Hoshino POV:
Luna, Remi, Sora and I were all sitting inconspicuously at a table hidden in the corner of the cafe. Yu was supposed to arrive with his date in around five minutes.
I assumed that we'd all lie low and not draw attention to ourselves—you know, to keep Yu from finding out that we were here. That was not what happened.
"Oh. My. God. This is so good!" Luna exclaimed excitedly.
Remi nodded proudly. "I know, right?! Just wait until you try the pastries. They are out of this world, I tell you!"
I couldn't help but cover my face, as if hiding myself from the other customers, as the two of them fan-girled over their drinks.
I haven't been to many cafes, but I thought the whole point of them was to have one drink and relax. Yet, our table was filled to the brim. Remi and Luna each had two drinks and four kinds of snacks: bread, ice cream, cookies, and macarons.
Luna let out a pleased squeal with every bite she took.
I couldn't help but sigh.
"I don't mean to ruin your mood or anything, but Yu could arrive any minute now, and I don't know about you, but we are not being subtle."
Luna and Remi both turned to me with their mouths full.
"Shho what?" Luna said, blinking cluelessly.
Sora set the textbook he had been reading down with a somewhat strained chuckle, turning to Luna.
"I get that you guys want to have fun, but I really think we should be more care–"
Suddenly, the bell rang, signalling that someone had either just left—or entered the store. All three of them froze; meanwhile, my gaze shot to the entrance.
I held in a disgruntled groan.
What terrible timing!
Yu was holding the door for his date, allowing her to take the lead. From the looks of it, the two of them were laughing.
Wow, good for you! Keep it up, buddy!
As much as I wanted to support my friend, there were bigger problems to worry about—these three. My hands shot forward in a blur, grabbed each of the snacks, and shoved one in each of our mouths.
I tried to chew my cookie quickly, but I couldn't help but notice that it actually tasted pretty good. Overpriced—but good nonetheless, especially since I had a sweet tooth. Sadly, I didn't have any time to enjoy it.
I pushed it down my throat, then nudged my head in the direction where Yu and his date sat. Luna didn't have a clear view of the store as I did—so she twisted her whole body around to have a look.
I swiftly kicked her under the table.
Luna shot me a pained, annoyed grimace that practically screamed, "What the hell was that for?!" while clutching her leg.
I shook my head.
Don't be stupid. You're going to make it way too obvious.
Luna's brows creased together.
"Oh yeah? Then why don't we switch then?!"
I did the motions of a sigh without actually sighing.
Too late for that now. It's gonna give us away. You're just gonna have to deal with it.
That was partially a lie. The truth was—I just wanted front row seats. And Luna seemed to realize that as well as she stared at me indignantly for just a beat longer before giving up.
Now that we'd settled that, I turned my attention back to Yu. He was sitting at only three tables away from us, which was pretty close. Luckily for us, his back was turned in our direction, which meant we weren't in his field of view.
Still, if we stared too obviously, his date might notice and tell him about it. So, we all pretended to do something. Remi took out her phone, her thumbs not moving. Luna put the straw of her drink in her mouth, not drinking anything. Sora took out a textbook, his eyes not tracing the words. And I took out a light novel.
We all held our breaths, keeping the noise to an absolute minimum. That was when a loud laugh rang out in the room. From my peripheral vision, I saw Yu's date clutching her stomach, laughing uncontrollably.
I couldn't help but smile proudly.
Holy shit! He might actually pull this off!
Suddenly, I heard the sound of a sniffle to my left. I turned slowly. When I saw who it had come from—my jaw dropped.
Remi was gripping the hem of her skirt with tears forming in the corners of her eyes.
Is she… crying?!
Sora noticed this and slid her a handkerchief from across the table. She swiped it off the surface and dabbed her eyes.
Concerned, I nudged her from under the table with my foot and whispered: "Why are you crying?"
"That's a stupid question!" she whispered back with an edge of annoyance. "Of course I'd be crying! I practically raised that man!"
Well, I guess she did spend a long time planning this out with him. I could kind of get where she was coming from, too. I've been with Yu since the third grade, so to see him all grown up and going on a date that was going well, of course I felt proud.
I turned to Luna, my smirk widening.
See? There was nothing to worry about after all.
Her shoulders drooped as a quiet smile crossed her face, her eyes fixed on her drink.
"I already knew that. I just wanted to see for myself. It was worth every minute."
Her gaze lifted until they met mine.
"Don't you think so too?"
I shook my head.
That's a dumb question. Of course, I think it was worth it.
We all continued to sit in silence as Yu's date with Kyara continued. After about an hour, the two got up from their seats and left. Yu, being the gentleman he was, held the door for her on the way out.
Now that he was gone, it felt like a weight had been lifted off my chest. I never would have thought I'd be this stressed over my best friend going on a date.
Needing something to refresh my system, I grabbed the drink from Luna's hands and took a sip. She didn't seem to mind.
Once I finished, I let out a satisfied breath.
"Well, now that Yu's gone, how about we go do our own thing? He's got it under control."
Sora nodded affirmatively. "I agree. We've watched over him long enough."
Luna let out a loud groan as she stretched her arms. "Okay, so what's the plan?"
"How about we watch a quick movie and then go home?" Remi suggested.
"I don't care," I said flatly.
"Sure!" Luna exclaimed energetically.
"Sounds good," Sora replied calmly.
Remi stood up from her seat and walked to the exit. "Well, no time to waste, let's go!"
With that, we all got up and spent the rest of our day watching a movie before heading home. I personally wasn't the biggest fan of watching movies when I could either watch them for free at home or use that time for something else, but I didn't regret a single moment.
***
"Bye bye! Thanks for dropping me off!"
Luna waved goodbye as she entered her house.
"Yeah, see you," I replied, giving her a small wave back.
Luna shut the door. The *thud* lingered in the air, only to be swallowed by the silence. The moment it did, my smile faded, and I let out a small breath.
It really was a fun day.
I took out my phone and glanced at the time. It was 3:07, which, in my opinion, was still early. I didn't feel like going home at the moment, so I opened my chat with Mei.
I had been texting her throughout the day before I got to the cafe. Once I arrived, I told her I'd get back to her when I finished. It was a little late, but better late than never.
I sent her a quick text.
Mei responded instantly.
Even through the screen, I could still feel her usual cheeriness.
I was glad that she was quick to pick things up, but I didn't want to force her into it.
Mei replied with one simple line.
I couldn't help but stare at her message. Eventually, I let out a small chuckle.
Guess you saw right through me.
I pocketed my phone and headed towards our usual meet-up spot.
Normally, we'd visit the place when the sun had descended below the horizon, drowning the world in shades of black, so it was a little strange being able to see everything in the daylight. Countless pieces of graffiti covered the grey, withered bricks, with metal stairs climbing upwards lining the sides of the buildings.
Since the buildings were worn down, it probably wasn't safe to climb the stairs. Yet, I couldn't help but be just a little curious.
I continued to walk along the alleyway until I arrived at the spot. Without the dark, everything just seemed... grey, the faint hum of the vending machine adding onto the feeling.
Mei hadn't arrived yet, but I was tired of standing, so I took a seat where I always did—away from the corner.
Suddenly, I heard soft footsteps crunch against the gravel further ahead, accompanied by a cheery voice I'd never mistake.
"Oh! You're already here?"
I looked up.
Mei stood just a few feet ahead of me. Her gaze traced me, then the corner beside me.
She tilted her head, her eyes containing a sharp glint of curiosity.
"Did you save that for me?"
"Obviously," I replied flatly. "You think I'd just sit awkwardly at two-fifths of the wall instead of a corner because I wanted to?"
Mei giggled, but the sound faded before it could even echo in the alley. "I see. Well, thank you for your consideration."
Without saying anything else, she approached the corner and sat down, leaning her body into the vertex of the walls. Just like always, there was a thirty-centimetre distance between us.
However, I scooted over until our shoulders brushed against one another and intertwined my fingers with hers. She didn't resist. Instead, she shifted away from the corner and leaned onto me.
Her hand was soft enough to make my heart race. Her face was close enough that I couldn't look at anything else.
A high schooler's dream.
And yet…
The cold emptiness in my chest never filled with warmth.