"Huh? Why aren't there any customers today?" Nishiki Nishio asked as he pushed open the coffee shop door and looked inside.
There were usually fewer customers in the morning, but not so few that the place would be completely empty.
"Because we're closed for now." Standing behind the counter, Irimi pointed at the temporary closure sign on the door that Nishiki Nishio had missed.
"Closed?" Nishiki Nishio froze, then felt a familiar chill. "What's that ice brat up to now?"
"Who knows? Aren't you supposed to be studying for your exams? Why'd you come back?" Touka propped her chin on her hand and looked at Nishiki Nishio, who had rushed back to the shop first thing in the morning.
"Oh, I left my study notebook behind the counter." Nishiki Nishio scratched his head, walked over to Irimi, and crouched down to retrieve his notebook.
"By the way, Touka, want to come check out our university?" Nishiki Nishio asked as he stood up.
"Your university?" Touka blinked.
"Yeah, Kamii University, the one you said you wanted to get into." Nishiki Nishio nodded. "Getting a feel for your target school ahead of time can help motivate you to study."
"I can look after the shop. Go get changed, Touka." Irimi Kyouko smiled at her.
"Ah... okay..."
Only after Touka and Nishiki Nishio left did Kaya Irimi look upstairs, a trace of worry showing in her eyes.
[Congratulations, host. You have acquired partial Elementalization.]
"Why only partial...?" Louis tore off his sleeve and found that the Crystallization stopped at his shoulder and the side of his chest. There was a clear dividing line, with distinct patterns of blood vessels visible on the surface.
[Only the host's right arm can barely tolerate Elementalization.]
So that's why...
"..." Louis