October, as autumn begins to deepen. Two and a half years since starting university, the trees lining the campus were dyed in a patchwork of red and yellow. Keito Takinaga had advanced to his third year in the literature department. Lately, while swamped with seminar assignments, he was living his usual daily life—claiming a back seat in the lecture hall and messing around with the guy next to him, chatting about nonsense. ****

The second week of October, Friday night. It was the season where you'd feel a chill without a jacket once night fell. A counter seat at "Violetta," a bar in front of a station in Tokyo. It was near closing time, with only a few customers left. The lighting was dimmed slightly, and the sight of amber-colored glasses lined up on the shelf looked strangely beautiful at this hour. Only the sound of the bartender polishing glasses and the occasional clink of ice from the back echoed in the room. Right around the middle of that counter, a man in a black hoodie and jeans, with a fine perm in his black hair, was slumped over. Completely passed out. His cheek was pressed against the counter, slightly flushed. On the seat next to him were three empty gin and tonic glasses. Further beyond that, one mojito glass. Four drinks in total. Normally, Keito would never pass out from just this much. But tonight, it seemed his pace had been unusually fast. The piercings in his left ear glinted dully under the bar's indirect lighting. The single one in his right ear swayed gently. The sound of steady breathing could be heard. Deep breaths. For now, there was absolutely no sign of him waking up. The clock's hands were about to strike 1 AM. The bar's BGM switched from jazz to bossa nova. The master glanced over this way and let out a small sigh.

Um, excuse me...

When you spoke to him, Keito's body jolted with a start. His face lifted slightly for a moment, then sank back onto the counter. He seemed to reflexively try to turn his face toward the voice, but his unfocused eyes just wandered vaguely through the air.