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Snow falls gently beyond the window, stray flakes making their shapes known as they melt against the glass.
Somewhere deeper inside Azuki Cafe, a man bursts out laughing, exchanging a few loud words before dipping back into the quiet murmurs that filled the air. A woman by the register orders a coffee, and the barista starts a machine that hisses and whirs with purpose.
The people are different, the machines are more worn; the smell of coffee she remembers so well now carries an undercurrent of warm bread and freshly-cooked eggs.
Sara is different, too. Six years would do that to anyone.
But it feels the same as it did in her memories, a half-step out of reality where she could breathe freely.
She takes a sip of her coffee: a dark roast from Monstadt with just a hint of cream, fruity and bitter. Maybe they brewed their coffee differently now, or maybe Sara’s tastes had changed, but she thinks she’ll have to order something new next time. Something less sweet.
Next time.
Sara looks past the crystals stuck to the glass, past the slush-marked road and to the empty lot across the street.
“I’m going to University in Monstadt,” Sara tells the woman over a cup of coffee, “Full scholarship. My parents don’t know.”
“And they do not need to.” The woman says back, “It was you who claimed they did not have that right, after all.”
“But it means that the next time I’m in town, they’ll--”
The woman smiles, her eyes gleaming violet. “There does not have to be a next time, Sara. Just go and be happy.”
She had gone, and she was happy.
But the shrine she’d gone to, day after day and year after year, praying for that happiness to find her, was now a plain plot with a lonely tree.
The woman who’d been there, day after day and year after year, was gone too.
A bell on the front door rings, and a rush of cold air follows it. Sara pulls her tan sweater tighter around herself, contemplating for a moment if she should put her winter coat back on.
A single snowflake, wandering on the momentary breeze, finds its way onto Sara’s table. She watches as its beauty fades into a droplet of water, and wipes that droplet away with a spare napkin.
“...next time, we’ll have to check out the deli down the road,” murmurs a woman, her voice soft, “But love, I think I’ve found my new favorite place.”
Another woman laughs just as quietly. “Don’t be so quick to decide, Ayaka. Coffee shops, cafes, diners... I’ve scoped out hundreds allll across Inazuma. And beyond, of course.”
Sara takes another sip of her coffee, and smiles. Azuki was an old favorite, even if she discounted the shrine; at least this had remained for her.
Absently, she wondered if her spare key to the Kujou household still worked, or if they’d finally changed the locks.
Another murmur, a shuffle of boots against a mat, and then a woman is standing next to Sara. Sara hasn’t yet looked away from the window, so she only sees the woman’s black pants and shiny black boots from the corner of her eye.
“Ah, um, excuse me?”
Sara takes a third sip, letting the strange mix of fruity and bitter flavoring roll over her tongue. She swallows and looks up at the source of the voice.
... cute, Sara thinks, and very blue. Blue jacket, baby blue scarf, and long pale blue hair that seemed perfectly matched to her eyes.
“Yes?” Sara croaks, wincing. She coughs into her fist and continues. “Can I help you, madam?”
The woman’s eyes flicker back towards the register, towards a woman in a white coat with tan trim. “Are either of these seats next to you taken? Lumine likes looking out at the snow, and... I do too, actually.”
Sara manages a tiny smile, picking her coat up off the seat next to her. “They’re both empty, madam. But I’m afraid there’s not much of a view anymore, now that the shrine’s gone.” She gestures towards the empty lot with her coffee cup.
The woman looks out the window, following Sara’s gesture. The sparkle in her eyes dims somewhat, and her lips curl into a ever so slight frown. “Oh. There was a shrine here?”
“A shrine to the Raiden Shogun, no less.” Sara feels something bitter bubble up from within, and she lets it surface. “I... I wasn’t here when it was demolished, but it had to have been in the last six years.”
“A shrine to the Raiden Shogun, really?” The woman frowns, taking a seat next to Sara. “That’s a shame it was lost, then. I’ll have to look it up later.”
Sara blinks. Of course there would be records! Reaching into the pocket of her coat, which she’d absentmindedly hung over the back of her chair, she pulls out her phone and goes straight to the notes app.
She’d rather not find out if her old family had been involved with so many people around-- at some point, they had to have figured out that the woman maintaining the shrine was the one helping her.
Sara banishes those thoughts with a shake of her head.
“Oh! I’m sorry, I didn’t introduce myself.” The blue-haired woman giggles, dragging Sara’s attention back to the present.
“It’s no trouble.” Sara replies, hiding her smile with a sip of coffee. Now that it’s cooled somewhat, she’s able to enjoy the flavors a bit better. “You should feel no obligation to introduce yourself to a stranger.”
The woman just smiles. “Well. I’m Kamisato Ayaka. It’s nice to meet you, miss, but if you don’t want to share your name, that’s okay.”
I see you there, girl.
Why don’t you come out and introduce yourself? You do not have to, if you do not want, but I would rather we not be strangers.
“Sara.” She says back to Ayaka. “Just Sara. It’s my given name, but I insist.”
Ayaka’s smile widens. “It’s a little old fashioned to go by family name these days, anyways. My girlfriend over there--”
A phantom ache forms in the center of Sara’s chest, one she cannot help but put a hand against.
There’s nothing wrong with that, Sara. The heart goes where it wishes, and the only choice we have is to follow... or to turn away.
“--is Lumine. She’s been here before, too, so maybe she’ll know what happened to the shrine?” Ayaka suggests with a little shrug.
“Congratulations.” Sara manages as the ache fades somewhat. “And perhaps she will? I do not mean to impose upon your date, though.”
She pauses. “Though I did... no, nevermind.”
“There doesn’t have to be a next time, Sara. Just go and be happy.”
Ayaka clasps her hands together and nods. “If you say so! Oh, here comes Lumine now.”
Sara turns as Ayaka does, following her gaze to the blonde woman in a white coat. She’s got two coffees in a tray balanced in one hand, and what looks to be a paper plate of croissants and cookies in the other.
Her golden eyes meet Sara’s for a heartbeat before sliding away to stare at Ayaka. A brilliant smile crosses her features, and her pace picks up.
“I hope my girlfriend hasn’t been a bother,” Lumine says as she approaches, leaning over so Ayaka can take the coffees. “I love her for it, but not every stranger is looking for a friendly conversation.”
Sara laughs, surprising even herself, and shakes her head. “It’s no trouble, I assure you. I... it was pleasant, really.”
“Lumine.” Ayaka grumbles. “I can take care of myself, thank you very much, and I think I’m a good judge of people. Sara here was polite enough to let us sit here, you know!”
“It’s not--” Sara starts, protesting.
“I wasn’t--” Lumine cuts in, only to stop and laugh. Sara waves for her to continue. “Sorry, sorry. So you’re Sara, then? It’s nice to meet you. Ayaka, your coffee is that one.” Lumine puts her plate of food down and taps one of the coffees with her other hand, brushing Ayaka’s shoulder along the way.
“It’s nice to meet you as well, Lumine.” Sara coughs into her fist. “And the seats were not ‘mine’ to give in the first place. I simply forgot to take my coat off a chair.”
“But still!” Ayaka insists, taking her coffee out of the tray and handing the other one to Lumine as she sits down. “You were very nice about it. Lumine, is this--”
“Coffee with one shot espresso, two shots cream, extra sugar, whipped cream.” Lumine recites, tapping her finger on Ayaka’s coffee lid for emphasis, “And you wouldn’t want mine, it’s--”
“As black as your heart, of course love.” Ayaka giggles, bumping her coffee against Lumine’s. “But yours is all golden and mushy, I don’t think that’d taste good as coffee.”
“Maybe as a coffee-flavored confection?” Lumine suggests.
“You’re the baker, Lumine. What do you think?”
Sara is grinning even as she turns back to her coffee. It’s best if she lets these lovers enjoy themselves without butting in further; Ayaka has already brightened her day considerably.
Her expression sours, though, when she looks back at the space where the shrine once was. How many times had she sat here, and--
You look hungry, Sara. Why don’t you run home now and have dinner?
I didn’t get all my chores done. I don’t get dinner.
...I see. Well, I was just about to go across the street to have a snack. Why don’t you share it with me?
Miss, I--
Please. Call me Ei.
She can still taste that too-sweet cookie, sometimes. She can remember the sandwiches, the coffees when she got old enough. Her heart warms at the memory of Ei’s smile, when Sara finally had enough money to take her out for dinner.
“There doesn’t have to be a next time, Sara. Just go and be happy.”
The line repeats endlessly in her head, engraved into her thoughts even as the memories started to fade.
“I did it.” Sara whispers to her coffee.
The shrine is gone, and Ei’s gone with it.
“...oh, really?” Lumine’s voice is tinged with a strange amusement, and Sara wonders what she missed while she was lost in thought.
Not that it matters. It’s rude to eavesdrop, after all.
“So it had to have been in the last few years, huh. That’s a shame.” Lumine shakes her head, leaning back in her seat to peer over at Sara.
“Hey, Sara. Ayaka said you had a question about the shrine? It was here last I came by, maybe three years ago, so... I could take a look, ask around, if you’d like.”
Sara meets Lumine’s eyes. They’re yellow, like her own, but so much warmer and softer-- none of that harshness that scared away Sara’s fellow students in college.
Still.
Sara just shakes her head. “Don’t worry on my account, Miss. I’m in town for a few days yet, I’ll be able to find out.”
Lumine’s expression is dubious, but Ayaka lays a hand on her shoulder. “Alright then. If you say so.”
“There doesn’t have to be a next time, Sara. Just go and be happy.”
Sara’s boots crunch through the soft, wet snow, leaving clear prints across the street and to the empty lot.
It’s strange, Sara thinks, that she’s the only trail that leads here. Once upon a time, she remembered a mess of mishmashed prints, as people went in and out of the shrine on days like this.
She takes a sip from her second coffee, a darker roast with no cream or sugar, and watches her breath turn to mist in the frigid air.
“I wanted to buy this for you myself, Ei.” Sara says, her voice muffled by thick snowfall.
There’s a stone in the back corner of the lot, just barely covered by the roof of the adjacent building. It’s been there as long as she can remember, a great seat and hideaway on a rainy day.
So she takes the coffee in her other hand and sets it down on that seat.
“It’s your favorite. Light roast with three scoops sugar, two shots cream, and extra whipped cream.”
It’s not like Ei is dead, or at least, Sara hopes so. But it still feels right to buy the same coffee she’d heard the woman recite nearly daily for years, and bring it back to the same old spot.
Sara sits down where she usually does, staring back over the empty lot, seeing Ayaka and Lumine through the window.
They’re kissing, and it makes Sara’s heart ache all the more.
When they break apart, and Ayaka’s eyes flash across the window, Sara doesn’t look away. She gives a slight nod and a smile, doing her best to look as happy as she should be feeling right now.
Ayaka smiles back, and turns to say something to Lumine. Lumine nods and pulls out her own phone.
Sara looks away, now, back to her coffee. She pulls out her phone, hesitates, and then pulls off her gloves so she can type.
Raiden Shogun Shrine demolished Inazuma, she types into the search bar. The little pink fox spins in a circle, and suddenly there’s a long list of articles to read-- that one’s too old, this one is about a protest that kept one from being knocked down, that was a town hall meeting...
This might take a while, she realizes.
So she takes another sip of her coffee and sets it down next to Ei’s. On a sudden impulse, she picks up Ei’s and takes a sip of that too-sweet mixture, barely coffee at all.
It tastes... sweet. Very sweet, too sweet in fact, but it warms her up more than expected. So she takes another sip, licks a dollop of whipped cream off her lip, and puts it back down, ready to search further.
Shrine to Raiden Shogun collapses after earthquake, declares an article, and the picture makes her heart thump in her chest.
It’s the shrine, with the little stone in the back of the lot. There’s a woman with long purple hair looking away from the camera, raking up leaves, and she’d recognize her anywhere.
So she reads further, and her heart sinks to the bottom of her stomach.
There’s not a word in the article about Ei. The closest it gets is a brief mention of how the shrine had been maintained entirely by volunteers in its closing years, and how tragic it was that they’d have to demolish it. There wasn’t enough left, wasn’t much budget free, maybe in a few years they’d build a new one...
Sara brushes away tears, bookmarking the webpage before closing her phone.
She looks back to the coffee shop. Lumine is talking to someone on her phone animatedly, letting Ayaka feed her bites of food. If her heart could ache more, it would have.
Sara raises her cup to them, and Ayaka nods back, taking another bite of a massive cookie. Lumine turns to look, flashing a smile of her own. She winks, too, and then looks back off into the distance.
And that’s it, for now. At least Sara has some closure, she supposes. If that’s the case...
Setting down the cup one more time, Sara stands up and walks to the middle of the lot, facing towards the back. If she closes her eyes, she can envision it once more-- the shrine, covered in snow, shaded in the boughs of twin trees, and... Ei, with her faint smile.
“I didn’t get your number!” Ayaka calls out, banishing the ghostly shrine back whence it game.
Sara shakes her head, turning around to meet the woman. Ayaka is bundled up once more, wearing blue fingerless gloves and waving her phone cheerfully. Sara writes down fingerless gloves? in her notes app before switching over to contacts. “Does your phone do the QR codes?”
Ayaka nods, smiling. “Yup! I haven’t gotten much chance to use it, actually. Do you have yours out, or...”
Sara flips her phone around to present the code, and Ayaka fusses around with her phone for a moment before snapping a picture. “Thanks! I just don’t want to lose contact with friends I make, you know. I actually met Lumine when I was... ten? And when she moved, I was furious I didn’t even know where to send a letter.”
Sara’s smile becomes a bit more earnest. “I... thank you, Ayaka. I suppose I consider you a friend as well.”
Ayaka beams, and suddenly two arms are looped around her waist. Lumine rests her chin on Ayaka’s head, ignoring Ayaka’s protests, and turns the looped arms into a tight hug.
“Great. Ayaka here was terrible at making friends when she was little. I’m glad you’re getting out there, love.” Lumine smirks, squeezing tighter as Ayaka squirms. “And you know what, she’s a real go-getter. Maybe it wasn’t the politest thing, but she asked me to look into this whole thing on my own, you know.”
So she’d probably seen the article, too. “It wasn’t rude at all. I’ve seen what happened to this place, but I’d... I’d appreciate it if you had any more information, I think.”
“Yeah, fell down after an earthquake.” Lumine nods, finally letting Ayaka free. Their hands twine together, though, with their arms brushing. “Say, did you know anyone with purple hair that worked here? I saw one in the photo, and...”
Hope rises in Sara’s chest and she squashes it mercilessly. “Yes, I did. Her name was Ei.”
The name rolls off the tongue easily, even as it weighs her heart down.
“Ei?” Ayaka’s expression turns quizzical as she threads her fingers through Lumine’s. “Hmm.”
Lumine’s eyes flick off to the side, and she unthreads her fingers from Ayaka’s. Her brow furrows as she pulls out a notepad and a quite ornate-looking white pen. She scribbles a phone number down on it, rips the paper out, and hands to to Sara.
“Here. It’s her phone number.”
Raiden Ei, the name reads. So that was her family name-- it seems fitting, Sara decides.
The paper wrinkles in her hand as her eyes scan the number over and over again, committing it to memory. She won’t let this slip away.
“I--” Sara tries, stowing the paper carefully. Her voice catches in her throat.
“...thank you. You had no reason to help me, but you’ve given me an incredible gift.” For lack of a better option, Sara drops into a deep bow. She hardly knows how to feel, let alone respond.
“A little kindness goes a long way, Sara.” Ayaka says softly. “Just pay it forward and that’ll be more than enough for us.”
“Just say hi to her for Lumine and Ayaka, okay?” Lumine chuckles as Sara stands up straight. She checks her watch and curses. “Archons. We’re going to be late, Ayaka-- you have her contact info now, right?”
Ayaka taps something out, and Sara’s phone buzzes. “Now we both do!”
Sara nods, smiling back. “Have a good day, both of you. I... look forward to speaking with you both again, sometime.”
She waves as they depart, walking up towards the center of town, and Sara watches.
The number is typed out on Sara’s phone, now. Her thumb, numb from the cold, hovers over the call button.
Would Ei remember her, as she remembers Ei?
Were those memories treasured by the both of them?
In the distance, she watches Lumine and Ayaka kiss one last time, and Sara pushes the button.
The line picks up instantly.
“Hello? This is Kujou Sara. Do you remember me?”