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During the still early hours of the morning Sakura pushed open the door to Café Pothos. The little bell chimed, breaking the serene silence as he stepped in. Sliding into a seat at the counter, he glanced around the empty café. It was a rare not to see kotoha in the front and even rarer to not see Granny sato.
As if on cue, the swinging door from the kitchen area parted and Kotoha emerged. She looked at Sakura with a knowing smile and said, "The usual?"
Sakura nodded, feeling his cheeks warm up. "Yeah, the usual," he murmured, his voice a bit shakier than he'd like.
Kotoha's smile widened as she turned to prepare his order. The clinking of cups and the hiss of the espresso machine filled the space between them. She had always been so perceptive, picking up on his preferences and his moods without him having to say much. It was comforting, but today, the realization that he had become such a regular was a bit embarrassing. He took a deep breath, trying to compose himself.
When she slid the egg sandwich across the counter, she leaned in, her eyes peering into his. "Has anyone said anything to you, sakura?" she asked casually, a hint of curiosity in her tone.
Sakura looked up from his food, puzzled. "Huh?" He took a bite, chewing slowly as he thought. "Not really," he finally mumbled around the mouthful.
"Oh, that's a shame," Kotoha said, a hint of mischief in her voice. She wiped the counter with a cloth, her eyes never leaving Sakura's face.
Sakura's eyes widened, his sandwich halfway to his mouth. "What do you mean?"
Kotoha chuckled lightly. "Well, it was a while ago. A huge group of you guys were here, including Umemiya, Kaji, Hiragi, Suo, Togame, and Tsubaki.
Sakura nodded, recalling the evening. It had been after one of the big fights. Some of them went to the cafe while others, like him just went home. "What about it?"
—————————————————————————-
Kotoha was wiping down the counter of cafe, when the bell jingling merrily as the door swung open. And to the surprise of no one it was the students of bofurin with umemiya being the first to enter asking her how her day was. But something was off. Where was sakura?
But Kotoha didn’t need to think for too long before Tsubaki stormed in behind Umemiya, gripping him by the collar; When Tsubaki finally pulled Umemiya off of her, they brushed themselves off and muttered “ after the fight Sakura was tired and opted to go home like some of the others.” But then, with a glance at sakura’s classmates at the doorway, Tsubaki admitted “we dragged them here to see if our suspicions were right. So you might wanna sit back and enjoy the show.” so sit and enjoy kotaha did. (And Tsubaki did not disappoint)
When Tsubaki sat at the table, they clapped their hands once, loud enough to cut through the quiet chatter.
“Alright, everyone shut up for a sec—we’re playing a game.”
Kiriyu leaned back in his chair, skeptical. “What kind of game?”
“Something simple,” Tsubaki said, grinning. “You answer a question or you’re out.”
Umemiya groaned. “If this is truth-or-dare without the dare, I’m leaving.”
“Relax,” Tsubaki replied. “Just answer honestly. It’ll be fun.”
Sugashita raised an eyebrow. “Define ‘fun.’”
“Suspicious,” muttered Nirei, arms crossed.
Despite the protests, they all gave in, curiosity outweighing reluctance. The questions started light: “Favorite class,” “Weirdest thing you’ve eaten,” “Worst fashion choice.”
Then, as if on cue, Umemiya(who was a part of the plan)grinned and asked, “Alright now a question I think you’ve been waiting for—who do you like?”
Silence hit the table like a slap.
Even Togame stopped chewing his snack mid-bite.
Nirei linked, caught between confusion and mild panic.
Suo muttered, “Oh, we’re really doing that question.”
Tsubaki, unfazed, leaned forward with a glint in their eye. “Now we’re getting somewhere.”
Tsubaki leaned back in their chair with a smug grin. “Fine, I’ll break the ice,” they said, pointing a finger across the table. “I like Umemiya. There. See? Not that hard. The rest of you don’t have to be so shy about it—just spit it out.”
Kiriyu, crossed his arms. “Not to be rude. But everyone already knows you like Umemiya.”
Tsubaki raised an eyebrow. “Alright then. Who do you like?”
Kiriyu’s forehead started to sweat, clearly unprepared for the deflection. “Pass. Suo, what about you?”
All eyes turned to Suo. He was drinking his tea, as usual, but when he spoke, his voice—though light—carried a surprising weight.
“I like Sakura,” he said plainly, almost offhandedly.
But the air shifted. His tone hadn’t changed much, still calm and playful on the surface—but there was something unmistakably serious behind it. It was enough to make the table go quiet again, this time for a very different reason.
A moment later, Togame hesitantly raised his hand, cheeks tinged pink.
“Well… I also like Sakura,” he said, trying to sound casual, though his voice wavered just slightly near the end.
He managed a small smile—until he felt it.
A sudden, chilling weight pressed against him, like the temperature in the room had dropped a few degrees.
Slowly, almost against his will, Togame glanced across the table.
Suo hadn’t moved. He was still in the same relaxed position, still wearing the same calm expression.
But his eyes—narrowed just slightly, locked onto Togame with an unreadable intensity.
Togame swallowed hard and immediately looked away, clearing his throat.
“Anyway,” he mumbled, “just putting it out there.”
Then Kiriyu leaned forward, elbows on the table. “I like him too,” he said, voice steady but a little softer than the rest.
Tsubaki raised both eyebrows. “Oh wow. You know what? Let’s just skip the suspense.” They clapped their hands once and grinned. “Raise your hand if you love Sakura.”
There was a beat of silence.
Suo’s hand went up first—no hesitation, calm as ever.
Togame’s followed, a little more reluctantly, still feeling that ghost of a glare from earlier.
Then Kiriyu raised his hand, quietly but confidently.
Sugashita sighed, muttering something under his breath before lifting his hand as well.
Finally, Kaji looked around, clearly flustered. “…Yeah, alright,” he said, raising his hand ever so slowly not making eye contact with anyone.
Tsubaki stared around the table, five hands in the air. “Okay, wow. This really turned into something.”
Umemiya leaned back, blinking. “Are we sure this isn’t group therapy disguised as a game night?”
Tsubaki shrugged. “If it is, it’s the most emotionally chaotic one I’ve ever hosted.”
Tsubaki leaned forward, resting their chin in their hand, eyes dancing with curiosity. “Alright then,” they said, grinning. “What is it you all like about him?”
Togame was the first to speak, still not making eye contact with Suo. “His strength,” he said simply. “He’s… dependable.”
Kiriyu shrugged with a faint smile. “His adorableness. The way he gets flustered? It’s criminal.”
Sugashita adjusted his sleeves and nodded. “He’s caring. Like, genuinely. He notices when people are off and actually does something about it.”
Kaji rubbed the back of his neck. “His self-awareness. He knows who he is and doesn’t try to be anyone else. That takes guts.”
Tsubaki looked around, then tilted their head. “Huh… Suo? You’ve been quiet for a while.”
All eyes turned to him. Suo was calm as ever, but there was something softer in his expression.
“Everything,” he said plainly.
That one word settled over the group.
He continued, voice low but sure. “His smile. His blushing. His strength. His hair. The way he looks, the way he talks. His personality… all of it.”
No one spoke for a moment. Even Tsubaki seemed genuinely taken aback.
Tsubaki’s eyes lit up with a spark of mischief. “You know,” they said slowly, “with all this love in the air… do any of you actually plan on confessing?”
Without missing a beat, Togame nodded. “Of course.”
“Yeah,” Kiriyu said immediately.
Sugashita nodded.
Kaji shrugged. “Maybe”
But just as quickly as the group agreed, a sudden chill seemed to sweep through the room.
It wasn’t the wind. It was Suo.
Still as a statue, unreadable expression, but the shift in atmosphere was unmistakable.
Tsubaki blinked, then turned toward him. “Suo… do you plan on confessing?”
“Yes,” he said, voice even but carrying weight.
Tsubaki hesitated. “…How soon from now?”
Suo looked up, eyes calm but resolute. “As soon as possible.”
The table fell silent again—this time not out of awkwardness, but because everyone felt it: Suo wasn’t joking. He meant every word.
—————————————————————————
Kotoha blinked, snapping back to the present as the warm buzz of the café returned to her senses. She looked up—there was Sakura, standing right in front of her, as the memory faded. She shook her head a little and smiled.
“They were playing a game,” she said casually, leaning on the counter. “The topic of crushes came up… and your name got thrown around a couple times.”
Sakura’s eyes widened, and in an instant, his entire face flushed pink.
Kotoha didn’t look away. “So… if you had to choose—just one person—who would you hope loved you back?”
Sakura opened his mouth, then closed it again, fumbling for breath through the blush. He glanced down, shoulders shrinking slightly.
“I’d choose… Suo,” he said softly.
Kotoha’s heart clenched, not from surprise but from sheer secondhand frustration. Of course. She knew it. She’d known it from the start. Everyone had. And yet those two continued to dance around it like clueless idiots.
Just get together already, she thought, exasperated. It’s so obvious!
In her head, she cursed Suo with all the irritation of someone watching a painfully slow drama. You better confess soon, like you said, she grumbled internally. Or I swear, I’m going to be so mad at you.