"Here's your latte" the waiter puts the cup down on her table.
"Ah, yes. Thank you"
Astonishing grabbed the cup and took a small sip before putting it back down and stared at the black haired girl in front of her sipping her own black coffee.
"Thank you for agreeing to meet," the girl spoke first. "I apologize for pulling you away so abruptly last night."
Yep, this girl came at her last night. Astonishing didn't truly know her motive but she didn't openly declined either. So here there are drinking coffee inside a cafe not far from the beach, about fifteen minute walk.
Astonishing grabbed a muffin from a tray provided by the cafe. "Umm... if I'm not mistaken, your name is..."
"It's Manhattan Cafe" she confirmed.
Astonishing took a delicate bite of the muffin, savoring the rich, chocolate flavor for a second before turning her full attention back to the Cafe.
"Manhattan Cafe..." Astonishing repeated. 'I think Pocket-senpai mentioned her briefly'.
"I see. Then... Cafe...-senpai? What did you mean last night when you said we needed to talk?"
Cafe didn't answer immediately. She held her porcelain cup with both hands, letting the steam drift up between them. "You might not notice it, but I've been watching you all this time. I should probably apologize for that..."
"All this... time?" Astonishing raised an eyebrow, pausing with her latte halfway to her lips.
"A while after you arrived at Tracen" Cafe said. "At first I thought, another rouge spirit had find its way into the campus, sticking into one of the student, you. But the presence around you was different. It felt like the bond between me and my 'friend'"
"I can see her sometimes," Cafe continued, "Standing just behind your shoulder. She looks... remarkably like you, and just like my friend, she cannot easily speak to this world."
"Sorry, but... who is this 'friend' you're talking about?" Astonishing asked.
"Did you remember that time when the snowstorm hits the academy and we're forced to train inside?"
Astonishing thinks for a moment, trying to find the exact memory of it. "Ah, yes. I think I remember it"
"That time, you see a black-haired figure reflected in the window, did you?"
"Yes... wait, how did you know that?" Astonishing asked in confusion.
"It was my 'friend'" Cafe simply said.
"Your friend is a... ghost?"
Cafe took another slow sip of her black coffee, letting the silence stretch between them before placing the porcelain cup back onto its saucer. "Some people refers her to that"
"So what was your 'friend' doing then?"
"She was simply drawn to you, and at that moment I realized you can see her. Perhaps you are not that different than me"
Astonishing's ears twitched subtly as she digested the words. "Wait, so you can see your 'friend' and my... 'friend', and I can see your 'friend' but not mine?"
"I don't think I can explain it, there are things that we might never know the answer"
Cafe looked down at her coffee, "My friend is bound to me, yet it's confirmed that she's visible to those whose perception bridges the gap. She, for all I can think of, is a completely different and independent existence."
"But your 'friend', she's different" she continued. "I can't explain in detail, but my theory is that she's directly connected to you by a mean."
"A direct connection..." Astonishing murmured.
.
.
.
"I'm you, of course. Or more precisely, you are me"
"I am the soul of the name you carry. Or at least, the fragment of me that lives within you"
.
.
.
"As in... two souls living inside one vessel?"
"Perhaps that's only the explanation available" Cafe replied. "Maybe the reason why you couldn't see her is because she resides within you, occupying the same space as your very soul."
"So... she is too close for me to see. Like trying to view one's own reflection without a mirror."
"Precisely,"
"Well..." Astonishing mind drifted back to the time she spent inside the whitespace. "I do see her sometimes in my dream. Everything was white, but then... it all turned dark, and she's... nowhere to be seen. There's just this shadow... a dark version of her in her place"
"I see it too. Right now, your whole body is covered in this dark aura as if weighting you down"
Astonishing can feel the chill on the back of her neck.
"Actually, last night I met someone. A fortune teller, I think I've seen her hanging out with one of my friend, that orange hair" She recalled the memory of last night encounter with mysterious figure.
"Fukukitaru?"
"Was that her name? Though... there's something off about her I don't quiet understand. Not to mention she just disappeared along with her tent the moment I stepped outside."
"Then it's not her"
"Who is she then?"
Cafe closed her eyes for a moment. "Some things in this world is better left unknown"
Astonishing sighed. "Then what should I do now? She said I need to confront 'her', but I don't even know how to do it. I'm powerless in that blackspace"
Cafe only sits in silence, "I don't know the answer either. Usually, spirits would disappear for good once their affairs in this world is done. Maybe the same thing can be applied? Maybe there's something you need to do to finally make that shadow disappear?"
"Make it disappear... by fulfilling her wish?" Astonishing asked softly, raising her eyes back to Cafe.
"Do you know her wish?" Cafe asked.
Astonishing went silent, her gaze drifting toward the window where morning sunlight glinted off the ocean waves in the distance. "I guess I do"
"Then it's the only way. If that is truly her desire...then achieving it means letting her to finally rest, knowing her dream was fulfilled by your hands."
Astonishing raised her mug, taking a final, steady sip of her latte before placing it softly back onto its saucer. "Then I guess I had no choice"
She stood up from the table. "Thank you for the coffee, Cafe-senpai," Astonishing said. "I think... I know where I need to go now."
"Take care," Cafe murmured. "The shadow will grow heavier as you draw closer to her dream... but do not let it drag you down."
"I won't," Astonishing replied firmly.
She turned and stepped out of the air-conditioned cafe, meeting the bright morning sun.
.....
Cafe's body shuddered, then a black mist came out of her and forming a body that looks similar to Manhattan Cafe, some people might think they are twins.
The figure sat in front of her, where Astonishing sat earlier. Its face is almost impossible to see, covered by hair and mist.
"Nngh... let's not do that again..." Cafe said to her 'friend'.
Her 'friend' nodded.
.
.
.
"Hmm..." Takeda is scrolling through list of races, and looking at the information of the participants on his phone. Up until now, nor he or Astonishing had decided what race should they participate. Each option carried its own set of capable rivals and tactical demands.
The summer training camp was drawing to its final stretch, which meant one crucial thing: the autumn campaign was right around the corner. Every trainer at Tracen was currently finalizing schedules, filing registrations, and meticulously mapping out target races for their trainees.
"She definetely has the capability to challenge a G1..."
His concentration is broken by the sound of footsteps approaching.
Astonishing walked over, she's already wearing her tracksuit and tied her hair into the usual ponytail.
"Morning, Trainer," Astonishing greeted him. "What are you looking at?"
Takeda turned to face her, "Oh, I'm just trying to find a suitable race for you"
He went silent for a moment, then let out sigh. "Listen, it's time to get serious. Summer camp is almost over and we don't have a race decided yet."
"We can't go on like this" he continued. "So, I decided we should aim for the Autumn Tenno Sho. I know you got what it takes, you might not see it because you lose several times to World's End Opening, but you are very strong in the eyes of others. What do you think?"
"The Autumn Tenno Sho..." Astonishing repeated. If he had asked way earlier, she definetely going to agree with his choice. But, after all that happened thoroughout the summer camp, she know she couldn't run away from her destiny.
Dora's words echoed in her mind.
.
.
.
"I don't care what the final result is going to be,"
"I don't care if I win, if I place, or if I come in dead last. I just... I need to finish what I started. I owe it to myself, to the fans who cheered for me, and to myself who thought she could take on the world when this season began."
.
.
.
"I can't do the Tenno Sho, Trainer," she said.
Takeda blinked, caught off guard. "Then what is it?"
"The Kikuka Sho," Astonishing declared, locking her gaze directly onto her trainer. "That's where I need to go."
Takeda stared at her, "The Kikuka Sho? Are you sure? Look, I know I can't force you to quit it but, as your trainer I must remind you that you are not suited for long races. Not to mention you're going to face World's End Opening again. I hate to admit it but... she truly is the strongest in this generation"
"I know" she said. "You probably think I wouldn't win, and I don't blame you. The chance is small, and I know that."
"Then why risk it?"
Astonishing clenched her fist. "I don't want to run away. This is my destiny, and I must fulfill it. It might sound stupid to you, but please, you have to let me enter the race."
Takeda stared at her. He can see it, there's no way he can convince her otherwise.
"Three thousand meters," he said softly. "It's a brutal distance. It tears through stamina, tests every ounce of pacing control, and punishes even the slightest miscalculation"
A small, defeated laugh escaped Takeda's lips, though a proud smile quickly replaced it. "You really don't make my job easy, you know that?"
"Alright then, we go to the Kikuka Sho," Takeda declared.
"Thank you, Trainer," she said softly. "I promise... I won't make you regret this."
"You never do," Takeda replied. "Now, clear your head. We're going to have a long studying session"
"We're not training?" Astonishing asked in confusion.
"Physically, your conditioning from summer camp is already at its absolute peak, what else is there to train?" he explained.
"It's time for you to learn the art of war"
.
.
.
"Brain... fried..." she mumbled into the desk, her voice muffled by the stacks of paper beneath her face.
Takeda leaned back in his office chair, watching his trainee completely collapse against the wood. Spread out beneath her face were dozens of datas, pacing charts, and detailed analyses of every single competitor registered for the upcoming race.
Not to mention stacks of book as tall as her sitting on the floor.
"Maybe that's enough for today" he said.
Astonishing groaned, her ears twitching weakly as she rotated her head, resting her cheek flat against the table. "I feel as though I've just run three races back-to-back using only my brain..." she murmured.
Takeda chuckled, sliding his notebook closed with a soft click. "Well, that's the point. At three thousand meters, your brain exhausts itself long before your legs do. Kikuka Sho is not just the legs, it's also how long can you stay focused."
He stood up, stretching his arms above his head and begin tidying the desk. "Go get some fresh air. I'll take care of the mess"
Astonishing didn't need to be told twice. She slowly pushed herself up from the chair, letting out a long sigh as her joints popped and stepped out of the room.
.
.
.
"*Yawn* Somehow that was more tiring than actually training on the track" Astonishing rubbed her temple as she walked along the path towards the dorm. The sky is painted in deep orange, which mean it's not long until the sun sets.
"Hmm?" A familiar figure caught her attention. It was World's End Opening.
Astonishing hurriedly finding a cover behind the corner.
World's End Opening wasn't heading toward the dorms. Instead, she turned onto a narrow dirt path winding up the hill behind it.
'Where is she going?' Astonishing wondered.
Keeping her steps virtually silent, Astonishing slipped out from behind her cover. She dropped low into a light, stealthy stance, utilizing every available covers to mask her movement.
"A cliff?"