" so... that means no coffee for me? "
KAORI was planning on doing what she does every single day. Until fireworks and a strange blackout brought her onto a place where she would have to play some twisted games to survive.
" i don't know who's in ch...
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KAORI HAD BEEN in the hospital for over two weeks now.
Battling with physical and psychological injuries. Her shoulder, arm and temple were bandaged, needing care multiple times a day. Her mind, however, would take a very long time to recover. Memories of Asuka were flooding her dreams every night and she would often wake up in the middle of the night, breathless and with tears rolling down her cheeks.
Her whole life had been turned upside down in a couple of minutes, when that meteor had hit town and destroyed almost everything around.
Kaori's store and apartment had been partially hit, it was apparently a miracle that parts of the structure were somewhat still intact but she had been informed that it would take months before she would be able to go back home and open her store.
Not that it was the most important thing but the announcement had hit her like a second truck, meaning she would have to go back to her parents' house in the meantime.
Two weeks since that fatal minute. And she was born again.
When she had been told what had happened, a part of her wished that this single minute —when her heart had stopped beating, would have stretched indefinitely.
What was the point of living if it meant more pain?
But, then, her little sister, Amai, had barged into the room and jumped in her arms —completely oblivious to the pain she had caused Kaori.
And Kaori had taken a large breath.
Kaori had watched her mother relentlessly apologizing to the nurse, Amai later told her that she was forced to push past her because she wouldn't allow her in the room, and she wasn't able to stop the chuckle.
There was pain but it wasn't the only thing. Maybe Kaori would be strong enough to look at this catastrophic event with another perspective.
It was definitely too early for it but eventually, she would.
[...]
Patients were flooding the hospital's garden, dotting the green area with their white gowns.
The sun was peaking through the light clouds and the weather was warm when Kaori decided to sit by a picnic table with a bad coffee and a notebook.
The days would go by and feel the same. It was certainly the first time that Kaori didn't like the routine. Laced with pain and boredom, she wanted to get out of here.
A grimace contorted her face when she swallowed a sip of the burning coffee. No matter how many cups she would spend her money on, she would never get used to the taste.
Can't they make it decent, at least? Fucking hell, might as well become a barista myself.
Kaori hummed to herself at the thought. What if she added a coffee corner in her bookstore? The place wasn't huge but her counter was large enough to serve coffee. And she could definitely squeeze two tables near the windows and even a bench on the sidewalk.
