"Got somewhere to go?"
Mita's voice is calm but has a pretty creepy tone to it, making me shiver. Her eyes flicker between us like a predator deciding on its next prey.
"Uhhh... what a weird way of saying hi," says Mio with a sweet but confused look, even though this question wasn't addressed to her.
"That's none of your business," Mita says as she pulls me by my shoulder. She whispers in my ear, "You don't know what kind of fire you're playing with right now, do you?"
I give her a puzzled look. None of what she's saying makes any sense. Why is she so cold toward Mio? Is she perhaps... jealous???
I get out of Mita's embrace and add, "Mio, this is Mita. My friend... sort of." Mita gives me an annoyed look but decides to play it cool and offers Mio her hand. Mio gladly takes it and shakes her hand.
"Nice to meet you! That was quite the entrance, wasn't it?" says Mio with a smile that looks way too smooth and a handshake way too firm. Mita doesn't flinch, but I could swear I saw her grip tighten. Weird... does she think the firmer the handshake, the better?
The two of them keep staring into each other's eyes with a menacing aura around them. Are they having a staring contest right now? Should I start counting?
"It seems like you two are very close friends, aren't you?" Mio asks.
"I guess you could say that," Mita answers.
They keep talking while still holding hands and locking eye contact so firmly that both their eyes and hands go red.
"That's enough!" I blurt out, afraid one of them is going to pop a blood vessel sooner or later.
Mio lets go first. Her perfect smile breaks for a mere second. Mita freezes before pulling her hand back, acting like nothing ever happened.
"Well, it was nice to meet you... Mio. I have to go now, but we'll see each other... soon," Mita says with a blank stare that gives me chills.
"It was nice to meet you as well, Mita!" Mio adds with a bright smile, as if nothing happened, while Mita slowly walks away, sneaking a few looks.
I stand frozen, watching Mita's back and wondering what to think after witnessing what felt like a lion and tiger fight right in front of me. Come on, Cleo! Think! Is there really something wrong with Mio?
"Hey, are you alright? You're spacing out," Mio brings me back from my mind to the real world.
"Let's keep going then."
"Yeah... let's."
We walk side by side. A weird kind of tension engulfs us, making both of us stay silent. The first one to break it is Mio.
"Hey, so... your friend... Mita. She's quite the number, huh?"
"Yeah..." I say quietly, still shaken by what happened.
"I guess she can sometimes be a bit too much to handle," I add, even though I don't know Mita that well yet.
"A bit too much? She looked like she was deciding if she should eat me or not!" Mio says with a playful chuckle.
Before I can respond, Mio steps in front of me and twirls on her heel. Now standing right in front of me and walking backward, she smiles and whispers:
"Don't worry, though. I don't scare so easily."
And something in my mind whispers back... maybe Mita was right.
Mio takes a few steps before slowing down to catch up with me. The silence returns, and the awkward tension settles again. Then suddenly, Mio looks at me with a devilishly cute smile.
"Hey! There's a coffee shop just around the corner. How about we go for a nice cup of coffee?"
Mio sure knows how to make me forget about anything that happened. When there's coffee involved, I forget everything bad that's happening.
"Sounds good! I'm in!"
Clink! The doors open with the gentle sound of a bell on top. The smell of freshly made coffee surrounds me.
"Welcome! Please take a seat!" the waiter greets us. Which is pretty weird to me since I've never been greeted by a waiter before. It must be Mio's pretty-girl aura working on them!
But just when I'm about to take a step in, I spot a cat. Multiple of them! They're everywhere: on the cat tree, sitting on chairs, and lying on the ground bathing in the warm sunlight.
"You didn't tell me this was a cat café!" I say nervously. I still don't know how my body will react in a place like this. Well, we'll find out today.
We take a seat at the back of the shop in a small booth by a window. The yellow light streaming in gently illuminates Mio's face, making her look even more angelic.
She props her elbows on the table, resting her chin in her hands as she gazes out the window for a moment, then back at me. Her eyes catch the light, almost sparkling.
"So," she says casually, "what do you usually order? Coffee, tea... or are you one of those people who secretly just comes for cake?"
I let out a soft smile. "Coffee. I really like coffee with milk. I can't drink it black, though I admire people who can."
"Is that so?" Mio says with a gentle yet playful smile.
The waiter comes to our table, looking pretty tired. No wonder—there are a lot of people here. "So, are you ready to order?"
Mio answers first. "I'll have a coffee... black." She looks at me and smirks like a little kid who just outsmarted me.
A bit taken aback by Mio's answer, I take a second to respond.
"Ahh... coffee with milk, please! Thank you!"
The waiter nods politely, writing it down. "Anything to eat with that?"
One thing to note about me is that if I'm going to a coffee shop, I always order cake with my coffee. It's like a little treat.
"Yes, I'll have a strawberry shortcake!"
"And anything for you, miss?"
"No, I'm good. Thank you."
The waiter quickly walks away. There are many other customers to serve.
"You don't want anything to eat? Aren't you hungry?" I ask.
"No, I'm not hungry, but thanks for caring."
I blush a little. I'm glad she noticed that I care about her, but when you say it out loud, it's kind of embarrassing.
Purr purr... A fluffy white cat has found its way to our booth, gracefully hopping onto the seat beside me. Its fur is so soft and bright it almost glows under the café's warm lights.
"Ohhh! How cute!!" Mio squeaks with pure joy, her face lighting up.
The ball of fluff locks eyes with mine. It feels like it sees right through me, through my mask, through the human part of me.
"Cleo?" Mio tilts her head, noticing I've gone stiff. "Do you not like cats? Or are you perhaps allergic?"
My cheeks burn. "N-no! I do... I mean, of course I do."
The cat brushes its cheek against my arm, purring even louder, as if to prove a point. Mio giggles, watching the scene with a sweet smile.
"They really like you. Cats are picky, you know. They don't warm up to just anyone."
I swallow hard. Yeah... I know.
Some time passes, and the waiter brings us our order.
I can't contain the happiness I feel when she sets down my coffee and cake. My hands are ready to dig in.
Mio sips her black coffee, her eyes not leaving mine.
"So, strawberry shortcake? How cute."
I blink, fork hovering over the cake. "C-cute...?" I murmur, cheeks heating.
"Sorry. I'm just teasing you. But to be honest, you kind of look like someone who would order a cake like that." She adds a little smile.
I take my mask off, and just when I'm about to take a bite, I remember. Oh no, I have whiskers on my cheeks!
I suddenly freeze up. Not knowing what to do in this situation, I blurt out:
"I—I have to go to the bathroom!"
Without giving Mio the chance to reply, I storm out of the booth, heading straight to the bathroom.