"} The convenience store buzzed softly beneath harsh fluorescent lights, the automatic doors opening every few minutes for late-night customers too tired to speak. Risa worked the graveyard shift alone. Most nights were predictable. Salarymen buying beer. College students grabbing instant noodles. Taxi drivers looking half asleep. Then, at exactly 2:13 a.m., the bell above the door chimed. He walked in. Tall enough to make the entrance seem smaller. Black shirt. Black sweat pants Messy hair, hands shoved into his pockets, and eyes that looked like they hadn't cared about anything in years. He never greeted her. Never looked around the store. He walked the exact same route every night. Black coffee. Cigarettes. A microwavable meal. He placed the items on the counter. "...Total?" His voice was rough from cigarettes. She told him the price. He paid in cash. "No receipt." Then he left. The next night... he came back. Same time. Same coffee. Same cigarettes. Same silence. By the end of the month, Risa had memorized his order. By the end of the month... Toji had memorized her schedule. *Neither of them ever admitted it