Manga Cafe.

,Oh…”

The nostalgic scent of the times I lived in the past filled my throat and seemed to fill my lungs, making my heart flutter.

,Wait a minute, they have this too…?”

The title was so familiar that I unconsciously went to the bookshelf and took out the manga series Hunter x Hunter, complete in 50 volumes.

It’s a manga I used to really enjoy.

The author was often sick and took many breaks from serialization, so I worried if I would be able to see the ending before I died.

But it seems it finally finished.

Not only Hunter x Hunter but also other manga I enjoyed reading in the past started to catch my eye.

Since the timeline is so different from when I was a man, it seems they’ve all finished.

‘I don’t think I’ll be able to come here for just one day.’

The place I’m in now is none other than a manga cafe.

There were several manga cafes back when I was around. But it seems there are fewer of them in this era.

I knew there was a manga cafe near my house, and I wanted to come at least once.

Even though the times have changed greatly, paper is still being used steadily, but not as much as when I was around. It has definitely decreased a lot.

In a world with virtual reality, augmented reality, and holograms, paper won’t be used much. But I honestly like this paper smell and the crisp feeling in my hands.

I started taking out the Hunter x Hunter manga books after volume 32, which I had read before.

‘Heavy.’

It’s a weight that Leorio would easily lift, but now I’m relying on the prosthetic arm attached to my arm, so my shoulder started to ache as it got heavier.

I have no choice.

I handed the manga books to Na-gyeong next to me.

,Na-gyeong-ah, bring what you want to read too.”

,It’s okay.”

,Tsk.”

,Okay…”

Na-gyeong put the manga books she received from me in the designated spot and went out again to choose books.

These days, manga cafes also have private rooms, and they’re quite large. And there are thin curtains.

It’s a curtain, but it doesn’t completely cover, you could say it’s slightly see-through? Maybe they use these curtains to prevent impure behavior, like in the old manga cafes.

But this much curtain is enough.

I lifted the skirt I was wearing. And skillfully detached the prosthetic leg.

Aww. I feel a little better now.

Even though the prosthetic leg has become much more comfortable, it hasn’t completely eliminated the discomfort.

As my weight increased, the load on the amputation surface also increased, so my adaptation is delayed, and it hurts.

I need to get a callus here, but when will it form?

It’s only been 2-3 months since I started going to school with the prosthetic leg, so is it still a long way off?

Anyway, as soon as I took off the prosthetic leg, I felt a sense of liberation and lay back.

Then, before picking up and opening the Hunter x Hunter manga that Na-gyeong brought, I jumped up at the mini kiosk in front of me and ordered a drink for Na-gyeong as well.

We go to school together and talk a lot, so I know Na-gyeong’s tastes now, so I didn’t hesitate.

After confirming that the order was placed, I lay back down and opened the manga.

“…”

Seueuk.

“…”

Seueuk.

“…”

Seueuk.

I tried lying on my stomach, lying down, looking to the side, and leaning against the wall, but it was all quite uncomfortable for reading manga.

My shoulders hurt when I lie on my stomach.

When lying down, I usually support my elbows on the floor and read manga. The problem is that I have a prosthetic arm up to my elbow.

No matter how much I move the position of my elbow, it was impossible to maintain exactly 90 degrees with the floor.

Because of that, the force wasn’t going straight down at 90 degrees, so the amputated surface of my arm and the prosthetic arm started to misalign.

Usually, prosthetic arms and legs are not attached directly to the amputated surface. They cover and fix the upper part, including the amputated area. So that part started pressing down on my bare skin, and it hurt.

I gave up immediately.

It was also hard to lie down.

It was hard to keep my arm up, and it was annoying to close and open the manga every time I turned the page, so I gave up.

It’s also hard to lie on my side.

This is even harder. You might ask why? But anyone who has worn a prosthetic arm will understand.

When lying on your side, you usually stick your shoulder out forward. That’s natural.

The problem is the strap that secures the prosthetic arm.

Since I stuck my shoulder out, the strap naturally tightened around my shoulder, so I gave up on this too.

Leaning against the wall is out of the question.

Why? Because I took off the prosthetic leg, so my buttocks and short thighs couldn’t hold me in place, and I just kept sliding down.

I tried several times in various ways, but I couldn’t find a comfortable position.

Then I bumped into the prosthetic leg I had placed next to me.

And I realized.

‘This is it.’

==

,There aren’t many customers…”

The owner, looking at the manga cafe that he had decorated himself from the interior, sighed, resting his chest on the table.

The owner, who loved books, worked hard and saved money to open a bookstore and manga cafe.

Even though paper books have decreased a lot, he believed that people still liked them.

Of course, he knew that it was impossible to operate as just a bookstore, so he also ran a manga cafe.

But there were fewer customers than expected.

It’s not that there are none. But it’s barely enough to cover the exorbitant rent in the middle of Seoul.

After paying the rent and the employees’ salaries, there was nothing left.

He’s barely making any money now.

Ttalang~

,Welcome.”

At the sound of customers coming in, the owner got up from his seat and greeted the customers with a bright smile.

‘Wow. She’s so pretty…! Is she an idol trainee?’

Even though she was wearing a school uniform, the owner couldn’t help but be drawn to her figure and the aura behind her fox-like appearance.

And the child who came in with such a pretty girl. Anyone would think they were sisters, but the young girl was wearing the same school uniform as the fox girl.

‘I guess the older sister is in the third year of middle school, and the younger sister is in the first year?’

The manga cafe owner greeted them kindly and asked if it was their first time using the place, and when they said yes, he kindly guided them.

After the guidance, they went to choose manga books.

‘Is that child very sensitive to the cold?’

The young girl, who looked like she was in the first year of middle school, or even an elementary school student if she wasn’t wearing a uniform, was wearing thick gloves and thick stockings even from a distance.

‘Wow, that young child knows that manga?’

She was so cute and small that my eyes naturally followed her. The manga that the young child took out first was not a recent manga but a classic manga.

It’s a manga that is highly regarded among classic manga.

‘That child has an eye for good stuff.’

After confirming that the sisters, who had chosen their manga books, had entered a private room, the manga cafe owner was about to sigh again at the empty manga cafe when he noticed Na-gyeong coming out again and snapped out of it.

While Na-gyeong was choosing manga books, a ding sound came from the counter.

It was an order.

There was only one team of customers right now, so he couldn’t help but know that it was the young child who had ordered.

The manga cafe owner immediately started making the drinks and went to deliver them right away.

,Here are the drinks you ordered.”

,Yes~ Just a moment~”

The manga cafe owner shouted inwardly, “Cute!” at the small, delicate, and equally cute voice coming from inside the curtain.

Chwarak

The curtain opened, and the moment he was about to hand over the drinks he had worked hard to make.

,Hiiiiek!?”

He fell backward.

As he fell on his butt, the two drinks in the manga cafe owner’s hands naturally spilled all over him.

,A-Are you okay!?”

A-rang went closer to the manga cafe owner, who had suddenly fallen and been showered with drinks.

,O-Oh, I’m s-sorry.”

The manga cafe owner didn’t even think about the drinks that had been spilled on him.

He just couldn’t take his eyes off A-rang, who was crawling towards him.

As soon as the curtain opened, what the manga cafe owner saw was none other than legs. Both legs.

The two legs were just there by themselves, and the sight was so bizarre.

The two legs, which seemed to be lying face down, were bent at the knees, and because of that, there was a manga book on the thigh area facing the sky.

A-rang had been trying to find various positions and was using her prosthetic legs like a desk.

On top of that, A-rang, who had seen him fall and was worried, was crawling towards him without her legs, so the manga cafe owner couldn’t come to his senses.

,A-rang-ah, what’s wrong!”

Na-gyeong, who had rushed back to A-rang at the loud noise, immediately realized what had happened.

,Haa…”

Na-gyeong sighed in relief.

Na-gyeong had now completely understood A-rang as a person.

A-rang is quite mischievous, so these kinds of things happen so often that she’s not really surprised anymore.

Of course, this time it was just an accident and not A-rang’s fault.

Na-gyeong knew that A-rang wanted to take off her prosthetic leg, so she chose a room with these curtains.

,A-rang-ah, let’s go inside first.”

Even though it’s cleaned thoroughly, the floor is still the floor.

Na-gyeong picked up A-rang and took her back into the room, then reached out to the cafe owner, who still had a dazed expression.

,Are you okay?”

,Ah, y-yes, yes…!”