The soft chi of the bell above the door was accompanied by a gentle glow, signaling a new arrival. The timing, however, was so unexpected that it startled not only Kasugano Sora but also Ren and Lucifer. No guest from the myriad other worlds had ever appeared at this hour.
Lucifer's expression was blank. "Ren… has a guest ever arrived this late before?"
"No," Ren murmured, his eyes fixed on the illuminated doorway. "I'm also very curious who this could be…"
As the words left his lips, the light faded to reveal a young man in a school uniform. The mont Ren saw his face, he froze, completely and utterly dumbfounded. He never would have imagined, not in a thousand lifetis, that this particular person would be the one to walk through that door. Ichihara Yuuko, who had been observing Ren with her usual knowing gaze, imdiately caught the shift in his deanor.
"Ren, what is it?" she asked, her voice laced with curiosity. "Do you know him?"
Ren could only nod, his voice barely a whisper. "I truly never expected it would be you…"
The young man started, a look of mild confusion on his face. He scratched the back of his head, a slightly sheepish gesture. "I'm not sure why, but I was trying to sleep and suddenly got this feeling… that sothing was about to happen. I couldn't get back to sleep after that. I figured I'd co here to see if you were still open and maybe get so breakfast. I'm glad you haven't closed yet, Shopkeeper Ren."
A faint, complicated smile touched Ren's lips. "Your intuition is remarkably accurate. Sothing did happen, and it's related to you. Would you like sothing to eat, Natsu?"
The mont the na was spoken, every eye in the room, save for Kasugano Sora's, widened in shock. A collective, hushed exclamation filled the air.
"Natsu Takashi?!"
The young man, Natsu, jumped slightly at the sudden attention. He nodded hesitantly. "Yes, that's … Do you… all know ?"
Ren let out a soft sigh. "Of course they do. They were all here when it happened."
Natsu's brow furrowed in confusion. "Eh? When what happened? Was my intuition right after all…?"
Ren's expression was one of gentle helplessness. "You were right, but your intuition should have kicked in a little earlier. If it had, you wouldn't have missed Mr. Clow Reed."
Natsu's eyes went wide with surprise and a touch of dismay. "Mr. Clow Reed was here, too? What a sha, I didn't get to see him… I can only hope I'll have the chance to et him again in the future."
Ichihara Yuuko hesitated, a flicker of deep sadness in her dark eyes, before she finally spoke. "So you're Natsu-kun… You're the one he kept saying he wanted to see before he left… But he's already…"
Ren cleared his throat softly, cutting her off before the truth could spill out. "Hmm. The regret of a missed eting only makes the next one more anticipated. Natsu, you will see him again."
A gentle, hopeful smile graced Natsu's features. "Mm! So that feeling I had today was because Mr. Clow Reed ca… It's a pity, but I'll just have to look forward to our next eting. There have been a few things happening recently that I wanted to tell him about…"
A wave of sorrow washed over everyone present. The sheer, tragic irony of Natsu Takashi's arrival was crushing. Clow Reed, even as he walked the path toward his own end, had never forgotten the young man he considered his first true friend—the boy who treated the world, and himself, with such deep gentleness. And yet, in the end, they had missed each other.
For this kind young man to walk in at the very mont Clow Reed had departed, guided by a feeling that sothing was amiss… it was a proof of a connection that transcended worlds. Gentleness could reach out to gentleness, and friendship could bridge any distance, but the weight of this particular regret felt almost too heavy to bear.
Ren's voice was soft, a comforting anchor in the quiet room. "Then you should gather more stories to tell him. I'm sure he'll have a lot to say to you, too. It's the anticipation of tomorrow that gives our lives aning."
He shifted gears, his tone becoming warr. "What would you like for breakfast?"
"Sandwiches and juice, please… Thank you, Shopkeeper Ren!"
Ren nodded, a genuine smile returning to his face. "Would you like a bento for lunch as well?"
"A bento… that sounds nice. Yes, please, Shopkeeper Ren!"
"Please wait a mont."
With that, Ren turned and disappeared back into the kitchen. Natsu Takashi, his school bag slung over his shoulder, stood quietly to the side, his white school uniform shirt immaculate.
Ichihara Yuuko understood perfectly that Ren was trying to shield Natsu from the news of Clow Reed's fate. After a mont of thought, she lowered her voice, her tone gentle. "Natsu-kun, what was it you wanted to tell that man?"
Natsu blinked, then his expression cleared. "That man… Ah! You an Mr. Clow Reed, right? It wasn't anything major…"
"Was it about a youkai?"
The word hung in the air, and Natsu froze. He had been hesitant to speak because he didn't want anyone besides Ren and Clow Reed to know about his ability to see spirits. Ichihara Yuuko's casual, knowing question left him montarily speechless.
He hesitated for a long mont before giving a small, reluctant nod. "Mm… I've encountered two youkai recently… What is your relationship with Mr. Clow Reed?"
Ichihara Yuuko considered this, a faint smile playing on her lips. "If I had to put a label on it, I suppose you could call us friends."
"Oh… I see."
"So, I'm curious about what you wanted to tell him," she continued, her voice a low, inviting murmur. "Or is it sothing you'd rather not say?"
Natsu shook his head. "It's not that I can't say… It's just…"
The shop fell silent, the only sound Natsu's gentle voice as he began to recount his recent experiences. Everyone listened, rapt, as he spoke.
The story itself was short and, on the surface, perhaps even ordinary, but there was a unique quality to the way he told it. When he finished, Ichihara Yuuko let out a long, quiet sigh. "That's truly… Natsu-kun, how do you feel about those two youkai?"
"I'm not sure," Natsu admitted. "But I can feel its loneliness. From the way it acts, it seems to resent quite a bit… If I could, I'd like to find out what I did to hurt it. But it keeps calling Reiko… That's my grandmother's na. So maybe my grandmother knew it."
At this, a soft smile touched his lips. "If that's the case, it would be good to resolve the misunderstanding. It seems like a rather simple youkai, deep down."
His words stunned the listeners. Even Yuuka Kazami, who had remained a silent, serene observer, seed to register a flicker of surprise. Lucifer tilted her head, her expression one of pure bewildernt. "You don't resent this youkai? The one that wants to ruin your life and kill you?"
Natsu simply shook his head, his voice unwavering in its gentleness. "I don't resent it. I'll admit, it can be quite scary, but… if this is all a misunderstanding because of my grandmother, then I'd like to clear it up. After all, underneath all the anger… I can feel its loneliness."
In that mont, Ichihara Yuuko finally understood. She understood completely why Clow Reed, on the verge of his final journey, had so desperately wanted to see Natsu Takashi one last ti. A faint breeze seed to drift through the shop, stirring her long brown hair. Her expression remained unreadable, but a evident warmth emanated from her, a silent acknowledgnt of the boy's deep kindness.
"Natsu, it's ready."
Ren erged from the kitchen, holding a neatly wrapped bento box and a plate with a sandwich. Natsu took them, his movents graceful. "Thank you, Shopkeeper Ren. How much will that be?"
"Five hundred yen in total."
"Still as affordable as ever… Well then, Shopkeeper Ren, here you go." Natsu handed over the coins. "I'll be going now. Goodbye, everyone."
"Please co again."
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