It started with a text.
> Yuki: "Hey. Want to grab coffee after school? Just us. As a reward for surviving the pre-show."
Leo stared at the message for a long time before replying.
> Leo: "Sure. Sounds good."
Short. Neutral. Safe.
He debated adding a smiley face. Deleted it. Added a period. Deleted that too. In the end, he just sent it as it was—and then stared at his screen until the lock screen appeared.
---
The café Yuki picked was tucked away in a quiet alley behind the library. It had wooden walls, plants hanging from the ceiling, and soft jazz playing in the background. It felt like walking into a memory.
Leo arrived a little early. Yuki showed up two minutes later, breathless and radiant, wearing a denim jacket over her uniform and carrying a small tote bag with cat pins on it.
"Sorry! Ran into Rin in the hallway. She asked where I was going, and I panicked and said the library."
Leo raised an eyebrow. "So we're hiding now?"
Yuki slid into the booth across from him. "We're not hiding. We're just… being careful."
The awkward silence that followed was brief but suffocating.
A server appeared and handed them menus. Yuki immediately scanned the drinks list.
"Hazelnut latte, medium, extra foam," she said with practiced speed.
Leo blinked. "You've been here before?"
"Only, like… twelve times. Maybe fifteen. It's a nice thinking spot."
"You think here?"
"Better than the music room. Fewer ghosts of failed scales."
Leo chuckled. He ordered a regular iced coffee.
Once the drinks arrived, the silence became more comfortable. The café's atmosphere helped. So did the fact that, for once, they weren't surrounded by scripts, stage lights, or Kai narrating everyone's lives like a romcom.
Yuki took a sip. "You were amazing last night. That monologue…"
Leo looked down at his cup. "It wasn't just acting."
"I know," she said quietly.
He looked up. "And… I wasn't sure if it was okay to say those things. Not with everything happening."
Yuki toyed with her straw. "It's complicated. But… I don't want to run from it."
Her voice was soft, but steady.
"I've always been loud," she continued. "On radio, in class, at rehearsals. But when I'm around you, it's like I want to be quiet. Just… exist."
Leo blinked. "That's… the nicest thing anyone's ever said to me."
She smiled. "You need better friends."
"I have Kai."
"Exactly."
They both laughed.
---
An hour passed quickly. They talked about books, music, even childhood pets. Leo learned that Yuki once tried to rescue a stray cat by feeding it spicy seaweed chips. Yuki learned that Leo used to build entire castles out of leftover rice at lunch.
When they stepped out into the late afternoon, the sun was casting long, warm shadows across the street. A breeze ruffled Yuki's hair. She didn't brush it away.
They walked slowly back toward the dorms, the quiet between them no longer awkward, but comforting.
At the corner, Yuki stopped.
"Hey, Leo?"
"Yeah?"
She hesitated. "Do you think… this will change things?"
He didn't answer right away.
"I hope so," he finally said. "But only if you want it to."
She smiled. "I do."
Before either of them could say more, a familiar voice called out.
"LEO! YUKI! DID YOU JUST GO ON A DATE WITHOUT ME WATCHING?!"
Kai came running up the hill, holding a bag of chips.
Yuki sighed. "This is why we can't have nice things."
Leo laughed. "Let's run."
And so they did—Yuki giggling, Leo smiling, and Kai yelling behind them with absolutely no idea what was going on.