The Café Between Worlds

The next morning, Ren awoke to the familiar sound of the café’s old grandfather clock chiming softly in the main room. He rubbed his eyes, his mind still swimming with the events of the previous day. Kazuha was here, with him, in this strange limbo between worlds. He had promised to find a way to keep her from moving on, but now that the sun—or whatever passed for sunlight in this place—had risen, the enormity of that promise began to sink in.

What *was* he thinking?

As he dragged himself out of bed, he heard a commotion coming from the café’s kitchen. Ren’s heart raced. He hadn’t hired any help since he started running the place—mostly because he hadn’t found any other living beings in this world—but also because he wasn’t exactly rolling in ghostly profits. Who could possibly be making such a racket?

He tiptoed to the kitchen door and peeked inside.

There, standing at the stove with a spatula in hand, was Kazuha. She wore an apron that was far too big for her, the strings wrapped around her waist twice. Her brow furrowed in concentration as she attempted to flip what looked like a pancake—or at least, Ren assumed it was a pancake. It was hard to tell under the layer of char that clung to it like a stubborn ghost.

"Uh, Kazuha?" Ren called out cautiously, stepping into the kitchen.

Kazuha spun around, nearly knocking over a jar of sugar in the process. "Ren! Good morning!" She smiled brightly, though it was clear she was trying to hide her embarrassment. "I thought I’d make us breakfast, but, uh… well, the stove is a bit temperamental."

Ren stifled a laugh, glancing at the pile of burnt pancakes on the counter. "You could say that again. I didn’t even know this world *had* stoves that could burn food. You’d think they’d just—" He paused, searching for the right word. "—ghost through it or something."

Kazuha rolled her eyes, though she couldn’t help but smile. "Oh, ha ha. Very funny. I’ll have you know that cooking in the afterlife isn’t as easy as it looks."

"Clearly," Ren teased, stepping closer to inspect her work. "But hey, at least you tried. That’s more than I’ve done since I got here. I’ve been living off of, well… ghost toast."

Kazuha blinked. "Ghost toast?"

Ren shrugged sheepishly. "It’s toast that I try to make, but it always disappears before I can eat it. The spirits around here seem to have a thing for stealing my food."

As if on cue, the pantry door creaked open, and a faint giggling sound echoed through the kitchen. Ren sighed and turned toward the noise. "Alright, whoever you are, come out! I know you’re here."

A small, mischievous spirit floated out of the pantry, holding a slice of toast in its translucent hands. It had a childlike appearance, with wide eyes and a playful grin that suggested it was having way too much fun at Ren’s expense.

"See what I mean?" Ren said, gesturing to the toast thief. "This is why I stick to instant coffee."

Kazuha burst out laughing, covering her mouth with her hand. "I didn’t realize you had such lively company here!"

The spirit giggled and stuck out its tongue before vanishing through the wall, leaving Ren with an exasperated expression. "Yeah, lively is one word for it. They’re not always this cheeky, though. Some of them are actually pretty friendly—just, you know, a bit… ghostly."

Kazuha grinned, her earlier tension melting away. "Well, maybe I’ll get the hang of it eventually. In the meantime, how about we try making breakfast together? Two sets of hands are better than one, right?"

Ren nodded, relieved to see her in good spirits—no pun intended. "Sounds like a plan. But, uh, let’s try not to set the afterlife on fire while we’re at it."

The two of them worked side by side in the kitchen, laughing as they navigated the quirks of cooking in a world that didn’t quite follow the rules of physics. Every now and then, a spirit would pop in to "help" by rearranging utensils or disappearing with a spatula, but Ren and Kazuha took it all in stride.

As they finally sat down to a half-decent breakfast (which, thankfully, had not been stolen by any mischievous ghosts), Ren felt a warmth in his chest that he hadn’t felt in a long time. Despite the odd circumstances, there was something comforting about this—sharing simple moments with Kazuha, just like they used to.

"So," Kazuha said between bites of slightly burnt toast, "what’s the plan for today, boss?"

Ren chuckled, scratching the back of his head. "Well, first off, don’t call me boss. Makes me feel way more responsible than I actually am."

"Okay, *boss*," Kazuha teased, winking at him.

"Fine, fine," Ren conceded with a grin. "I was thinking… maybe we could talk to some of the other spirits and while we're doing our job. See if they know anything about staying in this world longer. Or if there’s some kind of loophole that’ll let you stick around without, you know, turning into a restless ghost."

Kazuha nodded, her expression turning more serious. "Sounds like a good idea. I’m ready when you are."

As they cleaned up the kitchen, Ren couldn’t shake the feeling that they were on the brink of something big. He didn’t know what the future—or afterlife—held for them, but one thing was certain: as long as Kazuha was by his side, he’d face it with a smile.

And maybe, just maybe, he’d finally figure out how to keep his toast from vanishing.