KITSUNE

➖ Reenter: Infatuation

HAISE SASAKI FIXED THE COLLAR OF HIS DRESS SHIRT AND PULLED UP HIS TIE. He found it hard to breathe, so instead, he pulled the tie a bit down to be a bit loose around his neck. In "two" years since he's alive, this was the first time he went on a date – was this even a date? Haise was uncertain what the meeting would be.

Maybe she'll try to get information out of me – Haise panicked. He concluded that since she works in a publishing company; which, from his research, is a major publishing company that works both nationally and internationally, and is best known for publishing the works of many major authors. The company was also known for magazines that cover a lot of stories regarding ghouls, the financial state of Tokyo, government, and employment,... basically, it covers everything.

And Haise was meeting with Hayami Ikeru who had more than 50 articles published in various magazines in one year. She was a renowned columnist. Of course, Haise did his research – he didn't want to go on a date blindly. However, he did keep everyone in the dark about where he was going and who he was meeting.

If I suspect something is wrong – I'll just leave.

Haise was comforting himself as she walked up the stairs that led to the coffee shop. The stairs were not a problem to him – but it did make Haise wonder why Hayami chose a coffee shop on the second floor. Many would avoid going to a coffee shop that tests their fitness.

A major mirror stood in front of him as he arrived on the second floor. He was dressed like... himself. Like a Ghoul Investigator. I should have put on something else. It was too late now to change his clothes – he was already on the clock and there was nothing he could do. He wanted to make a good second impression, but his self-esteem was lowered the more he was thinking about encountering her.

In golden, intentionally worn-out letters stood a sigh: Antique. And underneath it in the lower font: coffee shop for thinkers. The sign impressed Haise – the coffee shop sparked an interest. He walked forward and the glass door opened with a silent movement. The dark windows he saw in front of the building were all see-through. They exposed everything that was happening outside, while everything was hidden inside.

Gentle music with a note of rock played in the background – it was not too loud and not too silent. There were booths set within the coffee shop that separated one table from the other. The waiter at the bar gave him a welcoming nod as he entered inside. It seemed that only the waiter acknowledged his presence.

Haise Sasaki searched for Hayami. Slight panic came to his chest that she had forgotten, but that panic quickly disappeared as he took notice of the white hair hidden in the booth in the furthest corner. He approached her and the closer he came, the more he was sure that was Hayami Ikeru. He was delightfully surprised by her appearance.

Her hair was half up, wrapped in a bun with a pencil. Her eyes were set on the laptop in front of her with her notebook on the side. She was quick with her fingers as she typed something. Haise almost felt guilty that he had to approach her and make his presence known to her – but he did it anyway.

Hayami took notice of him before he was able to speak. "Haise." She smiled warmly. "You came." She almost sounded surprised.

How could I not... "The coffee shop was not hard to find." He replied with a gentle shrug.

Hayami raised slightly for her chair. "Please, sit." She gestured towards the empty chair opposite side of her. "I'm sorry for the mess. I came here early so I can get a few things done."

Hayami closed her laptop and put it into her laptop bag. She gathered all the papers that were lying messily on the table and placed them into the bag as well. As Haise took off his coat, he looked around the coffee shop again. He did notice how many people were alone, typing on their phones or their laptops, listening to something on their headphones... it was a coffee shop for introverts and workaholics.