A Date at the Cafe

“Good evening,” said Aoi, to a Mika hurrying to meet him outside a cafe.

“I’m sorry I’m late, there was… a lot to do at work,” said Mika somewhat uncomfortably.

“I understand.” Aoi’s considerate response and smile, coupled with Mika’s shame about being late, combined to make her seem visibly embarrassed.

“It’s nice seeing you wear things that aren’t a uniform,” said Aoi, sensing her discomfort, and adding even more to fuel those feelings.

“T-thank you,” she said with trouble.

Aoi wondered if he had overdone it, since Mika, usually the first to talk, found it hard to say anything for a few minutes until they sat down inside the cafe.

“The weather’s getting colder, isn’t it?” Mika finally spoke.

“Yeah.”

They both looked outside the windows, where they could see a busy Tokyo neighborhood. The people hurriedly made their way to and from the train station nearby.

“So how is it?” Aoi finally asked.

“Huh,” said Mika, confused.

“The job.”

“Oh!” Mika paused for a little, thinking of her early experiences at her new job. “It’s… a lot. And not a lot is about music, so it’s even harder.”

“A lot? The Four Seasons right? That’s what you told me your group was called.”

Mika was startled, and tried to signal Aoi to keep quiet. “Shh, people aren’t supposed to know.”

“So I shouldn’t call you Spring then?”

Mika couldn’t help but panic at the mention of her online persona, even though nothing felt real to her yet.

“It’s fine, I can keep your secret, don’t worry.” Aoi smiled. It reminded him of his dynamic with Eiko, which he remembered with some fondness, but was also somewhat unpleasant. “So how are they?”

“Who?”

“Your coworkers.”

“Oh!” Mika took a bite of one of the sweets she was having before explaining. “One of them, she’s extremely hard working, and I don’t know if I can ever match her. Another one is almost too kind, and the third one doesn’t seem to care at all about us.”

“Sounds like a balanced group,” responded Aoi.

Mika then took a sip of an espresso coffee that she had ordered, and quickly reacted to the bitterness of it.

“Ah! Is this what this is supposed to taste like?” she said, struggling to sip her drink.

Aoi couldn’t help but smile a little at the thought of Mika experiencing her first espresso.

“Is that the first time you’ve had that?” he asked. Mika nodded back. “Yeah those are a bit concentrated.” Aoi realized Mika had probably never walked into a place like that. “I could drink that if you want, you can get a different one.”

“No. It’s fine, I want to try it,” said Mika, though Aoi doubted her words.

“Your team, it sounds like a nice group of people, I’m sure you’ll fit right in,” explained Aoi.

“That’s the thing, I didn’t,” she said. Aoi looked at Mika, who had a somewhat sad expression. “I felt out of place, and not good enough, and… even judged,” she said, recalling her first experiences at work. “But…” Mika fell silent for a while, helping herself to sweets and struggling to sip her coffee. “But one day,” Mika spoke quieter, as if confessing a secret, “Autumn reached out to me with her kind words, and then, unknowingly to me and everyone, showed me on her stream.”

“And then what happened?”

“And then lots of people on the internet loved it…” Mika became incredibly self-conscious thinking about her first stream.

“They did?” Aoi had to pretend he hadn’t heard about the incident with Autumn.

“Yeah, they thought I was-” Mika grew slightly embarrassed again. “Adorable, and funny. Not my words!”

“Can I watch it? I’m sure it’s really cute,” Aoi was both curious about her answer and wanted to keep teasing Mika.

“No!” said Mika, sheepishly. “Well, if you want.”

“I do. Sounds like a success.”

“Sorta,” she said, unconvinced. “There’s still a long way to go.”

“I don’t think that will stop you. You’re very hardworking after all,” said Aoi confidently. It was clear that he had no mercy that evening. Perhaps, now that he didn't have to worry about Eiko, he felt a lot more free to speak his mind. Maybe Mika had gradually made him change how openly he expressed himself, too. His unrelenting words of kindness pierced Mika, who had slowly started to feel deserving of his praise. “The important part is, do you like it? This Vtuber job,” asked Aoi, feeling her enjoyment was important.

“I think I do. It was awkward at first, and it felt distant. Both from the viewers and each other,” said Mika as she looked at the crowds outside. “It’s strange, my whole life I felt like I should hide my appearance because I look different. Now this job forces me to hide who I am, which feels odd, as if I had to be ashamed of myself somehow.” Mika paused, thinking about her past. “But it’s also very refreshing to not be judged by how I look, too.”

“I think you’re beautiful either way,” said Aoi casually.

Mika seemed paralyzed by his words, but couldn’t stand the silence. “You… since when are you this kind?” she asked, slightly blushing and surprised. It was Aoi’s turn to be silent, as he himself hadn’t realized how much he had changed, as well.

Mika slowly opened up about other recent work experiences, and the joys and stresses that they brought. She was genuinely passionate about her new job, even though she was also very anxious about it, and her future. She made sure there was no silence for the remainder of their date. Aoi couldn’t contain Mika’s excitement, and she went on and on about her workplace. The cafe date ended on a good note, and they took a walk outside together afterwards.

“So what happens now, with your school, and your old job?” Aoi asked, trying to understand Mika’s situation better.

“My mom, she is… very supportive. She said: ‘If you don’t give this your all, you might regret it. You can always go back to school later!'” said Mika, imitating her mother’s voice. “And I agree, but at first I didn’t know, because of the money and inconvenience for others. And I wasn’t feeling like I would fit in, so I couldn’t feel good quitting school or my old life. But then my show got rushed online, and it worked. So now-” Mika paused. “I’m all in!” she said excitedly, giving Aoi a thumbs up.

“I believe you can do it. But what’s most important is that you believe that too,” said Aoi encouragingly, which once again made Mika fall silent for a few moments as they walked through the streets.

“I’m sorry I made you come all the way out here to meet,” said Mika sheepishly.

“It’s actually easier for me to come here,” said Aoi calmly.

“Oh really?!” She hadn’t really thought about how much more inconvenient it was for Aoi to visit her before. “I’m sorry I’ve had to change dates and times too,” said Mika, somewhat regretful.

“If the time and place don’t work out, then we keep trying until we can meet,” said Aoi reassuringly.

Aoi and Mika then looked at each other for a few seconds as the whole world faded itself out around them. Only the two of them remained, with a tiny distance between them.

“I’ll see you around then,” said Mika nervously, as she turned around, and slowly walked into the train station.