Before the Coffee Gets Cold

. ‘Well, as the future hasn’t happened yet, I guess that’s up to you . . .’

She hadn’t drunk coffee until she met Goro. It had been the pretext of buying him a coffee that led to their dates. The curious sight of Fumiko, who hated coffee, frantically adding a tremendous amount of sugar and milk earned her a wry smile from Goro.

Regular opening hours are until eight p.m. But if you decide you want to wait, you can wait for as long as it takes.’

Because that woman . . . is a ghost,’

‘Why? I’ll tell you why,’ Kazu began. ‘Because that’s the rule.’

if you return to the past, reveal your feelings, and ask him not to go, it won’t change the present.’

Fumiko reacted impulsively to Kazu’s cold hard words. ‘That sort of defeats the purpose, don’t you think?’ she said defiantly.

‘Even if I tell him how I feel?’

‘The present won’t change.’

When you go back, no matter how hard you try, the present won’t change.’

. A sleeveless kimono jacket hung on the back of her chair,

white short-sleeved dress