Unlikely Alliance

Miyo sat alone in an empty cafe at 10:12am on Saturday morning.

Akio replied to her message the night before.

He had chosen the time.

He had chosen the place.

Yet he was the one that was late.

Miyo's watch ticked with unnecessary enthusiasm. 

She checked her phone. No message. No apology. Not even a sorry attempt of an excuse.

Her annoyance only grew.

If he was going to waste her day off then he should've at least had the decency to say something.

Miyo sighed as her watch displayed 10:14. One more minute and I'm leaving...

Just then, the cafe bell chimed.

Miyo looked up to see the face of the man that was making her mood sour.

His eyes immediately fell on her. He casually walked over and took a seat across from her.

Before Miyo could say anything, Akio handed her the menu. "I know I'm late so as compensation I'll pay for today. Order anything you want."

Miyo didn't take the menu. "I didn't come for a free meal."

"If we're going to work together then we need to get along."

Miyo crossed her arms. "How are we supposed to get along if you waste my time?"

Akio held her gaze. "It was fourteen minutes."

"That's not the point."

"You waited."

"Huh?" Miyo frowned, not following his point. "Of course I did. We agreed to meet."

Akio looked through the menu. "My point exactly. We agreed to meet. I was late. No message. No explanation. And you don't even know me." He met her gaze. "And yet, you still waited."

"So?"

"So, you tolerate things that clearly upset you because you're too afraid to lose something."

Her throat tightened. She didn't like how this was going.

"You do this for Shinchi too, don't you? Probably even more to the extreme."

Miyo felt her face heating up.

"Based on your letter, it seems you center your whole world around him."

Her nails dug into her palms.

His gaze didn't waver. "Desperation isn't attractive, Miyo."

The words struck harder than she expected.

Her chest felt hot, a mix of embarrassment and anger. "You think you know me so well?"

"No." He slid the menu closer to her. "I don't."

He leaned back against his chair. "But you wrote two pages about what he likes, his habits, his dreams. Not once in your letter did you mention anything about yourself besides the fact you like him."

Silence stretched between them.

Miyo lowered her eyes, ashamed to meet his gaze. "Then what do you suggest...?"

"The okonomiyaki here is really great but if that's too heavy of a meal then the breakfast sandwiches are pretty good too."

"Huh? That's not-"

He raised an eyebrow. "Do you want me to order for you?"

Miyo stayed silent for a while, fingers fidgeting with the hem of her clothes. She was too embarrassed to look at him or speak.

I can't believe he figured all that out from my letter... Her stomach twisted. He's just a stranger. She hated how a complete stranger saw through her so easily when for months she didn't realize how her feelings had shaped her actions.

Finally, Miyo's voice came out, although smaller than she would've liked. "I like okonomiyaki..."

Akio smiled, too wide and cheerful for the conversation that just took place. "Okay two okonomiyaki coming up, anything to drink?"

"Yuzu tea..." 

-

They waited for their food to arrive in silence. Once their food was delivered, Akio broke the silence. "So, I take it you want to date Shinichi? That's the end goal here?"

Miyo fidgeted with her sleeves. "I've liked him for quite some time now... I would like to be able to date him..."

"How long have you liked him for?"

"About a year..." She shyly admitted as she stared at her untouched food.

"Hmm..." He carefully cut up his okonomiyaki. "And during that year, what attempts have you made to pursue him romantically?"

"I talk to him and hang out with him every day."

"And?"

"And...?" Miyo blinked, flustered. Isn't that enough?

Akio sighed as he swapped their plates, placing the neatly cut okonomiyaki in front of her. "Forgive me if it's rude to ask, but is this your first time having a crush or something?"

Miyo's face heated as she stared at the new plate in front of her. 

Akio started cutting his food. "I'm going to take your silence as a yes."

"I could've cut it myself..."

"Oh." He looked up from his new plate. "Sorry. Force of habit."

Miyo sighed as she looked up at him. "Why are you trying to help me?"

Akio took a big bite of his food as he shrugged. "Why not?"

"Huh?"

"You know, I've never actually seen someone try to confess with a letter before." He chuckled slightly. "It was like something straight out of a manga."

"Are you making fun of me?"

The smile faded from his face instantly. "No. Sorry." He put his utensils down. "I don't mean to be offensive. I just found it impressive..."

"Impressive?" She repeated, unconvinced.

Akio's gaze faltered slightly, as if his confidence had slipped. "Yeah... Most people can't say what they truly feel." He rubbed the back of his neck. "But you wrote it down and were fully prepared to hand it over. I think that's brave."

Miyo's chest tightened. That was the last thing she expected him to say.

Her gaze lowered. Brave? I'm not brave... I just couldn't say it out loud, that's why I wrote the letter. If I were brave then I wouldn't have hidden behind ink and paper...

Akio cleared his throat. "Anyway, the food is going to get cold." He took another bite of his food. "Eat up so we can brainstorm."

"Oh. Right..." Miyo grabbed her chopsticks.

-

After their meal filled with awkward silence, Akio pour Miyo some more tea. "So, are you wanting to confess to him still or have him notice you, so he confesses to you instead?"

Miyo's breath got caught in her chest. The question was simple enough, but she wasn't sure of the answer.

Akio continued, "You were going to confess, but considering you wanted to meet me, I'm guessing something changed?"

For a moment, Miyo fell silent. Her feelings for Shinichi were still there. They hadn't disappeared. If anything, with her confronting them, they felt heavier - more real.

But the past few days made her open her eyes a little more. The sweet moments, the fun conversations, and all the time spent together. What if they only meant something to her? 

A quiet ache settled in her chest when she thought about how she knew his favorite food, the way his voice got higher when he was excited, the way he fidgeted with his pen when he was stressed. But when she thought about it, did he know her in the same way? What if they weren't as close as she thought?

Before, she wasn't afraid of rejection. If he didn't feel the same then she would be happy staying friends. But now she was scared. What if confessing didn't just expose her heart but that she also misinterpreted everything?

"I want him to notice me." She softly admitted. "The way I notice him..."

"Then that's what we'll do." Akio smiled lightly. "But only if you're comfortable with me helping you."

Miyo hesitated, fidgeting with the edge of her sleeve. "I guess some help would be nice..."

"Well then. First things first. Stop bending to him."

"Huh?"

"Like I said before, based on your letter it seems like you center your whole world around him. Stop trying to fit into his world and let him into yours."

Miyo tilted her head. "How do I even do that?"

Akio took a slow sip of tea. "Tell me something. What's one thing he does that you don't like but you go along with it because you like him?"

Miyo's fingers flinched around the tea cup. 

"It's not uncommon. Everyone that has a crush does it eventually. Take today for example. You waited for me today. I doubt it was because you genuinely wanted advice from a stranger." He continued. "It was because it had to do with Shinichi, wasn't it? Otherwise, I don't see why you would've stayed." 

Miyo didn't respond. 

Akio's voice softened. "It's fine if you want to continue doing that, but if he does end up noticing you because you always adjust to him, is he really noticing you?"

The question didn't feel like an accusation. It felt like a mirror. Like coming face to face with a truth she wasn't ready to acknowledge but knew she had to.

For a moment, neither of them spoke.

Akio leaned forward slightly, his voice quiet. "Let's show him the real you. What do you say, Miyo?"

If this is what it takes for Shinichi to finally notice me, then maybe working with him might be worth it. Miyo took a deep breath. "Sure... Let's try"