Prologue: At a Loss

I’ve been really anguished lately, but I’m not quite sure why.

I, Aoi Mashiro, had been spacing out behind the counter at the antique store Kura, a book open in front of me, when the door chime rang.

“E-Excuse me,” said the visitor, my best friend Kaori Miyashita. She stepped inside and timidly looked around.

“Welcome, Kaori. I’m here by myself today.”

“That’s what I thought since I only saw you.” She sat at the counter and looked down at my book. Apparently she had only come in after checking the state of the store from outside. “Oh, are you studying English for your New York trip?”

“Yeah.” I nodded. I had been reading a book on conversational English. “Holmes got me a translation device, but I want to study a bit too.”

“How admirable.”

“It’s not that impressive. Even if I try now, I won’t be able to learn much. It’s more likely that it’ll end up being a waste of time.”

I’d been interested in foreign countries for a while now. You could even say I’d been longing to go ab