You are Anonymous

>You are Anonymous, a nobody working a dead-end job at a dead-end cafe in downtown Honnouji.
>Every day's the same. You go to work, eat, come home, surf the web, sleep, get up, repeat. Ad nauseum.
>Today's no exception, except that it's particularly sunny.
>You're at your post, counting the money in the register.
>The little bell at the door rings and you look to see a trio of girls walk in.
>They seat themselves at a nearby table. You rub your eyes and have a good look at them.
>One of them's as tall as you, stately, with jet-black, neck-length hair to frame her ivory-pale face.
>Another's an energetic young lass sporting a brown bowl-cut.
>But the third one really catches your attention.
>It was the girl with the crimson streak in her hair, the one you'd never thought you'd see again.
>You drop off three copies of the menu at their table. The girl with the streak notices you staring at her and pouts. Did she not recognize you?
>You put a hand to your face to check if you'd shaved. There's bags under your eyes.
>You take their orders - two coffees and one tea - and head into the kitchen.
>You wonder whether you should introduce yourself again for a little bit, but there's really no time for thinking when you run a cafe by yourself.
>You finish brewing and place the tray on their table, hands shaking.
>A nervous giggle echoes round.
>You decide you should probably remind her.
>This might be your only chance to break the cycle.
>"Uh... Matoi, was it? Remember me?"
>"Uh... Matoi, was it? Remember me?" you say, pointing at your face.
>She squints. "Do I know you?"
>You sigh. At least you tried, right? "Never mind," you say, "enjoy your coffee."
>You turn to leave. Her eyes widen behind you.
>"Wait!" she says. "A-Anon..? Is that you?"
>You smile and turn to face her. "So you DO remember."
>You're taken by surprise as she suddenly pulls you into a hug.
>"A friend of yours?" says the tall girl, sardonically.
>Matoi pulls away, blushing.
>"Everyone, this is Anon, one of my friends from boarding school!"
>You flash them a slight smile. The brown-haired girl introduces herself as Mako, but the other simply glares at you, coldly, piercingly.
>"Nee-san..." begins Matoi. She has a sister?
>"I'm Kiryuuin Satsuki, but you can call me Satsuki-sama." She sips at her tea. "Any friend of Ryuuko's a friend of mine." she adds, indifferently. So THAT was her first name - Ryuuko.
>"Don't mind her, Anon, it's a bad habit." Ryuuko assures you.
>She invites you to pull up a chair and sit with them, and you oblige.
>The four of you end up chatting late into the night. You and Ryuuko recount your experiences with the gang back in your middle school days, and have a few laughs.
>You even became fast friends with Mako.
>You part ways, and Ryuuko leaves you a hefty tip.
>As you pull down the shutters at midnight, the rain pouring down, you realize something.
>For the first time in ages, you had fun, and not even the rain could put a damper on that.
>The afterglow of your chance meeting with Ryuuko persists well into the week.
>You catch yourself smiling at several points during the the day.
>You recall how you first met her - she had saved you from a group of bullies. You'd never seen a girl fight so well before.
>"Stick with me, Anon," she told you, helping you up. "I'll always protect you."
>"Where did it all go so wrong?" you think to yourself, scrubbing the insides of a coffee cup.
>Reminiscing fondly on your school days wasn't a luxury you could afford ever since you inherited the cafe from your father.
>You force a bitter grin. Your old man was always more trouble than he was worth.
>"You're always so quiet, Anon!" Ryuuko would tell you. "You need to open up more if you wanna be a proper delinquent!"
>And even though you didn't completely get over your shyness, you tried your best, all for Ryuuko. You owed a lot to her.
>You remember the joy you felt when she called you her "right-hand man."
>You always were her favorite, her pet project.
>The smile falls from your face when you remember that fateful day.
>It was the first day of your junior year.
>You'd stayed up the night before, laboring over a cross between a thank-you letter and a confession of love.
>She'd transferred out, your teacher told you. You never saw her again after that.
>Until now, that is.
>You put the cup down. You're not going to let her disappear from your life again.
>Breathing deep, you reach for your phone.
>You fumble with your phone until you find the number she'd given you a few days ago.
>Your thumb hovers over the "CALL" button as you run through possible scenarios in your head.
>What were you gonna say? "Hey, Ryuuko, wanna get coffee sometime?" "Wanna hang out?" "Wanna get dinner sometime?" "Wanna catch a movie together?"
>Wouldn't that be too forward?
>Would it be a date?
>What if she brought her friends along?
>What if... she already had someone?
>You shake your head. What the hell were you even thinking? She was way out of your league.
>You consider putting your phone away and calling it a day.
>But something stops you. You would never forgive yourself if you let Ryuuko slip away again.
>You clench your teeth.
>This was no way for a proper delinquent to act.
>You dial and put the phone to your ear.
>"Hello?" comes her voice.
>"Matoi!" you say, forcefully.
>"Anon...?"
>"There's... something I need to ask of you."
>"Sure thing, Anon, what is it?"
>Your muscles tense.
>"Go on a date with me!" you blurt out, before going red in the face.
>Silence falls on the other end of the line. You begin to feel an edge of regret.
>You hear Ryuuko in the background noise. "Some privacy, nee-san?"
>She giggles.
>"Umm... I'd love to, Anon. For old times' sake?"
>"Anon..?" she says, but you can't possibly hear her since you're busy doing a little jig by yourself.
>The time has come, you think. Your dreary, monotonous existence has come to an end - your new life begins now.