Silence settled over the café, the faint smell of charred smoke lingering in the air. Aoi and Yosuke, breathing heavily, stared at the floor.
The burned remnants of the black liquid had turned to ash, sinking into the cracks of the floorboards. The figures outside had vanished, and the countless handprints on the glass dissolved with the fading fog.
The clock in the Moonlight Café read four in the morning. The campus streetlights glowed softly again, their light steady. Aoi set the notebook on the counter, and Yosuke lowered the crowbar to the floor.
"Is it really… over?" Yosuke muttered, glancing out the window. The fog had cleared completely, the lecture hall's silhouette sharp against the night.
Aoi nodded, picking up the broken grinder and the wooden box. The cracked glass bottle inside was empty, its black contents burned away. She opened the notebook, rereading the line: Cleanse with fire.
"It should be finished," she said, her voice firm but tinged with a quiet unease.
Yosuke returned to the kitchen, straightening sacks and shelves. Aoi stuffed the grinder and box into a trash bag, slipping the notebook into her apron pocket.
Should she tell someone about the café's secrets, or keep them buried? She didn't know yet.
Yosuke came back to the counter, wiping the espresso machine. "Aoi, let's keep this between us, yeah?"
She gave a small nod and switched off the machine. The hiss of steam faded, and the café slipped back into its familiar quiet.
Yosuke chuckled, clapping her shoulder. "Let's lock up till morning. No one's coming after a night like this."
Aoi smiled, grabbing the broom to sweep up the ash and wood scraps. As she worked, she glanced out the window. The campus was still, only a distant streetlight flickering. But as she finished cleaning, a faint sound came from the counter. She turned and saw one of the coffee bean jars shift ever so slightly.
Her breath caught. She almost called for Yosuke but shook her head.
"Just my imagination," she told herself, pushing the jar to the back of the shelf.
Yosuke returned from the back, keys in hand. "Aoi, let's go. We've had enough for one night."
They shed their aprons and stepped outside. The doorbell chimed softly. Aoi paused, looking up at the café's sign. Bathed in moonlight, the old wooden board cast an oddly sinister shadow.
Yosuke shrugged and started down the campus path. "You'll show up for the next shift, right?"
Aoi hesitated, then smiled. "Yeah. Can't just leave a place like this."
They walked into the lingering mist, disappearing into the campus's darkness. Inside the café, the windows reflected an empty room. For a fleeting moment, a coffee bean jar on the counter trembled faintly, but the motion dissolved into the silence of the night.
A few days later, Aoi was back on the midnight shift.
A new coffee grinder sat on the counter, the old one gone for good. Yosuke was in the kitchen, tossing out his usual lighthearted jokes, and Aoi laughed as she brewed coffee.
The customers were sparse—just a few students hunched over notebooks. The café seemed normal again. But as Aoi wiped the counter, her hand paused. Her eyes locked on a coffee bean jar at the back of the shelf.
The lid looked slightly loose.
She took a deep breath and tightened it. Yosuke poked his head out of the kitchen, grinning. "Aoi, you look spooked. Don't tell me you're thinking weird stuff again."
She shook her head, forcing a laugh, and returned to the counter.
But the notebook in her pocket felt heavier. In her mind, she whispered, This place isn't done yet.
As the espresso machine hissed, she flashed a smile for the next customer.
おわり