-3:12 PM SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 20, 2016-
The gentle hum of the café's ceiling fans blended with the soft clatter of cups, the aroma of roasted coffee beans and warm pastries weaving through the quiet afternoon.
Jousuke sat near the window, cupping a warm milk tea between his palms, letting its heat seep into his cold fingers as he watched raindrops race down the glass.
Across from him sat Sakamoto, calm and composed as always, a quiet smile on his lips as he flipped through the notes in his small, organized notebook. Despite his modest aura, Sakamoto was a campus crush—one of the most admired students in their school, right alongside Asa, Jousuke's best friend.
"Thanks for making time today, Daikuhara-san." Sakamoto said softly, adjusting the sleeve of his dark cardigan.
"It's fine. I'm free today anyway." Jousuke replied, his voice low, fingers drumming softly against his cup.
They discussed their upcoming group project for history, sharing ideas and dividing sections with casual ease.
Sakamoto's explanations were clear but humble, his words never carrying the air of someone trying to show off.
"I'll take care of drafting the initial slides." Sakamoto said, his voice calm as he took a sip of his coffee.
He continued "You're better at summarizing, so maybe you can finalize the points for recitation."
"Sure." Jousuke nodded.
The conversation lulled into a soft silence, the rain outside falling in steady, rhythmic drops against the glass.
"Daikuhara-san. Can I ask you something a bit... unrelated?" Sakamoto asked suddenly, his gaze shifting toward the window as if hesitating.
"Yeah?" Jousuke replied.
"Do you... like anyone right now?" Sakamoto asked, his voice remained calm, though a hint of curiosity flickered in his dark eyes.
Jousuke blinked, caught off guard by the question and asked "Why are you asking that?"
Sakamoto let out a soft, almost embarrassed chuckle and said "I guess I've just been wondering how it feels for others. You're close with Ebihara-san, right? I hear you two get a lot of attention."
Jousuke looked down, letting out a small breath and replied "Asa's the one who gets the attention. I just get dragged along."
"That's not true." Sakamoto smiled gently, brushing a stray strand of hair away from his forehead. He continued "You're easy to talk to, Daikuhara-san. People naturally like you."
Jousuke fell silent, his eyes dropping to the steam curling from his cup.
"...It's complicated." he finally admitted.
Sakamoto's calm gaze remained on him, patiently waiting.
"Rika Sakurai. She used to be important to me." Sakamoto said after a moment, his tone quiet, almost distant.
"I know." Jousuke replied softly.
Sakamoto's eyes softened, a wistful smile touching his lips and said "She likes you, you know."
Jousuke's hand froze around his cup, the warmth suddenly feeling heavy against his skin.
"I know." he confessed.
Sakamoto's brows lifted slightly, though his calm never wavered. He asked "You do?"
"I overheard her." Jousuke continued, his voice low. "She was talking with Boutsuki-san yesterday. She told her that she... she loves me more than anyone else does."
Outside, the rain picked up, the sound filling the pause between them.
"I see." Sakamoto murmured, tracing the rim of his cup with his finger. He continued "That's very like her."
Jousuke's gaze remained unfocused, lost in the ripples on the surface of his tea.
"It's not just her." he said quietly.
Sakamoto looked up, attentive.
"It's Boutsuki-san, too. I can tell by the way she looks at me, how she always tries to hide it, but it's obvious." Jousuke said, his voice nearly a whisper.
Sakamoto's calm expression didn't change, but he nodded gently, encouraging him to continue.
"And Miyazaki-san—the student council's vice president. She's always acting tough, calling me an idiot, scolding me for every small thing... but she avoids my eyes when I look back at her, and she never leaves me alone even when she says she will." Jousuke added, pressing his lips into a thin line.
The café felt warmer, the sound of rain and clinking cups like a soft veil around them.
"They all like you." Sakamoto said quietly, not as a question, but as a quiet truth.
Jousuke's hands trembled slightly as he wrapped them tighter around his cup.
"...Yeah." Jousuke breathed out.
Sakamoto took another sip of his coffee, his dark eyes thoughtful and asked "You're not happy about it?"
"It's not about being happy." Jousuke replied, shaking his head. He continued "It's about not knowing what to do."
Sakamoto leaned back, his calm aura unwavering and said "Feelings aren't something you can just sort out overnight."
Jousuke nodded, his eyes dropping to the small puddle forming at the base of his cup.
"Boutsuki-san... she's probably having dinner with her family tonight." Jousuke said softly, almost to himself. He continued, but louder "And I'm here, stuck with this mess in my head."
"You care about them." Sakamoto said, his voice as steady as always.
"I do. For all of them." Jousuke replied.
Sakamoto's eyes softened and asked "That's why it's hard, isn't it?"
"Yeah." Jousuke whispered.
They sat there, the rain slowing to a drizzle, the gray sky outside growing darker as the afternoon waned.
"...Do you like any of them back?" Sakamoto asked calmly, meeting Jousuke's eyes with quiet patience.
Jousuke opened his mouth, but no sound came out. Leah's gentle smiles, Miyazaki's hidden glances, Rika's unwavering eyes—each image tangled with warmth and confusion.
"I..." Jousuke started, the word barely forming.
The café's door chimed as another customer entered, cold air sweeping through, brushing against Jousuke's skin as he struggled to find the next word.
Sakamoto waited, unblinking, the soft sounds of the café continuing around them.
"I don't know." Jousuke finally admitted, the words falling heavily between them.
Sakamoto's calm never wavered, but something in his eyes flickered, as if he understood something deeper.
"I see." Sakamoto murmured, his fingers pausing against the ceramic of his cup.
They fell into silence again, but it was a different kind of silence—heavy, loaded with unsaid words and tangled feelings.
"Daikuhara-san." Sakamoto said quietly, his voice lower, the rain outside slowing to soft taps against the glass.
"What is it?" Jousuke looked up.
Sakamoto's calm eyes met his, unblinking.
"There's something you should know about Rika." Sakamoto said.
Jousuke's breath caught.
"What do you mean?" Jousuke asked.
Sakamoto's lips parted, but before he could continue, the café's lights flickered, the hum of the machines dipping for a brief second as thunder rumbled softly in the distance.
Jousuke's heart pounded, eyes fixed on Sakamoto, waiting for him to finish.
But Sakamoto stayed silent for a moment, his calm eyes unreadable in the shifting light, as if weighing whether to say it now—or ever.
And in that suspended moment, with the soft drizzle outside and the warmth of the café pressing around them, the world felt impossibly quiet.