“H-Here.”

The girl looked beside her to Jurou’s outstretched hand holding a pint of beer.

“I thought you’d run away.” She responded, taking the drink.

“I thought about it…”

“And?…”

“I decided you owed me a glass of whiskey.”

She let out a chortle, “And yet you bought me a beer…”

“I decided you owed me one of those too.”

She turned towards him, smirking; “I should just open a tab at this point.”

Jurou chuckled and leaned his forearms on the wooden rail. He looked up at the moon.

“It’s incredible, isn’t it? But, I didn’t think anyone else even cared, it was surprising to see you watching the lunar eclipse.” Said Jurou.

The girl smiled, looking back up to the moon.

“My name is Akatsuki Niko. So, as you can imagine, it has been quite the fascination for me.”

“Akatsuki - Red Moon…” he responded.

How fitting. He thought once more.

“So Akatsuki-san is in Ketsugetsu, watching the lunar eclipse?”

“Maybe I’m trying to find myself in it…”

Jurou turned to her; she looked at him out of the corner of her.

“…Or maybe I’m just self absorbed.” She continued with a chuckle.

Jurou smirked, took a sip of his pint and then looked back at the moon.

“Aren’t you going to ask for my name?”

“Nope.”

A moment passed.

Jurou locked onto the big red moon, his eyes eventually glazing over as he was lost in thought and Niko noticed.

“What is it?” she asked, breaking the spell.

“Oh, I was just thinking about time…”

“…Time?”

He nodded without looking at her; “As a child I could not wait to grow up,” he chuckled. “I would have thought 27 was old. But now, I realise just how little time I have had, how little I have actually done. No-I actually haven’t done anything.”

Niko covered her mouth as she chuckled; “Hey, aren’t you a little too young to be experiencing a midlife crisis? You sound like an old man yearning for his youth.”

They both burst into laughter.

“But, seriously, you alright? Did you get fired or something?”

Jurou took another sip of his beer and turned towards her, grinning;

“Well, I did quit my job.”

Jurou could barely contain his excitement when he went to bed that night, lucid enough to remember a promise he had forced out of a stranger. The next morning, however, regret flooded his mind.

No, No, No, No! Why did I ask her to meet me again?

He pondered onto the night before; picturing himself with a square jaw and perfect hair, his voice a deep bass,

“I decided you owed me a whiskey.”

Gyaaa! How embarrassing, where did all that confidence come from? He continued. And what’s worse, is she’s going to expect that guy! But when I arrive…does this-does this count as cat-fishing?

Sitting up on his bed, he looked towards his bedroom door. A smile slowly crept across his face which turned into a giggle and then a guffaw.

“Why am I thinking all these silly things?”

He pressed his hand to his forehead and gently stroked his hair back,

“She won’t show up to begin with.”

I know she won’t.

KYAAAA! Jurou thought as the café doorbell jingled and Niko, donning her black leather jacket, walked through.

She sat down across the small round table from Jurou, with one leg over the other.

“So, you remembered.” She said.

He laughed nervously, looking down at the table; “Of-of course!”

“I’m surprised you came.”

“I was surprised too, that you came…”

“Well, thanks to you, I could find this place easily.”

He stared at the table blankly.

“You don’t remember, do you?” she started.

“Of course I do,” he protested, “I-I gave you very clear instructions!”

She chuckled, leaned forward and bent her head, forcing eye contact;

“Nooo; you brought me here in a taxi and after realising it was closed, forced me to save this destination on my phone and meet you here today.”

With every word he grew more and more embarrassed until his soul eventually left his body through his agape mouth, searching for a new vessel. Niko snapped him back to consciousness with a simple question;

This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it

“So, which one is she?”

“Huh?”

“The waitress that is supposedly so pretty that you dragged me here at 2 o’clock in the morning to come and see her.”

The memories flooded in as she spoke. He bowed so low that his head smacked the table,

“I’m so sorry Akatsuki-san!”

She leaned back. “So?”

He slowly lifted his head and his eyes drifted over Niko’s shoulder and to a girl attending to a customer.

Niko looked over her shoulder, “Eh? So that’s your type, huh?”

“N-No, I-Uh…”

“Do you want me to help you?” she interrupted.

“What?”

“I still owe you for last night after all.” She continued cheekily.

“N-No, that was-“

“’I decided you owed me a glass of whiskey.’” She interrupted in a mockingly husky tone, “Wasn’t that you who said that?” she continued, barely able to contain her laughter.

Jurou looked away, red faced.

“So, tell me about the girl.”

Jurou looked back to Niko, “You’re really going to help?”

She smirked.

“B-but, why?” Jurou asked timidly.

“Why not?”

“Uh…”

She shrugged, “Maybe I’m just a hopeless romantic…”

She wagged her finger at him,

“You ask too many questions! A fairy godmother has landed in your lap and all you care about are the physics of my wingspan…don’t you know, I am Ōsaka’s greatest relationship expert?”

“I mean, you don’t even know my name…”

“Because you didn’t tell me.”

“I tried-“

“’Do or do not, there is no try.’”

“Did you just quote-“

“If you want to do something, just do it.”

Jurou looked down at his cup of coffee and then with renewed confidence, looked her in the eyes.

“My name is Kuroko Ju-“

“-I’ve stopped caring.” She interrupted turning away from him. “And besides, shouldn’t your sincere words be directed towards her instead?”

Long, straight ginger hair culminated with a finely cut fringe. She wore a white shirt and a black skirt with a black apron wrapped around her waist. Iwano Emi was the name of the 24 year old waitress Jurou had long wished he could muster the courage to speak to.

Niko raised her hand, catching the attention of Emi.

“Please don’t!” Jurou feebly protested. But the waitress was already making her way to the table.

Niko turned back to face him, smiling; “You can do it!” she said with a wink.

Emi stood at the table with a bright smile.

“How can I help you?”

Niko gestured toward Jurou, who begrudgingly took his cue:

“Erhm, uh…”

Niko mouthed the words ‘My name is…’ towards him.

“M-M-My-Myenu looks good, doesn’t it.” He uttered trying his best to sound casual.

Emi smiled gleefully.

“Yes, would you like your usual? The American breakfast, right?”

“Wha- You remembered?”

“Of course!” Emi responded warmly, “I only work on weekends, so you’re my most loyal customer!” A gentle giggle followed.

Jurou’s face lit up.

“Oh, does he come here often?” Niko interjected.

“Mhmh,” Emi confirmed, “every Saturday and Sunday, he always sits here too!”

Niko grinned at him, “Wow, you’re full of surprises aren’t you?”

“But this is the first time he has brought his older sister with him; it’s nice to meet you.” Emi continued with a bright smile.

Niko gritted her teeth and faintly attempted to conceal her contempt.

“Akatsuki-san is a friend,” Jurou intervened before Niko could respond; “oh, uh, and I am Kuroko Jurou.” He said, bowing, “It’s good to formally meet you.”

Emi tapped on her name badge, “I’m Iwano Emi, feel free to call me Emi from now on.” Her smile lit up the room and Jurou’s heart fluttered as she invited him to call her by her first name.

When the pair stepped out of the café Jurou was over the moon. He wore a grin as wide as his more or less nondescript face,

“Akatsuki-san, you were amazing, I even ended up getting a number! I don’t know how to–“

He turned to see the short black and pink hair accompanying a grumpy face,

“’Older sister,’ she says, I ought to drop kick her to next Sunday.” Niko muttered to herself.

“You really hold a grudge, huh?”

She stared daggers into him.

Trying to defuse the situation, he uttered, “Ah, don’t sweat the little things.” Which only served to fan the flames, she turned away furiously;

“’Little things…’” She grumbled.

Realising he hadn’t helped, he raised his hands in an admission of guilt; “Ah, I’m sorry.”

She looked at his weak smile, and sighed, uncrossing her arms and placing one hand on her hip.

“And so? What are you going to do now?”

“Hm? Go home I guess…” Jurou responded.

She raised an eyebrow; “I don’t mean right now, you said you quit your job, shouldn’t you try and find another?”

Jurou broke eye contact as he remembered his reason for quitting.

“N-no, I think I’m just going to take a break.”

“And do what?”

“What, indeed…”

“If you could do anything in the world that you wanted to do, right now, what would it be?”

He looked at her for a moment then looked away, blinking furiously as he tried to rid his mind of a thought that had crept in unawares.

“I, uh, I don’t know…” Jurou responded still trying to collect his thoughts.

Niko pondered, tapping her right index finger on the mole below her pink lips.

“Hmm…then what about a list?”

“A list?”

She nodded, “A list, of all the things you would have liked to do but couldn’t do before. Anything goes!”

Her excitement was infectious.

A list, huh? He thought. “That’s not a bad idea…”

“We’ve already completed step one of ‘Operation: Gārufurendo’ – now you need to find other things to do.” She responded, letting her Ōsaka-ben dialect express itself fully.

“Eh, but I doubt I could afford to do everything…”

“We’ll figure it out!” She said raising a thumb as she grinned.

Her excitement truly was infectious. Jurou fought the urge to get on the train,

“You’re going to help me with that too? Eh? Why?”

“Don’t sweat the little things.” She responded cheekily, fanning her hand back and forth.

He sighed, “You really are an enigma…”

She reached out an open hand. He looked at her, puzzled.

“Phone.” She said

He reached into the pocket of his suit pants and handed it to her. She proceeded to press on the screen and then handed it back to him; he looked to find the contact details of ‘Enigma-chan.’

“Call me when you have completed the list.”