The bell above the door gave a cheerful chime as the three stepped into the warm interior of Café Fleur. Situated between two office buildings, the café was a cozy hideaway, aglow with amber-toned lights and steeped in the comforting aroma of roasted beans and sugar-glazed pastries. Outside, the spring evening had begun to fade into a breezy dusk, but inside, the mellow hum of modern song created a slow, soothing tempo that made the world feel a little gentler.
Sakai-kun slid into a booth by the window, stretching his arms with a lazy grin.
"Man, my shoulders are killing me," he sighed before burying his face in the dessert menu like it was the highlight of his day.
Makoto, giggling as she tucked a strand of black hair behind her ear, settled across from him. Sora took the seat beside her, placing her bag gently on the bench as if not to disturb the soft atmosphere.
They had barely placed their orders when Sakai-kun leaned in, mischief glinting in his eyes. "Hey, Asahina-san, Uehara-san… Did either of you ever notice the piercing holes on Morikita-san's ears? And his face? Was he, like, a delinquent back in the day or something?"
Makoto snorted, glancing up from her menu. "Wait, what? Did you stare at his face that closely, Sakai-kun?"
"I couldn't help it, alright?" he said, waving a hand as if that excused everything. "He's unrealistically good-looking. And he looks stupidly familiar. Like… some actor or something."
Sora giggled, putting down her phone after checking it—hoping, maybe, for a message that still hadn't come. "The ladies in my office said the same thing. They swear Morikita-san looks like the male version of Akizuki-san."
Sakai-kun nearly jolted upright in his seat. "Yes! That's it! Akizuki-san! Damn, now that you say it… My mom lives for her. I swear, she follows Akizuki-san's beauty routine like she's part of some weird cult. That old hag of mine."
Makoto burst into laughter, while Sora chuckled softly with one hand covering her mouth.
Their drinks arrived moments later. Makoto's usual straight black coffee, Sora's delicate jasmine tea, and Sakai-kun's indulgent caramel latte crowned with whipped cream and a dusting of cinnamon. Alongside came a modest lineup of desserts: a strawberry shortcake, a matcha roll, and a slice of creamy cheesecake.
Sora picked at her roll cake, her voice light. "Still, I'm glad Morikita-san gets along with Hasegawa-san pretty well. Their departments are tightly linked. It's important they have good chemistry."
Makoto nodded, gently swirling her coffee. "Yeah. And honestly, jicho really knows his field. It makes me question those rumors about favoritism. I mean, people love to talk."
"Exactly," Sakai-kun chimed in, lifting his cup. "But come on, being called the vice president's favorite? Isn't that a bit much? The guy was just a supervisor in a smaller office before. A VP wouldn't even look at a regular staff member."
"Well," Makoto smirked, spearing a piece of shortcake with her fork, "he does have a pretty face. The other day when he had lunch with you guys in the cafeteria, he stood out the most. And that's saying something because we always say Hasegawa-san is the most handsome guy here."
Sakai-kun let out a low whistle. "Oof. Kacho's popularity's crashing. At this rate, he's gonna be stuck relying on his right hand."
Makoto laughed out loud, but Sora only offered a soft, closed-lip smile.
Her gaze lowered to her tea, hands curling just a little tighter around the cup. She said nothing. Her thoughts drifted elsewhere—about how Hasegawa didn't want anyone to know about them. She understood. She never argued. But moments like this made her wish she could talk openly.
Say, Tetsu-kun does this, or Tetsu-kun likes that.
To laugh along. To feel proud.
Instead, she simply sipped her tea. And smiled like nothing was wrong.