30 Dinner Party part 1 (1/2)

Contrary to his belief, the girls didn't spam him with questions about his magic but asked questions that were generally about his day. This gave Axel a warm feeling in his chest as he excitedly recounted his day.

After a small Q&A session, the trio sat down and began playing games. Minutes turned to hours as Sae chuckled before calling them over.

Sae decided to hold a small celebration due to the fact she managed to get away from work. Once Makoto learned that Sae was taking them out to eat, she began to cheer happily. With a huge smile on her face, Makoto shot towards her room to get changed while Axel started moving towards the door.

However, as soon as his hand landed on the doorknob, he heard Sae's voice whisper into his ear, ”Not gonna join us for dinner, Axel?”

Axel's body jolted away from Sae with a small blush on his face. He stared at her in embarassment and stuttered, ”W-well, aren't I just getting in the way of your family time?”

Sae froze for a couple seconds before bursting into a mad fit of laughter. After calming down a few minutes later, she glared at Axel and said, ”Axel, it doesn't matter if you think your getting in the way of our family time. To be honest, Makoto and I have talked to each other more in the one day we met you then we have in months.”

Suddenly, Sae's gaze changed from fierce to melancholy. With a tired sigh, she smiled bitterly and said, ”I honestly didn't want it to be this way. It's just, with work always being hectic… I never get much time to bond with my little sister. With you around, it just makes relaxing a whole lot easier… don't know why though.”

The air in the room felt heavy as both Axel and Sae stood still in silence. After a few seconds, a sigh escaped Axel's mouth as he bitterly smiled and muttered, ”So… where we having dinner?”

A smile bloomed on Sae's face as she chuckled and said, ”Secret~”

…

Instead of taking the car, Sae, Makoto and Axel ended up taking the train. The train was filled to the brim with people as the three of them bundled together in a little circle.

Sae felt the need to punch her past self as they wouldn't have had to deal with all the pushing and shoving if they used the car. However, thanks to an emergency during work today, the car was on the fritz and wouldn't even start, which brought about the current situation.

Smushed between two different soft places, Axel desperately tried to contain his heart beat. Thanks to his strength, Axel became the center point of their group.

Axel rooted himself to the spot as both Makoto and Sae slightly clung to him to stop themselves from flailing about.

With a short cough, Axel looked towards Makoto and quietly whispered, ”Hey, Makoto. Do you know where we're going?”

Makoto shivered at the breath that blew on her ear. She shook her head and stuttered, ”I-I don't know…”

Her voice was almost non-existent yet because of the close proximity, Axel managed to hear her. He gave her a chuckle and said, ”It's alright Makoto. Thanks.”

Makoto gave Axel a small nod as her cheeks became a light shade of red. Sae, who had saw everything that transpired but couldn't hear a word with how loud the train was, watched the pair as her lips twitched.

A small frown appeared on Sae's face for a second before it disappeared. However, a small amount of dissatisfaction appeared in her heart as she unconsciously thought to herself, 'Annoying…'

The rest of the trip was relatively quiet. After almost half an hour, the train finally pulled into town. As the doors opened, the group tried to go with the flow, only to be slowly pushed back inside by the incoming traffic.