"Be careful going in!”

“Yes!”

The kids went back inside with a bow. Miso stepped back inside the cafe with a sigh.

“They’re gone?”

“Yeah. Thanks for today.”

“I mean, this isn’t the first time. Here, have some dinner while you’re still here. I want to talk to you for a bit, too.”

“Of course, but before that.”

Miso stepped out onto the terrace for a moment. The sun had set, and the terrace was painted by a variety of colorful lightings from signboards of nearby stores.

The wind was a bit cold, it was truly the beginning of autumn. There weren’t that many people left in the terrace, either. They must’ve left to find some place to eat. Miso turned to look at the table at one corner of the terrace, there was a man in his fifties watching the people on the streets with a slight smile. The only thing he had on his table was a cold coffee, an old notebook, and a custom cigarette box made out of wood.

“How was it?” Miso asked.

She couldn’t see the man’s expression due to his hat. Was he satisfied by them, or not?

“Reminded me of the old days. It was nice. We used to do the same thing at subways. More often than not, people used to look at us very weirdly. There’s a higher risk of doing it in a subway, actually. After all,...