Chapter Text
~ Third Person Pov... ~
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Ayano made his way back towards the inside...
'I kept her waiting for half an hour. I just hope she isn't up-' His thought were cut short instantly.
Sekai was seated exactly where he'd left her, but now leaning forward, one arm on the desk, her cheek resting on the other hand. She raised an eyebrow when she saw him, expression unreadable at first.
Then...
"You were gone for quite a while, mister..."
Her tone wasn’t sharp, but it had a certain weight behind it...
Like someone who had just finished waiting out a storm, or it was storm brewing... A.K.A, she was very upset.
Ayano scratched the side of his neck lightly, moving back to the booth;
"Sorry... Sekai-san. I Kind of got pulled into something..." He admitted.
Sekai didn’t say anything for a second. Her eyes flicked toward the small bag in his hand-the one Rin had handed off last minute. Inside, the faint rattle of tools could be heard.
"...Let me guess. You helped fixed it?"
He blinked: "Well, I just lifted it... That’s all. Kind of..."
She stared at him for a long second before sighing: "...You're lucky you're good at this whole humble act, kind of."
He gave a soft smile, and slid back into his seat across from her. His gaze briefly passed over the table-a clean, folded napkin, a fork, and now a small plate that hadn’t been there before;
"Oh...? Is that chocolate cake?" He asked.
Sekai looked proud for half a second-then immediately backpedaled.
"Before you say anything, no, I didn't bake it." She clarified reluctantly, but quickly: "Okaa-san had it in the back... I just, uh, stole it from the fridge when she wasn’t looking."
Ayano raised an eyebrow, amused: "Stealing from your own mom's fridge?"
"I wouldn't call it stealing, Baka! It was either that or make something myself... And, we both know how that would've gone." She admitted once again.
He nodded somewhat solemnly: "What... Mass casualties?"
"Worse. Raw eggs and just, disappointment..." Sekai said, no longer trying to fight her fate.
He chuckled, and reached for the fork, cutting into the slice with practiced ease. The cake was soft-fluffy even-topped with the lightest touch of powdered sugar. He slowly took a bite...
Then paused mid-chew;
"...Okay. This is actually amazing."
Sekai smiled: "I told you. If there's one thing I can do, it's raid a fridge with precision."
He gave a soft exhale, leaning back just a little.
The ocean breeze snuck in through the side vents, the café lighting shifting slightly as the sun began its slow descent toward the waterline. Golden hour...
Ayano glanced at Sekai once again.
She wasn’t looking at him directly now-her gaze wandered toward the window, where sunlight danced against the horizon;
"...You seemed like you were having fun." She asked, murmuring.
He blinked: "Hmm?"
"Back there... With my auntie, Rin."
He tilted his head: "Jealous...?" He asked, teasing her a bit.
Instead, Sekai looked back at him slowly, and huffed while rolling her eyes as well, saying;
"I'll let you figure that one out."
He didn’t even bother to press the issue... Instead, he simply picked up the fork again, poking at the last bite of cake.
A small silence settled between them.
After a while, Sekai’s voice returned, softer this time;
"I kind of wanted to say thanks for coming, by the way."
He glanced at her, eyes steady;
"Well... Thanks for inviting me."
However, as soon as he did, he had caught some of the waitresses looking at him from a distance...
But as soon as he did, they all turned away. At least, most of the ones he caught staring. However, a select few stood out to him, just a little;
"Wow... I never thought I'd see the day I'd catch triplets staring at me at once..." He quipped.
Sekai blinked, turned slightly, and immediately caught the trio of girls behind the counter pretending to scrub glasses they hadn’t touched in five minutes.
"Ugh... They're doing that again?" She muttered, rubbing her temple.
"Again...?" He questioned.
"Yeah..." Sekai sighed: "Apparently, you're already trending around here... Let's just say that word travels fast here, and my mom may have, accidentally, bragged a little."
Ayano tilted his head: "Bragged...?"
"About you..." She replied, then squinted slightly at him: "Not that I can blame her... But still. It's can be a bit much."
Ayano blinked, processing that, saying;
"...I didn’t really do anything, though." He deadpanned.
"Exactly." She shot back, leaning in: "...You just exist, and girls turn into background robots with hearts in their eyes. I've got to admit, you're quite popular now." Sekai paused for a moment, before continuing;
"Still, you did say triplets... right?" She asked again, now the word was finally settling in her.
Ayano nodded: "Yeah, they had either ash or sand blond colored hair. Crazy resemblance too."
Sekai's eyes lit up hearing what he said...
"Hey, do you know something...?" Ayano asked, a bit curious.
"Yeah... Yeah, I do... I know who they are. They used to go to the same school as us."
Ayano raised a brow: "Really, who are they?"
"They're the Nijou sisters, and they're my friends as well..." Sekai added.
Ayano leaned back slightly in surprise, eyes glancing once more toward the counter;
"The Nijou sisters…? Huh."
"Mhm..." Sekai confirmed, propping her chin on her palm again: "Hanon, Kazuha and Futaba-san. They were in the same a year below us, but they’ve been working part-time here for months now actually. Mom kind of took them in after... well, some stuff happened."
Ayano picked up Sekai's rather distant expression... Reminding him of how she seemed back then.
'I feel like I might regret this... but...' He thought, saddling himself up, asking;
"Alright... Tell me what happened..."
"Oh... Don't tell me... Was it really that obvious?" Sekai answered.
He nodded.
She sighed, explaining: "Fine. Well... Remember the little situation I had with, Itou-san?"
"Yes... Why?" He asked again.
"Well... They were apart of it as well." Sekai whispered.
Ayano's face literally contorted: "No... No way... Don't tell me Makoto had sex with all three of them too..."
Sekai winced, holding up her hand quickly: "W-Wait, wait-don’t say it like that. It’s… Complicated."
'I'm sure it is...' He sighed mentally.
He blinked at her, slowly leaning forward, both elbows on the table: "Sekai."
She sighed. "Okay… So, yes. There was something... But it wasn’t like how you’re probably imagining it."
Ayano stayed quiet. That was usually her cue to continue.
Sekai looked out the window for a moment before saying, quieter now;
"This all happened before those three knew he and I were really seeing each other. Before we were official. Heck, even before I was sure we would be."
Ayano’s brow furrowed. He didn’t interrupt, just nodded once to show he was listening;
"Back then… Makoto was already doing his whole, act." She said, her tone a bit sharper now: "But the thing is… they weren’t the only ones, but you already knew that. He had one-nighters. Casuals. Anyone who looked twice at him, pretty much. The triplets? They told me it was more of a curiosity kind of thing..." Sekai said, but it was clear to him she wasn't too pleased.
'I see... So it was just a casual fling between teens? Can't say I can't relate. I remembered during high school days when huge amount of kids that tried sex for fun, it was just worse during my college years. Of course, I didn't really take part in it. I was too busy trying to earn dough to pass by school... Still, now that I think about it, I'm actually still a virgin...' Ayano thought, but quickly brushed it away.
Instead, he asked: "And? What happened when they found out?"
Sekai shrugged a little, lips tightening: "They were all crushed... Especially Kazuha... I think she was the one who genuinely liked him, even if it was a little. The others were... swept up in the novelty of it, I guess."
She exhaled slowly: "But after everything blew up, they all ghosted him of course, and Mom was the one who reached out. She knew their home situation wasn't really, great. So, she gave them work, and something to get over it with..."
Ayano blinked, then turned to look back toward the counter.
The three girls were chatting with themselves again now, one tying up her apron, another brushing back her hair as she giggled at something whispered...
There was no sign of that backstory in their faces, at all...
"...Damn." He muttered, continuing: "I... I honestly wasn’t expecting all of well... That."
'Well, honestly speaking... They are kind of adorable in a way, like kittens...' He noted.
On the other hand, Sekai nodded, her voice a little softer now: "Yeah... Not many people would. But they’ve changed a lot since then, trust me... I think they’ve grown. All three of them."
He simply hummed back in acknowledgment.
Then leaned back again, glancing toward her with a faint smile: "You know... it’s kind of strange."
"Hmm?" Sekai audibly wondered.
"It's just that... I kind of came here expecting a quick meal... Instead, I got a surprise reunion, a motorcycle check, a slice of chocolate cake, and a bit of trauma dump to go." Ayano quipped lightly.
Sekai laughed audibly, this time: "*Pfft* Well~ I do recall during class that one time... Something along the lines of you saying that you liked variety."
He grinned faintly, folding his arms behind his head: "I might even start calling this whole place eventful."
Sekai smiled: "Just don't let Okaa-san hear you say that. She’ll try to re-brand the whole restaurant in a heartbeat."
"I'll make it my duty to keep my mouth zipped tight then." He said, chuckling as well.
~ Third Person Pov, elsewhere... ~
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"It's just as I've told you... If Boramae doesn't find another member by the end of this week, we will be terminating it... Is that, clear...? Siyeon?" A young man dressed neatly in navy blue said. He adjusted his glasses, looking downwards at her...
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Her brows furrowed, responding: "I... Understand..."
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END