The quote

Mio was at work, but her mind was elsewhere. Yesterday's shock, the escape, the shame, and above all, Ren Shinomiya's face approaching her... it was all still there in her mind, playing over and over again in her head.

" Mio... Hey, Mio. "

Tomoki's voice snapped her out of her trance. She blinked, realizing he had been talking to her..
" Huh? Really? Sorry, Tomoki, what were you saying? "

I was wondering if everything was okay," he said, with a concerned look. "You seem... well, like you've seen a ghost.

" Everything's fine, Tomoki " Mia said, lying with a vacant stare. Her voice came out flat, without a hint of emotion. She turned to attend to a customer who had just arrived, and her greeting was robotic.

Tomoki watched him with concern. A few hours later, just before his shift ended, he approached him again. " Hey, Mio. It's the weekend. Would you like to go out with me sometime? To clear your head a little. "

Mio, still lost in her mental fog, she rejected him out of habit. " No, thank you. I'm tired. I just want to go home. "

But before Tomoki could leave, Sara and Kenji, who were nearby spying on them, intervened. " Come on, Mio! " said Sara, giving her a friendly nudge that almost knocked her off balance. " Don't be like that! The new guy is inviting you, have some fun! ", " Yeah, you live for work and those games of yours. " added Kenji. " A cup of coffee won't kill you. "

Mio froze. "What? Why are they getting involved? They never talk to me unless it's to ask me to cover their shift. Is this some kind of bad joke? Are they supporting him?"

The pressure from Tomoki combined with that from the two of them was more than she could handle. Overwhelmed, she finally gave in. "All right... All right. One coffee should be enough."

A couple of hours later, Mio was sitting in a small café, staring out the window. Her thoughts were still a silent mess, especially now that her mind kept replaying the almost-kiss scene over and over again.  "Why did he come up to me like that? Was it a joke? Was he making fun of me? And why did my heart... why did it start racing like that?"

She was so distracted that she didn't notice Tomoki had arrived with a tray. "Here you go. I ordered a strawberry cake. I saw that you like pink, so I figured you'd like it."

Mio looked at the cake. She stared at it for several seconds. A boy. A coffee. A cake.

Suddenly, his mind snapped into action. "Wait! Wait! Wait! What am I supposed to do in this place?"  Panic struck her hard. "A guy from work invited me for coffee! He bought me a cake! This is a date! I'm on a date! My first date! It counts as a date, right?"

Her mind went into internal war mode. "No! I'm not ready! What do you talk about on dates? The weather? Energy drinks? Oh my God, what should I do? I want to leave! But if I leave now, he'll think I'm crazy! I'm a fraud! An impostor on a date!"

She wanted to run away, but the shame was so great that it kept her glued to her chair.

They both ate in silence. Well, at least Tomoki ate with a calm smile. Mio, feeling her face burning a strawberry red that matched the cake, took tiny bites, terrified of doing something wrong.

When they finished, Tomoki finally spoke. " Mio... " he said softly, causing her to look up suddenly. " I know we barely know each other, but I've seen you at work. And today... you seemed very downhearted. As if your mind were on another planet. "

Mio tensed, preparing for an uncomfortable question.

But that question never came. " You don't have to tell me what happened. " he hastened to say. " I just... wanted to help you clear your mind a little... If you ever need someone to talk to, or to help you carry something, or anything else... well, I'm here. You can count on me. "

Mio was stunned. There was no ill intent. Just... kindness. Pure and simple kindness.

Then Tomoki made a risky move. Somewhat awkwardly, he raised his hand and gave her a gentle pat on the head. " Cheer up..."

She blushed slightly, but this time it wasn't a blush of panic or embarrassment. It was a completely different blush, a warm blush that reached her ears. And for the first time in days, a genuine, huge, bright smile lit up her face. "Thank you very much, Tomoki-kun," she said.

They both left the place, each going their separate ways. As Mio walked home alone, she no longer felt the weight of exhaustion or the panic of the previous days. She felt... light. Excited.

"It was my first date. And it was... nice. A normal, kind guy who bought me cake."

Maybe, just maybe, the universe was finally giving him a break.

But one question remained unanswered: Did Ren Shinomiya already have a rival?