"Mm-hmm! I'm meeting a friend here!"
Kushida smiled brightly, then looked back at Sakura with big-sisterly concern. "Sakura, it's rare to see you with Toudou-kun! Are you talking about photography? Or... is this a date?" She drew out the last word teasingly, but her gaze was sharp as a needle.
Sakura's face turned bright red. She waved her hands in a panic. "N-no! It's just... just..."
"Just fulfilling a promise about some honey yuzu tea."
Toudou Shizuka smoothly picked up the conversation, his tone calm as he deftly eased Sakura's embarrassment. "There was a small misunderstanding here last time, and I owed Sakura a cup of tea. I'm just making it up to her today." He met Kushida's searching gaze without flinching.
"Oh~ I see!" Kushida nodded as if she'd finally understood, her smile still bright, though a hard-to-read glimmer flashed deep in her eyes. "Toudou-kun really does keep his promises! Sakura's so lucky!"
Her words sounded playful, but carried an invisible pressure.
"Your friends are waiting for you, aren't they, Kushida? Don't keep them waiting."
Toudou Shizuka smiled as he politely showed her the door.
"Oh, right!" Kushida stuck out her tongue playfully, as if she'd only just remembered. "Then I won't interrupt you while you 'fulfill your promise'! Have fun, Sakura! See you, Toudou-kun!"
She waved and headed for another booth in the cafe, where two girls from Class C were indeed sitting. Before taking her seat, she glanced back at Toudou Shizuka and Sakura and gave them a meaningful smile. (She was gathering information about Sudo and Class C.)
After Kushida left, it was as if the air had been sucked out of the booth, and the atmosphere grew stifling once more. Sakura lowered her head, holding her cup of warm honey yuzu tea, but couldn't bring