Breakfast at FRIED TACO SUSHI (GUITARS!!!)

[Youji has been added into the group.]

Yamada: Now talk.

Teddy: uwu

[Youji has left the group.]

***

Rima showed up the very next day. She sat at a table right in front of the counter. Upon looking at Youji, she said, "Don't look at me like that. I'm here to study. See? I'm wearing a uniform."

She was. 

"Mr. Clarence knows I'm here. He said it'd be fine as long as I study. You can ask him if you want. You can ask Akari-chan if you want. I went to school today."

"I believe you," Youji replied. "I'm just here to take your order."

"Don't worry, I'll prepare it my—okay fine fine I won't don't look at me like that just give me a..." she trailed off, then grinned. Smirked, even. "Omurice with a heart made of ketchup."

"That's not in the menu."

"It is now."

"Since when?"

Rima took the menu Youji had taken to the table out of habit, went to the very last page, then showed him the word OMURICE written in katakana, with an ink pen, probably, below the rest of the snacks. There was no price attached to it. It'd be a pain once the mini-Miyos showed up. "Once you bring the order, could you sing 'be deli—'"

"No."

Rima snorted. "Touma told me about that."

"Speaking of which, is he still a scumbag?"

"Ehh..."

Nobody else had walked in yet, so Youji could ask, "How about your family?"

"Ehh... I'm moving out the moment I turn eighteen. And then I hope I never see them again."

From what he'd been able to gather, she'd planned on running away after a heated argument with her parents, yet had decided not to go through with it after talking things with Mr. Clarence. She'd fought with mini-Touma because he'd disagreed with her decisions, which lead to him showing up the way he had, acting the way he did.

None of them elaborated much more on the subject, and that was okay. She had plenty of time left, plenty of cushioned mistakes. 

Isao showed up twenty minutes late. His excuse was: "I'm sorry I fell asleep on the bus and had to walk here because I couldn't sleep last night. Because. Yeah."

He hurried to the dressing rooms. Rima moved to a different table once mini-Touma showed up, plus a half-eaten omelette rice. He wore no sunglasses or scarf or cap today, thank fuck. The middle-aged woman showing up every now and then had complained about it yesterday.

Once Isao stood next to him behind the counter, Youji figured he should be heading to the kitchen, although... it didn't matter where he lounged around, did it? He could go back and forth as needed.

Isao said, "I waited for you."

"...I'm sorry."

"What happened? Wait, I have to go and get mean Touma's order."

'Mean' Touma? Did that mean he knew about the other one? Well, of course, he'd threatened the guy with a fork via coffee foam, but his name as well? How? 

Youji knew it'd be as poor an idea to ask as it'd been to seek refuge at Yamada's place again instead of Isao's, but did that stop him from doing either thing? No? As they prepared tea for Rima and her boyfriend, he asked, "How do you know T—the other Touma's name?"

"Incubus Touma?"

"What. I mean. Yeah, sure. How?"

Isao waited until he'd delivered the drinks to reply. "He told me."

"He... how much did you two talk?"

"None of your business."

"It's clearly some of my business. You said you chased him out because he scared you, but now you're telling me you talked to him? Also, Yamada showed me a picture with the fork."

He started to scratch his hand. "Um. Well. It's. I-it's still none of your business because you. Because you ditched me. You promised."

"I didn't promise shit. Stop doing that."

"No."

"Please."

To his surprise, Isao did. He gripped his hands together instead. "I said it's none of your business. Because it's not. You can't get mad at me because you ditched me, by the way, so you can't get mad. It cancels out."

"That's not—"

"That's how it works!"

As though scared of his own voice, Isao fled to the bathroom. Rima and mini-Touma glanced at the counter, alarmed, but Youji pretended not to notice. 

Well. 

Well...

Since it wasn't as though he could leave the counter alone, Youji took his phone out as a shield. He didn't mind texting at the kitchen, but it'd always been a pet peeve to walk into a store and have some shitty kid at the counter texting for 30 seconds before acknowledging the new presence. Three incoming messages, three people.

Yamada: youre all children

Teddy: uwu

Miyo: Would you guys cut it out already?

He went with Miyo first. 

Youji: Once your husband calms down. 

Miyo: you both

Miyo: he told me you're too busy with your edible co-worker to pay attention to us anymore, which I know isn't true, but you know how he gets >:(

Miyo: just talk already aaaaaaa you two

Youji: You as well. For how long have you guys been talking to Touma?

"Youji."

Miyo did not respond. He knew she wouldn't. Teddy was next. 

Youji: uwu

He wouldn't respond, so Yamada—

"Youji."

—was next. 

Yamada also stood before him. "Fuck," Youji said, half because of the jumpscare, half because he'd been that shitty kid.

"The customer service here is appalling."

"Oh, shut up. Aren't you supposed to be at work right now?"

"I left early."

"Nice, I guess. Go sit. I'll be there in a bit."

And he was. And Yamada ordered one strawberry milkshake for now, five cups of coffee for later. As if the threat wasn't obvious enough, he added, "Don't add forks this time."

"...when are they going to show up?"

"Dunno. Ask them."

He never should've told Jun and the rest where he worked at. Youji needed a break. A cigarette. Not Isao, not now. He'd messed up on both fronts and he knew it. Youji sat down upon the chair behind the counter, where Isao had studied so many times. Sometimes he doodled leaves on the actual table, and Youji had to keep erasing them. 

Speaking of which, a wild Isao appeared at the counter. "Sorry," he said. "I was bathroom the cleaning. I-I mean... um. Are you mad?"

Youji shook his head. 

"Something wrong?"

"Me."

"Oh. Okay."

Isao went back to bathroom the cleaning. 

Youji went back to actually working.

...or he could have a convenient, sudden emergency.