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"Oi. Mizuki. You listening? Miiizukiiii. Wake up, idiot."
Akito directed a strong flick to Mizuki’s face, the impact jolting their bobbing head and slouched figure upright and awake. They squeaked and held their forehead, massaging the aching spot between their eyes.
"Agh, dude...that was harsh!" They were squinting, eyes readjusting to the warm light spilling into the room they were in. Akito and Mizuki were currently in one of their fashion school's many open study spaces. It was furnished with sofas that were not quite soft enough, decorated with contemporary artworks and cork boards on the walls and floor-to-ceiling windows that did an excellent job at both letting in natural light and muffling the sounds of the vibrant city they called home.
Akito rolled his eyes, leaning back on the sofa they were both on. "Not my fault you just dozed off on me like that. Weren't you the one that asked- no, begged, for cafe recommendations?" He raised an eyebrow, and now it was Mizuki's turn to roll their eyes.
"Don't make me sound that desperate…I knew you'd made it your hobby to visit every cafe in Shibuya ever. So I know you'd know which ones are worth going to." They waved their hands dismissively, yawning.
"Okay, but you'll have to keep your eyes and ears open if you wanna know how to get to where you wanna go, yeah? So listen up." He poked their forehead twice. “Are you listening?”
"I'm listening! I had to stay up last night for a project, I didn't get to sleep at all Lil’ Bro!" They groaned.
"When do we ever?" He sighed and picked up his phone from the small coffee table in front of them. It was a red phone with a clear case. Inside the case was a polaroid of himself and Toya in a crowded live house, with An and Kohane in the background. His lock screen was someone cuddling an orange cat.
"Anyways, here. Since you're bored of me just talking, I'll show you." He opened his map app and clicked a star icon, pulling up a long list of locations. Mizuki leaned over to look at his screen, and Akito held his phone a bit farther from himself for the both of them to see easier.
"These are the cafes I like the most. Good food, good service, good atmosphere, all of that." He pointed to a few of them with his thumb. "They're sorted from most to least expensive. I suggest you go with some of the ones in the middle." He glanced at Mizuki.
They were nodding as they scanned the list. They also kept pointing at the screen and looking back and forth between Akito and his phone. "Didn't these pop up only a few weeks ago?? And I’ve heard that these ones are overpriced! How are you affording all this?" They took Akito's phone and clicked on reviews for each location. After a beat of silence from both of them, Mizuki smirked. "Wait. Is this why you drag Toya around with you? To drain his riches just for a good pancake? Poor guy~!" They started to giggle.
Akito rolled his eyes. "Be quiet. We always split the bill, and he enjoys himself when we’re on these trips. Even more than me sometimes."
"Really? That's cute."
"Yeah."
"Yeah?? You think it’s cute too?" They smiled.
"....Quit looking at me like that." He sighed, leaning his elbow on the couch’s armrest and resting his chin in his hand.
Mizuki laughed and took out their phone. It was white with a heavily deco’d phone case, and a Cinnamoroll phone charm. Their lock screen was a fanart of a certain black-haired magical girl wielding a shield and a gun. "Okay, I'm sending the places I like the most to myself. Not the expensive ones of course, since I don't have such an affluent gentleman for a partner." They sighed dramatically, tapping away on both their phones.
He scoffed. "Sucks to be you, I guess." He waited for a minute, then snatched his phone from Mizuki. "Alright, time's up.”
Akito watched as Mizuki stared at their empty hand, then their phone in mild annoyance. He stared at their phone. “Seriously, I don’t know how you live with your phone case being that much bulkier than your phone. Why’s it decorated like it’s something you’re gonna eat for dessert?”
“It’s cute, that’s why!” Mizuki tapped their fingers on their phone case and stuck their tongue out. "And hey, I still had a few more locations to send!"
Akito looked at his phone screen and furrowed his brows. It showed their LINE messages. "You've sent 5 already, I think that's enough. I know you’re not going to that many cafes at once."
He stood up and stretched. "So, my work here is done, right? Go enjoy your outing with Thing 1.”
“Oho? How’d you know I’d be going with Rui?” They were momentarily sent back to their high school days after hearing that nickname. Tsukasa and Rui always, ALWAYS pushed Akito’s buttons, which granted them the uncreative nicknames of “Thing 1” and “Thing 2”. After an innocent questioning from Kohane, Akito would let slip that Rui was Thing 1 just because he makes him more uneasy than Tsukasa.
“You’ve been talking about him more recently.” Akito scratched his head. “Also, if you were going with Ena or An you wouldn’t need to ask me, right? They know just as many spots as I do.”
As the words left his mouth, confusion flashed on his face. “Huh...so why did you have to ask me instead of them?”
“You manage to keep up with all the newest and trendiest places. And you’re closer by compared to them. And, I deeeeply value your expert taste and opinion.” They smirked.
“Uh-huh.” Despite the displeasure in his voice, Mizuki knows he’s not actually that grumpy. They’re more confident in their friendship since high school, which is why they have no issues with poking fun at him constantly.
“That’s everything, right? I’m really going now.” Akito slipped his phone into his pocket.
Mizuki clapped their hands together. “You’re hereby dismissed. Thanks for the help! Say hi to Ena for me!”
“Yup. See ya in class.” He gave them a small wave, then walked away. Mizuki rummaged through their small backpack and took out some fruit-shaped gummies. They opened their camera app and took a picture of their hand holding said gummies. Then, they opened LINE.
Fri, 12:04
Amia: [IMG_503]
Amia: done talkjng to akito! i got somr good cafes we can go tp
Amia: typing with one hand oosp
They set their phone aside and opened the gummy packaging. It was only a few minutes into eating when their phone buzzed. They picked it up.
Fri, 12:07
Rui: Thats good. He didnt give u much trouble ?
Amia: nah, only the regular shinonome dramatics
Rui: It must be agonizing lolol
Amia: loool it was
Amia: AH when r u free to go??
Mizuki smiled at their screen. While they waited for a response, they thought about how similar Ena and Akito were despite their adamantly denying it to this day. Both carried that almost sarcastic and bored demeanour with them whenever they went. Both loved sweets and were creative in their own right. Both had a short fuse. They’ve also mellowed out since high school, but that spark was still there. A spark that Mizuki seemed to easily light up for years.
Fri, 12:08
Rui: My sunday afternoon’s open. U?
Amia: cool w me! It’s a date (>_0)/~*
Rui: Great
Rui: See u then (>_0)/~*
They stood up and put their phone in their backpack. Still snacking on the gummies, they left the building with excitement building in their heart.
‘He copied my kaomoji, how cute.’
On Sunday, Mizuki stood next to a convenience store near the Shibuya train station, waiting for Rui’s arrival.
Their hair was down, with a heart-shaped clip that parted their bangs. They wore a simple short-sleeved white blouse, with a black and white ribbon tied around the collar. Smaller ribbons were tied around the cuff of the blouse. They wore suspenders with a black skirt that had floral lace on the edges. They wore a few silver rings on their fingers and painted their nails black except for their ring finger, which was painted pink. They wore black heeled boots, and of course had their small backpack, now featuring more buttons and charms decorating it.
Their attention was on their phone and their earbuds blasting music, so they didn’t notice the faint sound of the train’s arrival and departure, the rush of people exiting the station, or the tall figure that seemingly spawned out of nowhere right next to them.
“Yaho.” He tapped their shoulder.
“Ah!” Mizuki jumped at his touch, eyes wide and staring at Rui’s smiling face.
“Rui….You can’t scare me like that! Ah, you actually had me…” Their head flopped forward and they clutched their chest. Their movement made the keychains and buttons on their backpack clink against each other.
“Good to see you too, Mizuki. Perhaps if you were paying attention to your surroundings, you would’ve seen me sooner.” He poked their cheek, and they pouted.
“My favourite band released a new EP, and it’s been stuck in my head for days..”
“Ah, so that’s what that was. I could hear the music through your earbuds, Mizuki.” He shook his head and removed an earbud from their ears. “So you’re ruining your hearing and keeping your head in the clouds? What am I going to do with you…”
Mizuki took his hand. “You’ll make me some crazy powerful hearing aids, right? Nobody can sneak up on me if I have hearing like a cat~”
Rui laughed. “I guess I wouldn’t have a choice.”
Mizuki laughed as well and paused their music. “The cafe’s just a short walk away, so we shouldn’t run into any problems…” They opened their map app and set the GPS to the cafe’s location. “It’s a trendy spot anyways, so I’m sure we’ll know it when we see it.”
Rui hummed. “Really? Is it a fancy place? Maybe I’m a bit underdressed.” Rui wore a white shirt with a scribbled cat design. Over it, he had on a black kimono cardigan, black jeans, and simple white sneakers. To top it all off, he wore a black bucket hat.
Mizuki shook their hands. “Nope! You’re fine. I’m probably the one who overdressed for this trip.” They lifted their skirt and twirled.
“I think this is a very tame outfit compared to the others you’ve worn. Still very pretty, and you can still move around freely.” Rui smiles as he recalls a day when he helped Mizuki go furniture shopping while they were dressed in quite the intricate lolita attire.
“And, we’ve colour coordinated without planning once again,” He shook their hands, “Our fashion choices are never wrong.”
Mizuki smirked. “Mhm, you’ve improved your style since we graduated~!”
“Thank you for slapping some fashion sense into me. I am eternally grateful.” He laughed. “Now, shall we go?”
"Mhm! C'mon!" They squeezed his hand, and together they navigated the streets of Shibuya.
When they arrived at the cafe, there was already a line. There were several small groups of people, so the line quickly devolved into a blob.
“Oh, there’s a lot of high schoolers here. This place really is trendy.” Rui had been rubbing circles on Mizuki’s hand with his thumb, tracing the outlines of their veins. Some of the people in line stared at them, some didn’t seem to notice them at all.
“That’s your indicator of popularity?” Mizuki sighed and smiled. “Well anyways, we can bypass this. I happen to have a secret weapon~!” They smirked, and led Rui inside, squeezing past the line of chatty teens. They felt Rui’s grip on their hand tighten just a bit more, as if he’d be lost to the sea of high schoolers otherwise.
Rui quizzically stared at the large chalkboard inside that displayed the items of the day. He read the top of the board. It was the name of the cafe. “Café du Chance.”
“It means ‘Lucky Coffee’ in French.” Mizuki had to raise their voice to be heard.
“Ah, that’s nice. What do you think makes their coffee lucky?”
“Who knows…maybe they’re lucky that they’re not too overpriced. Or they’re lucky that they’ve attracted all this attention.” The interior of this shabby chic-themed cafe was far more spacious than it seemed from the outside. Light piano music was playing in the background, which complemented the ambient chatter throughout the cafe. And of course, it was packed with people. “Maybe they’re tricking their customers. Like, if you don’t buy our goods you’ll suffer!!”
“Ah, I guess I’ll suffer then. I didn’t come here to drink overpriced coffee.”
“Me neither. I guess we get no chance at this cafe, oui?” They giggled.
“Hehe. Places like these always borrow names from different languages. Is that part of the appeal?”
“Yeah. Foreign names tend to sound cooler.” Mizuki looked around and smiled. “I hope we can enjoy ourselves here.”
Rui squeezed their hand. “We will.”
Just then, a waiter walked up to both of them, holding a tablet. She glanced at the long line behind them, then at the couple. “Good afternoon! Welcome to Café du Chance. Do you have a reservation with us?”
Mizuki grins. “I do! It’s under ‘Amia’, a table for two.” They watch as the lady rapidly taps away on her device before looking back up at Mizuki. “Amia, yes! We’re happy to have you here with us. Right, this way.”
She started walking, and they both followed. The waiter led them to a small booth in the corner of the cafe. She placed a dish on the table that had a QR Code. “If you scan here, you will find the menu. You can order directly from there, and your food will come to you. You pay once you’ve finished eating.” She talked quickly, and with enthusiasm. “If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to walk up to the front and ask.” She smiled at them, then walked away.
Mizuki sat down first. Bounced up and down. “The chairs are comfortable.”
Rui sat next to Mizuki. “Really? That’s good.” He watched as they took out their phone and scanned the code.
“You don’t want to sit across from me?”
Rui tapped his fingers on the table. “I’d rather sit next to you. There’s plenty of space here, no?”
“Yeah, but I can’t see you the whole time we’re eating.”
“But I’ve already settled in~!” He leaned all his weight onto Mizuki, and they laughed.
“Alright, alright. I’m not objecting.” They pushed Rui off and showed him the menu. “I looked through the menu already, so I know exactly what I want.” They smirked.
Rui leaned on Mizuki and stared at their phone. “Oh? What’ll it be?”
“A Mango Suncake~! It’s a huge pancake with ice cream and cut-up mangoes and whipped cream.” They showed Rui a photo. “They call it a Suncake because it’s a combination between a sundae and a pancake! Isn’t that cute? There’s also Strawberry Suncakes, Blueberry Suncakes, Apple Suncakes-” They happily babbled away until Rui suddenly held their face and gave it a squish.
“That is cute. I’ll have to get one of those fruitcakes, then. Order whichever one you like for me.” He let go of their face.
“Ehehe, okay.” They felt their face heat up in embarrassment as they ordered for the both of them. “It’ll be the Apple Suncake for you. Any drinks?”
“Hm....cream soda.”
“That’s it?”
“Should I be wanting more?”
“Well no,” They scrolled through the drink menu and hummed, “but I thought you’d want something fancier, like a sundae.”
Rui tapped his finger on his chin. “Well if you get one, we could share.”
“And who said I’d share with you?” They smirked.
“Aw, really now. Just one sip?” He put his hands together. Batted his eyelashes.
They faked annoyance, sighing deeply and rolling their eyes. “I suppose I could give you a bit.” After they selected the items they wanted, they clicked the order button. The webpage displayed the wait time, the summary of their order, and a link back to the menu. They set their phone down and stared at Rui. “So, Rui. How’ve you been? How’s WonderShow? How’s UTokyo with all those crazy SS-grade students? Find anyone as eccentric as you are?”
“Woah woah, that’s a lot at once, Mizuki.” He chuckled. “Well, I’ve been managing as nicely as the rest of Wonderlands x Showtime. Tsukasa’s pursuing theatre, Nene’s in acting school, and Emu’s been helping to manage Pheonix Wonderland. I’ve been stuck with my academics. Though, I find that computer sciences keep my mind extremely busy, and I’m learning a lot. I’m grateful for that.” He stares at Mizuki, a wistful look in his eyes.
Mizuki knows that look. His expression is serene and at peace, but his eyes show a hint of sadness. “I’m glad we’ve all kept in touch after so long. Truly, but…” He huffs.
“Aw, you miss them all, right? I get it, I miss Niigo all the time! Both Mafuyu and Ena are constantly busy with schoolwork. Kanade’s the only one I can visit these days since she’s not attending university or college…” They sigh. “When’s the last time you saw them all?”
“Oh, just yesterday.”
Mizuki’s eyebrows were raised. “Seriously? You had me thinking you haven’t met up in months! Like they’ve gone off to war or something! Come onnnn!” They shook Rui, and he laughed quietly.
“Ah, it may only have been a day since I’ve seen them, but it feels like a lifetime..” He put his hand over his heart.
“How do you think I feel? I haven’t seen everyone together in months! You and your dramatics!!” They laughed and shook him some more. “I feel like you should’ve gone to acting school with Nene since you’re such a natural.”
He shook his head. “But then I’d end up missing you! The situation wouldn’t be solved, Mizuki.”
“You dork. I’d visit you when things get lonely.” They let go of Rui and looked out the window. The line of people decreased just the slightest bit, and Mizuki thanked themselves that they remembered to book a reservation. If not, they couldn’t imagine how their date would go well.
They felt hands on their head. “Playing hairdresser again?”
While Mizuki was spacing out, Rui was playing with their hair. “Not really, I just like your hair right now. You change it so much so suddenly.”
“That’s all impulse~” They snickered. “And how about you? Do you still cut your own hair?”
Rui fluffed up their hair. “Less often than I used to. My barber says using regular scissors is bad for your hair.”
“It kinda is.” Mizuki turned to face Rui, and ran their hand through his hair, fluffing it up. “Your hair’s gotten pretty long, even when it’s in a ponytail. It looks nice!”
He tilted his head. “So I shouldn’t cut it?”
Mizuki quickly shook their head. “I just said it looks nice. You look better with long hair, I promise!”
Rui sighed. “But long hair reminds me of middle school…my hair was really messy back then. You remember, right?”
They do remember. Back then, they’d make an effort to comb his hair till there wasn’t a knot left, then give him the dumbest-looking pigtails. “Did you not appreciate my talent with hairdressing?”
Rui rested his elbows on the table, then leaned his face on his hands. “No, you were very stylish. The problem is I was not.”
“But you are now! All because of my miracle work.” They smirked. “Trust me when I say that your hair is great right now.” They gave him a thumbs up.
“Even if my hair is down to my shoulders?”
“That’s not even that long!”
“Down to my back?”
“I could give you cute braids..”
“To my knees?”
“Ah, just like Rapunzel~!”
Rui laughed and tucked a few strands of hair behind his ear. “I’m drawing the line there. I’d rather my hair not drag around the floor and collect dust. Ah, even if I entertain the thought of growing my hair longer, you won’t see it go past my shoulders.”
“I’ll find it in my heart to allow that.” They roll their eyes.
“What a kind soul you are.” He cupped their cheek, pushing their head closer to him. Then, he gave them a soft kiss on the forehead.
“Ah, heheheh..” They laughed softly, feeling the warm fuzzies spread through their body like goosebumps. They tried to hide the giddy expression on their face, but it was useless. The sight made Rui’s face go a bit pink as well.
‘I forgot how much I missed this.’ They both thought to themselves.
At that moment, another waiter appeared at their table, holding a large platter. Both Mizuki and Rui whipped their heads around to face the man, flustered.
“Guest Amia, I’m here with your order. One Mango Suncake, and one Apple Suncake.” He smiled, placing the two plates in front of them. He talked softly, but was still able to be heard over the ongoing commotion. “As well as a strawberry sundae, and a cream soda. Please enjoy the food.”
“Thank you!” They said in unison. The waiter did a quick bow, before walking off.
Immediately, Mizuki’s embarrassment was replaced by excitement. “Ah, now the taste test! We have to take a bite at the same time.” They clapped their hands together, then clapped again. “Oh, wait! Pictures! I need to take a pic first.”
Rui watched in amusement as Mizuki carefully arranged the food and drinks near the window, so the sun hit them at just the right angle. They snapped a few pictures, then pushed all the food and drink to Rui.
“Okay, smile!”
“Oh?” He was caught off guard, and he quickly held up a peace sign for the camera.
“Aw, won’t you smile?”
“Ah, alright.” He gave the camera a big smile and pointed at all the food. Mizuki giggled.
“That’s nice. Nowwwww…” They scootched over to Rui and switched to the front-facing camera. “Smile again!” They took a few selfies, then set their phone down.
“Okay, we can eat now! Sorry, pictures are obligatory.” They pushed the Apple Suncake to Rui and took the Mango one for themselves.
Rui picked up a spoon and chuckled, poking at the ice cream. “Of course, you’re always like this.”
“And it’s not annoying, right?” They’re holding a fork and knife, cutting the pancake into pieces and mixing around the whipped cream.
“Not in the slightest.” He replied softly.
“Alright, say aah!”
“Hm?” Rui stared quizzically at his partner. “Mizuki, your plate is empty.”
“I know, look!” They had stabbed a strawberry through their straw and was waving it in front of his face. “It really is a straw-berry now, isn’t it?”
Rui’s mouth quivered a bit. “That was very funny.”
Mizuki lowered the straw and pouted. “You don’t sound genuine.”
“I am, one hundred percent, being berry genuine.” He stared at them with a smile, making sure to pause at berry to let his words sink in.
Mizuki sighed. They put the straw on their empty plate, shoulders falling. “You don’t get to have this anymore.”
Rui began to laugh. “Ah, wait. Find it in your heart to forgive me again, won’t you? Please, Mizuki?” He stared at them with those catlike yellow eyes of his, tugging at their arm and giggling.
Mizuki sighed again, louder. They were struggling to hold back a smile. “Ah….well…..I guess I must..” They picked up the straw again. “Aaah!”
Rui opened his mouth, and Mizuki fed the strawberry to him. It was coated in a sweet syrup, even though the strawberry itself was already sweet.
Mizuki was watching him intently. “Good?”
“Mmm.” Rui swallowed and nodded. “A bit too sweet, but not unenjoyable. I liked it.”
“Nice. I still have some of my sundae left. Want some more?” They tapped their nails against the nearly empty glass cup.
He shook his head and leaned back. “I’m quite full. I don’t even know if I can finish my soda.” He tucked his hair behind his ears again and stared at his half-empty glass.
Mizuki nodded and finished their sundae, licking their lips when they were done. Rui held their hand and rubbed circles with his thumb, watching. “How’d it taste?”
Mizuki opened their mouth, then closed it, as if they had just lost their train of thought. Then, a different thought came to mind.
“Hm. Why not taste it yourself?” They raised their eyebrows.
“You’ve finished it.” He tilts his head to the right.
Mizuki taps their finger on their lips.
Rui could feel his face flushing. “Ah, so that’s what you want.”
Mizuki feigned ignorance. “What? I have no clue what you’re talking about..”
They leaned in and held his face, their lips gently meeting his. Rui’s eyes fluttered shut, and it was as if everything around them dimmed and became muffled, and they were the center of everything. All Mizuki cared about at that moment was sharing their warmth, a soft and tender love. Mizuki felt Rui lean into it ever so slightly, and they felt like they could melt. It seemed like every kiss they shared felt like their first, butterflies and all. Mizuki stroked Rui’s hair, and his chest hurt.
The affection he felt seemed to be too much for him at times, as the butterflies in his stomach felt more like the drop you’d feel on a rollercoaster. It was thrilling, all the same. He wanted to hold them and never let go, he wanted to freeze this moment in time, and preserve every racing thought, feeling, and action in his mind. He couldn’t help but sigh and lean in just a little bit more at the thought, and his hand moved up to his face to hold Mizuki’s, which was softly rubbing circles on his cheek with their thumb.
When Mizuki pulled away, Rui licked his lips and laughed quietly. It was impossible to suppress the huge smile on his face. “I’m tasting your lip gloss more than the sundae.”
Mizuki began to laugh too, covering their mouth. “My lipgloss? Ah…” Their eyes were tracking his every movement, they were absolutely smitten with the man. The way his cheeks were as rosy as apples, the way his eyes seemed to sparkle in the sunlight, the way he’d always giggle and look down when he got flustered. His laugh gave the same effect that wind chimes did for them; light, calming, and pleasant to listen to. Mizuki notes that he seems to have taken their skincare advice, as his skin both looked and felt as soft as their plushies.
Rui smirked. “You seem distracted.”
“By how stupid you look, duh.” They giggled.
“As if you don’t look the same.” But of course, Rui looked at Mizuki in the same lovestruck way. How could he not? There was so much he could learn from Mizuki, and about Mizuki. Like how they put pink mascara on their bottom lashes as well, ever so subtly. Or how when he’d get close to their face, they could never hold eye contact. Or how their hands were always smooth and warm, even in the wintertime. They were such an expressive person, free-spirited, someone who Rui has gotten to know many versions of and is still meeting a lot more to this day. Someone who seems to be incapable of not being cute and endearing, no matter what they did.
Mizuki took out their phone and looked at themselves through their camera app. Their face, widened pink eyes with cheeks flushed, stared back at them. They rubbed their lips together. “Mmm, you’re right. We both look like idiots.”
“We always have been.” He ruffled their hair. “Now, is that the end of our date?”
Mizuki looked at their empty plates. “We are done eating, but the date hasn’t stopped here. We can still go shopping at the mall!”
Rui chuckled. “Yes, yes. Of course. Give Akito my thanks for a nicely picked location.” He raised his hand to call over a waiter, quickly finishing his soda.
“Sure, but I was the one that picked this place! He just gave me a list.” As a waiter came over to take away their empty dishes, Mizuki wondered if Akito’s outings with Toya ended the same way. They smirked at the thought.
The smirk quickly vanished when the waiter gave them the bill.
“....We’re splitting this, right Rui?”
“...Yes, Definitely.”