Chapter One: Ku

“Mornin’, Ku.”

I rubbed my eyes and yawned. “Mornin’, Uno.”

He gave me the shifty-eyes look. “So...who was that girl yesterday?”

“Girl?” I couldn’t recall being seen with -- oh. Never mind. “That was...just a friend.”

“What’s with that hesitation? Don’t tell me...you got a girlfriend before me? You traitor!”

“Idiot. Did that look like love?” My left cheek was still stinging from her right hook.

“Well, uh...I dunno. Some kind of abusive form of love?”

“She’s just a friend from work. Lovers don’t greet each other with fists, I promise.”

“Work? You have a job?”

“Yeah, part time, at the cafe on Crow Avenue,” I said, tossing a coin into a homeless orphan’s outstretched hand. “Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays.”

“Then today’s your work day, right? Take me there. I wanna meet that chick.”

I gave him a sideways glance. “Trust me, you don’t.”

“No way man, I ain’t letting you hide a hot girl from me.”

“She’s got a boyfriend.”

“No.” Instant denial.

“An overprotective one, at that. So much as look at her, and he’ll run you over with his expensive new car.”

That was a lie, of course. Kota didn’t own anything that cost money, being eternally broke, and if someone laid eyes on Mana, the most he could do would be to break out in tears. It was surprisingly effective, though. Most guys backed off as Mana frantically tried to comfort a crying Kota.

But I figured it wouldn’t be such a good idea to let Uno come to the cafe, seeing as the manager was generally hostile to “non-patrons”. I wasn’t actually sure how he had patrons at all, as his policy seemed to deny service to almost every customer who entered the door, but I knew better than to question it. Any who questioned the boss was dragged into the back alley and beaten viciously, customers included.

All of this was, of course, disregarding the fact that all the employees at the cafe, save myself, were demons. A seemingly minor detail considering their behavior in human form. Thus, I told Uno that the shop was closed today.

We arrived at the school gate, where we parted ways.

"I'm going to meet that girl, one way or another," insisted Uno.

I sighed and trotted off to my first class.