Date and Stalking (5)
It's cool.
Tae-il turned his head slightly as the chilly air brushed his skin upon entering the cafe.
"Why?"
Sakuraba tilted her head with a soft smile as their eyes met.
"Nothing."
Tae-il shook his head as if it were no big deal and looked around the cafe. A listless employee glanced over with an irritated look, sizing up the new customers, but straightened up in alarm upon spotting Sakuya. Recalling the gossip he'd overheard from waitstaff at a family restaurant, Tae-il pulled Sakuya close to his side.
"Tae-il?"
"Crowded in here. Let's head further inside. That okay?"
"Yeah. Whatever makes you comfortable, Tae-il."
Tae-il gripped Sakuya's hand tightly and led her to a seat in the farthest corner. The stares from around the room prickled his skin like needles. He gave a wry smile at the sensation he could never quite get used to.
Good thing I didn't half-ass it.
If I hadn't put in the effort, I might've just dragged her down by comparison.
Feeling his skin crawl under the scrutiny, Tae-il seated Sakuya on the inner side of the corner table and sat across from her, smoothly opening the menu.
"What'll you have?"
"Coffee, probably? It's a cafe, after all."
"Doesn't have to be coffee. They have a ton of tea options too. Or if you're unsure, they do aides."
"Personally, I'd rather skip coffee..."
"Not a fan of bitter? They have sweet ones."
"I can handle canned coffee, but grinding fresh beans? Nah. Caffeine just doesn't hit me right. That's why I don't drink soda much either."
"Ah."
Come to think of it, Sakuya's go-to drinks were fresh fruit juice or sports isotonic drinks.
"Hmm."
Sakuya's eyebrows furrowed in an inverted V. Her violet gaze, laced with unease, awkwardly scanned the menu before flicking toward Tae-il across the table.
"Why?"
It was like their situations from moments ago had flipped. Tae-il lounged with his elbows on the table, casually eyeing Sakuya as she perused the menu.
"You seem right at home in a cafe. So natural."
"I've been to plenty."
Not places this fancy, but old-school kissaten, Tae-il added casually, slipping in a bit of his past. Sakuya jumped in with a quick question.
"With who?"
"Ayane sometimes. Aside from her, this one guy I know."
"Some guy you know?"
"Ran into a delinquent type by chance. Total meathead, but solid skills."
"Hmmm. No girls?"
"There were. Usually I was the third wheel, though."
The leader of a band he'd met at a live house had taken a liking to him and dragged him to after-parties. She'd taught him drums—a real pro who occasionally popped up in major scenes now. Aside from her bandmates, few knew her face under the mask, so Tae-il was always extra careful around her to avoid causing trouble.
"Third wheel? So never just the two of you?"
"We did a couple times. She was my drum teacher, so I bought her coffee as thanks."
"Ah."
Sakuya nodded slowly with an "I see" expression.
"Got me curious all of a sudden. How many instruments can you play, Tae-il?"
"Number of instruments I can handle? Hang on..."
Tae-il folded his fingers one by one, counting.
"Bass, guitar, drums, piano, synth, marimba, cajon...? On stage for real, probably about four."
"That's a lot."
"Piano needs sheet music. Marimba's self-taught hack, so maybe three songs tops? Bass and guitar are my strongest."
"That includes acoustic and electric guitar, right?"
"Eh."
Tae-il shrugged.
"At least three you're confident in? You're pretty damn good, you know."
"Haha. Eh..."
Tae-il brushed it off with a laugh, holding back. Iris had praised his playing; Sakuya his talent. Their genuine compliments left him unable to just smile blankly. Maybe it was because he'd rubbed shoulders with field pros—his standards for himself were sky-high and unforgiving.
"Anyway, picked something? I'll go order."
"W-Wait...!"
Sakuya buried her head back in the menu. For someone who prided herself as an ultimate insider, cafes like this were a weak spot. As an otaku, she had this prejudice that trendy spots the "normies" frequented were awkward to hit solo. It wasn't about others' perceptions—it was hers. Her close friends were mostly sports club types, so sleek cafes rarely crossed her path.
Awkward. The names were so pretentiously artsy, she felt like she'd trip over her tongue just reading them aloud. This was a date where she'd gone all-out with her look. No way she wanted to start by fumbling a menu order in front of Tae-il.
Huh?
Her eyes skipped past drinks to the summer desserts.
They do parfaits here?
True to its downtown spot, the menu was full of trendy terms even Sakuya didn't know, but parfait? Safe bet no matter what.
Better than risking some mystery item...
Familiar's the way to go. She wanted to show Tae-il a fresh side today. Clearing her throat, Sakuya straightened up.
"You have lunch yet, Tae-il?"
"Not yet."
"Then let's just get one parfait to share. Sound good?"
Tae-il looked worried at her suggestion.
"One parfait for both of us...?"
"Grr."
Sakuya raised a fist threateningly, and Tae-il nodded with a chuckle.
"Got it. One parfait it is?"
"Yeah."
"For real?"
"Yeah!"
"Haha! Sorry, I'll go order then."
As Tae-il stepped away to order, Sakuya relaxed her tensed eyes.
"You're awful."
Sakuya ate a lot because training burned so many calories. With Interhigh over, she didn't need to anymore. She was a girl, after all—not blessed like Iris to eat freely without gaining. She stayed mindful of her figure.
"Eh, I'll let it slide this once."
She laced her fingers, resting her chin lightly on them. Her fond gaze followed Tae-il's back as he ordered the parfait.
"Heh. Such a good boy."
A smile she couldn't hide slipped out. Tae-il's clearly effort-put-in outfit was more than enough to warm her heart. She'd worried he'd show up in his usual mess, but seeing him step out of the taxi had eased that fear.
Her soft violet eyes drifted to his hair—not the usual bird's nest, but styled with volume.
"Was even thinking of dragging him to a salon if needed..."
Wax or essence holding it in place—it looked good. Wonder why he'd never bothered before.
"Ah, rose-tinted glasses?"
Sakuya chuckled, leaning back into the sofa. Just then, Tae-il returned from ordering.
"About ten minutes. Let's plan the rest of the day in the meantime. Cool?"
"Sure."
Tae-il sat back down and mentally scrapped his otaku-tailored itinerary—manga cafe, doujin shops, otome road. Instead, he slotted in food alleys with street eats and carts, movies, cozy restaurants.
"Start with movies that need tickets?"
"Interhigh kept me outta the loop on new releases. Anything good?"
"Gotta check."
Tae-il searched new movies on his smartphone. A horror flick topped the list. For a guy-girl date movie, romance or horror were the classics. Sakuya lit up—didn't care for romance, but loved horror.
"Oh, horror? Perfect. Let's do this one! Yeah?"
"Huh?"
Tae-il froze mid-scroll.
"I love horror. And summer screams horror, right?"
"Y-Yeah...?"
Sakuya tilted her head at his half-hearted reply.
"Why the face? Not your thing?"
"N-No way!"
Be manly. Man up here.
"Then two tickets, right now?"
"Yeah."
Tae-il's hand trembled as he booked. He resented Sakuya for jumping on horror just 'cause she liked it, without even checking reviews.
"What time?"
"2:30."
Roughly an hour from now.
"Great. Theater's close, so parfait, then stroll over. Can't wait!"
Her face bloomed with a flower-like smile—genuinely thrilled for horror. It was so bright, Tae-il's eyes watered.
"Yeah... me too..."
As long as you're happy.
He slumped his shoulders with an awkward grin.
With the movie set, the rest fell into place. Sakuya rattled off spots like a true insider; Tae-il agreed. Plans sorted, she asked about recent updates.
"So, how's it going lately?"
"Huh?"
"The band. Looks like you've got a solid lineup."
"Eh..."
Tae-il scratched his cheek and nodded.
"Prep's going well. Hit a couple walls, but one got cleared recently."
"Nice. Congrats."
Her light clap and tone carried real sincerity. Sakuya knew the despair of hitting a personal limit. She also knew the overwhelming rush of smashing through.
She looked impressed.
"Bet that felt good."
"Haha. An understatement."
Tae-il clenched his fists.
"Felt like I finally got recognized. Still owe Iris big for the help. Lifetime debt."
"Hmmm."
As Tae-il's face flushed mentioning Iris, Sakuya hummed curiously, propping her chin on her hand.
Arisugawa Iris. Fitting pick for Tae-il's vocalist—her karaoke performance rivaled pros. Yesterday, banned from singing along, he'd grumbled but his eyes sparkled watching her.
Something went down between them, huh?
Lots happened during her Interhigh, she figured.
Iris might be the real threat over Ayane.
Sakuya knew that breakthrough high better than anyone. If someone helped? Massive goodwill boost—not weird.
"The other one's still stuck?"
"Yeah. Embarrassing."
Tae-il shyly scratched his cheek. Sakuya shook her head dismissively.
"Nothing to be embarrassed about. If walls crumbled that easy, I wouldn't train so hard."
She'd started sports for manga, but stuck with it 'cause it was fun. No fun, no drawing it either—she'd have quit. She got a unique thrill pushing herself relentlessly. Extreme friendships and teamwork in the clutch? Pure joy. Surpassing limits, earning admiration? Bliss. Each wall cleared toughened her as a person.
"Instruments are kinda like that, right?"
"Yeah."
Tae-il smiled wryly in agreement. Instruments mirrored sports in a way. No precise records like sports, but the player knew best.
How good I am.
How much I lack compared to others.
No need to watch his own playing—just hearing others revealed it. He'd feel inferior, drive himself harder. But looking back, that was surface-level. Inside, he'd strayed plenty. Dodging head-on breakthroughs, lucking around walls like a snake over a fence. Fooled himself into thinking he improved. But hit a plateau, look back, regret. Habits from 5-10 hour daily grinds didn't fade easy—even after breaks. Like an idol redoing a 10-year-old dance flawlessly. Good or bad, they stuck like scarlet letters.
To shake them? Double the effort-time. Tae-il hadn't. He'd run. Run, yet clung to composing, dreaming impossibly. Unlike Sakuya, who challenged, persisted, proved herself. Tae-il always acted the loser.
So he'd gazed at her with unconscious envy.
"Sakuya, you're amazing."
"Huh? Random praise outta nowhere? Making me blush here..."
"I'm serious. You've never given up, unlike me."
Author favoritism, exaggerated traits for character, sloppy endings failing to weave them in. Online antis bashing Sakuraba Sakuya. Tae-il scoffed. Having lived among "geniuses," he knew: blooming talent was separate. Even the superior ones broke and quit. Music world was a demon realm. Input-output wildly imbalanced. Bands were bad; classical worse.
Sakuya succeeded. Sports. Pop music. Manga.
"Brag more. You're incredible. Ignore the haters—pure jealousy."
"Coming from you, it's embarrassing..."
Sakuya looked down, scratching her cheek, but didn't hide her pleasure.
Not just flattery?
What Tae-il wanted by date's end was obvious: join his band as guitarist.
'Your talent's great, so music'll come quick' or somesuch setup?
Sakuya probed.
"What's with the sudden wind? Praising me like that. Suspicious."
She eyed him outright wary. Tae-il shrank back.
"Nothing. Just said what I felt."
You're amazing. I envy, respect, admire you.
"World's full of plot holes. Random, illogical twists pop up all the time."
Maybe that's why.
"People don't get it 'til they feel it themselves. Reality's packed with that."
Sakuya's fame too. Paper or screen couldn't convey her greatness.
Six crowns. Her proudest Interhigh swimming haul. Other events too, but swimming—pure solo glory—drove fans wildest. Her middleschool Inter-Middies flop made this shine brighter.
Sakuya was the real deal.
"Couldn't sleep last night. Scoured the net. Confirmed you're incredible."
Reporters chasing her stunned him, but online reactions? Even more.
Sakuya was an idol in sports.
"Got me thinking."
Tae-il's lives—past and present—kept him far from athletics. Interhigh stars felt manga-like. He hadn't grasped Iris recruiting her in the original; nodded at Ayane's worries but hadn't felt it.
Now he did.
"Whether a nobody like me can even ask you that."
He realized proposing bandmates was overreaching. School wasn't even open, yet banners celebrated her wins everywhere. Visiting Asakura's office, teachers whispered praise. He felt their pride skin-deep. Living her world, he couldn't ignore her stature.
Still.
He wanted her in the band, shamelessly.
"Might be rude while you're swamped. But still..."
I need you.
Tae-il steeled for confession-level words right in front of her.
Then—
BRRRRZZZZ!
The table shook like the world was ending.
"Ah..."
Tae-il sighed, eyeing the source. The pager.
BRRRRZZZZ!
It buzzed insistently, announcing their parfait was ready.
"Parfait's up."
"Y-Yeah...?"
Tae-il stood awkwardly. His naturally pale face flushed, betraying everything.
"I-I'll get it."
"Pffft-hahaha!"
Sakuya burst out laughing. Mortified, Tae-il bolted to the counter.
"Jeez."
She wiped tears, murmuring softly.
"So cute... our Tae-il."
Licking her lips, she watched him wobble back with the parfait tray, beaming.