Disclaimer: Sunrise


Tokyo, July, 2020

"Are you sure you want me to come together with you, Athrun?" Lacus said as they walked out from Shinjuku station.

"I feel awkward meeting her alone, so…." Athrun said, looking away while scratching below his ear. "I thought that bringing a friend would make her more at ease, showing her that I don't have any weird intention or anything," he chuckled nervously.

Lacus just nodded. These past week, Athrun had been a little bit off. She was wondering what had happened when he suddenly asked her company to go to a café in Shinjuku. Of course, he explained the details of the sudden visit, as he was not the type to lounge in a café on weekends, with her, no less.

And when she found out that—part of—the reason was a girl, her interest piqued. Athrun had never shown any attention toward a girl, as far as she knew. Moreover, he was indebted to this girl. It made her wonder what kind of person she was.

So, she agreed to it.

And now, here they were.


"Welcome to Athena's Tea House!" A voice called from inside. "Oh, it's you!"

"Hey, I came, as promised. I brought a friend. Her name is Lacus," Athrun said, gesturing his hand to Lacus. "Hope you don't mind."

"Hello," Lacus nodded her head toward the waitress who greeted them. So this is the girl? She thought as she stared discreetly at the blonde haired girl in front of her.

"Table for two? This way please," Cagalli said, guiding them to a table near the back of the room. As they sat, she offered them the menu and excused herself. Athrun thanked her, and as she went, his eyes followed her, staring at her back. Cagalli was now wearing her uniform, a lavender short sleeved shirt with long dark pants. On her waist she wore a short black-colored apron. Her hair, which had been tied down simply back then, was now tied up in a high ponytail, just a little bit neat. On her left hand, she was wearing a dark wristband; Athrun noticed she wore it too the first time he met her. Maybe she was into some kind of sports?

"It looks like you are really interested in her," Athrun suddenly heard someone say. Turning his head, he saw Lacus looking at him with ease, her hand prompted on the table, with one hand supporting her cheek. Her smile was so wide it looked almost like the Cheshire cat.

"What makes you think that?" Athrun asked, trying to dismiss her, though unsuccessful, as he was looking anywhere but her.

"Your eyes hadn't left her since the moment we came in," Lacus pointed out.

Athrun was taken aback; he didn't realize he was looking at her so intently like that. He nudged the tip of his nose with his knuckle, an unconscious gesture he tended to do when he was nervous. Meanwhile, Lacus was scanning the menu, and eventually, Athrun followed.

"Here, your refreshment," Cagalli came back, putting a glass of water for each of them, and apple juices.

"Hmm? This one…" Athrun started, they haven't ordered anything yet.

"It's in the house, unless you don't drink apple juice—"

"No, no! But I feel bad, I'm coming here to thank you, but you're giving us a free drink instead," Athrun sounded deflated. It was like he was receiving more from her, while he returned nothing.

"Nah, it's actually from the owner. I told her my friend is coming, so she told me to just go ahead and serve a drink for you," she smiled. "So it's okay. Don't refuse her kindness; she is just that kind of person. Now, are you ready to order?"

"I'll have the strawberry pancake then," Lacus said.

"Then I'll have the fish and chips," Athrun said, handling the menu back to Cagalli.

"Coming right up," Cagalli jotted down the orders; ready to go back to the kitchen.

"Umm," Lacus stammered, reaching her hand out to Cagalli. She noticed, and leaned down, she mouthed something, and Lacus nodded. Cagalli straightened up, and pointing at the corner of the room, "That way, it's on the left side," she said.

"Thank you," Lacus replied, smiling, and nodded at Athrun, "Please excuse me for a moment," as she got up and walked toward where Cagalli pointed.

"She's so cute," Cagalli suddenly said, then turned to Athrun, who was looking up at her, "Your girlfriend," she grinned at him, "I thought you said you don't have one."

"She's not," Athrun said, remembering Lacus asked him a few times if he was sure he wanted her to go with him. Maybe this was her reason, he thought, palming his forehead. "She's a friend."

"Sure, sure," Cagalli said, not believing him one bit.

"I'm serious. She already had someone she likes."

"And you are sure it's not you?" Cagalli was persistent. "You guys look good together, I think."

Athrun sighed. Even Cagalli was thinking like that. "Say what you want, but we're not together," Athrun said, turning his head to the window, unamused.

Cagalli chuckled. "I'll be back with your orders," she said walking toward the kitchen.


"I told you she would think like that if I come with you," Lacus sighed as she was digging on her pancakes.

"But I can't come alone," Athrun said, hanging his head. "Kira had practice today for the inter-high. If I bring someone from the club, they will tease me endlessly."

Athrun and Lacus came past the busy lunch time, so there were only a few guests sitting there. And nearing tea time, only three tables were occupied, including Athrun and Lacus' table.

"Cagalli," A blonde woman wearing a deep green apron came from the back room, approaching Cagalli who were standing beside the register. "You can take a break now. Why don't you sit and talk with your friends?"

"Huh? But…" She turned her head toward Athrun and Lacus, staring at them hesitantly. Lacus, who heard what the woman had said, just smiled and waved her hand, inviting her.

"Is it really okay, Ma'am?" Cagalli asked once more.

"Just change your uniform first," she said. "I'll take care if there is a guest coming in. Miri, you take a break after Cagalli, okay?"

"Yes, Ma'am." Miriallia, who was standing behind the register, nodded.

"Miri, you okay taking a break later?" Cagalli asked her.

"It's okay; you came early today and did the cleaning. You go first," she said, smiling at her.

"Then I'll take a break first. Thank you, Miss Gladys," Cagalli said, walking to the back room to change. In a few minutes, she was back, with a different top—now she was wearing a red, short sleeved t-shirt. Nearing the table, she halted. Where was she supposed to sit? She wasn't even familiar with them. She knew Athrun, but wasn't sure if she should sit beside him, while this was her first meeting with Lacus, so she wasn't sure either.

"Come sit with me, Cagalli-san." Lacus patted the seat beside her, and Cagalli was grateful she initiated first.

"Just call me Cagalli," she said, sitting beside her. "Thank you for coming here today. I actually didn't expect you to come at all," Cagalli said to Athrun, nervously scratching behind her ear.

"I told you I'll definitely come." Athrun said, pouting.

"But you didn't have to, though."

"Still, I'm indebted to you. So I feel obligated to come," Athrun took a sip of his apple juice. "Besides, this is a really nice place. I think I'll come again if I'm in the neighborhood."

"I'm glad. I like this café too. The atmosphere is so calming, don't you think?"

Glancing at their surroundings, Athrun admitted that the café indeed felt the way Cagalli had described it. The greens around the café made you wouldn't realize you were in the center of the Tokyo metropolitan city. Outside, the flowers on the planters were adding a nice touch too.

"Here,Cagalli," The owner, Talia Gladys, came to their table, placing a glass of orange juice for Cagalli.

"Eh? It's okay, Ms. Talia, you don't have to," Cagalli was about to reject the service.

"It's okay; this is your last day. You are allowed to get a little service," Talia winked. She smiled at Cagalli's friend, "Please let me know if you need anything else," she said before leaving them.

"What does she mean with your last day?" Lacus asked, curious.

"Just as it is. Today is the last day I work here; well it's just a part time job though."

"Are you preparing for the university entrance exam?" Lacus asked.

Cagalli didn't answer immediately. She had already explained many times about her situations, but usually it was after getting to know the person for a while. She never really told people whom she just met right away about her story, only when necessary.

"I'm sorry; did I ask a wrong question?" Lacus asked with a worried expression mirrored in her voice, which made Cagalli look up.

"Ah, no, it's okay." Might as well tell them now, Cagalli thought. She wasn't sure if they are going to stay with her as friends either, this was still their first meeting.

"Yes, it was for the college entrance exam, but I have to pass another test before that," she explained, and proceed to tell them that she was taking the USSP exam this November.

"You're not going to school?" Athrun asked, bewildered. Was that why she didn't say anything despite him introducing himself and his school last week?

"Yep, family issue," Cagalli said, giving them the simplest reason before they are asking for more. Taking her glass, she sipped her juice, trying to avoid their question for a while.

Athrun was still comprehending the new fact, that Cagalli was different from him. She didn't go to school, and was taking a high school level exam. She said she was part-timing here, though it looked like she was going to quit today. She also said something the day he first met her, about the delinquents messing around at her workplace, and Athrun doubted it was this café. Does that mean Cagalli had another job? She did a double job every day when the girl her age should still be enjoying their school life?

"Then you have to learn what we have learned for 3 years, in… let's say, 5 months? That would be extremely tough." Lacus said, concerned.

"I learned by myself sometimes, and Miri over there, sometimes she offered to teach me when I'm stuck," Cagalli answered, relieved that Lacus seemed to be untroubled by her difference.

"You are so awesome, Cagalli." Lacus praised her, looking genuinely awed.

"Really?" Cagalli stared at Lacus. "Why? You guys are better than me; Toshima High is a prestigious school, isn't it?"

"Well, the things we learned are mostly the same as everyone," she said, waving her hand. "But we have all the time and all the years to learn. On the other hand, you are learning while working hard, by yourself, aren't you? That's even harder than what we are doing," Lacus encouraged her. And then, as if she just came up with something brilliant, she plopped both her hands, turning her entire body toward Cagalli. "You are quitting here, so you are free on weekends right? How about a study session on the weekend? I still have a few events for my club activities though, but after August the Third classes will be retiring to focus on entrance exams. So we can study together! I might not be that good to teach you, but I think it would be better than studying alone. Also, it would be better than cram school, which I'm sure my father would insist I join. What do you think, Cagalli?"

"Is it really okay?" Cagalli was unsure. Of course having another person to help her study—a student from Toshima High, no less—was ten times better than studying by herself. "I don't want to impose on you like that. Besides, it's been 3 years since I received a formal education with a teacher. I might be difficult to teach, and will ask a lot of things during the session, and end up making you frustrated," Cagalli admitted, sheepish.

"But we are learning together, of course it's natural if you have questions. I just hope I'm good enough and able to answer you when you do." Then, as if she just remembered Athrun was there with them, Lacus turned to him, "Athrun you should join us! You are free after the competition too, right?"

"Well, it is. This summer's competition would be my last one," Athrun mumbled.

"Oh yeah, you said that too when we met. What kind of competition are you participating in?" Cagalli asked, suddenly remembering, that was kinda the reason they were here now.

"A robotic competition," Athrun said. "It's around the last week of August, so from then onward, I should be available…" Athrun said.

"Whoa, that's cool, what kind of robot are you making?"

And then Athrun proceeded to explain what usually was there on a robotic competition, the theme, the outline of making a robot and the programming, he could go on and on, but he remembered people unfamiliar with robotic engineering would think of it as a bore, so he refrained a bit.

"That's wonderful. Are you planning on deepening the field more?" Cagalli asked, intrigued. "You seem to know so well about these robotic things."

"I'm not sure; but it is something that I enjoyed." Athrun smiled. It would be nice if he could continue to deepen on what he finds enjoyable. Come to think of it, it was the first time anyone ever asked him about his interest in robotics, other than his family and club members.

"Oh, I know!" Lacus suddenly exclaimed. "Cagalli, you should come to our culture festival!"

"Huh?" was all Cagalli said in response. The change of topic was so sudden she couldn't comprehend what Lacus' purpose was.

"When is the culture festival, again?" Athrun asked.

"On silver week, September 21st, Monday. Are you free on that day?" Lacus asked Cagalli again.

"Is it really okay?" Cagalli only remembered the cultural festival when she was in Junior High, but she couldn't join last year because she had to tend to her grandparents whose health had been falling slowly. So it has been quite a while, and she couldn't really remember the vibe of that day.

"Of course. Since Athrun is in a robotics club, they usually open a booth for robotics showcases in the festival. You can see what Athrun and his friends made in the club, Cagalli. The classes are doing a lot of things too, like a café or a haunted house, so there are lots of things to see and do." Lacus encouraged her. Cagalli had to admit, it did sound fun. She missed the school atmosphere, where all the students were together at school, doing things a high schooler was supposed to do and enjoy.

"Cagalli, do you have a lime messenger account? If it's okay with you, can I add your account?"

"Ah, I do…" Cagalli stammered a bit. "But I just made it recently so I don't really understand how to use it," She said, her face reddened a bit. She was thinking that high schoolers must be using this kind of thing daily. She was afraid they would mock her for not knowing even such a common thing among them.

"Really? Don't worry, if you need help you can ask me anything," Lacus said kindly.

As far as her interaction with Lacus, Cagalli never saw her looking annoyed with her or treating her as inferior or anything because she was different. She was a genuinely nice girl. Since Cagalli stayed fairly longer than her brother in foster care, on top of that she had met lots of people of various ages along the way, she was able to figure—well, most of them—of their personality. She knew nice people, and people who are better not to befriend with, though it was still different from Andrew san or her boss.

Slowly, Cagalli pulled out her phone—a new smartphone she bought with Dearkka after a few more pushes from him— from her pocket, trying to open the application. Since she was still not used to it, she was fidgeting with it a little bit.

While her other two companions were training their eyes at something hanging on her phone.

As if somehow she could feel their stares, Cagalli looked up from her new phone. "Hmm? What is it?" She tried to follow their line of sight. When she finally understood what they were staring at, she sighed. This strap never failed to pull people's attention.

"This strap is weird, isn't it?"

For a while, no one responded to her, and her words might be rhetorical. But Lacus answered her, "It's not. Where did you get it?"

"My father gave it to me," Cagalli said shortly. At that, both Lacus and Athrun were surprised. They could feel the different, detached tone she used when she answered. It was as if she didn't like talking about her father, or she didn't like the said person.

But why was she still using a gift from a person she dislikes?

"It's kinda worn out. You must like it a lot," Athrun said, hoping she would provide more info. He did feel like he was invading her privacy, but still he was curious for the reason why she changed from the cheerful Cagalli to a detached Cagalli for a short few seconds.

And in response to his question, Athrun could see her face change again. She was distant when she mentioned her father, but as she stared at the strap, her expression turned into a soft one, like she was staring at distant memories that were inside the old strap, and that she was longing for it.

"Someone picked this for me," was all she said. The way she said it, Athrun could at least deduce that it was not her father, but a different person.

"Lacus, my friend once explained to me how to add friends, but I forgot. Can you show me?" Cagalli had turned her attention toward Lacus, and she started to explain how to use the messaging application to Cagalli, effectively ending the discussion.

Athrun knew Lacus was thinking the same thing.

That strap was exactly the same one as the one they always saw on their friend's, Kira's phone. The design of the strap was so unusual that they could recognize it at once. But since it was a common souvenir from Mt. Fuji, as Kira had explained, Athrun didn't really give much thought of it.

Instead, he pulled his own phone out, using the moment to get Cagalli's contact for later.


AN: I dont know about other place, but the owner of the restaurant where I had worked part time would always allow me to join the friend I invited to the restaurant, as long as I changed from my uniform. That's why I wrote Cagalli joining Athrun and Lacus here.

I'm sorry if this chapter feel kinda rushed. Been a little busy lately.

No flashback here tho. I feel like this one is long enough as is.

Thanks for reading, and see you next chapter

Cheers~