Life In The Reverse World

Their meeting spot with Nogami was Café Marly on PARCO’s first floor.

Harutaki checked the map, memorized the route, then continued pulling Shihou along as they cut through the mall.

Café Marly was a French-style café. Its black marble archway facing the inside of the mall held a soft-glowing signboard; outside, a long line of people waited with number tickets in hand.

Bzz bzz.

He was just beginning to worry that Nogami wanted him to queue for seats when a LINE message arrived—

[Just come in and find us.] — Read

It was 10:19. Still over ten minutes before their 10:30 meeting time. Nogami probably hadn’t expected him to arrive so early, her message ended up being perfectly timed.

“Excuse me, please take a number. ”

“Sorry, we’re meeting someone. They saved seats for us.”

The server blinked, then quickly stepped aside and bowed slightly.

“The café is crowded, so please watch your step.”

Inside, Café Marly was decorated in a European style. The windows, divided by blue square panes and bold lines, resembled those of a cathedral. The gray brick walls, softened by warm lighting, gave the room a cozy charm.

Being a popular café during Golden Week, it was packed wall-to-wall with stylish young people, and among them, plenty of women who could easily be called beauties thanks to impeccable makeup and fashion sense.

Even so, he still spotted Nogami almost immediately.

That aura of hers, noble and imperious all at once, made her stand out from the crowd like a torch burning in the middle of a moonless night.

Nogami, Sae, and Minako were seated together on a wide sofa booth by the window. The brick wall beside them was decorated with framed tarot prints: The Fool and Justice.

Carefully weaving through the packed tables, Harutaki drew closer and gradually took in what the three girls were wearing.

First was Nogami. Today she wasn’t sporting her signature side ponytail; instead, her wine-red hair fell naturally over her shoulders, her bangs loosely framing her forehead. This softer, almost casual style blunted the sharp edge of her usual presence. She no longer radiated that unceasing, oppressive sort of intensity.

As for her clothes, she wore a dark navy pullover hoodie on top, and a short skirt that left nearly half her thigh exposed below.

The oversized hoodie made her look a little smaller, almost cute, while the glimpse of skirt struck a perfect balance between sweet and alluring. It avoided that “the hoodie covers everything so now it looks like you’re flaunting your legs on purpose” effect, yet also sidestepped the frumpy look of a knee-length skirt that would’ve ruined the adorable vibe.

Next was Sae. She wore a sailor-style striped short-sleeve T-shirt with relaxed long pants, a breezy, androgynous outfit. The black lightweight coat she’d thrown on over it made her sun-kissed skin look faintly fairer.

And finally, Minako. A loose, plain-colored dress lent her a gentle, mature air, its soft fluttering fabric perfectly matching the calmness of her slightly lowered eyes… along with the fact that even a loose dress couldn’t hide that magnificent chest.

This was supposed to be a meetup of high school girls, yet Minako’s outfit made her look more like a young single mom taking her two daughters out for the day.

He couldn’t help but chuckle at the thought.

"Good afternoon, Nogami-san, Hinata-san, and Sanada-san~"

"Afternoon, everyone…"

Nogami looked up at the sound of his voice. Her eyes brightened until she noticed Chouko standing beside him. The faint smile about to appear instantly collapsed.

"I’m actually part of the ‘and others’ category?"

Minako, sitting by the window, shot him a languid glance.

"Hoshikawa-kun, you’re awfully rude."

"Yo, lil’ bro! Without the school uniform you look even more handsome than you do on campus!"

Sae waved at him, then scooped up another spoonful of rice drenched in sauce,

Wait. Why are Nogami and Sanada eating pastries, but Hinata’s eating a massive plate of omurice?!

He stared at the half-finished dish in front of Sae, unable to hold back the mental scream. It’s not even lunchtime yet, right?

"Shihou-san, you can sit next to Nogami-san."

"Eh?"

"Haah?"

Chouko and Nogami exchanged a look, then glared at Harutaki, only to find he had already settled himself beside Sae. To avoid attracting attention from surrounding customers, the girls reluctantly squeezed into the same side.

"Mmm, finally made it, Hoshikawa. Wanna order something? It’s a café, but surprisingly the omurice is super good!"

Sae stretched hard, arms lifted high. Harutaki, in an attempt to escape the twin beams of resentment aimed at him by Shihou and Nogami, ended up turning his head toward her,

And instantly regretted it.

When Sae lifted her arms, her already-short tee slid up even further, exposing her flawless waistline and the faint outline of her abs. Her pretty navel peeked out like a tiny black hole drawing in his gaze, refusing to let go.

"…Hoshikawa. Exactly where do you think you’re looking?"

Nogami’s voice was glacial, like she’d just poured an entire iced drink over his head.

"I think you should restrain yourself a little, Hoshikawa-kun."

Chouko smiled sweetly as she said it, though there wasn’t a trace of warmth in her eyes.

"Ahem, I, I was just wondering why Sae’s already eating lunch…"

"Why do you care what Sae eats?"

"So watching someone eat means staring at their stomach now~?"

Nogami was blunt as always, while Chouko, true to her Kyoto heritage, had mastered the art of sugar-coated venom.

Then Nogami suddenly froze.

And kicked him under the table.

"Since when do you get to call Sae by her first name!?"

"Uh…"

"Ah, it’s fine! With my and lil’ bro’s relationship, calling names is totally normal. And— " Sae jabbed him in the ribs with her elbow, grin wide. "I’m dressed like this specifically to show it off! Minako said it’d look good."

"Way more skin showing when we go swimming~ Right, lil’ bro?"

"Yeah~ see? Nogami-san, Shihou-san, look, Sae herself doesn’t mind, so… "

Screeeech. Check latest chapters at NoveI-Fire.ɴet

The sound of a knife carving into a plate made him flinch. A glance at Nogami’s plate revealed that her strawberry mille-feuille had been neatly bisected in half.

"Please stop ending your sentences with a cutesy heart. The next thing getting sliced might be Strawberry Harutaki…"

He immediately turned around, pressing both palms together in apology.

"I’m sorry, I’ll never do it again."

"No one asked you, pff, Strawberry Harutaki…"

"Fufu, the shameless scumbag classmate returns to his infamous school life in four days~?"

The two girls laughed despite themselves, their synchronized teasing melting away a layer of invisible distance between them.