A Place at Our Table

(Akane's PoV)

—

The heavy glass door swung open with a soft groan, and a wave of warm air wrapped around my face like a thick blanket.

The restaurant was small and cozy, tucked into a long, narrow space that felt worlds away from the cold office buildings outside.

Six tables covered with red-and-white checkered cloths filled the dining room, lit by the soft amber glow of hanging lamps suspended from dark wooden beams, while the walls were decorated with old framed photographs of sunlit coastal roads and rustic stone villages, their glass catching the warm light.

But what truly caught me was the smell.

Rich tomato sauce simmering somewhere in the kitchen... fresh garlic sizzling in olive oil... cracked black pepper... and the sharp, comforting scent of aged pecorino.

'Ah...' I took a deep inhale.

Beyond a curtain of wooden beads near the back counter, I heard the hiss of a hot pan meeting the stove, followed by a man quietly humming an old Italian tune, an old song I knew, called "'O Marenariello".

"Oh..." I murmured, closing my eyes for a brief moment as I breathed it all in. "This already smells like paradise."

Then, I slipped my hands into the pockets of my hoodie and shot a warning glance toward the kitchen.

"The food had better live up to that smell, Ishikawa. After the day I've had, if it disappoints me, I'm sending the bill for emotional damages straight to your wallet." I said, clearly teasing him.

"You're impossible..." Shin sighed.

After that, I heard a soft laugh coming from my left.

Sora was still holding her bag with both hands. Her posture remained a little stiff, but the warmth of the restaurant was slowly melting away the fear she'd carried out of the alley. Her blue eyes wandered around the room with quiet curiosity, taking in every little detail.

A moment later, someone stepped out from behind the counter.

He was an elderly man wearing a white shirt with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows and a black apron dotted with bright red stains from tomato sauce. Moreover, a magnificent gray mustache framed a weathered face full of smile lines, and his warm brown eyes lit up the moment he saw us.

"Buonasera, giovani!" he called cheerfully, wiping his hands on his apron before greeting us with an easy smile. "Not many new faces come in this late. The kitchen's usually closed by now, but you're in luck—we're still cooking."

I cleared my throat and instinctively slipped back into my usual student council composure.

"We ran into a few... unexpected delays," I said. "A table for three, please."

After my words, the old man glanced at me, then at the way I was still standing close to Shin, before his gaze drifted toward Sora's pale face.

Something gentle passed through his expression.

He didn't ask questions. Not at all.

"I've got just the place for three very special guests," Mario said with a welcoming sweep of his arm. "Seguitemi. Follow me."

Then, he led us through the narrow dining room, past the empty tables, until we reached a quiet corner at the back of the restaurant, where a small round table sat, hidden behind a dark wooden partition, tucked away from the front windows.

It felt private, almost like the rest of the restaurant had faded into the background.

"No one will bother you back here," Mario said with a warm smile as he placed three leather-bound menus on the checkered tablecloth. "So, take your time, I'll come back in a few minutes."

With a small nod, he disappeared behind the curtain of wooden beads, leaving us with the comforting sounds of the kitchen.

The chairs creaked softly as we sat down.

Shin took the seat on my right, his broad shoulders forming a familiar wall of warmth beside me, while Sora settled into the chair on my left, smoothing her skirt before quietly folding her hands in her lap.

For a few seconds, none of us spoke, probably because the alley still lingered in the back of our minds.

But then, Sora opened her menu, and within seconds, the composed student council president vanished completely.

Her eyes darted from one unfamiliar dish to another, her brows knitting together in growing confusion.

"...Um," she murmured, cheeks turning pink. "I... I have no idea what any of this is."

She looked up at me with the most helpless expression I'd ever seen.

"I-I've never actually eaten at a real Italian restaurant before. What would you recommend, Akane-san?"

I rested my chin on my hand, unable to hide the grin spreading across my face.

"So... you're saying that the brilliant student council president has been defeated by a menu?" I said, with a mischievous, teasing voice.

Sora immediately lowered her eyes.

"W-We're dealing with unfamiliar territory here!" she protested softly. "It's difficult to make a decision when I don't know what's good."

I laughed.

"You sound like the student council president even when you're ordering dinner," I said, teasing her.

Reaching across the table, I lightly tapped the edge of her menu until she looked back at me.

"Just pick whatever sounds delicious. There's no wrong answer. Follow your heart, you little angel," I added, with a soft smile on my face.

She glanced down again.

"...What if I end up choosing something I don't like?" She asked, moving her gaze between me and the menu.

"Then you'll know what not to order next time. And don't worry about waste; Akane is so hungry that she would eat the entire restaurant, literally." 

Shin spoke before I could, clearly teasing me. His voice was calm, steady, as always.

"Hey—!" I tried to protest, but he completely ignored me. 'Tch—'

"That's how you discover new things." He added.

Sora looked at him, and then back at me.

Slowly, the tension in her shoulders eased, and a small smile appeared.

"...You're right."

Then, I opened my own menu again, studying it with complete seriousness while ignoring Shin's statement about my hunger.

Everything looked incredible.

"I kind of want to order half the menu," Shin admitted.

I didn't even look up.

"Go ahead," I replied. "I'm not stopping you."

"My wallet might."He replied, his voice flat.

"Now that's your problem," I said.

Then, a quiet laugh spread around the table, and by the time Mario returned with his notepad, the last traces of awkwardness had disappeared.

In the end, we decided to share a large "Antipasto della Casa (Appetizer)" to start: tender meatballs in tomato sauce, crispy bruschetta topped with fresh tomatoes and garlic, a basket of mixed fried seafood, and slices of prosciutto served with creamy buffalo mozzarella.

Everything seemed perfect.

For my main course, I chose spaghetti alla Nerano. Just imagining the fried zucchini and melted provolone was enough to make my stomach growl again.

Then, after another minute of indecision, Sora finally smiled to herself and ordered "Gnocchi alla Sorrentina."

Shin, meanwhile, didn't hesitate.

"Spaghetti ai frutti di mare," he said, his voice completely convinced.

Mario scribbled everything down with an approving nod.

"Excellent choices," he said before calling the order into the kitchen in rapid Italian.

A chorus of voices answered from behind the curtain.

Then the sounds of sizzling pans and clattering dishes filled the restaurant once more.

After that, silence settled over our table again, but this time, it wasn't uncomfortable.

It felt peaceful, like all three of us finally had room to breathe.

After a few minutes, Mario returned to our table with two bottles of water, saying "We're already preparing everything," with a smile on his face.

When he was gone, I poured some water into everyone's glass.

"This service will cost you 10000 yen, just for your information," I teased.

"Well... I'll do it myself next time," Shin replied, with a soft smile.

Meanwhile, Sora stared quietly into the small glass of water in front of her, her fingertips tracing the rim without really noticing.

"...C-Can I ask you both something?" she said at last, her voice softer than I'd ever heard it inside our school.

"Of course," I replied, leaning back in my chair.

She took a slow breath before lifting her eyes to meet ours.

"When you found me..." she began quietly. "When you saw me trapped against that wall... what was the first thing that went through your minds?"

Shin and I exchanged a brief glance before speaking. We didn't expect her to bring up that topic.

"I saw someone from my school who needed help," Shin answered without hesitation.

I shrugged.

"I saw four idiots who deserved to lose a few teeth and their hands." I said.

Then, a tiny, tired smile flickered across Sora's lips before disappearing.

"...Well..." she said.

Her fingers tightened around the glass.

"They stopped me because they wanted to ask about the festival... or at least that's what they claimed."

Her voice grew quieter. "They asked me too many things that I don't even remember a single question..."

Sora then swallowed some saliva. 

"But once nobody else was paying attention... everything changed."

She lowered her eyes.

"They started making comments about my body. They grabbed my blazer... then my arm."

Her hands began to shake.

"I wanted to run."

She swallowed again.

"I wanted to scream... but my body wouldn't move. It wasn't listening to me, not at all."

After her words, a little tear slipped silently down her cheek.

"And do you know what hurt the most?"

She looked up again.

"There were people walking past." Sora said, her voice barely a whisper, "Adults... office workers... couples. They all saw us."

She laughed bitterly.

"And every single one of them looked away. Nobody stopped. Nobody asked if I was alright. Nobody even slowed down. They just... kept walking, completely ignoring someone who was about to be—" Sora stopped herself, and the restaurant fell silent.

Then, she looked at us again.

"But the two of you..." Her voice trembled. "You didn't hesitate. You didn't stop to think. You just ran straight toward me."

Another tear rolled down her face.

"You have no idea what that meant to me. I was... so happy. Happy that someone came to save me."

Before I realized what I was doing, my hand was already reaching across the table.

I gently rested it over hers.

"Sora." My voice came out softer than usual. "You're safe now. You're standing with your friends."

I squeezed her hand lightly.

"You don't have to carry that fear by yourself anymore," I said, looking into her blue, wet eyes.

For a moment, she simply stared at our hands, but then, her eyes widened.

"...Friends..." Sora repeated.

The single word seemed to catch Sora completely off guard.

Her blue eyes widened as she stared at my hand resting over hers, as though the idea itself had never truly felt real before.

Someone like Sora had spent her entire school life standing on a pedestal. Admired, respected...

But always alone.

The word friends clearly meant far more to her than either Shin or I had realized.

"Exactly," Shin said gently, while his eyes never left hers. "So don't worry about those soccer idiots anymore, Sora. Next time, Akane and I will be there. No one's ever going to lay a hand on you again."

After his words, I saw Sora's shoulders jump for an instant, and I already knew why. It wasn't his promise that surprised her, but it was the way he said her name.

For the second time that day, he'd dropped the formalities without even thinking. But this time, I didn't feel any kind of jealousy. I was making progress.

A soft blush slowly spread across her cheeks beneath the amber light.

"...Thank you," she whispered. "You have no idea how much that means to me."

Shin and I smiled.

"You don't have to thank us." He said, before glancing at me. "After all..." A small grin tugged at the corner of his lips. "We're her friends now, right, Akane?."

I frowned.

Then, I slowly withdrew my hand before turning toward Shin with a puzzled look.

"...Hold on a second, Ishikawa," I said, narrowing one eye. "What are you talking about?"

Shin blinked.

"Don't you remember what I told you when I came back after walking Sora to her home?" He asked, a knowing smile tugging at the corner of his mouth.

"Uhm..." I scratched the back of my head, trying to remember what he said, but with no success. "I don't... so please, Ishikawa, enlighten me—" I said.

"Ah..." Shin sighed, "I told you that Sora would've loved to become your friend. It was when you forced me to take a shower because—" Shin stopped, before entering into 'deeper' details.

After his words, I froze as soon as the memory returned. 

He had returned home, smelling like that blonde gyaru b*tch, and I was angry because he was late. I had totally forgotten about that because I was too focused on playing the part of the jealous girlfriend.

"...Ah."

My brain finally caught up.

"Oh!" I slapped my forehead. "R-right! That! How the hell had I managed to forget something like that? I'm so dumb!" I laughed nervously.

Then, I looked back at Sora.

She'd lowered her eyes again, nervously twisting her fingers together in her lap.

"...I know I'm probably not an easy person to be friends with," she admitted quietly, before forcing a small smile. "I'm the student council president. I'm always busy. I have responsibilities all the time..." She hesitated. "...And... I don't really know how to be... normal."

Before she could sink any deeper into those thoughts, I reached across the table and grabbed her hand again. Firmly.

"Sora." She looked up. "We became friends the moment I dragged you to lunch yesterday." A grin spread across my face. "I don't invite just anyone to eat with me." I squeezed her hand. "If I wanted you here today..." I shrugged. "...it's because I wanted you here." I said, my expression softer.

"So... from now on..." I pointed at myself. "Me."

Then at Shin. "Him."

Then at her. "And you."

"We're friends. No paperwork or anything related to school stuff. The decision's already been made. Moreover, Shin and I are probably the least 'normal' people of this world."

Then, for several long seconds, Sora simply stared at me, until something inside her seemed to break.

Not in a painful way, but more like... A lock quietly clicking open.

Then, her eyes filled again.

"...You really don't understand..." Her voice trembled. "...how much this means to me."

"Well," Shin said with a warm smile, lifting his glass, "welcome to the club, Fujimoto-san." 

'Why did she call her by her surname now? You literally just called her Sora two minutes ago, Ishikawa. Make up your mind!'

After his words, Sora looked at him, and the last traces of the perfect student council president disappeared behind the brightest smile I'd ever seen on her face.

"N-no..." She laughed shyly, cheeks glowing pink. "Please... Just call me Sora."

After her simple request, Shin smiled. "Alright. Then... Sora."

This time, hearing her name made me feel a little wave of jealousy.

Beneath the table, safely hidden by the checkered tablecloth, I quietly pinched his thigh, but not too hard, just enough to remind him that he already belonged to someone.

Shin jumped ever so slightly and shot me a confused look.

I crossed my arms, turned my head away with an exaggerated huff, and pretended I hadn't done anything.

"Hmph."

A warm laugh escaped him, and a second later, Sora laughed too.

And somehow, our little corner of the restaurant felt warmer than ever.

A few moments later, the wooden beads at the back counter rattled loudly, and Mario emerged, carrying a massive, steaming metal tray loaded to the absolute brim with food...

'Finally...'