A Faded Encounter

As the girl's hair swayed gently, soren was able to get a glance of her pink lips and pale skin, as well as the graceful movement of her lips as she spoke. But his attention was cut short when the entrance of the convenient store suddenly opened which shifted the focus of soren from the girl, to his surroundings. Noticing that his groceries were almost done getting packed, he thought to himself

"What was occurring within my mind? A sense of interest suddenly kindled... How weird of that to happen" after his remarks, the cashier noted his packed items to which he gathered them and exited the convenient store. And there, he saw the girl once again, waiting on the bus stop that was next to store. He observed her, patiently, and the atmosphere around her was cold and mysterious which gained soren's interest a little more.

"The places im starting to find myself in are quite weird..." He thought to himself before closing his eyes, turning around and resuming his walk to head to a cafeteria he frequently visits.

"Heather Cup" was the cafeteria soren arrived at. He entered the place and was greeted by a friend of his that worked there. As he stepped in, the bell above the entrance door chimed softly.

Chapter 2 - Someone New Arrives

"Ah, Soren-san! I did not expect you here today haha, with a weather like this, i assumed you were just sleeping" the waiter exclaimed as he perceived soren.

As he entered the café, there weren't many people inside, creating a calm and comforting atmosphere. Soft conversations filled the air as some patrons chatted quietly with their friends, while others remained focused on their work.

"Kaito?" Soren thought to himself before proceeding toward the counter.

Soren: "Shouldn't you have the day off because of the weather?"

Kaito: "Well, yeah, but I'm working overtime for the extra paycheck. I need to cover at least a week at the café to secure that sweet check."

After Kaito's words, Soren sat on one of the chairs and picked up the menu. He took a moment to browse through it before deciding.

"Is the Iced American Vanilla Coffee still available?" he asked.

Kaito paused for a second, thinking, before responding.

"Oh, yeah! Absolutely. I think we just got a new stock. I'll go check in the back—wait here!" he said in an upbeat, melodic tone.

While Kaito was in the back storage, Soren was once again left alone with his thoughts. His gaze drifted to the glass window, where he found himself zoning out, lost in contemplation. He thought about his upcoming life as a transfer student at a highly regarded university, uncertain if he would fit in. Doubt crept into his mind, making him question his place.

Snapping back to reality, his eyes landed on a pen resting on the counter. He picked it up and absentmindedly began spinning it between his fingers.

"I always wonder… why am I constantly lost in thoughts? Even over the smallest things in my life, I end up overthinking, pressuring myself about the future. Hmm… I guess I do need a distraction, but..."

His voice trailed off as he stopped fidgeting with the pen, shifting his gaze upward to the ceiling.

"But what would I even consider a distraction?"

Just as the thought lingered, Kaito returned, placing Soren's coffee in front of him.

"Here's your order!" Kaito exclaimed with a smile. "I'm surprised we actually had a new stock of that. It's usually unavailable since hardly anyone orders it, so they don't bother restocking. But hey, I guess today's an exception!"

He placed the drink in front of Soren before continuing, "Well then, I'll be off—I still have some things to do in the back. Enjoy your American!" With a cheerful wave, he turned and walked away.

Soren responded with a respectful nod, followed by a polite, "Thank you."

He glanced down at his coffee, picking up the straw as he fell into thought.

"Today's something new, huh... Maybe I should start expecting that."

With that thought lingering in his mind, he took a sip of his iced American vanilla.

Got it! Here's the revised version with that in mind:

Meanwhile, a faint smile formed on a girl's lips before she stood up from her seat and made her way toward Soren.

As Soren enjoyed his drink, a girl suddenly approached him.

"Hey, you're the new transfer student at The Western Star University, right? Mikata Soren." She spoke with a smile, a subtle hint of cunningness in her tone.

Soren responded with a "Hm?"—a simple indication of curiosity.

"My name's Fujikawa Hikari. Nice to meet you," she introduced herself, extending a hand for a handshake.

Soren, without hesitation, accepted the gesture, shaking hands with her—a silent acknowledgment of mutual understanding.

"Soren Mikata, as you've mentioned. What brings you here?" he asked.

Hikari: "Well, since you're new to the university, I figured I'd befriend you."

Soren: "Ah, thanks. I guess I could use that."

Hikari giggled before continuing.

"Say, you've seen your entrance exam score, right? The results were posted on the university's webpage."

(A brief image of Soren's profile appeared on the screen, displaying his score: 90/100.)

Soren: "Yeah, I have."

Hikari: "Well, that's great! You managed to score one of the highest results—quite outstanding, if I must say. You're definitely one of the university's top interests, so expect some appraisals or acknowledgments from the higher-ups, hehe."

Soren's expression shifted to one of surprise, mixed with a hint of unease.

"Higher-ups?—Wait, I scored one of the highest?" he replied, caught off guard.

Hikari: "Yeah, silly! A 90 out of 100? Have you forgotten that Western Star is one of the most highly regarded universities in all of Japan? So the exam would be extremly difficult of course"

Soren blinked before thinking to himself, "Oh… I forgot."

This keeps the flow natural without redundantly identifying Hikari. Let me know if you'd like any further refinements!

"Were there others who scored just as high?" Soren asked.

Hikari tilted her head slightly in thought before replying, "Hmm… now that I think about it, yeah. There were two others. So in total, three of you exceeded 89. But I heard that one of you just took the exam for fun since they're already the university's Number 1 ranked student."

"Hm? A rank? There's a ranking system in the university?" Soren asked, intrigued.

"Yeah. The university has a top five ranking system, where the best students are addressed as 'Class 1st, Section 2nd,' and so on. But the Number 1 student is in a league of their own. They're simply referred to as 'Ranked 1.'"

Soren silently processed her words, his gaze drifting back to his drink. Absentmindedly, he toyed with the straw before exhaling a quiet sigh.

"A ranking system, huh… That's new. Really new."

Breaking from his thoughts, he reached into his wallet, pulled out some cash, and swiftly finished his drink. Hikari observed in silence as he placed the money on the counter and stood up. With a small bow, he thanked her for the conversation.

"I'll make sure to interact with you again in a few days at the university."

Hikari closed her eyes briefly, smiling as she replied, "Alright, I'll count on that, Mr. Mikata." Her tone carried the same positive yet cunning edge as before.

Soren gave her a small nod before turning to leave, stepping out of the café.

Meanwhile, Hikari remained seated, watching him from behind. A playful glint flickered in her eyes as she murmured to herself,

"Hm… how interesting. I wonder how his year will play out at the university... I'll make sure to witness it firsthand."

With that, she stood up, placed her own payment on the counter, and exited the café.

To be continued.