There are many things in life that we can't control...like our destiny and our feelings.

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In the midst of their merriment,
Ryuu felt his phone vibrate in his pocket.

After checking what had sent his phone off,
he immediately greeted the others goodbye
and left.

"Happy birthday,
and no hard feelings, Makoto!"

Ryuu turned around one last time
and flashed them a smile—
the kind that gives you hope,
and as though they were mirrors,
they too reflected his smile on their faces.

And with that Ryuu left the three,
dropping his cheerful demeanor
when he was alone in the hallways.

Just like old times, right?

He thought to himself
and darkly chuckled as he shook his head,
as he left the school.

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Makoto, Shouta and Chou walked home together,
an awkward yet enjoyable silence engulfed them.

Shouta, the moodmaker of the group,
picked at his brain as to what he could say
that would lighten the mood,
or at least make them laugh.

"Shouta's being awfully quiet today.
How odd."

Chou mokingly stated.

"Yeah.
Usually he'd be running his mouth off like a drunken chimpanzee."

Makoto playfully scoffed,
looking at Shouta for effect.

"Why you!"

Shouta shouted at the two,
but they merely laughed and ran away from him.

"Catch us if you can!"

Chou screamed in between giggles
as she ran beside Makoto,
who was laughing to her heart's content.

"No way."

Shouta screamed back
and walked in a different direction,
disappointing Chou and Makoto.

"How boring!"

Makoto pouted as she and Chou stopped running,
looking back at Shouta.

"Kidding."

Shouta screamed and ran towards the girls
at a supersonic speed,
earning unfathomable shrieks from the two
as they tried their best to run away from him.

Makoto and Chou incessantly laughed as they ran,
exhilarated by the possibility of Shouta catching them,
or them outrunning him,
however, Shouta caught up to them with ease,
considering he had the background of joining the track team back then.

The three cooled down on a nearby bench.

Shouta watched in amusement
as the two fanned themselves,
wiping off their sweat with flushed cheeks,
while Shouta didn't even break a sweat.

"Let's never do that again."

Makoto wheezed,
looking at Chou.

"Let's."

Chou croaked out, breathless,
as she looked back at Makoto.

Shouta smiled and got up,
going to a nearby convenience store
to buy water for the girls.

I'm such a gentleman.

He thought,
in a playfully conceited tone,
but then felt bashful after thinking that,
and shook his head as he laughed at himself.

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Shouta returned with a bottle of water in each hand
as he sat down on the bench.

Makoto and Chou looked at each bottle
with parched throats,
yearning to have a sip.

Shouta immediately handed the bottles
to Makoto and Chou,
and the two gratefully drank up.

He sighed and patted both their heads,
Chou leaning into the gesture,
and Makoto elbowing him in the rib.

Shouta chuckled at Makoto's bold move,
and pulled her into an embrace.

This time Makoto tensed up,
and looked to the side,
trying to hide the blush forming on her face.

Chou merely rested her hand
on the armrest of the bench,
and slowly sipped on her drink,
as she watched Makoto and Shouta.

She'd been pairing them for a while,
and finally seeing things like this happen to them
made her heart dangerously skip a beat.

"S-Stop it.
I'm sweaty."

Makoto tried pushing Shouta away,
but to no avail.

Chou secretly pulled out her phone
and swiftly snapped a picture,
stealthily putting it back in her bag.

After a while,
Shouta decided to let go of the embrace.

"Let's go to a cafe?"

Shouta smiled at the two.

Makoto's ears perked up,
hearing the word 'cafe'.

She entered a state of euphoria
as she imagined the aromatic smell
that wafted around the air in the cafe,
and the way the cushion of the seats
comfily snuggled her into place.

"Let's go!
I know just the place!"

Makoto jumped up and
threw the emptied bottle into the trash bin,
before grabbing Shouta and Chou's hands,
and speeding off to her favorite cafe.

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As they found their seats it took quite some time,
but Chou and Shouta were able to choose what they wanted
thanks to Makoto patiently explaining what each drink tasted like
in perfect detail. Let's just say she's a cafe connoisseur—
not a single drink in the menu has gone by without being tasted by her.

"Wow, you know a lot about this."

Chou said,
genuinely amazed at how one could
be so devoted to something as trivial as coffee.

"I'm a regular here."

Makoto replied with a small laugh.

"Well, do you know what you want to order?"

Shouta leaned in.
He was sitting opposite Makoto and Chou.

"Yeah!
I want the purple one!"

Chou said,
staying true to her color scheme.

"I'll have an iced cappuccino."

Makoto smiled.

"Then...
I'll have an iced caramel macchiato!"

Shouta said
and stood up to order.

"Wait!"

Chou and Makoto both shouted
as they fished their wallets for money.

They both handed Shouta the money needed.

"Eh?
Why're you giving me this?"

Shouta innocently and cluelessly looked at the two.

"To pay...
duh??"

Makoto sarcastically mumbled.

"Ohhhh, that's right...
hehe, I forgot to tell you didn't I?
It's on me— my treat."

And with that he walked away,
silently memorizing the orders in his head,
leaving Chou and Makoto puzzled.

"Oh well...
at least I have shopping money."

Makoto shrugged and returned the money in her wallet.

"Same!"

Chou laughed,
catching onto Makoto's humor.

"We should hang out sometime,
y'know?"

Chou's offer caught Makoto off-guard
and she slowly looked to the purple-haired girl
who was giving her a genuine grin.

"I noticed that you've been kinda avoidant of me
all throughout, and I just hoped we could have some...
I dunno bonding time? Get together? Whatever you call it—
in short, I want us to be friends...not that we aren't friends right now,
but we're more of acquaintances don't you think?
I'm really not the type to reach out to others, rather it's the opposite—
you can even ask Ryuu. So I'm hoping you can give me a chance."

Chou had reminded Makoto of how she was
when she first reached out to Ryuu,
and she smiled to herself.

"I'd love to.
Let's make plans, okay?"

Makoto immediately accepted the offer,
and Chou smile brightened even more.

"You won't regret it!"

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The three gingerly sipped on their drinks,
savoring the taste of each of their orders.

"This is some good stuff."

Shouta said,
frosting atop his nose,
causing Makoto and Chou to stifle their laughter.

"Shouta, you look great today.
Mind of I take a pic?"

Makoto innocently asked.

"Not at all.
By all means, go ahead."

Shouta replied,
suppressing a grin.

Little did he know,
Makoto would later send
the photo to their group chat.

"Smile!"