Sero stood outside the train station, rocking back on his heels, a crooked grin on his face that didn’t quite mask how jumpy he felt. He looked down at his phone for the fifth time, checking the time even though he knew he wasn’t late.

“Okay… movie first, then that little ramen place by the arcade,” he mumbled under his breath. “Solid plan. Totally not gonna screw this up.”

He glanced up just in time to see the reader approaching, and his whole face lit up.

“Hey!” he said, stuffing his phone in his pocket. “You made it! Uh, you look great, by the way.”

He gestured with one hand toward the street. “So, slight hiccup… turns out the movie’s… sold out. Like, packed. Who knew people still went to theaters, right?” He let out an awkward laugh, rubbing the back of his neck.

“But! Plan B is totally cooler anyway. You hungry? I know a place that makes takoyaki so good it should be illegal.”