As Kai pushed open the door, something brushed against him.
Someone was standing right behind the door.
"Kaaai~!" came a cheerful, singsong voice.
Kai nearly jumped out of his skin, not expecting something like that.
"WHAT THE—?!" he blurted, clutching his chest.
"Aww, that's a cold reaction! I thought you'd be happy to see me," she said, tilting her head with that too-sweet smile.
"We barely talked... yet she's so friendly... that's obviously suspicious." Kai thought.
Before he could respond, she had already closed the distance between them and latched onto his arm.
Way too close. Way too comfortable, like they were friends.
"Come on~ I saved you a seat." She said, with an almost cute voice.
So cute, so fake.
And just like that, he was back inside—dragged by Lala to the table where Naomi and Haruka were waiting.
Lala didn't let go of his arm until she'd firmly planted him in the chair next to her.
Her grip was really strong, just like Hina's.
Naomi greeted him with her usual radiant smile. "Welcome back, Kai!"
"Yeah... I'm back," he muttered, still thrown off.
Haruka, meanwhile, was completely distracted by a small cat that had wandered under the table.
She was softly meowing back at it and gently petting its head.
"Oh... you're so adorable...!" She said, with a happy voice. "Come here little kitten...! Pss!" She added, completely lost in her world.
Lala leaned in slightly, resting her elbow on the table and propping up her chin with one hand.
"So, while you were gone... we were chatting," she began innocently. "And, well, something came up."
Kai side-eyed her warily. "Like what? Is there something new about the festival?"
"Oh, nothing dramatic, and no, nothing about the festival" she said with a playful shrug. "Just that... there's a bit of talk going around. About you. And Hina."
His stomach sank, but his expression didn't budge.
"Me and Hina? What kind of talk?" Kai asked, with a confused voice.
Naomi shifted a little in her seat, avoiding his eyes.
She was probably the one who brought that topic up.
Lala, however, kept smiling like she was casually discussing the weather.
"Just rumors, you know. That the relationship isn't exactly... healthy. That Hina's kind of... intense." Lala said, while taking her meal.
She sipped from her pink frappe.
"Controlling. Jealous. Kinda scary. That sort of thing. Just girly things." Lala said, after the sip.
Kai looked down at the table, took a breath, and gave a tired half-smile.
"So the rumors made it to you too, huh? I didn't expect to be so popular."
Lala nodded slowly.
"Well, I've just arrived to this school, and everybody talked about you , actually. No wonder I was this curious to finally get to know you." She said, with a smile on her face.
Naomi remained quiet, but her eyes flicked between them.
Haruka giggled softly as the kitten tried to climb into her lap.
Kai leaned forward slightly, resting his forearms on the table.
"Well... yeah. Things have been rough. Lately it's like... I can't breathe. Everything I do feels wrong to her. She flips out over the smallest things. Honestly, I'm exhausted." Kai said.
His voice was calm, steady. He sounded resigned—truthful.
Moreover, he was convincing.
Because even though he was stilly trying to figure out everything about Lala… the emotion of stress was real.
Lala's smile widened, but subtly.
Like a predator who just saw weakness.
Naomi tilted her head. "That sounds hard, Kai... I'm sorry."
"It's okay, I just need some time to think." he said, waving it off.
Then Lala shifted her tone.
It became... softer. More flirtatious.
"Maybe," she said, her voice sweet as syrup, "you need someone who actually makes you feel good about yourself. Someone who doesn't treat you like a problem."
And with that, she gently brushed her fingers against his under the table.
Kai didn't flinch. Didn't move.
He kept his face perfectly neutral.
He couldn't show anything.
He knew Lala was watching him closely—too closely.
"What if we become... special friends? ~" She whispered.
She was fishing. And he couldn't afford to bite.
"This doesn't sound like a bad idea." Kai replied, in a fake but shy tone of voice.
A sense of disgust lingered in his heart when Lala touched his hand.
Everything about her seemed too off to him.
Naomi didn't comment, but her gaze locked onto the movement under the table. It was subtle—but she saw it.
Haruka continued petting the cat, completely oblivious to the situation.
Well... Haruka had always been this kind of girl.
Perfect in almost everything, but once she sees a cat, she enters in a whole new dimension where nobody else exist.
Then—right as Lala leaned in even closer, about to press further—
The café door swung open.
Hard.
The sound echoed through the room like a slap.
Everyone at the table turned their heads.
And there she was.
Hina.
Lala's eyes widened a lot at the sight of her.
She was feeling... fear.
Kai felt a big sense of relief after seeing his girlfriend coming at a perfect time.
"But where's Akira?" He thought in his mind.
Hina Standing in the doorway, arms crossed, eyes like daggers.
Her expression was absolutely unreadable—but her presence radiated fury.
Cold, controlled fury.
She didn't say a word.
Didn't need to.
She scanned the table.
Her eyes landed on Kai.
Then on Lala.
Then back on Kai.
And a malicious grin appeared on her face.
A deadly one.
Something bad was about to happen.
A silence fell across the café.
The background noise, the clinking dishes, even Haruka's playful cat sounds—everything went quiet.
Kai's pulse spiked.
Lala slowly pulled her hand back.
Naomi sat up straighter.
Haruka finally looked up, confused.
Hina took one slow step forward and said, with a deadly whisper..
"Kai...Kun..."