Americana

As they headed inside the café, Seiji leaned over Hideaki, his voice low enough so only Hideaki could hear.

"Remember act normal enough. I'm sure you'll get along with both of them."

"M-mhm... Tch-" Hideaki answered and shoved his hands into his pants pockets.

The coffee bar exuded a warm, inviting ambiance with cream-colored seats, cozy wooden tables, and vibrant green plants.

The group settled around one of the tables, reviewing the menu.

Soon they had all made their coffee choices - Seiji opting for black coffee, Ken an Espresso, and Rika a Cappuccino.

Hideaki struggled over the menu, lost in the sea of coffee options.

Seiji, ever practical, leaned in.

"Just go with something mild. Get a Latte if you're not a fan of coffee."

"Fine..." Hideaki agreed mumbling, clearly upset that he had to drink a coffee.

As they were waiting for their hot drinks, Hideaki's gaze remained fixed on Rika.

He was observing her. Silently, hiding his face behind the menu to look more "undetected" or at least that's what he thought.

The girl was having a friendly chat with Ken.

She didn't look dangerous, suspicious or even just down right bad.

But even with that, Hideaki's thoughts were swirling with suspicion.

'She lived in the States. That place is crawling with federal agencies.' He analyzed, and then something hit him...

'Wait.. What if she got involved in something while she was there?

FBI recruitment?

Government training?

I'm sure she can use guns now! People come back from overseas with all sorts of connections so...

Maybe they sent her back here to get close to me! What if she's pretending to be nice?

She's friendly, casual, has a confident tone of a voice, looks disarming... that's how they do it in spy movies, right?

Get you to relax. Lower your guard.'  he analysed.

Seiji, noticed Hideaki's focus drifting, but kept his own expression neutral.

'He's suspicious of her already.'  he stated as he made a mental note of Hideaki's behavior - his tension, the sudden wariness in his eyes, and the way he stared at Rika behind the menu.

'That could complicate things... or reveal more than he'd like. I'll need to watch him closely.'

Their orders arrived shortly after.

"Aaah... I can't remember the last time I had coffee this good." Rika said, contented after taking the first sip from her cup.

Ken chuckled, "Hehe, is the coffee in the US not up to par?"

"I wouldn't say it's bad," Rika replied, "But it's missing something that the coffee in Japan has, you know?"

Seiji took a sip from his own cup, and cleared his throat, as he wanted to pose a lecture there,

"A fun fact. Coffee seeds grown in Japan are rare but highly sought after. They're cultivated with precision, and because of that, they're producing a unique flavor balance that stands out globally. That's why our coffee might got 'something that is missing' in other nations coffee, Rika." Seiji explained.

"Oh, I see now." Rika blinked in surprise, then grinned softly "You sure have quite a wide knowledge of coffee, Sekiguchi-san."

Seiji gave a faint shrug. "Just a small detail I happened to remember."

Rika paused for a moment, then looked at them with a gleam in her eyes. "You know... since we'll be spending time together, how about We will call each other by our first names? Everyone did that in the States, and I really liked it! What do you think?"

Seiji shrugged again "I don't mind."

"Oh wow," Ken exclaimed surprised "You pulled it off, Rika! Hehe. Seiji usually isn't this flexible with formalities."

Seiji shot him a cool look. "Don't exaggerate."

Rika chuckled softly. "Oh really? He seemed to be a cool guy."

Hideaki glanced at her suspiciously before quickly looking away, hiding behind his latte cup. "Tch... s-sure..." he muttered.

He stared down into his drink, avoiding everyone's gaze.

His fingers tightening around the warm ceramic of the cup.

'She's too calm. Too opened.'

He thought

'Too smooth with strangers - that's not normal! What if she did those highlights to blend in more with the crowd?? What if they installed some device in her eyes that allows her to scan people?? This is America! They have different technology there than here!'

His jaw tensed, eyes flickering.

He silently gazed at Rika from behind his hair.

'She could've seen my file - maybe even a report from the high school incident. Or someone tipped her off. Hell, maybe the American government handed something over to Japan. International cooperation and all that bullshit...'

His breath caught in his throat. He gazed now at Seiji who appeared to be calm - as ever.

A nervous twitch ran through his cheek as he gripped the cup tighter.

'...I shouldn't have come here. I'm too loud. Too visible. I can't take this anymore! Is she going to report me to America's police now?? Or maybe worse?? FBI??? Shit! What did I do???'

Seiji noticed Hideaki had completely drifted off. His eyes fixed on one spot, the tension in his shoulders.

'There he goes again... spiraling. Probably overanalyzing one word like it's a death sentence. Typical.'

His gaze remained calm, but there was a slight irritation beneath the surface.

He moved a little closer and leaned in slightly, speaking quietly enough for no one else to hear:

"Shut up your paranoia for five minutes and focus on the coffee. This is just a conversation, Hideaki."

Hearing this Hideaki just nervously gulped.

From the corner of his eye, he registered Ken and Rika chatting casually - their tones light and full of ease as they reminisced about university days.

"That seminar with Professor Hoshino, remember? The one where half the class fell asleep?"

"Oh my god, yes! And Ken, you actually snored!"

They laughed quietly, oblivious to the storm unraveling inside Hideaki.

Seiji, however, was tracking everything - listening to their banter while still keeping his full awareness on the wreck sitting across from him.

He leaned slighty over Hideaki, whispering as the other two were focused on each other.

"Say something ordinary. Anything. People only stay silent when they're hiding something. And as we all know, you don't want to come across as that."

Hideaki stiffened "B-but I don't know what to tell!" he replied half-whispering, returning to shy, withdrawn behavior. As he was about to retreat into his 'shell'.

Seiji sighed 'Why do I have to do everything for others again?'  he growled in his mind, then after a moment, he straightened up slightly, choosing to break the silence.

"You know, Hideaki... You've been quiet for a while. Surely, you've had something worth mentioning lately," he remarked, slightly probing. "Maybe say how you spent your weekend recently?"

Hideaki shook his head and kept quiet.

Seiji shot him a sharp warning stare.

Rika noticing it, waved it off. "No worries, Seiji, I get it. He just needs time, right?"

Seiji gave a curt nod. "Maybe. He's quite stepped back in social interactions. But I guess you've already noticed that."

"I j-just don't like t-talking to others, Tch-" Hideaki mumbled clearly stressed out again.

Rika smiled gently "Ah, I see... No problem, Hide." her tone soft and reassuring. "Take your time, okay?" She added with a small, understanding smile, trying to ease the tension.

Hideaki reluctantly nodded,

"He'll get there, eventually..." Seiji said resigned.

Meanwhile, Hideaki nervously, yet delicately sipped the foamed milk from his drink - He didn't want to get to the bottom of it too quickly

(mainly due to the bitter taste of the drink, even though he added almost three spoons of sugar into it),