Chapter 11

"I had hoped that having a boyfriend would make Mitsuha more punctual," Yotsuha whines. "Instead, he's also late."

"I don't know what I expected," Saya grumbles in agreement.

"Don't' worry, you two! They're technically not late for another ten minutes." Tessie relaxes back into his chair. "I never really thought Taki would be able to change that part of her. He just doesn't have it in him to put his foot down, at least when it comes to her."

Yotsuha pretends to gag. "No kidding. You may be around him all the time for work, but I get to see the two of them together. Pretty much all the time. Those eyes he makes at her. . .I can't tell if it's sweet, or disgusting."

"You sound a little jealous." Saya leans in close with a sly smirk. "Is little Yotsuha also looking for her special someone?"

Yotsuha flushes bright red.

"Hit the nail on the head, huh?" Tessie teases.

"Oh, it's, uh. . .Yotsuha, right?"

Tessie and Saya turn to face the source of an unfamiliar voice Yotsuha suddenly recognizes as the young businessman she had met, who's accompanied by a smart looking man and a beautiful woman.

"Oh, Takagi! What a coincidence!" Yotsuha cheerfully greets him, a drastic shift in tone from her prior embarrassment.

"We're here to meet some friends, how about yourself?" he asks, easily keeping to conversation flowing.

"Same here. We're way too early, considering one of our friends has a bit of a reputation for being chronically late."

"Looks like we might be waiting a bit, too." Takagi briefly scans the café, but to no avail.

"Well, why don't you sit with us for now?" Yotsuha gestures to her table. "We've got seats to spare."

"Thanks!"

"You know we're running late, right?" Taki asks, a bit of stress leaking into his voice.

"Relax!" Mitsuha nonchalantly waves him off. "Yotsuha, Saya, and Tessie know me, they'll probably show up a bit later than they would for anyone else."

"Takagi, Tsukasa, and Okudera don't, though."

Mitsuha's eyes widen in horror.

"Taki, we have to get going! Now!"

"That's what I've been saying!"

Saya regards Takagi and his companions dubiously. "How exactly did you meet this man?" she asks loudly enough for the whole table to hear.

"We happened to run into each other by accident," Yotsuha explains. "Both of us were distracted, and I ended up twisting my ankle a bit. He helped me out and we ended up talking for a bit."

"He ran you over and then took you somewhere under the pretext of helping you? Seems suspicious. Especially if he remembered your name and what you look like from that one small interaction."

"You're being dramatic, Saya." Yotsuha rolls her eyes.

"Yotsuha's right, you know. But Saya's also right," Tessie says in attempt to act as a mediator. "You have to be careful, Yotsuha. You have no idea who this guy is."

"They. . .know we're right here, right?" Okudera asks hesitantly.

"I can't tell," Tsukasa admits.

Finally, Takagi steps in an attempt to clear up the misunderstanding. "Uh, excuse me. . ."

"What?!" Saya and Tessie turn to him in unison, before sheepishly realizing they've been awfully rude.

"Sorry about that." Tessie ruefully rubs the back of his neck.

"You should be," Yotsuha huffs.

"We're just worried," Saya says. "We're not related, but she might as well be our little sister."

"I understand," Takagi amicably replies. His understanding only makes Saya and Tessie feel guiltier.

"We started off all wrong." Saya offers a hand in greeting. "I'm Sayaka Teshigawara, and this is my husband, Katsuhiko Teshigawara. Everyone just calls him Tessie, though."

"It's nice to meet you, Teshigawara."

"That. . .sounds weird. Just call me Sayaka, or Saya!"

"Weird?!" Tessie says, aghast.

Takagi chuckles. "I'm Shinta Takagi." He gestures at the couple next to him. And this is Fujii Tsukasa and his wife Miki."

"And yet you all still call me by my maiden name," Okudera pouts.

"It sounds weird."

Tsukasa smirks at Tessie. "Seems like we're going to get along just fine."

"Oh gosh, how can I face your friends!" Mitsuha laments.

"What about your friends?"

"They're used to it by now!"

She says is so matter-of-factly that Taki can't help but feel bad for them. Especially Yotsuha.

"I. . .don't think you should be saying that so easily, Mitsuha," Taki says as they enter the café.

As Mitsuha looks around the café for their friends, the couple is spotted by Tsukasa returning from the bathroom.

"Taki, there you are! Running late, are we?"

Mitsuha hides her face in embarrassment, ready for Taki to throw her under the bus.

"Sorry about that," he apologizes instead. "Guess I got the time mixed up!"

"Well, come on!" Tsukasa is already walking past them towards a small room. "The others are waiting."

"Takagi, Miki! They're here!" Tsukasa call ahead.

Takagi turns to Yotsuha and rises from his chair. "Guess that's our cue to leave. It was great seeing you again!"

"Sorry about those two." Yotsuha nods in Saya and Tessie's direction. "They can be. . .strange. Guess that's why they're my sister's best friends."

"I know what you mean," Takagi laughs. "I guess my friends and I are pretty similar."

"Oh, great, everyone's here!" Mitsuha says brightly, clapping her hands together.

"Huh? Mitsuha? What are you doing here?"

"Oh, you know her? We're supposed to be meeting with her and Taki today!"

"Know her? She's my sister! Wait a minute, did you say Taki?"

"Oh, this is convenient," Taki says amiably as he takes a seat. "Sorry for the wait, everyone!"

Yotsuha and Takagi gape at the unaware couple.

"You've got to be kidding me," they sigh together.

Notes: FFNet formatting pls. This is what I get for not double checking, I guess.

Sorry for the delay. Been dealing with a ton of stuff lately, namely school and mental health stuff. Couldn't really find the motivation to do anything, and I don't really feel like this is the strongest chapter. A bit out of practice with writing in general, and I kind of lost any sort of rhythm/momentum I'd built up in regards to the story. Still have no idea where this thing is going, besides Taki and Mitsuha getting married. Well, just going to write and see what happens, I guess. If anyone has any suggestions/requests, feel free to make them.

Also I've finally given up on trying to use the English lyrics for the various songs as chapter titles. It was hard enough finding good ones I could easily cut down to a proper length, let alone try to match lyrics with the general feel of the chapter (at least in my mind). Time to take the easy way out and just call them "Chapter #."