16 Crêpe

--- City plaza ---

Komi and Tadano were walking side-by-side.

In front of them, the small crêpe vendor came into view.

Tadano was busy talking about sweet nothing's of the past to the unresponsive Komi.

An effort to remind Komi of the time they spent alone.

But how should she answer, Komi thought, this is not a conversation, it was a monologue on Tadano's part. Komi's response would've either way only have amounted to *Ah, that happened*. That's the type of monologue Tadano was having.

Tadano was happy, incredibly so, for he was alone for Komi, this is his time to shine. The time to turn her heart around.

Komi, on the other hand, however, was less than amused, cursing her own social awkwardness.

*I should've had denied…*, Komi thought.

It wasn't that Komi didn't like Tadano, quite the opposite, in fact. She was incredibly grateful to him, after all, he was the one who helped her to make friends.

But that's all there is to it. Komi's heart, had, although oblivious, always beaten for Akiyama.

And this one-on-one excursion with Tadano made her uncomfortable, since she became aware of her feelings, being alone with Tadano, unlike in the past, didn't feel right any more. Komi thought.

With Tadano's mumbling coming to an end, they arrived at the front of the crêpe vendor.

"What will you have, Komi-san? I will take a chocolate crêpe please.", Tadano called out to the vendor.

Komi, being a sweet tooth, wrote *A strawberry ice cream crêpe, please*.

Both having a crêpe in hand, Komi and Tadano changed locations to a nearby bench.

"Going out together like this is fine for a change, isn't it?", Tadano said.

"Always being in a group tires you out, doesn't it.", he presumed.

At this, Komi was perplexed. To be honest, she'd rather not repeat this again.

Her guilt was killing her, *This feels wrong*, she thought.

She felt as if she was betraying Akiyama, even though they weren't going out.

*With Akiyama*, she thought, *I wouldn't mind*.

But Tadano is her platonic friend, nothing more, nothing less.

She doesn't yet know why Tadano is behaving the way he is, but she knows that being alone with Tadano just doesn't sit right. Thinking about how to tell him this without sounding condescending, or ill-willed.

Hence, Komi opted for the most neutral answer she could think of.

*… Yeah, but in a group it's more fun.*, she wrote, a forced smile etching her face.

… Silence lingered for a short while, Tadano's expression turned a shade darker …

"Oh… Yeah, maybe you're right…", Tadano was embarrassed by Komi's implicit rejection.

The already awkward mood took a turn for the worse.

No more words spoken, they sat in silence.

Is this due to Akiyama's influence? He wondered, *Or perhaps was I too pushy?*, no, that can't be. In the past, they often spent time together by themselves.

Tadano was racking his mind for a solution to this predicament.

A way to appease the clearly uncomfortable and awkward Komi.

There is only one, Tadano, deduced.

"Komi-san, how about we go to a cat café?", Tadano pitched.

Komi likes cats. Therefore, this is the safest way to appease her.

Once mentioned, with a glint in her eyes, Komi's ears perked up in a feral fashion. *Cats…*, Komi thought, it seemed as if Tadano's suggestion had an effect.

*Yes*, Komi swiftly and decidedly wrote.

Tadano's expression improved, *Not all hope is lost*, he thought.

Thus, the moved to a cat café in the neighbourhood, *Why didn't I think of this in the beginning*, Tadano asked himself.

--- Cat café ---

Komi was scratching a fat cat lying on the table in front of her.

Tadano sitting next to her was just staring at the sideways figure of Komi Shouko, the school Madonna.

*She really is beautiful…*, Tadano thought.

This beauty is what ultimately made him fall in love with her, alongside her unique personality.

Komi herself was so preoccupied with all the cats in the store, she paid no attention to Tadano, nor the other customers in the store.

Time passed with Komi engrossed with the countless cats scouring the place.

Tadano sat there, occasionally patting some cats, but mainly observing Komi from the side-lines.

Komi looked so tranquil and innocent, Tadano wondered if what he's doing is actually worth the effort.

Komi is in love with Akiyama, Tadano can tell.

Throughout their "date", Komi was not once comfortable being alone with Tadano.

Tadano, being the expert at reading the atmosphere, obviously noticed.

*Who am I to try to split these two apart?*, Tadano reflected.

*Who am I to try to make Komi-san look my way?*

*Who am I to try to drive a wedge into her relationship with Akiyama?*

*For so long she had no one but Akiyama, and yet here I am, only knowing her for 3 months, attempting to separate these two.*

Gallantly playing the role of someone he isn't in an effort to make Komi fall in love with him. *Is this who I am?*, Tadano realized.

*Isn't what I am doing just history repeating itself?*, he continued.

Back in second grade, Tadano confessed to a girl he liked, only to get rejected.

*I decided to live my life in the background*, he thought.

In an effort to not get hurt again, he shunned himself.

*Perhaps I should just give up…*, Tadano thought.

*Is this all my resolve amounts to?*, Tadano chuckled.

"Sorry, Komi-san, I'll be leaving first", Tadano said as he faked receiving a text-message.

Thus, Tadano exited the store, leaving Komi by herself.