Like a Deflating Balloon (Simile)
In the first part of Before the Coffee Gets Cold, Fumiko returns to the basement café a week after her boyfriend Goro announced that he was leaving for a job in America. Fumiko still feels despair over how the conversation went, with the narrator commenting that her "upper body flopped into a heap on the table like a deflating balloon." In this simile, Kawaguchi emphasizes Fumiko's sense of disappointment and depression by comparing her physical body to a balloon collapsing from loss of air.
Like a Bolt of Lightning Striking Inside Her Head (Simile)
While Fumiko is in the café chatting with Kazu and Hirai, the narrator comments on how Fumiko saw a TV program that talked about the café's reputation. Kawaguchi writes: "In the introduction, the host spoke about ‘urban legends’, and like a bolt of lightning striking inside her head, she remembered the cafe." In this simile, Kawaguchi describes Fumiko's sudden recollection as bolt of lightning to emphasize the overwhelming, adrenaline-inducing experience of realizing she has an opportunity to speak with Goro again.
As If Her Entire Body Had Become Her Ears (Simile)
After resolving to go back in time, Fumiko waits in the café for the ghost woman to leave her seat, which Fumiko needs to sit in if she wishes to travel through time. However, Fumiko eavesdrops on Fusagi and Kohtake's conversation and realizes she is not the only one waiting for an opportunity. Kawaguchi writes: "It was as if her entire body had become her ears." In this simile, Kawaguchi brings attention to Fumiko's desperation by writing of her eavesdropping as though her entire body has become dedicated to listening.
A Bolt of Lightning Went Off (Metaphor)
When outlining the rules of time travel, Kazu informs Fumiko that there is an extreme penalty for not drinking her coffee quickly enough: Fumiko will take the place of the ghost woman. Upon hearing this, "A bolt of lightning [goes] off inside Fumiko’s head." In this metaphor, Kawaguchi writes of the sudden feeling of panic Fumiko experiences as a bolt of lightning going off inside her head. While no lightning literally strikes her brain, she feels as though she has been hit with an electrifying sensation.
Introduced a Ray of Light (Metaphor)
When Fusagi leaves the café without having recognized his wife, Kohtake, a sense of despair falls over the silent room. However, Kei brings out a bottle of sake and offers to share it with Kohtake and Kazu. Kawaguchi writes: "Kei’s spur-of-the-moment decision had introduced a ray of light into the gloomy atmosphere, and eased the tension between the three." In this metaphor, Kawaguchi underscores the mood-elevating effect of Kei's suggestion by writing of the suggestion as though it has brought literal sunlight into the dim basement.
