Cafe Date

Ann had never dated before, as she had already told the others. It wasn't something that bothered her, and she never really thought about it too much.

When she and Ryuji had started dating, however, she did worry if her inexperience would somehow get in the way. She didn't think he would care, but she still wanted to be the best girlfriend she could be.

So she had picked the place where they would have their first date. Ryuji agreed to it, but insisted that he would be the one paying for both of them.

So she had taken him to a little cafe she would go to from time to time. It wasn't that Leblanc wasn't good, but rather that curry just didn't really fit her vision of a "first date dish". And going to a place they already went to all the time wouldn't really make it feel like a special day. (Plus, she could bet that Ren would make their curries super spicy just to mess with them if they did go there.)

She and Ryuji picked a table and placed their orders, deciding to just have some drinks first while talking and then ask for something to eat afterwards. Ann had asked for some coffee, while he had just ordered some soda.

"So, what do you think?" She asked.

"Well, seems like a nice place." He looked at her and smiled. "But if you picked it, I bet you must be here for the sweets."

She giggled. "You're not wrong. But I do think you might like one of their other things as well. They have a lot of sandwiches."

"Anything you would recommend?"

"Oh, I've tried their ham and cheese sandwich before and it's super good. It's kinda basic, but I still think you might like it."

"I'll pick that, then." He paused for a moment, then spoke again. "Hey, is there a reason why you like sweets so much?"

"I just like sweet stuff. Plus, so many of them are super delicious!"

"Then, is there any kind of sweet you like the most?"

"Hm, that one is a bit harder… I guess any kind of cake would count as one of my favorites. There are so many different ones that I like! Cheesecakes, shortcakes, chocolate cakes. Oh, but homemade ones are so good too! I would make them everyday if I had the time for it."

"Wait, you can cook!?" Ryuji seemed weirdly surprised by that.

"Hm… Yes? I kinda have to know how to do that since my parents are away."

"Oh, right. I forgot about that." He looked away from her for a moment, then blushed. "Would you… Would you mind letting me try one of your cakes one day?"

Her own cheeks warmed up, but she managed to smile. "W-we should make one together! It would be even more special! I'll show you everything I know."

"Well, it's a deal!" He smiled and laughed, his cheeks getting even redder. She couldn't help but think how cute he was when he was excited like that.

Their drinks arrived right after. Ryuji started drinking his soda straight away, while Ann blew air on her coffee to cool it a little. She took a sip and smiled.

"Is that coffee any good?" He asked.

"It's not as good as Leblanc's, but it's quite good." She then raised an eyebrow at him. "I thought you didn't like coffee, though."

"I might like this one. Let me try a sip."

She offered him the cup and he took it carefully, taking a small sip. His face twisted at the taste.

“This tastes bitter…” He slided the cup back to her.

"No shit Sherlock, it's coffee." She rolled her eyes and laughed.

He was silent for quite a while, which she found weird. Then she realised that his entire face was red.

"Are you okay…?"

"Oh, nothing, just… Does that count as an indirect kiss?"

Ann's face warmed up again. It probably did, didn't it? But it shouldn't matter now that they were dating, right? She covered her face with her hands and Ryuji laughed.

"You're kinda cute like this."

"Shut up." She laughed and gave him a light kick under the table, but he didn't seem to care.

But, despite the embarrassment, she was happy. Ryuji was a dumbass, but she couldn't help but love having moments like that with him. And she loved him even more.