"Here's your table, Masters. The usual?"
Aoshi and Ayane nod at the same time.
"Perfect! I'll be right back!" the maid says with a bright smile, leaving the two of them alone in the small private room reserved for the café's regulars.
"You weren't even this down when Miori left..." Ayane murmurs.
"I-I'm not that down. O-Okay, maybe a little, but I guess that's normal, right?" Aoshi replies, absentmindedly fiddling with his spoon. "I got over breaking up with Miori, and I'll get over Eliss leaving too. It's just a matter of time. Besides, I don't have feelings for her. I never did. I'm sure that in a month, I won't even remember she ever existed."
"Are you saying that to convince me, or yourself?"
"I don't need to convince anyone. I know how I feel, and if you're convinced I'm madly in love with Eliss, I don't know what to tell you. Go ahead and keep believing that."
Ayane lets out a long, defeated sigh. Then she looks Aoshi straight in the eyes without saying a word.
