Recommendations for a Meetup. A Quietly Passionate Gathering, The Day Of...

A quietly passionate gathering

April 19th

Where I'm heading now.

I'm starting my journey after having a convenience store coffee.

It's delicious.

I feel like I'm on a field trip.

I thought, even though I'm an adult,

but I guess that doesn't really matter.

I wonder what kind of day it will be.

I wonder if they'll come.

No, they said they would, so I should trust that.

I'm still a little nervous, though.

Thinking about that, I head over.

I prepare coffee,

and I prepare tea, too.

And snacks.

I worried and worried...
wondering what kind of snacks would be good.

Wondering if everyone will drink coffee, and so on.

Ei-san's Crisp Cent coffee, and

Tee-san's Eisui tea, Chiran tea.

I thought it would be nice if we could all have a drink together, since we're going to the trouble.

I tried cold brewing.

But when I tried it, it didn't go well.

The cold brew coffee is weak.

The tea is also a concern.

I think I got the amount of water wrong.

It's kind of funny.

Well, that's fine.

Including things like that, that's what today is about.

There's no right answer, and

there's no need to do it perfectly.

I just hope the people who come enjoy themselves and that I can talk to them a little.

It was a lovely venue.

The restrooms were clean, too,
which is reassuring.

I feel like I was able to lower the barrier
for first-time attendees.

Ayako Ruruto wrote an article about our fun conversation!

It's easier to understand than me talking about it!!

Now that it's over.

It was a mysterious time.

It's not like we did anything particularly amazing

It wasn't a place to bring back lessons on learning or growth,

or anything like that.

But there was a genuine passion there.

Quietly.

What it actually means to meet people

I met on note in person,

honestly, I didn't really understand.

But after meeting them, I thought I did.

Ah, so this is what it's like.

There are things that words alone

cannot convey.

Things I couldn't see from the other side of the screen

were right in front of me.

The faces they only show to the people right in front of them now.

It was so natural and relaxed.

Even though they weren't trying to look cool,

they looked cool instead.

I think it's probably because they weren't forcing it.

Trying to talk properly,

or trying to act properly,

That kind of relaxed vibe.

But because it's relaxed, your true self comes out,

and that person's charm could be seen.

I thought it would be nice if I could talk even a little bit, but

that was truly enough.

Actually,
what I wanted you to take home with you was

a place where you can talk even a little bit

even if you don't have to talk, you can start talking, and

that kind of sense of security,

I wanted to share.

The feeling that just being there is enough.

I realized that this is where the warmth of people comes from.

Coffee and tea.

I thought it hadn't gone well, but

when I drank it, it was delicious.

There was no milk, and
I felt bad about that, but

let's count that as a good thing, too.

T-san was happy that I drank their tea,
and they even wrote an article about it.
It's right here▼

After parting ways with everyone,

in the parking lot,

I stood and talked with Okabecchi.

Before I knew it, we had been talking for over an hour.

We should have just sat down to talk.

It feels like it's still continuing.

The atmosphere in that place

It was quietly passionate, but the feeling that it wasn't over yet continued.

I am grateful to the people who came.

Using your precious time to
come and visit me
was truly a valuable experience.

Thank you very much.

Shime-san
Ruruto Ayako-san
Taka-san
Okabecchi-san

Ah, this...

is a recommendation for a meetup.