Fumiko saw Goro’s face as he glanced back before leaving the café. She saw his face for only a split second but he was smiling wonderfully, just like… - Toshikazu Kawaguchi

The waitress’s name was Kazu Tokita. Kazu was a cousin of the proprietor. She was waitressing while attending Tokyo University of the Arts. She had quite a pretty face, a pale complexion and narrow almond-shaped eyes, yet her features were not memorable. It was the type of face that if you glanced at it, closed your eyes and then tried to remember what you saw, nothing would come to mind. In a word, she was inconspicuous. She had no presence. She didn’t have many friends either. Not that she worried about it — Kazu was the sort of person who found interpersonal relationships rather tedious.

She reached for her coffee, from which all heat now had gone. With the sweetest part of the experience lost, her mood plummeted further.

People tend to feel happy when spring arrives, especially after a cold winter.