Hazelnut Hot Chocolate

Despite calling herself plain every other breath, Kaede picks out Tsumugi’s head before she and Shuichi even enter the cafe. Unlike the two of them, Tsumugi hasn’t bothered to disguise herself; she’s dressed in a nice yellow skirt under a beige cardigan and her hair is looped around her head and tucked away by a hair claw. She looks pretty, in fact, prettier than Kaede remembered; it’s been a truly long time since they’ve seen each other, which Kaede is going to use to excuse the way her heart leaps as she steps inside.This isn’t that kind of outing, she reminds herself. There was a part of her that had crushed on Tsumugi back in the game, yes. But Tsumugi has been doing badly recently, coping with both a sense of isolation from their former “classmates” as well as coming to terms with the fact that what the company sold to her was all a lie. Kaede wants to be there for her as a friend. Anything else would just be… complicated.Right now, Kaede isn’t sure that either of them can do complicated.---Kaede reconnects with Tsumugi after the game and asks Shuichi to come with her to meet up in person.