The café Marin had chosen was located on a quiet street, half-hidden between an old bookstore and a traditional sweets shop.
The light wooden sign had rounded white-painted letters: “Café Komorebi.” Through the large windows, it was possible to see a cozy interior, with plants hanging from the ceiling and small yellow lights scattered throughout the space.
When they entered, a little bell chimed above the door.
A few tables were already occupied by couples and students with laptops, but the atmosphere was so calm that it felt like a world apart from the movement outside.
Marin walked ahead excitedly, lightly spinning her body as she looked around.
“Isn’t it cute?
I love this café!
Whenever I go out on weekends, I always find a way to stop by here…” she said, smiling at him over her shoulder.
Isagi simply nodded while observing the place.
They sat at a table near the window, from where they could see the street and the sunlight filtering through the tree leaves outside.
Marin dropped her backpack beside the chair and grabbed the menu enthusiastically.
“The menu here is huge.
They have everything!
Waffles, parfaits, iced coffee, milkshakes, matcha tea… And there’s a cheesecake that’s absolutely out of this world.
Seriously, if you don’t try it, you’ll regret it for the rest of your life.” She spoke while flipping through the pages, her eyes sparkling at every picture.
Isagi picked up the menu more out of politeness than necessity.
His mind was full of thoughts about various things.
“Do you always talk like this about places you like?” he asked, trying to hide a smile.
Marin rested her chin on her hand and looked at him with a half-smile.
“Well, obviously!
If I like something, I talk about it.
Why would I stay quiet?
It’s way more fun to share it, don’t you think?
Like… if something is good, you share it.
If something is beautiful, you show it.
And if something is delicious…” She tapped the cheesecake photo with her fingertip.
“You force other people to try it.” Isagi let out a low laugh and shook his head.
“Force, huh?
That’s a little extreme.” “It’s not extreme, it’s culinary consideration!
If I go through the trouble of finding good places, it’s only fair to bring cool people along.
You already earned that right by saving my Saturday.” She winked playfully.
He looked back at the menu, unsure of what to order.
“So… what do you recommend besides the cheesecake?” “Depends.
Are you actually hungry or do you just want dessert?” Marin leaned slightly forward as if the matter were serious.
“Because their teriyaki chicken sandwich is amazing.
But if you want something lighter, they’ve got stuffed croissants… Ah!
And the caramel frappé.
Oh my God, the caramel frappé.” Isagi took a deep breath, giving in.
“Looks like I’ll have to trust you.” “Yes!” Marin lightly punched the air.
“Leave it to me.
I’ll build the perfect combo for you.” She called the waitress over with a smile bright enough to light up the entire café and ordered naturally, like someone who already knew the menu by heart.
Meanwhile, Isagi watched her.
When the waitress walked away, Marin rested her arms on the table and looked at him with a small smile.
“You don’t talk much, huh, Isagi-kun?
But you’re not the shy type.
It’s more like… you stay quiet by choice.
Am I right?” He took a moment before answering.
“More or less.
Actually, I’m pretty sociable when I want to be.” Marin laughed softly.
“That’s such an Isagi-kun answer!
Seriously, sometimes I envy calm people like you.
I talk nonstop and afterward I keep thinking, ‘Man, did I talk too much?'” “You’re just being yourself,” he said simply.
“It doesn’t feel forced.” She blinked, surprised by the direct response, then smiled again, though this time more softly.
“Thanks.
Not everyone thinks that way.
It’s nice hearing it.” The smell of freshly brewed coffee reached them as the waitress approached carrying a tray.
Marin clapped her hands excitedly when the cheesecake and frappé were placed on the table.
Isagi’s order arrived too, a savory chicken croissant with iced coffee.
“There!” she said, clasping her hands together as if about to pray.
“Time to taste paradise.” Isagi looked at the croissant, then at Marin, who was already cutting into the cheesecake with sparkling eyes.
He picked up the iced coffee and took a sip, feeling the cold contrast with the warmth outside.
Across from him, Marin bit into the cheesecake with such satisfaction that she looked like she was filming a commercial.
“You have to try this,” she said with her mouth full, pushing the plate toward him.
“Go on, before I eat it all.” Isagi hesitated for only a second before accepting the fork she offered him.
The taste was genuinely incredible.
Marin laughed, pleased by his reaction.
“I told you!
Everything here is amazing.
Good thing you agreed to come with me, right?” Isagi nodded calmly.
“Yeah… it wasn’t a bad choice.” She rested her chin on her hands again, looking at him with that slightly mischievous expression.
“See?
Sometimes it’s good to let someone drag you into things.
You discover places, flavors… and people.” “Well, I don’t think just anyone would drag someone they barely know into something like this.
But she’s right…” Isagi thought with an ironic smile on his lips.
Marin was still excited about the cheesecake when she suddenly rested her fork on the plate and looked at him with that endless natural curiosity of hers.
“By the way, Isagi-kun, what were you doing out so early?
Like… it was still morning when we met.
You don’t look like the kind of guy who goes out to buy bread at eight in the morning.” He wiped his mouth with a napkin and answered simply, without hesitation: “I was coming back from the dojo.
I started training there today.” “A dojo??” Marin practically jumped out of her chair, her eyes shining as if she had just uncovered some shocking secret.
“Wait, you already play soccer and now you train martial arts too?
Seriously, Isagi-kun, you’re like the protagonist of a sports manga who decided to add a martial arts buff too!” Isagi scratched the back of his neck awkwardly, though there was a different kind of light in his eyes.
“It’s just that… I love soccer, you know?
It’s what drives me the most.
So I started training at the dojo to strengthen myself and become even better at what I love.
Every kick, every run… I want it to be perfect.
When I’m playing, it feels like the whole world disappears and only the field, the ball, and the goal in front of me exist… I want to become the best at it.
No… I will become the best…” Marin froze for a few seconds.
Her heart beat faster before she even realized it.
At that moment, he wasn’t just the “nice classmate” she had lunch with anymore.
He was someone who spoke about his passion with such intensity that it seemed to affect the air around him.
He was exactly like her whenever she talked about anime and cosplay.
“Wow… he’s amazing…” Marin thought as she felt her cheeks warm up.
She tried to hide it by taking an exaggerated bite of tempura.
“Wow… you talk about soccer like it’s the most important thing in the world,” she said with a smile she couldn’t hide.
“And it’s really cool seeing someone talk about something they love like that…” Isagi laughed awkwardly, glancing down at his plate before speaking in a somewhat melancholic tone: “That’s because it really is.
Soccer is my life.” Marin rested her chin on her hand, observing him with an amused gleam in her eyes.
“Hmmm… I get it now.
So Isagi-kun is the kind of guy who’s super dedicated to what he loves but lazy when it comes to school…” “Hey, don’t say it like that…” he grumbled while looking away.
“Even so, it’s impressive!” She rested her chin on her hand and stared at him with a teasing smile.
“Now I’ll have to be careful around you… who knows, maybe you’ll use some secret dojo technique on me just because I annoy you.” He raised an eyebrow, chuckling lightly.
“I don’t think you stay quiet long enough for me to land any techniques.” “Hey!” Marin lightly slapped the table, pretending to be offended, though she quickly started laughing again.
As she took another bite of cheesecake, Isagi decided to reverse the question.
“And you?
What were you doing there in front of the shop so early in the morning?
It didn’t look like you were just wandering around.” Marin made a face, puffing out her cheeks before dropping her fork onto the plate.
“I went there looking for the owner of that store.
He was super famous among cosplayers because he made amazing costumes, like… professional-level stuff.
I thought, ‘This is it, I’m finally gonna ask him to make the perfect outfit for my favorite character!'” Her eyes sparkled for a moment, but she soon sighed and slumped back into her chair.
“But he said he doesn’t work with that anymore.
Can you imagine how disappointing that was?
I was already dreaming about the fabric, the details, the photos… and poof!
Nothing.” Isagi remained silent for a few seconds.
“Hm… cosplay, huh?” he murmured.
Marin looked at him as if testing whether he would laugh at her.
But to her surprise, Isagi didn’t joke about it.
On the contrary, he seemed to be taking it seriously.
“I think it’s really cool…” he finally said.
“If you love it that much, I don’t see any problem with it.
Actually… I’d love to see you in cosplay.
Since you love it so much, you must be really good at it…” “Huh?!” Marin blinked several times in surprise.
For a moment, she seemed like she was about to get embarrassed, her cheeks even turning slightly red… but then she broke into a huge smile.
“Seriously?!
Then wait right there!” She practically jumped to grab her phone from her bag.
“If you want to see, I’ll show you right now!” “What?” Isagi blinked, caught off guard.
“Tadaaa!” Marin turned the screen toward him, showing a folder packed with photos.
In each one, she wore a different costume: a silver-haired mage, a sparkling idol, even a gothic character with a serious expression.
“See?!
I’ve done a ton of them!” Isagi widened his eyes.
“Wow… there are so many here… They’re all really good.” He couldn’t take his eyes off the pictures on the screen.
Marin was genuinely very beautiful… Marin seemed happy with his compliments, strangely very happy.
Once she finished showing all the photos she had taken, she looked at Isagi and noticed he seemed thoughtful.
“Well… you said you wanted someone to sew for you, right?” Isagi asked while leaning back in his chair.
“Yeah… but there’s no one who really does it anymore…” Marin answered, sounding discouraged again.
He smiled faintly.
“My mother used to be a seamstress.” Marin nearly dropped her phone.
“WHAT?!” “Before marrying my father, she worked at a pretty famous atelier in Tokyo,” Isagi explained thoughtfully.
“She made everything from haute couture dresses to theater costumes.
Even today, my dad still says a lot of clients back then used to call her the best.
They said she had a special gift: she could sew difficult fabrics like pure silk without leaving a single needle mark.” “Seriously…?!” Marin widened her eyes and leaned forward.
“Yeah.
When I was little, I remember seeing her work until late at night, turning ordinary fabric into clothes that looked like they came straight out of magazines.
Even though she doesn’t work with it anymore, since she quit after marrying my father, but…” He shrugged.
“Even without practicing much, I know she hasn’t lost her touch…” Marin slapped both hands onto the table, unable to contain her excitement.
“This is perfect!!
Isagi-kun, do you think… do you think your mother could help me make the cosplay of my dreams?!” He blinked, surprised by her enthusiasm, but answered calmly: “Maybe.
I can’t promise anything before talking to her first.
But… I think she’d be happy to help someone who truly has passion for something, just like I do…” Marin clasped her hands together and pleaded: “Please, talk to her!
I swear I’ll be the most dedicated client ever.
I can bring references, explain every detail, and even help if necessary!
Ahh, my heart, just thinking about it gives me chills!” She pressed her hands against her cheeks, smiling from ear to ear.
“Isagi-kun, you have no idea how much this means to me!
It’s like I stumbled into some magical portal of destiny.
Like… I was leaving there all frustrated, and then bam, you show up and say your mother might make my dream come true!” Isagi watched her with the same calm expression, though internally he couldn’t help but find her boundless energy amusing.
“You really take this seriously, huh?” Marin pointed her fork at him without hesitation.
“Obviously!
Cosplay isn’t just wearing pretty clothes.
It’s bringing a character you love to life.
I want it to be perfect because it’s my way of showing my respect and affection for them.
It’s not just some random hobby, you know?” He nodded slowly, absorbing every word.
“I understand.
And I think my mother would understand too.” Marin took a deep breath as if trying to contain her excitement, with very little success.
“Okay, deal!
You talk to her and then tell me what she thinks.
I promise I won’t take it lightly: I’ll even prepare thank-you gifts if she agrees.
Ahh, I’m so excited!” Isagi simply took another sip of coffee, hiding a faint smile.
“All right, I’ll do that for you…” Marin became even more emotional.
She pulled out her phone and slid it across the table toward him, the screen already open to the contacts app.
“We’ll have to exchange LINE IDs, right?
Otherwise how am I supposed to know?
We can’t rely only on random encounters arranged by fate!” Isagi raised an eyebrow but took the phone without complaining.
He typed in his number, then opened LINE on his own phone to scan the QR code she had already prepared.
Ping!
The notification informing them that they were now friends appeared.
Her name on the screen was full of colorful emojis, and her profile picture was a smiling cosplay icon.
“There,” he said while returning the phone.
Marin leaned over to look at his screen too.
“Perfect!
Now we’re officially connected.
Just wait: I’m gonna send you a ton of messages with cosplay ideas, photos, inspiration… you’re not escaping, Isagi-kun.” He only smiled lightly, not minding it at all.
But when he looked back at his own screen, he noticed an unread notification in the corner: a message from Alya.
For a moment, he remained silent, staring at it without opening it.
Ah, right… he had a girlfriend.
For a brief instant, a small feeling of guilt appeared in his heart when he realized he was enjoying this situation a little too much.
However, it quickly disappeared, swallowed by his own selfishness.
After all, when he was reborn into that world, he had promised himself two things: To become the best striker in the world.
Smiling ironically, he slipped the phone back into his pocket without opening the message.
Across from him, had gone back to attacking the cheesecake with the same energy as always, her eyes shining as if every bite was the greatest thing in the world.
And somehow, watching that scene was enough to push every other thought out of his mind at that moment.
The rest of their time at the café passed far too quickly.
Between sips of frappé, Marin talked nonstop about anime, characters, and even funny behind-the-scenes stories from cosplay events.
Isagi, who at first only listened, gradually got pulled into the rhythm, talking about memorable soccer games, match memories, and even how certain plays still appeared in his dreams.
It was a light conversation, free of awkward silences.
Every time Marin laughed loudly at something, Isagi felt like the entire atmosphere brightened.
When they finished their coffee and paid the bill, Marin stood up with the energy of someone already prepared for the next adventure.
But instead of parting ways immediately, Isagi ended up saying: “I’ll walk you home.” She blinked in surprise, but soon gave him a teasing smile.
“Wow, Isagi-kun is such a gentleman, huh?” He shrugged.
“It’s no trouble.” They left the café and began walking side by side.
The street was peaceful, bathed in the soft afternoon light.
Marin swung her backpack over her shoulders while lightly kicking dry leaves along the path.
Isagi glanced at her and couldn’t help but ask: “By the way, why are you wearing a school uniform today?
Especially on a Sunday.” Marin looked down, adjusting her skirt before making an amused face.
“Oh, this?
Well… I went to a schoolgirl-themed event early this morning.
But I didn’t want to wear my actual uniform, you know?
That would’ve been kinda boring.
So I improvised this one using some clothes I had at home…” Isagi raised an eyebrow.
“And you woke up early just for that?” “Of course!” she said while laughing.
“Do you think we can get good schoolgirl photos at eleven at night?
You need sunlight for that, Isagi-kun!” He couldn’t help laughing along, shaking his head as he said once again: “You really take this seriously.” “Obviously I do!” Marin replied with the same gleam in her eyes as before.
“It’s what I love…” The conversation continued like that during the walk.
She told funny stories about events, while he responded with bizarre situations he had witnessed during games.
Whenever one of them spoke passionately about something, the other listened sincerely, as if it were the most important thing in the world at that moment.
And little by little, the thirty-minute walk felt like five minutes.
Then, to both of their surprise, when they arrived, they discovered that she lived only one block away from him.
“What?!” Marin widened her eyes.
“How do we practically live next door to each other and never run into each other before?!” Isagi shrugged with a faint smile.
“Maybe fate decided to wait until today.” Marin crossed her arms, pretending to think seriously.
“Hmmm… or maybe you’re just as ninja-like as you seem and managed to stay hidden all this time.” “I don’t know if ninja is the right word.” She burst out laughing, bending forward from how hard she was laughing.
“See?
That’s why I like talking to you, Isagi-kun.
You don’t say much, but when you do… you hit right on target…” He simply watched that open, sincere smile.
It was funny: even after going through so much, even carrying the weight of another life’s experiences, right there, in that moment, he felt like a normal boy walking beside a girl who made time fly.
Different souls, yet carrying the same flame burning inside them: an uncontrollable passion for what they loved.
They turned the final corner and, a few minutes later, stopped in front of a medium-sized apartment building.
It wasn’t luxurious, but it didn’t look poorly maintained either: the gates were painted white, a few plants decorated the entrance garden, and the caretaker absentmindedly watered the flowers with a hose.
Marin pointed upward with her index finger, smiling brightly.
“This is where I live.
Third floor…” Isagi followed her gesture, observing the building.
He had never paid attention to it before, even though he had walked through that street several times.
Funny how life sometimes hid people like that, so close yet so distant at the same time.
“I see,” he replied simply, unable to come up with anything better.
Marin placed her hands behind her back and leaned slightly forward with that relaxed manner that seemed natural to her.
“Thanks for walking me home, Isagi-kun.
It was fun.” He nodded.
“I should be the one thanking you.
I enjoyed spending time with you too, Kitagawa-san.” She blushed slightly and smiled.
“Hah, so I pass the serious soccer player test?” Isagi looked away, hiding a smile that threatened to appear.
“I guess so.” A brief silence fell between them, but it wasn’t uncomfortable.
It was simply the kind of pause that makes your heart beat a little faster, as if something might happen.
Marin lightly bit her lower lip thoughtfully before giving him a slightly awkward wave.
“So… I’ll see you at school, right?” “Definitely…” She gave him a thumbs-up and started climbing the entrance stairs.
Still on the first landing, she looked back over her shoulder and added: “Oh, and think carefully about that thing with your mother, okay?
If she agrees, I’ll be super happy.” Isagi raised his hand in a small wave.
“I’ll talk to her.” Marin flashed a huge smile, as though that alone was enough, and disappeared through the building’s lobby door.
Isagi remained standing on the sidewalk for a few seconds, watching the entrance until the sound of the automatic gate closing brought him back to reality.
Only then did he take a deep breath and begin walking toward his own home… _____________________ (A/N: First of all, thank you for reading this story.
Your support there also helps a lot in keeping the story updated consistently.
I hope you continue enjoying Isagi’s completely cursed new life in this crossover world.)