such a tea-se ; sou hiyori

1

Taking a sip from your mug, you set it down and flipped to the next page in the book you were currently reading. The story was starting to get good, so you weren't paying much attention to your surroundings. It took the barista beside you a couple of excuse me's before you finally acknowledged her with an apologetic smile. "Would you like a refill?" She asked with a chuckle, holding up the freshly brewed coffee she had with her. You were a regular at this coffee shop, so she was quite used to you being in your own little world.
"Oh, yes please!" You grinned, holding your mug out. She began to refill it as requested while glancing at your open book.
"What are you reading today?" She asked with curiosity. You hummed, setting your mug back down and picking up the book.
"It's called Catfish, it's about a boy who goes on a dating app and matches with, what he assumes to be, a pretty girl. It's an interesting read." You explained and she nodded.
"Oh, well it definitely sounds interesting." She smiled sweetly, "well, I'll let you get back to it." She said, walking away. Your e/c eyes lingered on her for a few seconds as she left, then you turned your attention back to the book. You flipped to the next page and took another sip of your coffee, continuing to read for another hour or so.

It was beginning to get dark outside now, but you usually stayed at the coffee shop until closing time, so you didn't plan on leaving any time soon - the shop would still be open for a few hours longer. When you stopped reading to drink some more coffee, which was starting to get a bit cold, you couldn't shake off the sudden feeling of eyes piercing into you. Instinctively, you looked up and scanned the shop. Everyone was minding their own business. There were only about four people left in the shop, and all were people who you saw there regularly. One guy in particular stood out, probably because of his bright green hair. It was tied into a small rattail, and he was dressed in a neat looking black suit with a spotty scarf wrapped loosely around his neck. He was focussed on his own book and was occasionally taking sips of his tea, similar to what you had been doing. You saw this guy almost every day sat at the same table near the window, so seeing him wasn't anything out of the ordinary, much like the others. You eventually managed to shake off the weird feeling you had and went back to reading. Hours passed by in the blink of an eye and you began to pack up your things since the shop would be closing soon. You left your mug on the table, along with a tip for the barista, and headed to the exit. You waved goodbye to your barista friend before pushing open the door and exiting the building. You hugged your book safely to your chest, shivering a bit from a sudden gust of wind. You then began walking home, humming softly to yourself.

It didn't take too long for you to get home - only about ten minutes, since the coffee shop wasn't too far from your house. The walk home always felt longer when it was cold though. As you approached your front door, one of your hands released your book to grab the key out of your pocket. You unlocked the door and stepped inside, immediately feeling the warm air hit your face. You sighed contentedly and shut the door. You removed your shoes and placed your book on the stairs temporarily, making a mental note to remember to bring it upstairs with you when you went to bed.

You stretched your arms over your head and your stomach growled. You hadn't eaten anything all day, apart from a slice of toast for breakfast, so needless to say, you were starving. You didn't have the energy or willpower to cook anything however, so you decided to order a pizza. You took a seat on the couch and got comfortable, grabbing your laptop from the coffee table and switching it on. You placed your order on the nearest pizza place's website and set the laptop back down to wait for your order, meanwhile you switched on the TV to find something interesting to watch in the meantime. You flicked through the channels, failing to find anything that really caught your attention. You eventually settled for Spongebob. You watched the sponge do wacky things on the screen until you heard the doorbell chime. You stole a glance at the clock. Fifteen minutes? That's pretty fast. You commented in your mind. You sprung off the couch, excited to stuff your face with the cheesy treat. You opened the door eagerly to reveal a young man in a purple hooded jacket, with messy teal hair and a green beanie. He smiled politely, "hey there! That'll be ¥1500." He told you, handing you the pizza box. He constantly shifted from side to side, trying to keep warm. He was quite lanky looking, and his jacket was quite thin, so you weren't really surprised that he was cold. You handed him the money and thanked him, watching him shuffle back to his car before you shut the door.

Making your way back to the couch, you set the pizza box on the table and sat down, opening it with determined hands. You grabbed a slice and watched while the melted cheese tried desperately to hold the slices together, to no avail. After taking your first bite, your stomach growled in satisfaction and you hummed, sitting back to enjoy your food and continue watching Spongebob. After finishing half of the pizza, you sighed contentedly and closed the pizza box, deciding you would save the rest for tomorrow. You licked your fingers and took the box into the kitchen, setting it on the counter and moving to the sink to wash your hands. Checking the time revealed that it was almost twelve o'clock, and you had to be up early the next day for your college classes, so you decided that this would be a good time to head to bed. You returned to where you had previously been eating and switched off the TV, exiting the room and heading up the stairs to your room - making sure not to forget your book on the way. Walking into your room, you set the book down on the bedside table and changed into some more appropriate sleepwear - an oversized shirt and some shorts - then climbed into bed after switching off the light. You set your alarm for seven in the morning and then turned onto your side, shutting your eyes and falling asleep a few minutes later.