Before the Coffee Gets Cold (Before the Coffee Gets Cold, #1)

by Toshikazu Kawaguchi

In a word, she was inconspicuous. She had no presence. She didn’t have many friends either. Not that she worried about it—Kazu was the sort of person who found interpersonal relationships rather tedious.

“Life doesn’t get served to you on a plate. Why don’t you just give up?”

“From now on...” Fumiko chose her words. “From now on—what about the future?” Kazu looked straight at Fumiko. “Well, as the future hasn’t happened yet, I guess that’s up to you...” she said, revealing a smile for the first time.

The present hadn’t changed—but those two people had.

The magazine piece on the urban legend had stated, “At the end of the day, whether one returns to the past or travels to the future, the present does not change. So it raises the question: just what is the point of that chair?” But Kazu still goes on believing that, no matter what difficulties people face, they will always have the strength to overcome them. It just takes heart. And if the chair can change someone’s heart, it clearly has its purpose.