Chapter 1: Springtime Cake

"Dammit, I hate technology so much."

A young man in a mauve winter coat walks briskly through street signs and trash bins, trying his best to follow the directions on his phone's map.

Tall and quite on the leaner side, Kaito Momota's silhouette is seen stopping in front of a convenience store, his back slouching in defeat. "Fuck, I've gone past this goddamn shop five times already! Fuck… fuck!" Kaito yells, lost in frustration. His noisy grumbles garner a few stares from passers-by. Only a handful of people seem to be outside, however; the quiet city of Jabberwock is infamous for its time-conscious locals. And right now, it's lunch time.

He zooms in on the map. Squinting his eyes, he double checks his position. He seems to be at the right place, making him all the more confused. "Wait a second…" he whispers, noticing something as he walks back and forth: his map marker doesn't seem to move.

"My phone's not within the range of any free wifi?!" Kaito exclaims. His expression shifts into a burst of excitement as he nearly bolts through the sidewalks with a newfound hope. "I guess I just need to find some decent wifi, huh?"

Kaito keeps a close eye on his map marker. Nope, still not moving.

He walks faster, nearly running, even gaining speed as the whole sidewalk plunges into a slope. He continues on a long, straight path downhill, nearly stumbling past another street lamp, and another, and another. He skips over his hundredth crack, all while dodging the occasional low-hanging lamp.

His map still doesn't react.

"Doesn't this city have any free wifi around?" he whispers, panting as his legs try to keep up with their own increasing velocity.

If this goes on, I'd have to enter one of these fancy-looking shops just to get connec-

"Hey! Watch where you're going!"

A chilling screech catches Kaito's attention, causing him to ease into a halt. It wasn't even high-pitched, but something about it pierced through Kaito's psyche for a split second.

Crap, I don't have time for this, Kaito sighs. I'm literally running late.

"Look miss, I'm sorry, I really didn't see you there," he says, expecting the worst as he walks back and turns to face the woman he just so casually hit. "I was just a bit lost, you know? Just looking at my phone, I didn't mean to-"

"You're not the only person on this sidewalk you-"

Kaito's thoughts black out for a while.

This girl… she's...

"Maki…?" he exclaims. "Maki Harukawa?"

Well, what are the odds...

Kaito briefly examines her from top to bottom. "Holy crap, it is you!"

Kaito grins at his old friend. So many questions fill his mind to the brim, leaving him a tad bit overwhelmed. "It seems the world wanted me to bump into you today, huh?"

It's been a while, Maki.

"Momota..." she finally responds, her firm gaze reeling him out of his own mind. With her eyes still locked on his, she straightens her posture. Looks like I bumped into her quite hard.

"Ah, long time no see! I'm glad you even remember me," Kaito says jokingly as he scratches his head.

Maki, still clutching her shoulder, stares blankly at him.

"Oh, yeah... riiiight, um… look, I'm sorry for bumping int-"

"BEEP! BEEP BEEP! BEEP!"

A loud barrage of notifications sweeps over the phone in Kaito's hand.

"-oh! Free internet, how insanely lucky!" he exclaims, skimming through his notifications to check for anything urgent, though not taking Maki out of his periphery. 'Insanely lucky' might be an understatement right now, too...

Maki backs away from the seemingly distracted man in mauve, carefully preparing to take leave.

"Hey, that's interesting," Kaito utters. "The map says I'm right where I should be."

He takes a few steps back to look up at the huge signboard above them. "MonoMono Bakery and Tea Shoppe… yep, that's the one."

Maki stops in her tracks. "You… you were supposed to come here?"

"Yeah, I'm actually supposed to meet someone, too…" Kaito pauses, scrolling through his notifications a bit more. He then lets out a heavy sigh. "It... looks like I've been stood up, though."

Maki averts her gaze, unsure of what to do.

"Hey, Momota. I have somewhere to be."

"Ah-"

At that very moment, Maki's forgotten stomach growls with ferocity, frightening both of them for a while. "Whoah there, tiger." After a brief moment of silence, Kaito bursts out laughing. "Man, your stomach's gonna eat us both alive, the way it's calling out like that."

Maki takes a deep breath as an attempt not to yell at the boisterous man. "I'll take it as a sign for me to go," she says, turning around to leave. "Bye, Momota."

After calming himself down, Kaito strides past Maki, blocking her path on his last step. Kaito then turns to her, gesturing for her to stop. "Look, Maki," he begins, "I'm sorry. For… for err... not watching where I'm going... I mean, the sidewalk was fairly empty when I last looked up from my phone… but... hey, you suddenly showed up so... maybe it was meant to happen...? Don't you see…? It's like… like the universe made it happen! I mean... it's really been a while, hasn't it?"

Maki's stare turns sharp, suggesting that he should move out of the way.

"Wait- no, I didn't mean for it to sound like destiny or something- but it might as well be, right? But like, I'm not hitting on you or anything, if that's what you're thinking- I'm definitely not- I mean, not that I wouldn't either- but wait, that's definitely not what I'm doing-!" Kaito struggles with words as he tries to make sense out of everything he's said so far.

Maki only rolls her eyes. "I get it, Momota."

Kaito stops, proceeds to clear his throat, then continues, "Anyway, what I want to say is, I have to make it up to you. Destiny or not. Let me treat you to lunch. You're obviously hungry."

"And…" Kaito continues, trying to keep eye contact, but ending up looking away. "You know, for old time's sake."

A brief moment of silence envelopes the two. A few cars pass them by. A bird chirps from a distance.

Did I say something weird?

Kaito's gaze falls back on Maki's stern stare. It's as though she's cautious of me.

"There is no need, it's fine," Maki finally responds. "Don't worry, it's nothing personal. I just have somewhere I need to be."

Kaito spreads his arms to block her way. "Well, I'm not gonna let you leave without eating."

Maki now glares at the persistent Kaito. "Momota, I'm going." She then proceeds to lift his left arm with ease and passes under it.

"Come on! I'm not accepting no for an answer." In a swift and fluid swoop, Kaito steps back and dashes after her, wrapping his left arm around Maki's shoulders from behind.

"Hey- don't touch me-!" Maki, surprised, tries to move around to escape from his clutches, but to no avail- Kaito holds her firmly in place.

"You've been like this since our university days, always having somewhere to be," Kaito begins to lead her back towards MonoMono's front door. And I'm always the one making sure you stay out of trouble. He opens his mouth to add this, but stops himself.

"Momota, hey, I don't want-"

"Come on, it's my treat," Kaito huffs as he manages to drag- almost lift- her a few steps closer to the door.

"Momota, you're seriously acting like a creep, stop it-" Maki, while controlling her strength, tries to struggle free, even hitting his hand and elbowing his stomach a few times. Again, to no avail.

"Yeah, call me a creep all you want, but it's a Saturday, Maki. Learn to chill." Kaito says, eyes focused at the door. "Plus, it's lunch time. And you're hungry," he pants, "I don't think there's anything else you need to be doing right now except eat."

"I mean…'" Kaito huffs as Maki makes it harder for him to move. He catches a glance of her. "I'm sorry for being forceful right now. You're not doing a good job of defending wherever it is you have to go, either. So, I'm taking you with me."

And… I think you've avoided me for far too long, Maki.

More words Kaito decides to keep to himself.

Maki, at her wit's end, grabs a hold of Kaito's arm, preparing the stance for a classic throw. "Momota, I'm warning you, I can and will hurt y-"

Kaito pretends he doesn't hear her and bursts the door open with his free hand, unleashing the crystalline sound of Kaede's free-flowing music to welcome them in.

Maki's grip loosens, a bit embarrassed. Her voice was a bit loud, especially during that last threat.

Kaito, too, loosens his hold of her, finally letting out a sigh of relief. I swear to god this woman could've killed me if I hadn't opened the door just now. Those elbows seriously hurt!

"Welcome to the MonoMo- oh hi, Miss, it's you again," the head waiter beams, walking towards the still quite dumbfounded Maki. "Table for two, I presume?"

Oh, so she's been here just now? But she left without eating?

"N-"

"Yes! A table for two would be perfect," Kaito cuts in with a nervous laugh, holding Maki a bit tighter again, just in case.

"You'll be eighth in the queue, then, Sir," the head waiter hands him a stub.

I see, she might not have wanted to wait in line.

"Oh, no need for that," Kaito shows him a playful yet intricate looking email on his phone. "I, uh- we- have a reservation."

"Oh, that's grand, Mister… Momota? Good to have you here, sir. Let me lead you to your table."

Kaito steals a glance at the shut down Maki beside him. Despite her futile attempt to refuse the waiter's offer, she hasn't seemed to struggle free ever since they've entered the bakery's doors. She resigns herself to a pout, grabbing a bunch of her hair and brushing them with her fingertips.

Well that habit of hers still hasn't changed.

"Here you are, sir. In a decent view of the piano," the waiter says, motioning them to take a seat. Kaito nods his thanks and removes his coat. Maki does the same. Both hang their coats behind their chairs, almost in a synchronized fashion.

The waiter gives each of them a menu decorated with rather ornate cream swirls engraved on black. "I'll leave you to decide-"

"Do you have any birthday specials?" Kaito asks, casually flipping through the menu.

"Why yes, sir," the waiter responds, helping Kaito flip to the right page. "We can serve a whole cake and a carafe of tea, both flavors of your choosing, for only half the price each."

"Cool," Kaito nods, deep in thought. "We'll avail ourselves of the birthday promo, then-"

"-wait, Momota," a confused Maki interrupts, her voice hushing down to a whisper. "It's not… your birthday... ?"

"Oh?" Kaito looks up from the menu, quite surprised. "But we're not celebrating mine."

"Then whose..." Maki's voice trails off as she realizes what he meant.

The two stare at each other, trying to keep themselves afloat in a wave of awkwardness and confusion. Despite the sea of thoughts crowding their minds, words remain unexchanged.

The head waiter clears his throat, ridding either of the pressure to speak. "Sorry to interrupt, but might I ask which flavors of cake and tea you would want for the special?"

Kaito nods, flipping the menu in his hand. "Ah, right. For the cake, I guess-"

"-the Astro cake would be perfect," Maki finishes.

"Astro cake? There's none of that on the menu," Kaito squints.

Maki turns to the waiter. "Isn't it one of the cakes out on the display case?"

The waiter looks at the young woman, pleasantly surprised. "Why yes, yes it is. Splendid choice, madame. It is, in fact, our newest flavor."

So she's been looking at the display case of this shop…?

"The owner of this shop designed it specifically to welcome the spring," the waiter takes out a small pamphlet from the stack of menus in his arms, straightens it, and hands it to Kaito. "... although it looks nothing like the spring, it will surely taste like it- at least, that's what sir always says."

"Thank you, but I'd rather see what it looks like when it's here, right in front of me." Kaito returns the pamphlet without looking. "Besides, I'm putting my faith in her choice of cake."

Maki stares at Kaito a bit, as though wanting to say something, but she decides to look at the menu instead. "And… some Oolong tea would be nice, thank you."

Maki returns her copy of the menu to the waiter. Kaito follows with his.

"Excellent choices, miss," the waiter nods in approval. "So, once again: both of you will share the birthday special- one whole Astro cake and one carafe of Oolong tea? Would there be anything else you'd like to add?"

"None for me," Maki responds.

"Ah, I'd like a glass of warm water," says Kaito.

"Very well," the waiter nods, mentally taking note of this additional item. "By the way, my name is Sozo, and it will be my honor to serve you on this fine afternoon. Don't hesitate to call me for anything." Sozo turns and leaves the two to drown in their own thoughts, once more.

It doesn't take much waiting for Maki to be distracted by the pianist, Kaede Akamatsu, who is situated two tables behind Kaito. Kaito, on the other hand, continues staring at Maki, mentally in the process of choosing where to begin the conversation he so longs for.

"Maki, I-"

"Momota." Maki's eyes instantly shift to stare into his, still as stern as ever. "How do you know what day it is today?"

"... huh?" Kaito is taken aback by the trivial question. She's asking me this as though we're strangers…?

"Well," Kaito gives her a stern look, himself. "I ought to know my friends' birthdays, right?"

"I don't remember telling you, or anyone, about the fact."

Kaito waves his phone. "You're on my contact list, your birthday appears on my calendar now."

Maki's eyes widen. "Momota, you know that's impos-"

"-speaking of which-" Kaito interjects, taking control of the conversation. "Your phone number- it's changed, hasn't it?"

Maki pauses, seemingly unsure of what to say. "It has changed, yes."

"I see." Kaito, too, looks as though he is unsure of what to say. "You lose your phone or something?"

"It got... stolen."

"Oh, well that's too bad." Kaito manages to let out a soft laugh, looking most relieved. "If I had known, I wouldn't have continued calling your phone every day for another… I don't know? Half a year, maybe?"

"Half… a year?" the young woman frowns.

"Yeah… but hey, don't worry, it's not your fault," Kaito responds cheerily. "That might be why the universe thought it best for us to meet today."

"Though… you could've gone to Shuichi or something and asked for my number from him."

Maki shakes her head. "I haven't really seen him around since graduation. Neither have I seen anyone else until…" her eyes shift to Kaede, "...today."

"Yeah… I understand." Kaito shrugs. "Post-grad life is unexpectedly busy, after all. I mean, I still keep in touch with Shuichi and from my perspective, it seems like he's barely pulling it together. He just needs a bit of a push towards the right direction, though."

Maki only nods.

"But you know…" Kaito's voice shifts back into a more serious tone. "I may be living in another city right now, but… I guess I have to keep reminding you that I'm just a bus ride away. You've always been welcome to visit me. I mean, hey! If you're worried about the place, I can always tour you!"

"I…" Maki hesitates but falters when her eyes cross Kaito's. "I know."

"It's just… I've just been really busy," she mutters. She then proceeds to look around for any signs of the cake from the kitchen.

"Oh, I see."

She's avoiding eye contact all of a sudden. I know she's hungry but…

"How's teaching, anyway?" Kaito leans closer to the table with visible interest. "Last time we talked, you said you were still learning the ropes."

"It's been fine."

Kaito waits for a more detailed explanation of this "fine", but nothing comes.

Something is definitely amiss with her.

Silence, once again.

She's really gonna keep making this hard for me, huh?

Kaito lets out a huge sigh, slowly pushing himself against his chair. "It looks like you're hungrier than I thought."

"Oh," he takes out his phone and hands it to her, "Might as well ask you for your new number before I forget."

Maki stares at the device in his hand and carefully takes it. She then shoots him a nervous look.

"Come on, Maki," Kaito groans, getting increasingly troubled by his friend's strange behavior, "This ain't a math exam or something."

"I mean," he continues, his voice mellowing down into a somber baritone, his relieved look from seconds ago, completely wiped off, "If you don't want to give me your number, you can just tell me."

Maki's lips tremble. "K-Kaito, it's..."

...huh? 'Kaito', all of a sudden?

The smell of strawberries wafts faintly into Kaito's nostrils. A familiar voice follows.

"Maki… Harukawa? Is that you?"

Wait- the music's not-

Kaito turns to see a blonde-haired girl in a glistening rose gold sunday dress skip gleefully towards them. "Oh, but it is you, Maki!"

"And…"

She walks towards the side of their table. Kaito's gaze follows. The locks of her hair seem to glow under the shoppe's yellow light, swaying with her every motion. Bright and beaming, she leans slightly towards him, trying to get a better look at the young man's facial features. "I had a feeling it was you," she whispers, a sweet smile escaping her lips.

"Your spiky hair gave it away, Mister Big Time Astronomer."

Kaito grins back. "And here I was, starting to think you wouldn't notice us,"

"Miss Kaede Amami."

~ Author's Note ~

Hello, I'm back!

I want to apologize for the super duper (super duper super super) long delay. I've honestly written the first chapter long before publishing the prologue, but a whirlwind of unexpected circumstances kind of happened in my personal life that I had to focus on keeping myself sane, above all else.

And, well, ta-da! I'm alive- thank goodness, too! All of you stay safe out there too. please!

Of course, I'd like to end this note with another huge thank you! I'm not really expecting too many readers, so if you're reading this right now, know that I'll gratefully write for you til the end of this tale.

I'll try my best to be more consistent with my publishing schedule, too!

My warmest regards (and hugs!),

falaremi