Before The Coffee Gets Cold

Summary

"Before the Coffee Gets Cold" unfolds in four parts and is set entirely within Funiculi Funicula, a basement
café in Tokyo possessing extraordinary time-traveling properties. The story commences with the breakup
of Fumiko and Goro, both employed in medical IT, occurring over a cup of coffee. Goro, on his way to a
dream job in America, informs Fumiko of his impending departure.

A week later, Fumiko returns to the café and recounts her tale to Hirai, the hostess of the snack bar adjacent
to the café, and Kazu, a waitress there. Fumiko expresses her desire to journey back in time. Kazu outlines
the café's time-travel rules: no influence on the present, interactions only with café visitors, and a
requirement to consume coffee before it cools. Lingering too long results in becoming a ghost. Fumiko,
impatient for the ghost to vacate the time-travel seat, inadvertently curses herself by grabbing the ghost's
arm, paralyzing her until Kazu offers her more coffee. Meanwhile, a nurse named Kohtake arrives to collect
her husband Fusagi, who awaits his turn to travel back in time. Fumiko eavesdrops and learns that Fusagi
intends to deliver a letter to someone in the past.

Fumiko dozes off, and the narrative explores her history with Goro, starting from their time together as a
couple. Goro's American job opportunity was his long-standing dream. Kazu awakens Fumiko and offers
her a chance to use the time-traveling seat. After consuming the special coffee, Fumiko finds herself
transported one week into the past. Although she wants to ask Goro to stay, she finds it difficult to voice
her feelings. Instead, they argue, and Goro confesses his insecurities about his appearance due to a burn
scar on his forehead. Fumiko assures him that it never bothered her, and he asks her to wait three years for
his return. Fumiko returns to the present with a sense of reassurance, knowing that her actions in the past
might impact her future.

In the second part, Hirai's sister, Kumi, visits the café in hopes of speaking with her sister. She entrusts Kei,
one of the café's owners, with a letter. Hirai reveals that she's been hiding from her sister, believing Kumi
resents her and wants her to return to run the family inn in Sendai, thereby freeing Kumi from the obligation.
Hirai requests Kei to destroy the letter.

Nurse Kohtake arrives with her husband, but he fails to recognize her, causing distress. Kazu informs
Kohtake that Fusagi wishes to travel back in time to deliver a letter. Believing it to be a love letter, Kohtake
decides to travel to a time when Fusagi still recognizes her. She lies to Fusagi, telling him his condition
improves, and he agrees to dispose of the letter.

Kohtake finishes her coffee, returns to the present, and Kazu reads the letter aloud. In it, Fusagi requests
that she doesn't treat their relationship like that of a nurse and patient, but rather to leave him. Kohtake
leaves the café with renewed affection for her husband, committed to caring for him, regardless of his
memory.

In the third part, a teenage girl from the future visits the café, but she conceals the identity of the person
she's meeting. She asks Kazu to take a photo of them together using her futuristic credit card-sized camera.
Kohtake arrives and inquires about Hirai's snack bar, which has been closed for two consecutive nights.
Kazu explains that Hirai's sister died in a road accident.

Hirai arrives in mourning attire, her demeanor brusque. She reveals that her parents did not speak to her at
the funeral. Hirai requests to travel three days into the past to the last time Kumi visited the café. Kazu uses
repeated coffee refills to coax the ghost from the time-travel seat, allowing Hirai to sit down. Three days in
the past, Hirai reconciles with her sister and makes a promise to return to Sendai to run the family inn. She
discovers that Kumi never resented her; instead, it was always Kumi's dream to run the inn together. Back
in the present, Hirai is determined to fulfill her promise. Kei, one of the café owners, subtly indicates her
pregnancy and smiles. Nagare, her husband, contemplates their future.

In the fourth part, Kazu reads an email from Hirai, who expresses her contentment in managing the inn and
repairing her relationships with her parents. Fumiko inquires about traveling to the future, and Kazu
explains it's possible if the person to be met happens to be in the café at the same time.

Kei, one of the café owners, emerges from the back room, looking pale, with a history of heart problems.
She discloses her pregnancy and the doctor's warning that childbirth could be fatal. Nagare, her husband,
has conflicting feelings but refrains from expressing his opinion. It's left to Kei to decide. She retires to rest
for the day.

After closing the café, Kei tells Nagare that she will visit the hospital the following day. She admits her
fear that she might not return. Nagare realizes that Kei has chosen to keep the baby, even if it means
sacrificing her life. However, Kei worries about not being there to raise the child. She arranges to travel ten
years into the future on August 27th, her birthday, at three in the afternoon.

Kei arrives in the future and finds that Goro, the man with a scar on his forehead, is managing the café.
Goro explains that Nagare and Kazu are in Hokkaido, leading Kei to assume that Kazu forgot her promise.
A shy teenage girl, the same one who took a photo with Kei earlier, enters the café. She avoids Kei, but Kei
notices she's wearing the wine-red apron that belonged to her. When the phone rings, Goro hands it to Kei.
Nagare informs her that there was a mix-up, and she's traveled fifteen years into the future. The teenage girl
is their daughter, Miki.
Fumiko arrives and helps Miki overcome her shyness to speak with her mother. Miki expresses gratitude
to Kei for giving her life. Kei returns to the present with a sense of satisfaction, realizing that time travel
can transform one's heart even if it doesn't change the course of events.

The novel concludes with Kazu's contemplations, underscoring the value of the time-traveling chair in
helping people develop inner strength to face life's challenges.