Your Lie In April: Across The Multiverse

YLIA x Multiverse Episode 10: Just A Break

Episode 10: Just A Break

"Hey hey hey, Ishida my man! What's good!" the plump Tomohiro Nagatsuka greeted from behind the counter of the donut shop. His gut, though small, still caused his apron to bulge out quite a bit, and his thick, black curly hair looked more like a mound of frilly cotton candy. However, the humble worker's bright smile, gentle eyes, and friendly disposition provided more than a welcoming environment to the off-duty police officer and young pianist entering his workplace.

"Same as always, Nagatsuka," Shouya smiled as he and Arima strode up to the cash register. "Just patrolling the streets and keeping the peace."

"Please tell me you were part of that smuggler bust I heard about on the news!" Nagatsuka said in an excited manner.

"Sorry bud, that was at a port," Shouya shrugged. "Those are handled by different authorities."

"Aw maaan!" Nagatsuka exclaimed in disappointment. "It's alright though, I still got you for that discount! The usual?"

"Nah, maybe I'll try one of those crème-filled donuts this time. With a cup of coffee of course," Shouya winked. Then he turned to Arima. "How about for you?"

Kousei's eyes peered through the clear glass of the display case, scanning the delectable assortment of options. As if the wonderful scent of the warm, freshly baked donuts wasn't already mouth-watering enough, the shiny frosting and glistening glaze dripped down the sides of the treats with a delightful sweetness that seemed to beckon the musician to take all of them. Some donuts boasted colorful rainbow sprinkles that invited one to pick them over the others; other donuts were augmented by stripes of chocolate frosting over their already thick coating of maple icing.

Under normal circumstances, Kousei would've thought to grab an extra one for Kaori. Then the pianist remembered his foolish outburst at his girlfriend the day before with a sharp pang of guilt. Grabbing her a treat would probably have to wait for a while.

Finally, after much arduous weighing of the tasty options, Kousei made his choice.

"I'd like to try one of those strawberry donuts," he decided, pointing at a chocolate donut drenched in the rich fruit flavored icing.

"Ooh, that's one of our most loaded ones!" Nagatsuka said in approval. "And for your first time too! Fair warning my friend, it will fill you up fast!"

The young pianist and officer found a small table seated comfortably in the corner of the quaint donut shop. The red tabletops glistened, having been cleaned just a while ago, and the cushioned black chairs provided ideal seating for those who sought to enjoy their treats inside the eatery. The windows at the front gifted customers with an unobscured view of the picturesque suburbia, and Kousei couldn't help but feel somewhat cheated at never having been here before.

"This place might not have even existed in my old universe!" He thought to himself.

"So, what's going on Arima?" Shouya asked as he sipped his coffee. "You looked pretty troubled last night. What's on your mind?"

Kousei sighed. Admitting ones mistakes was rarely a pleasant experience. But, this officer had been kind enough to offer him help and even paid for their order, and right now Kousei needed all the advice he could get. Taking a deep breath, the musician recounted all relevant details leading up to yesterday's outburst at his girlfriend.

The unspeakable carnage wrought by Ultron's victory in his old timeline.

His naive thought process of thinking being reunited with Kaori would "fix" all his troubles.