Kalma

Touko Afterstory, Part 2

Maybe, not all things are about happiness and the musical performance of a single cafe in the middle of a festival.

We can still see Josuke preparing to go outside the shop around 7 PM, maybe because of that festival itself. Sometimes he feels better, some other days, the feelings are just different, and he feels down because of the loneliness of the shop. The ramen shop that was once a pedestal, but due to there being a mall, they were just simply outclassed.

At some point, he was thinking of running. Any kind of it, running for his health, for his mind, and maybe running away from his responsibility.

But of course the dreams that he got are simply to make his dad proud. Getting that scholarship, where he can learn about renewable energy, and works in an industry where the money is rolling endlessly.

Maybe he can get his dad out of that trench. But it's a beautiful trench where he grew up along with the usual customers that weren't there anymore these days. Perhaps they were older, perhaps they found something better.

That faithful festival day, where Sakura flowers are everywhere, he decided to stay in the ramen shop.

His dad said to him, "Josuke, just go out. It's a festival day. I can handle the night shift on my own,"

"But dad, even I-"

"Don't worry. I'm sure you'll be having fun." This was just a couple of minutes after Touko visited their ramen shop.

"Okay, dad. Just message me if you need help," he said, and then prepare to go to the illustrious shopping district, just two stops away.

And some time later, he caught a glance of Touko, while she was outside the cafe Kalma. He thinks that there's going to be a performance there.

The cafe was a little bit crowded, but he can still see empty seats there.

Touko was just about to enter the cafe, when she locked her glance to Josuke. It was a bit weird, she's just visiting his ramen shop after all. Is he following her?

Josuke, not wanting to create a misunderstanding, then approached her and said, "ohh hi,"

"Hi."

"Are you going to watch the band?"

She replied, "yes, they are my school friends,"

"Ohh nice!"

At this point, a string of fate has been created. The options are many, Touko can invite Josuke to watch together, or Touko can just go inside without inviting him, or Josuke can invite Touko to go somewhere else (which is very unlikely), or the reality of it, "Araaaa!!! You must be Yamato-chan's friend! Please!! Please don't hesitate! The performance is free! Well you can buy me a latte later on perhaps!"

"Nee-chan!! It's, "you can buy OUR latte!" He doesn't want to buy YOU a latte!" Takako-san is as lively as ever, and it seems that she is the most panicking person in there. While Tomoko-san is as lively as ever, it might be her Magnum opus.

"Ahhh, I see. Okay, I'll watch it." Replied Josuke.

Touko then goes back to the front of the group, while Josuke finds a barstool and orders a Hazelnut latte, while enjoying the performance.

Now some years after the performance, Touko is desperate. Now she sees alone from her apartment that so many of her friends already got a job, and settles down. "Ahh I should've started something sooner,"

"I still don't know what to do."

All these years, Touko only got one thing to think about, how to finish college with a higher grade. She doesn't think about creating connections, or taking meaningful internships. Even if she's a student of Tokyo IT, she failed in so many classes.