"How cuuute~!" Rin squealed, her entire face pressed close to Sayu's phone.
"Right? Look at her roll around!" Kanna's eyes sparkled, practically bouncing with excitement.
Even Mio, unlike her usual deadpan expression, seemed captivated.
Sayu watched them, a soft smile tugging at her lips. All three of her friends were huddled together, eyes glued to her phone screen. On it was a video of a tiny gray kitten, barely 7 weeks old, batting at a loose thread on a blanket.
"So, does she have a name yet?" Rin asked without looking away.
"We called her... Coffee," Sayu replied.
"Coffee?" Rin blinked and finally turned to Sayu. "Because you guys found her at a coffee shop? Really? That's all you got? Come on~ be more creative!"
"Like what?" Mio asked, tilting her head slightly.
"You know! Since she's super fluffy, maybe... Fluffy!"
Mio stared at her blankly. "Wow. How creative."
"Hey! Like you can do better!" Rin shot back.
The two launched into playful bickering as Kanna giggled and the kitten continued rolling around on screen.
Sayu stood up from her seat with a small stretch. "Hey, I'm gonna grab a drink. You guys want anything?"
None of them even heard her; too caught up in the heated "Fluffy vs Coffee" debate.
Sighing softly, Sayu made her way to the vending machine a few feet away. Her steps were slow. Her eyes, sleepy.
Lately, sleep was becoming a luxury.
She'd pulled an all-nighter finishing two essays for her Marketing class, and now her head buzzed faintly from lack of rest. But school stress wasn't the only thing eating away at her.
Money was tighter than ever.
And what her mom had told her last night… still rang in her ears.
She stopped in front of the vending machine, pulling a few coins from her pocket. She chose a Coffee Can and waited. As the machine whirred to life, her thoughts slipped to the phone call.
* * * * *
Yesterday...
"Hey Sayu, how's College going?" her mom's voice came through, sounding a little strained.
"It's fine, Mom," Sayu said, sinking into her chair. "Busy. Tiring."
They chatted about small things—College, the weather, work—until Sayu gathered the courage to bring it up.
"So… um, about the tuition money. Can you maybe send me some this month?"
There was a pause.
Her mom sighed. "Sweetie... I was actually going to tell you something tonight."
Sayu sat up straight quickly.
"…What is it?"
Her mom hesitated again. "Your uncle. He... borrowed a huge chunk of the money I had saved for your college. He said he was investing in a new venture and promised to return double."
Sayu's grip tightened on her phone.
"He promised, Sayu. Said by the end of the year, we'd have enough to cover all your fees till graduation." Her voice sounded like she was trying to stay hopeful, but there was a quiet tremble behind it.
Sayu couldn't even respond right away. Her throat felt dry.
"…Should I maybe… take a leave of absence?" she asked quietly, her voice almost disappearing into the line. "Just until things settle down? I could come back and help out at the Diner, for a while…"
There was a sharp pause.
"No, Sayu," her mom said immediately. "You've worked so hard to get there. Don't even think about it."
"But—"
"I won't let you pause your future just because your uncle got too confident in some shady investment. We'll figure this out. I promise."
Sayu bit the inside of her cheek.
"You shouldn't have to promise anything, Mom," she whispered. "It's already too much."
"I know," her mom replied, her voice soft but firm. "But if you stop now, restarting might be even harder. Just… stay focused. I'll handle things here, okay?"
Sayu didn't reply for a moment.
Then, quietly, "Okay."
* * * * *
Back to Present...
"Hey."
No answer.
"Heey!"
Sayu suddenly woke from her thoughts when a hand waved in front of her face. She turned to look and was surprised to see it was Park Dae Woo.
"Finally, back?" he asked, holding a coffee can in his hand.
"Oh... sorry, I was lost in my thoughts," she said, forcing a small smile.
"I can see that," he replied, looking at her for a second before holding the can out. "Here, it dropped a while ago."
"O-oh, I totally forgot about that," she replied, realizing the vending machine had already dropped it while she was zoned out. "Thanks," she added, accepting the can.
"What are you doing here?" She asked, finally back.
"Oh, I was heading to—"
Dae Woo was about to say something, but just then, a voice called out.
"Hey Sayu, what are you doing there all this time? Let's go to class," Rin said, walking toward her with Kanna and Mio right behind.
The girls slowed when they saw who Sayu was talking to. Kanna was the first to recognize him.
"Park... Dae Woo..." she muttered, surprised, her face reddening a little.
Rin squinted for a second, trying to place his face. Then her eyes widened.
"Park... Park Dae Woo?!"
"They must be your friends," Dae Woo said with a casual smile
"Yes. Meet Rin—Kanna—Mio." Sayu spoke introducing them from left to right.
"Nice to meet you." They greeted each other, bowing.
Suddenly his phone buzzed, Dae Woo checked his phone. It was an alarm.
"Sorry, looks like I'm late to my class now." He apologized. "Later." He gave Sayu a small nod and then after bowing to the girls, he quickly walked off down the hallway.
Sayu was barely left to exhale when she found herself surrounded.
Rin grabbed both her shoulders, her eyes gleaming.
"Girl. What. Was. That?"
Kanna leaned in next to her, stunned. "Since when do you even talk to Park Dae Woo?"
Mio raised an eyebrow slightly. "And here I thought you were all about avoiding drama."
Sayu stepped back with the coffee can still in hand, overwhelmed. "It's not like that. I didn't plan it. I just kind of... met him."
"Kind of?" Rin echoed, almost offended.
Sayu could feel a headache coming. "...Let's just get to class."
But of course, she already knew this wasn't the end of it.