Hey.
Oh, hi there.
Are you done with practice?
Yeah. Something to drink would be nice too.
Sure thing. Your usual café au lait sound good? Everyone else, please feel free to order...
Then I'd like my usual too.
I'm getting kinda hungry. Maybe I'll get something to eat...
In that case, I have something special ready just for you.
Something special?
Yes! Pancakes with extra whipped cream!
Oh, that!
(The one I didn't get to eat the other day!)
You just added that to the menu, right?
Yeah, I remember now!
I saw it last time and was wondering what it'd be like!
Me too...! But if I eat all that now, I'll be too full for dinner...
Then let's split one, Kohane!
Mind if we do that, MEIKO?
You got it!
Thank you so much, MEIKO!
And you too, An!
Hehe. You're welcome.
What about you, Akito?
I'm having one too.
You really like pancakes, don't you, Akito?
Are you not having any, Toya?
No, I'm not much of a sweets person.
Coffee is more than enough for me.
Alright, coming right up!
And here you are...
Pancakes with extra whipped cream!
Wow, this looks amazing...!
There's so much whipped cream!
Yeah, I knew it'd be big, but this thing's enormous!
It said extra, right? This looks about right to me.
Oh, you sure seem to know your way around. Could it be that you go to cafes like these pretty often?
Leave it, okay? Let's just eat.
Heh... Actually, we stopped by a place like this after practice yesterday as part of our deal for that show we did.
Wait, really?
Toya...
You don't have to tell them everything...
That may be true, but Shiraishi did help us out in the end. Since we're on the topic, I still need to pay you back for doing that.
Me? Then I'll try to think of something.
An, I split it in half. Wanna get started?
Thanks, Kohane!
Let's dig in!
Oh... It's so good!
My mouth is literally in heaven!
You're right! This whipped cream is so light and fluffy too!
...!
I didn't know Akito made that sort of face too when he's eating something he really likes.
Huh...?! What are you talking about...?!
Hehe. Oh, nothing...
But why do you like pancakes so much?
Why? I don't really have a reason. I've just been eating them for a long time.
A long time?
Yeah. On weekends during elementary school, we always had hotcakes for breakfast.
My mom really likes fluffy cakes too, like castella and souffles.
Doesn't your sister like pancakes too, Akito?
Yeah, she does. We have the same dislikes too... Come to think of it, our whole family's kinda the same...
Hehe. Having the same likes and dislikes seems nice.
You think so...?
What about you, Toya?
Why do you like coffee so much?
No reason in particular, but if anything, it might be because Ken makes good coffee...
The coffee he makes has a sort of soothing effect.
Really?
Is there anything you've liked since you were little...?
Yeah. Cookies, right?
Oh, why's that?
My mother doesn't cook very often, but during special occasions, like my birthday, she'll bake cookies for us.
Really? Cookies instead of cake?
Yes. I don't actually know why, but my father and brother also just seemed to believe it's what our family does...
I knew they were only for special occasions, but before I realized it, I was asking her to make them whenever. I just seemed to fall in love with them.
Yeah, I get where you're coming from!
My mom isn't great at cooking either, but never stopped talking about how good she was at making rum raisins!
When I was little, we'd have rum raisin ice cream and I always thought it was a really grown up thing to do. It felt like a really special feast back then!
Hehe. So that's why you like rum raisin ice cream so much.
Yeah! How about you, Kohane?
You really like peaches, right?
Hehe. That actually has nothing to do with how they taste. I started liking them because I thought they looked really cute.
I didn't know that!
Looks like everyone's enjoying themselves...
To be fair, anyone can go on and on about the things they like.
I suppose you're right...
...
About those cookies you were talking about. Does your mom still make them?
Hm? Yes, she does.
Then why don't you ask her sometime?
Why cookies of all things?
I'm sure it'll be easier to ask compared to before, right?
(I mean, he's on better terms with his family now so...)
Yes, okay...
I'll try asking her.
Cool.