Before the Coffee Gets Cold

"Are you listening?" Kazu continued. "When you return to the past, you must drink the entire cup before the coffee goes cold."
"Uh. I don't actually like coffee that much."
Kazu opened her eyes wider and brought her face an inch or so from the tip of Fumiko's nose.
"This is the one rule you have to absolutely obey," she said in a low voice.
"Really?"
"If you don't, something terrible will happen to you . . .""Are you listening?" Kazu continued. "When you return to the past, you must drink the entire cup before the coffee goes cold."
"Uh. I don't actually like coffee that much."
Kazu opened her eyes wider and brought her face an inch or so from the tip of Fumiko's nose.
"This is the one rule you have to absolutely obey," she said in a low voice.
"Really?"
"If you don't, something terrible will happen to you . . ."

Toshikazu Kawaguchi was born in Osaka, Japan, in 1971. He formerly produced, directed and wrote for the theatrical group Sonic Snail. As a playwright, his works include COUPLE, Sunset Song, and Family Time. The novel Before the Coffee Gets Cold is adapted from a 1110 Productions play by Kawaguchi, which won the 10th Suginami Drama Festival grand prize.