, are ya? Why’d you say it like that?” She looks up, slightly flummoxed. It really is adorable, you can’t deny. “Huh?”

“I’m kidding!” you laugh and lower your hands. “You’re fun to tease, Asa-san.”

“Tsch. Get back to work already! Soon enough your boss will ban me for all of your time I’m taking,” she giggles.

“I’ll go on strike if he does that. And I am working,” you say smugly. “But yeah, he might cut my pay, actually. Shit.” Right as you turn around, Asa shoots up to her feet. “Then, um…can–can I have your number?”

“Why, that’s—huh?”

“You know, so that I could…take up your time outside of work instead?” Asa sounds stable and confident, but her hands are shuffling all over the place. You giggle, grinning widely. “Sounds like a plan.”

Asa does not waste the established contact at all. She’s way chattier online than in person, and it doesn’t take too long before short, casual messages escalate into sending you all sorts of pictures and thoughts. Things she sees walking, rants about her thesis, would-you-rathers and hear-me-outs that both of you spend far too much time on. A bulk of your downtime is now spent replying and reading them. Honestly, it was a bit overwhelming early on. Now? You enjoy nearly every bit of the noise.

Another new habit Asa’s picked up is waving at you through the window before she enters, jumping in place at times. It warms your heart every time, and you wave back with equal excitement whenever you can.

October has been cold and this late afternoon is the coldest yet, the café’s heating turned up almost to full power. You wear more layers than usual indoors, in preparation for the unpredictable dash outside that happens every so often. 

Then, in the corner of your eye, you see her. Walking slower than everybody else that is trying to keep warm. She’s back in those choreographed steps that you saw the first few times, but this one is different. They’re immensely weighted, yet float across the ground like it’s made of clouds.

The smile growing on your face drops back down, your eyes narrowing a smidge. Atop Asa’s head is a green tricorn hat with some goldish emblem in the center. You don’t need to see exactly what the emblem looks like to know what it is, further confirmed when you peek between her dark green long coat. White shirt, green necktab, green suit jacket, and green trousers; she’s in Army full dress. And those aren’t worn without occasion.

As she gets closer, you can better see her eyes, how tired they are. Dark eyebags that are just about hidden by her makeup, something most passerbys wouldn’t notice. But you do. You’ve seen how bright those eyes can be.

Asa takes longer to notice you, only a few steps from the door when she does. Her expression lights up several degrees, but the fatigue is still evident. You wave back and smile as usual, feeding each other’s warmth. On her side, that dissipates real quick the moment she sees something across the street, something beyond your field of vision. 

You lower your hand, cocking your head around to try and see what she’s seeing. You don’t have to look for long though. From the corner of your vision emerges a man in a long coat, a peaked cap resting stiffly atop his head. The same colour as hers. His coat has one glaring difference though; gold and red epaulettes on the shoulders, with a couple silver cherry blossoms pinned on it. An officer.

Your curiosity turns to mild anxiety, not helped by the way Asa looks at him. That is with seething disdain, sparsely returning his bow. He says something to her, you can see his jaws moving from behind. One arm is clutching something underneath it while the other arm extends toward the door, likely inviting her to continue their discussion inside.

Whatever it was he suggested, Asa shoots it down, slashing it apart with her gaze while hissing something through her teeth. She cocks her head as she turns around and storms somewhere, the officer walking in tow.

Minutes grow, so does your unease. Who was he? What did Asa have to do with him? Why’d she have to lead him away somewhere? She was NOT pleased to see him. Maybe it’s not him, it’s the Army as a whole? What did she have to do with them still? What if they—

“Excuse me! I’m trying to order!”

You flinch and nearly fall over from your knee buckling. Breathing hard, spine is stone cold. Nothing to do with the weather, it’s nice and warm in here. “I, uh…um. Welcome! To–to…Camel Café. Where is—I mean, what can I get you?”

The customer shrugs it off and makes their order, you carry out the process as usual. As you make their drinks though, one, two missteps are made. You course correct just in time to not ruin them, but you are cutting it pretty close. 

“Dude, you alright?” Takaki asks, popping out from the kitchen. 

“Yeah man, it’s cool.” The cup sealer feels stiffer for some reason. Perhaps it’s actually you feeling weaker. “No! I don’t know dude, I keep…I keep worrying. It’s so weird, it’s driving me nuts! I don’t worry this much, not me.”

“Ooh, do I detect a…something something?” he snickers, turning dead serious seconds later. “But seriously, I think you need a break. You don’t look too hot.”

“I can handle it,” you grit. “It’s just a…stupid thing in my head.”

“That stupid thing in your head almost ruined two drinks. Finish those and take a walk or something. I’m serious.”

“It’s fine! I’ve gone on enough sidequests on the clock already, I’m gonna make my time’s worth.”

Takaki scoffs, putting his hands on his waist. “Am I some corporate demon or something? Fine. But if you force yourself and get sick later, I will make you work through it.”

You stare at him, dumbfounded. “Will you really?”

“Take a fucking break!”

“Okay, okay!” You check for leaks on the cups and push them to the pick up counter. “And the new kid? Will she be alright?”

“Ha! She’ll be more than alright. Kid could probably fly a plane after a good enough tutorial. Go on man, I got this. We changed it to a pick-up system for a good reason, hey?”

“Yeah. Thanks, Takaki! I’ll make it up to you!”

“Ew, I have a girlfriend, thank you.” You both laugh loudly as you make your way outside. The freezing cold whiplashes you, but it’s nothing to the anxiety that brews within you again. 

You walk to a faraway part of the street you’ve never gone to, trying to clear your mind. Pacing back and forth within the same twenty meters, a brief point of wonder for the few passers by. “It’s okay…it’s okay. It’s all–all worse in my mind. Never—”

“Oh.” A voice brings you back into the present, and the source is right in front as you open your eyes.

“Oh? Oh! Asa-san!”

Asa stares at you, then smiles and waves a bit stiffly. “Hi! What…what are you up to out here?”

“Asa-san! Asa…” You dash towards her, panting despite only going like three meters. “You’re here! You’re…you—” Her appearance is so overwhelming for some reason. With what emotion? You’re not entirely sure yourself.

“Eh? What—are you crying? Why are you crying?” Asa slides her coat off and throws it over your shoulder before you can protest. Not that you really can, being the sobbing, shaking mess that you are.

“Did something happen at the café?”

You shake your head and frantically wipe away tears, stammering repeatedly before uttering something intelligible. “I was…I was really worried about you.”

Asa raises her eyebrows, looking around. “Me? You were worried?”

“Mhm!” you nod. “I had…there—I had all these…thoughts, you know. That something might’ve happened to you. You—you stormed away, and…the way you looked at that officer, it—” You cough hard. “I couldn’t think straight, I was so worried!”

Asa’s mouth opens and closes, then she scoffs. But her subsequent tone isn’t dismissive, rather warm and soft. Enough to reach you, but inaudible to everyone else. “So that’s what made you worried? Did you think he was going to…try things on me?”

“Maybe?” you croak. “I—I don’t know. I’ve been reading a lot of things online, about the…the things that the government and the military had apparently done. Especially to people against that fucking war.” You sigh and ruffle your hair. “I guess all the…anxiety and the doom bled over. It’s probably silly.”

She nods slowly, looking down at her shoes, then back up at you. “It’s…not silly.”

“Really?”

She shakes her head. “My trade wasn’t in that area. You know, PR and Intel. But…I have dealt with their sort. Especially because of my trade. And…” She clicks her tongue, exhaling a visible plume of breath. “A lot of the things you’ve seen are not beyond them to do at all.”

“Of course, it’s all ‘alleged’ because there’s yet to be concrete evidence,” she shrugs and chuckles. “But those playbooks aren’t new. Not in 2032. Been done plenty of times by other parties.”

“R–Right.” You’re starting to shiver now the adrenaline’s wearing off. “So…t–that guy earlier really didn’t do anything foul, right?”

“Of course not. I wouldn’t let him.” Asa eyes you up and down, then bursts out laughing. 

“W–What?”

“Nothing, it’s just…you really were worried sick, running out here without a scarf, a coat, or anything!”

“Ah, y–yeah, about that. I uh…left them back at the c–café. ” You shiver hard and rub your hands together. “A–Aren’t you cold? You’re not wearing m–much more than I am. Here—”

“Nu–uh.” Asa stops you from returning her coat. “I can deal with it until we get to the café. You need it a hell of a lot more than I do,” she chuckles.

“I–I guess, heh.” You wrap her coat around yourself harder. “Let’s get back.” You two start walking back to the café, nothing but your shudders and the street’s noises filling the first half.

“You look good, b–by the way,” you chirp. 

“Hm?”

“That uniform. Looks good on you.”

Asa smiles and hums, straightening her already razor sharp collar. “Thanks. It better with how expensive the damn tailor was.”

“Heh. I didn’t know you had to pay for that.”

“Ha! There’s tons we had to pay for ourselves. Makes you wonder where all that defense spending goes.”

You nod, wiping off some ice crystals from your nose. “What was the occasion, if I may know?”

“Occasion?”

“I heard you guys don’t wear this too often, so…what was it for?”

“Ah, this?” She glances at the medals above her left breastpocket, then looks into the distance for a few before answering, “A funeral. It was a funeral.”

“I see.” Asa slows down her steps slightly, and you match her. “Someone you knew?”

“Nope. Never heard of her until four days ago,” she shrugs. “I did work with who she left behind, though. And…” She sighs and stretches her arms. “ …I am a bit worried about him. After how he dealt with the last time…” Asa clears her throat and waves her hands like swatting away a thought bubble. “Anyways, that’s what I’m all dressed up for. I don’t want to get into it too much.”

You nod and leave it at that, all the way until you arrive in front of the café. “Here we are. Man, it looks so warm and cozy inside. Here.” You slide off her coat and hand it back to her. “Thanks for letting me use it.”

“You’re welcome. Is it really okay for you to be out this long?”

“Oh, dude was about to boot me through the window if I didn’t take a break.” Asa bursts out laughing at that, making you cackle as well. “You sure got an interesting boss!”

“Yeah, tell me about it. You uh…coming in, or do you have somewhere else to be?” 

Asa tilts her head side-to-side. “Well, there’s my thesis. Probably should get back on that, fuck ton of revisions.”

“Aha. Yeah, I know that feeling.” You stick your hands in your pocket and inhale through your teeth. “Well, good luck with that. I’m rooting for you! See you…whenever I see you again, Asa-san. Bye!” you jump and wave.

Asa grins and waves back with both of her hands. You turn around and are about to open the door when you hear, “Whatabouttonight?” 

It was so fast you didn’t catch a single word. “Sorry, what?” 

“Er…that, ‘whenever I see you again’. What if that whenever is…is tonight?” she asks, voice shrinking towards the end.

You stare at her before chuckling, “Are you asking to hang out?”

Asa snaps her head up at you. “Well, that—yeah! Yes. I mean, we always hang out when you’re on the clock, and I feel bad.” She swings side-to-side, hands behind her back. “So…what if we hang out properly? You know, just…coffee and chat, or snacks and chat, or—or, we don’t even need to do much. Just…walks and stuff. If–if you’re down, of course. No need to force it if you’re not…free.”

You laugh boisterously, tickled by how cute she is all nervous and excited like this. “I am down and will be free. Don’t you worry.”

“Great!” She jumps on her feet. “Then…see you tonight?”

“Yep! I’ll text you when I’m done.” You smile widely and wave with both hands. “Scratch that, I’ll call you when I’m done! Bye!”

“That works too! Bye! See you!” Asa watches you go inside before turning around, walking away with a long-lost skip in her step. The weather isn’t any warmer, but the insides of your hearts definitely are. The heat source? Well, you’ll find that out tonight.