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Sakura likes Café Pothos.
It's an alright place, all in all—there's only ever crowd when a bunch of them from Furin gather there—and Kotoha makes the best rice omelette Sakura's ever eaten.
Not that that's a high bar but her rice omelette is good so whatever. Sakura doesn't have to be some sort of food critic to be able to tell.
So yeah, he likes the place. If he wants to get a little sentimental (he doesn't), he'd even say that he feels some sense of comfort, when he's there.
Even when there is a bit of a crowd because a bunch of them from Furin gather there.
Sakura doesn't hate his peers from Furin. They're his comrades and friends because he knows needs people and can't be alone and whatever. So yes he would even go as far as to say he likes them. But they can get a lot, sometimes.
"Overwhelmed?" Kotoha raises an eyebrow when Sakura sits down at a bar stool near the counter, after getting away from the table they've been sitting at.
"Shut up," he grumbles. Kotoha smiles and puts down a plate in front of him—another rice omellette. "I already ate one," he reminds. She has to know, she was the one who made it for him. She even drew a little heart and talked a few words with him when she brought it out.
"You're a growing boy, you need to eat if you wanna get stronger," she winks, dusting her hands down on her apron. When Sakura doesn't start eating, still looking at the plate in suspicion, she adds, "It's on the house."
Well, Sakura's not going to say no to free food. He's not stupid, thank you very much.
"Thanks," he gives her a nod before digging in.
The best rice omelette, truly. He thinks that Kotoha watching him eat with a smile should ruin it but it doesn't, really.
She's his friend too, he's pretty sure.
"Goodness," she exclaims, sighing theatrically. Sakura looks up from his food, wondering what's going on with her. "They really should just get together," she explains or at least attempts to—it explains nothing to Sakura.
"Who?" he asks, after swallowing down the bite still in his mouth.
"Careful," Kotoha warns before nodding with her head towards the table where the Furin guys are sitting.
Sakura turns around to check on them. It's the same people he came here with which is like half of Furin.
Okay, even he has to admit that's an exaggeration. There's like ten of them but that's basically a crowd. Sakura only wants to be surrounded by ten guys if he's taking them out. In a fight, that is. That came out wrong. Whatever.
"They really are horrible if you're romance detector activated," Kotoha teases.
"What?" Sakura barks, turning back. She chuckles, wiping down the counter.
"You're blushing, dude," she points at his cheeks. Sakura lets go of his fork to wipe at his face which makes her laugh again. Great. "I really don't know why they're not dating. They clearly both like each other."
"I still don't know who you're talking about," Sakura grumbles before eating another bite of his food. It's gonna go cold at this rate.
"You literally just—Oh whatever. I mean Hajime and Tsubaki-san."
"Hajime—You mean Umemiya-san?" Sakura questions, turning around again with a new goal in mind.
The two of them are sitting next to each other and Umemiya has his arm on the top of the couch behind Tsubaki. Every time Tsubaki laughs, he leans closer to Umemiya and it always seems to prompts Umemiya to stare at him with this truly awed expression, like—
Sakura quickly turns around like he's been caught and he knows he must be truly blushing now. Kotoha's laugh confirms his theory.
"Wait," Sakura looks up at her, suddenly feeling like he's just been woken from a very confusing dream. "You mean they aren't dating already?"
"I know," Kotoha nearly whines, spreading out on top of the part of the counter she just cleaned. "It's torture watching them. I just want to grab them both by the shoulders and shake them like just kiss already!"
Sakura frowns, very aware of his face somehow warming even further. Thankfully, Kotoha isn't paying attention to him anymore.
"Maybe they just don't wanna kiss."
"What?" Kotoha looks up at him with her eyebrows furrowed.
"I mean, do people always wanna kiss when they—you know," he mumbles, looking away.
There's a beat of silence before Kotoha hums.
"That's a good point," she says thoughtfully. "But the pining's pretty unbearable still."
"Dunno," Sakura shrugs. "They seem to be happy with what they have to me."
"Well, you're not exactly a romance expert," Kotoha raises an eyebrow. Sakura hates that the words make him blush again.
"Shut up!"
"What about you?" Kotoha asks, tilting her head to do side. "Anyone you wanna date?"
"No," Sakura denies, busying his mouth with eating more of the rice omelette.
"I guess you do seem pretty straight and you're always surrounded by guys. Except for me but you shouldn't fall for me, you're not my type."
"I'm not gonna fall for you," Sakura rolls his eyes. "I don't get this whole thing. It's weird to me. Not that like—I don't mean that people being in love is weird. Well, it is but like good weird. But thinking about me like that is…bad weird," he mumbles the end, keeping his gaze on his plate.
He's been thinking about this lately. He's pretty sure Suo and Nirei are gonna end up dating and then there's Tsubaki and Umemiya and he heard that Togame and Choji are a thing now, apparently and the more people are coupling up around him the more out of sorts he feels. He can't think of a single person he could see himself get with. Like, not just people he knows but even imaginary people. He tries to think of this girl or guy that'd be the perfect match for him and he still feels weird by the concept of dating and romance.
"Guess not, then," Kotoha says, shrugging. "I can't remember the last time I had a crush, either. Maybe I should get out more."
"Maybe," Sakura agrees, pushing around the food on his plate with his fork. It really is going to get cold now.
He feels Kotoha staring but he doesn't know what she wants him to say. He hopes she's not gonna keep asking because he doesn't have the answers.
Instead of saying anything, Kotoha just puts down a cup of water next to his plate.
"So you don't overheat from all the blushing," she adds, with a wink. Sakura rolls his eyes but drinks it anyway. It does help a little.
"Sakura-san?"He hears Nirei's voice, showing up next to him out of nowhere, making him jump in his seat. "Are you okay?"
"Yeah," he says quickly. "'f course."
"Are you sure?" It's Suo, this time because of course, Suo's already here too if Nirei is.
Sakura narrows his eyes at him, looking back at the Furin table again. "I knew it. Your omelette is untouched."
"No, it isn't," Suo lies, bold faced because he's annoying like that. Sakura tsks, pushing away his plate from in front of him towards Suo.
"You really should eat more," he says sternly.
"I already ate."
"I know you didn't."
"I did too. I'm not hungry."
"Are you being annoying on purpose?"
"Can you two not argue, please?" Nirei tries, an edge of worry already in his voice.
Sakura opens his mouth to answer but he gets distracted by hearing Kotoha chuckle to his right. He furrows his eyebrows.
"What?"
"Nothing," she shakes her head. "Nothing at all."
"Weirdo," Sakura grumbles. Kotoha hits him with her towel she was using to clean the counter.
"I know you're not talking!"
Sakura huffs but doesn't answer because well, he guesses that's fair.
The rest of the Furin guys slowly gather around them too, making Sakura's retreat absolutely pointless but he finds that he doesn't really mind that much.
Really, it's nice to know he's not alone. Not anymore.