Would going to Denny's at two in the morning be considered a late dinner? A super early breakfast? A midnight snack, perhaps? Although Kaede wondered about the answer, in the end, she didn't really care- just as long as it was free, as Maki had promised her.

For the past week, Kaede had been out of town, putting on various recitals for people in different countries. It was an incredibly fun experience (not to mention it was also an incredibly fun way to make money), and she was able to meet lots of people from a variety of different backgrounds. (She even performed for a king- the same one who had come over to Japan to hear her perform multiple times before.)

As much as she treasured her experience abroad, she was glad to be back in time for her birthday. Kaede's all time favorite thing to do on her special day was spend it with her friends. (Of course, she'd be lying if she said getting gifts wasn't a close second.)

Surely, the jet lag she'd suffer from would serve as an obstacle for the day's events- yet here she was, sitting at a table with a plate of hot food being sat down in front of her. "I'm so glad you have the night shift here!" Kaede had to wipe her mouth real quick to avoid drooling all over her food.

"If you're so glad then you can have it," Maki scoffed, sitting in the chair across from Kaede. Since it was two in the morning, there wasn't anyone around that needed serving.

The blonde wasted no time digging into her food. "You know I'm not a night person!" She exclaimed in between bites. "I just happened to get lucky this time, that's all!"

Maki rested her elbow on the table, setting her chin on her palm as she looked out the window. "What's lucky about two pancakes, two pieces of bacon, two sausages, and two eggs over-hard at two in the morning? It's an all day birthday deal, you could've come in here at any time."

Kaede nodded as she happily chomped down on a piece of her bacon. "True, but I hardly get to see you throughout the day because our schedules are so different!" Watching as Maki's red eyes glanced in her direction, she held up her strawberry milkshake. "Plus, who else would snag me a free milkshake alongside the free meal?" She winked.

Maki didn't seem phased. "I could've just slipped some money in your wallet to cover the cost if you chose to come here later."

Kaede pouted, pointing her fork at Maki in an accusatory manner. "Maki!" She whined. Maki tried to snatch the fork from her, but with a swift turn of her well-trained fingers she was somehow able to evade it. "You're my best friend! I'm allowed to enjoy any time with you I can get! I don't care about whether or not I would've gotten this free birthday meal, I would've come to visit you anyways."

Maki said nothing, crossing her arms and leaning back slightly. Lightly humming to herself, Kaede went back to chowing down on her food. After a few minutes of silence, Maki opened her eyes- about to say something.

Kaede didn't know what she expected Maki to say. Honestly, she half expected Maki to comment on her fast eating, since not even five minutes had passed and she had already cleared most of her plate. (She had once been called Pac-Man by her roommate. At the time it was a bit embarrassing, but now it was just plain amusing to see Maki mention the yellow game mascot.) The "What the fuck?" that she got was definitely not at the top of her list, however. Lavender eyes followed red eyes to look out the window. A car had pulled into the parking lot of the Denny's. Sure, there were probably a few night-dwellers who'd occasionally stop by, so it shouldn't have been all that strange to see someone else coming to the restaurant. What made it strange, however, were the four boys who came out decked from head to toe in formal wear.

Kaede had to stifle a laugh. She was a bit sad at first knowing Maki would have to leave her for a bit to take care of the other customers- but the situation was so peculiar it had cancelled out any negative emotion entirely. "Oh my god, does stuff like this always happen?" She asked.

Maki groaned loudly, ungracefully rising from her seat. "If shit like this happened frequently, I wouldn't be here in the first place." She smoothed out her skirt, before making her way to the door.

"Sit them near me!" Kaede called out. "I'm nosy and bored!"

Maki's back was facing her, but she could tell that her friend had rolled her eyes. "Very." She affirmed rather loudly.

Kaede stuck her tongue out quickly, and when the bell for the front door rang, she immediately straightened up, pretending to mind her own business as she finished up the last of her breakfast. (So much for savoring it, she thought to herself as she doused the last bit of pancake she had in her maple syrup and ate it. At least she could focus on what was to come.)

"Oh my god!" The shortest of the four exclaimed. He donned a white suit with a purple undershirt and a checkered black and white tie messily done. He ran over to the jukebox near the front. "Hey, guys! They got a jukebox!" His hair was a black that faded into a dark purple at the edges.

"AYO!" The next guy was the biggest out of the four- with broad shoulders and purple hair that stuck up oddly. He wore a black suit with a white undershirt and a galaxy colored tie. He rushed over to his friend, stroking his goatee as he looked at the jukebox. "I'm gonna play something!"

"Nuh-uh!" The shorter of the two exclaimed. "I was here first! Isn't that right Rantaro?" He asked.

Rantaro, the green haired guy, folded his arms and nodded. He wore a white, unbuttoned suit with a light brown vest. His undershirt was white, accompanied with a black tie. "Sorry, Kaito, but Kokichi's right for once."

As Kaito groaned from having to wait and Kokichi whined at the back-handed compliment he received, the fourth boy went up to Maki. Kaede was unable to see his expression from here, but his fingers were twiddling with one another as he spoke just loud enough so she could barely hear. "U-um, I'm sorry about my friends..." He wore a light brown unbuttoned suit with a plaid orange vest and an orange bowtie. She couldn't see his facial features, however, as a black cap hid them from her view.

Maki shook her head, reaching for four menus behind the podium at the front. "There's four of you, right?" She asked. When the fourth nodded his head, she leaned forward slightly. "There's only one other customer in this entire restaurant. You don't have to sit with these idiots if you don't want to." Kaede almost choked on the sudden laughter that bubbled in her throat. "I wouldn't." The blonde had to take a sip of her milkshake in order to hold her laughs back.

"What?!" Kaito exclaimed, turning his attention to Shuichi and Maki. "There's only one other person here?!"

"You say that as if there should be more..." Maki grumbled, although mostly to herself. "Yes. It's two in the morning. You have too much energy."

"Thank you!" Kaito grinned. "Since there's one other person here, can we sit wherever we want?"

Maki raised her eyebrow. "Sure," She shrugged. "Just do me a favor and sit near that other person." Kaede silently cheered. She didn't think Maki would go through with her request. "Makes my day a little easier."

Kaito nodded his head, proudly striding in with his friend following behind him. As his friend glanced around the restaurant, Kaede was able to get a better look at him. He had blue, almost black looking, hair, with gambogeish gray eyes and thick eyelashes.

By a stroke of luck, his eyes landed upon hers. The two stared at each other for a few seconds, only for a loud and suggestive sound of a smooth saxophone to fill the restaurant air.

The boy's pale face lit up in a blush as he whipped his head near the entrance. "K-Kokichi!" He exclaimed. "Out of all the songs you could've picked, why'd you go with Careless Whisper?!"

Once again, Kaede was desperately slurping away at her milkshake in an attempt not to burst out laughing. (Thankfully, the drink was super thick. If her milkshake was easier to drink, she probably would've ran out by now. Although she was starting to make a dent in it.)

"Nishishi!" Kokichi waltzed into the main room with Rantaro following behind. "Why not? The night is still young and sexy and I thought I should pick a song that reflected that!" He grinned.

Rantaro ran a hand through his hair. "Why must you word it like that?" He asked.

"Hey, Shuichi!" Kaede finally learned the name of the capped boy, as he whipped his head back around to Kaito. (How had he not gotten whiplash yet?) "That girl over there's kinda cute, eh?" He asked, pointing in Kaede's direction.

Kaede quickly put on an innocent gaze as Shuichi looked over at her. She smiled sweetly and waved, watching as Shuichi's face once again turned bright pink. "Wh-why'd you say that so loud?!" He asked, pulling the brim of his hat down slightly.

"Wow, you actually agree with me?" Kaito grinned. "Honestly, I think the little lady's cuter, but hey, guess it works out for the both of us!"

Speak of the devil and she shall appear, butter knife in hand and glare on her face. "If you've come here to harass my friend and I, you're more than welcome to leave." Maki growled, pointing the knife at Kaito's face.

"Aww!" Kokichi whined. "I just spent 50 cents to play a song on the jukebox! We can't leave now!" Rantaro pat him on the back sympathetically as crocodile tears rained from his eyes.

"What?" Kaito questioned, seemingly unbothered by Maki's deathly demeanor. (much unlike poor Shuichi, who was currently shaking like a leaf on a tree.) "I meant it! Ya look cute!" He grinned, reaching out and grabbing her cheek with his forefinger and thumb. (Shuichi simply backed away at this point. Smart move.)

Maki's cheeks lit up as brightly as Kaito pinched her cheek, and in an instant she smacked his hand away. "Pick your seats already!" She barked.

Shuichi immediately sat down in the seat closest to him, scared to tempt fate and find out what would happen if he didn't. What he didn't realize, however, was that he was sitting at a table directly next to Kaede's. "Hey!" She greeted. He nearly jumped out of his skin. Kaede frowned. "Sorry! I didn't mean to startle you."

Shuichi looked at her for a split second, only to avert his gaze away. "Ah, no, it's fine," He assured her. "I tend to be a bit easily startled..." He admitted.

Kaede's smile reappeared. He was kind of cute.

Kaito almost instantly ruined the moment. "What the hell kind of first impression is that?!" He barked, standing in the walkway between the two who were seated.

"It was better than the one you had with the worker," Rantaro chipped in, sitting at the corner opposite from Shuichi. Kokichi sat down directly in front of Shuichi, letting out one of his suspicious laughs as he lightly kicked the taller boy under the table.

"My name is Kaito Momota! Luminary of the Stars!" Kaito had a wide grin on his face as he slapped Shuichi's back, earning a yelp from the unsuspecting friend. "This is Shuichi Saihara!" Shuichi awkwardly fiddled with the collar of his suit, waving with his other free hand. "That's Rantaro Amami over there," The green haired boy waved lazily. "And that rat right there is Kokichi Ouma."

"Hey!" Kokichi exclaimed, kicking Shuichi under the table. "That's so rude!" He wailed, sticking his tongue out.

"Please stop kicking me..." Shuichi mumbled.

Kaede smiled warmly. "I didn't expect to be meeting anyone at a Denny's, let alone at two in the morning." She mused. "But it's still nice to meet you guys! I'm Kaede Akamatsu!"

Kaito leaned towards Kaede slightly. "That other cute girl said you were friends...?" He whistled slightly, raising an eyebrow as he looked at Maki, who had her arms crossed as she glared at him.

"I ain't never seen two pretty best friends!" Kokichi grinned widely, earning a snort from Rantaro. "It's always one of 'em gotta be ugly."

Feeling the new presence of Maki standing directly behind him, Kokichi suddenly changed his mind. "It was a lie!" He exclaimed. "Of course there's such thing as two pretty best friends! Me and Shumai exist!" He batted his eyelashes obnoxiously as he kicked Shuichi once again.

This time must've been harder than the others, as Shuichi physically cringed. "Please stop kicking me." He demanded, this time much louder than the last.

Maki passed by Kokichi without paying any attention to him, making her way over to Kaede and taking her plates. She took note of the mostly empty milkshake glass and hummed. "Would the birthday girl like another milkshake?" She asked.

Kaede brought a finger to her chin, pretending to think for a moment. "I don't know, Maki, you tell me," she winked.

Maki nodded. "Seems like I'll have to cut you off today then, miss." Kaede stuck her tongue out at Maki as she playfully punched her arm. Maki simply cracked a slight smile at the weak punch, before turning to the others. "I'll give you a second to actually look at the menu, as I'm fairly certain some of you," She paused to stare at Kaito. "Haven't spared it a glance yet." With that, she disappeared into the kitchen with the plates in her hand.

"Okay, I know you guys saw that cute little smile she did at the end." Kaito immediately turned to his boys. "What was her name again, Maki, you said?" He momentarily looked back at Kaede, who nodded her head. "Right! Thanks, birthday girl,"

"Birthday girl?" Rantaro asked.

"Yeah, Maki called her birthday girl." Kaito confirmed.

Kokichi let out a cheer. "We got a birthday in the house!!!"

Kaito blinked in confusion. "Huh?"

Shuichi sighed, shaking his head. "Do you not get it, Kaito? It's Kaede's birthday apparently. Right?" He turned his gaze toward Kaede's at the last statement, gambogeish gray eyes looking for some sort of affirmation.

Kaede nodded her head as she took the last few sips from her milkshake, the smile on her face growing as she blushed slightly. "Yeah~!" She chirped, setting the empty glass down on the table and bringing her hands together. "Today's my 23rd birthday!"

Kaito stood still for a moment, still processing the information. Suddenly, his eyes lit up as he slammed his fists together. "Hey, you're our age! But, more importantly," Kaito cleared his throat. "Happy Birthday!" He roared. His three friends gave happy birthdays of their own, to which Kaede happily thanked each of them. Suddenly, he turned to his boys. "Alright, guys. It's our time to shine!"

Kokichi scoffed. "Wow, already taking away the spotlight from the birthday girl? You disgust me, Kaito."

"Shut up!" Kaito pressed his knee into the back of Kokichi's chair, squishing him against the table. "We're gonna sing Kaede the best happy birthday song she's ever heard!"

"We?" Kokichi spat. "Asshole move, deciding what we're doing on your own like tha-" Kaito pressed his knee harder into the chair, sending Kokichi further into the table. "Sounds good!" He choked out.

"Are we gonna record it?" Rantaro discreetly moved his arm to Kaito's knee, pushing it off of Kokichi's chair. Kokichi let out a dramatic gasp for air, immediately clinging to Rantaro's side and letting out crocodile tears as he wailed about how cruel everyone was to him. Rantaro simply patted his hair.

"Duh! It's a moment that will go down in history!" Kaito raised his fist up in the air. "Of course we'll record it!"

"Ooh! Ooh!" Kokichi had recovered from getting squished in an instant. "Shumai should record it!" His eyes lit up. (Something which Shuichi found slightly suspicious, but kept quiet about).

"Ah- why me?"

"Doesn't your phone have a crazy good camera?" Rantaro chimed in, leaning back in his seat slightly. "Plus, I thought you didn't really like to sing."

Kaito had a confused look on his face. He was about to say something, only to get interrupted. "Ooh! Ooh!" Kokichi was now at Shuichi's side, clinging onto his arm. "I just had an even better idea!" By the way Shuichi had nervously gulped, Kaede could tell that he definitely wasn't looking forward to this new idea. "Shumai should serenade Miss Birthday Girl!"

Kaede hummed as her lavender eyes lit up. "Aww, that'd be so cute! A serenade just for little old me, how sweet!" She cooed.

Shuichi's face was flushed red once again. "F-fine!" He grabbed his phone out of his pocket. "You three can sing, I'll record it." Kaede pouted slightly, making Shuichi's hands tremble as he opened up the camera app. "I'm ready whenever you guys are."

The singing was okay (Rantaro had a decent voice, yet Kaito didn't and Kokichi was purposefully messing up some of the parts- which ultimately balanced out and didn't sound as bad as Shuichi thought it would), and throughout the performance Shuichi watched Kaede intently. He felt himself smile as her face lit up, watching as she swayed slightly alongside the music.

It was all over in a minute, and Kaede was clapping rather loudly. She thanked the three as Shuichi ended the video. Right as she stopped clapping, another sound of clapping came from nearby. (Although this one was far more slow than Kaede's.)

"Woo." Maki cheered, clapping one hand against her arm as her other hand was occupied with holding a cute looking strawberry milkshake. "Bravo."

Kokichi whispered something to Rantaro, the latter of which letting out a sigh. Despite how peeved he sounded, however, there was still a slight smile on his face as nodded, muttering something. Kokichi promptly turned around and whispered something to Kaito, who grinned widely as he turned to Maki and tried convincing her to join them in their performance (He was willing to do it again for her, which Maki found to be two parts sweet and two parts annoying).

As Maki was now occupied with a stubborn Kaito, Kokichi slinked his way to Shuichi's side. "You know what the best part about being a supreme leader like me is?" He asked.

Oh no. "What?" Getting asked a rhetorical question like this, Shuichi knew he had messed up. His mind reeled as he searched for where he had messed up and what it meant for him.

"My underlings have no clue they've been tricked until it's too late!" With a firm push, Shuichi stumbled forward slightly.

As Shuichi was catching himself, he felt another push send him forward, accompanied by a quick, hushed "Excuse me." This time, it was Rantaro, pushing past him to get back to his seat. (He had a slight smirk on his face. The push was definitely intentional, but what for?)

In a matter of seconds, Shuichi was now standing directly next to Kaede, who was looking up at him with a smile on her face. "It's a shame you got roped into recording like that, I would've loved to have you up there with them!" She chirped, looking as happy as ever.

The first half of her sentence caught Shuichi's attention. Now that he thought about it, Kokichi had singled him out at the start. But what for? He let out an awkward laugh. "Yeah, well, maybe another time?" Kaede nodded, her blonde hair bouncing on her shoulders. "Looking forward to it~!" She had sounded so cute, Shuichi felt his chest tighten alongside the grip on his phone-

His phone.

The second he realized he was holding his phone in his hand, everything Kokichi had schemed was revealed to Shuichi. (He wanted to smack himself for not realizing it sooner, too.) He had been picked to record using his own phone as opposed to using Kaede's, putting him in a spot where he was forced to get her number.

The feeling of dread that hit Shuichi after he realized what exactly had been played into disappeared almost as fast as it had appeared. Once again, his face lit up in a fervent blush as he felt his hands start to shake and sweat. (If he were to do something dumb, like drop his phone, Shuichi was convinced he'd simply die on the spot.)

"U-um," Great start, really. Shuichi gulped. He could do this. "Could," He paused, nearly choking over his own spit. (Thankfully, he didn't.) "Could I get your number?!" The words came out a bit louder and faster than he had intended. The slightly confused (but overall chipper) expression on Kaede's face reassured Shuichi that his request was still able to get through. "So I can, y'know, send you the video...?" He had a slight voice crack at the end (Why was he still getting voice cracks at 23?!) which he hoped Kaede didn't catch.

She had. Kaede let out a small giggle. "You're so cute!" She cooed. Shuichi felt his heart leap out of his chest. "Of course you can! I'd love to see the video!"

Shuichi was frozen for a moment, before he frantically opened a page for a new contact and held the phone out to Kaede. The blonde took it, accidentally brushing their fingers together in the process. As Shuichi was busy trying not to spontaneously combust like the wreck he was, Kaede was calmly putting her number into his phone. The two brushed hands once more as she handed him his phone back, and Shuichi stuttered out a thanks as he headed back to his seat.

"Damn, I didn't think it'd work," Rantaro mumbled, pulling a bill out of his wallet and holding it out towards Kokichi.

Kokichi was grinning like a madman as he snatched the money from Rantaro. "Of course it'd work!" He shoved the money into his pocket. "None of my evil schemes have ever failed!"

"Huh? What're we talking about?" Kaito, having finished talking with Maki, sat down at the table.

"Nothing." Shuichi glared at Kokichi and Rantaro, the former of the two giggling innocently as the latter just shrugged. He turned his attention away from his friends to send the video to Kaede, taking notice of the pink heart next to her name as he waited for the video to load.

"Good, you're all seated." Shuichi's head shot up to Maki, who was standing in front of the table with the milkshake gone from her hands and a notepad in its place. "I'll take your orders now."

Kaito slammed his fist on the table, looking up at Maki with a smirk. "Could I get your number?" He asked, winking.

Maki rolled her eyes. "I meant drink orders, dumbass." From the corner of Shuichi's eyes, he saw Kaede aggressively drink her new milkshake, looking as if she was trying not to laugh.

Kaito's shoulders dropped. "Oh. I'll just have some lemonade then..." He sulked.

Shuichi fake coughed into his elbow, holding back a laugh of his own.

Kokichi, unlike Kaede and Shuichi, was openly laughing his ass off, not at all trying to hide it. "Man, I like this waitress!" He leaned forward. "Can I get a grape Panta with..." He paused, seemingly contemplating something, before he held up all ten fingers. "Ten ice cubes!"

Maki grunted, scribbling something down on her notepad.

"I'll just have some water," Rantaro hummed, leaning back in his seat.

Shuichi nodded his head. "Yeah, I'll have water too."

Maki nodded her head, taking Kaede's empty glass and making her way towards the kitchen.

"Man, she's real cute." Kaito crossed his arms, now sitting up straight. "Hey, Kaede! You think I could get her number?"

"From me?" Kaede asked.

"Of course not!" Kaito shook his head, banging a fist on his chest. "I'm a man, I wanna get her number the right way!"

Kaede put a finger to her chin as she thought. Maki wasn't the most sociable person, but they looked kind of cute together! She nodded. "Yeah, maybe!" Kaede took the maraschino cherry from the top of her new milkshake off of the whipped cream it sat on, twirling the stem between her fingers.

"Alright!" Kaito grinned. "What approach do you think I should take?"

Kaede hummed, eating the bright red cherry clean off of the stem as she thought. "Y'know, I don't think she's ever actually dated anyone before." She answered, twirling the stem between her fingers. "Maki's a very work oriented person- this is her second job. She's always focused on other things, I think she'd appreciate it if you put some attention on her! Although, not too much!"

"Yeah, or else she'll totally kill you!" Kokichi chimed in.

Kaede laughed. "I know she seems a bit unapproachable, yet I know she's a very sweet person." Her eyes lit up. "Like this!" Suddenly, she popped the stem onto her tongue and closed her mouth.

The group watched her intently as she stared them down, and in a minute she stuck her tongue back out. The stem was tied into a perfect knot. The group of boys clapped, each guy putting a different amount of enthusiasm into their applause.

"Party trick, nice," Rantaro commented.

"Ooh! That's so cool!" Kokichi squealed.

"You said that's like Maki?" Shuichi asked, tilting his head in confusion.

Kaede nodded, taking the stem off of her tongue and placing it on a napkin. "Seems hard to understand at first, but as long as you put effort into it, you'll definitely get it down in no time!"

"Could've been worded better, but I get it." Rantaro nodded.

Kaito slammed his fist on the table. "Yeah! Thanks, Kaede!"

"It's a bit cheesy..." Shuichi mumbled. "Ah, I don't mean it in a bad way!"

Kaede hummed happily. "It's no problem! You've got this! She's coming over now, actually."

Maki approached the table, drinks in hand. "Did you do that cherry thing again?" She asked, looking down at the napkin. Kaede nodded, and she rolled her eyes. "You really like that trick, don't you?"

"It's fun and you know it!" Kaede winked.

Maki hummed. "Sure." She turned to the new group, setting down their drinks. "I've got two waters, a lemonade, and a grape Panta with ten ice cubes."

The cups were placed down in front of their respective people. "Dammit!" Kokichi yelled. In front of him was a cup filled with ten comically large ice cubes taking up the entire glass. True to her word, Maki had slipped in a few drops of grape Panta. "I walked right into that one!" He whined, biting on his thumb.

"You really did." Maki let out a faint chuckle, as she pulled out his actual drink from seemingly out of nowhere (When asked, she had actually just performed a sleight of hand trick- the drink was on Kaede's table and she was standing in front of it in order to obscure it from view.) and set it in front of Kokichi, who happily wasted no time in slurping away. "Now, are you guys ready to order?"

Kaito nodded. "Yeah! Could I get-"

"My number? No."

"Dammit!"

"You tried." Rantaro reassured. It didn't help.

Maki sighed. "You know what, sure. If you tip well enough I might just leave a little something on your bill."

Kaito's eyes lit up, and he instantly turned to the person sitting next to him- Shuichi. "Hey, sidekick, you gotta let me borrow some extra money for this!"

Kokichi spat out his drink. "BROKE ASS!" He laughed.

Shuichi cringed- he had moved away from Kaito only to fall directly into the line of fire for Kokichi's spit take. "Aren't you the one who wants her number?" He asked, grabbing a napkin and wiping his face. "It's all you."

"Shit!" Kaito cursed.

Maki tapped her foot in a mildly irritated manner. "On second thought, maybe not. Order while the night's still young."

The group ordered their food, Kaito sulking as he watched Maki walk away after his second failed attempt. The five of them chatted happily amongst themselves, and after a few minutes of idle conversation between the group, Kaito suddenly shot up from his seat. "I nearly forgot! I was gonna play a song on the jukebox!" With that, he was off- out of sight in the blink of an eye.

Kaede chuckled. "He's sure energetic, huh?" She asked, turning around and trying to look for Kaito.

Shuichi nodded his head as he craned his neck trying to look for Kaito as well. "A bit too much, sometimes. But it's nice, kind of." He turned his head back to look at Kaede, who was still looking in Kaito's direction.

Maki, who had joined the group and sat across from Kaede as she waited for the chef to prepare the food, rolled her eyes. "You don't have to lie to yourself." She mumbled, playing with her hair.

Kaede laughed lightly at Maki's remark, and after an unsuccessful attempt at trying to catch sight of Kaito, she turned her head back to the group- only for her lavender eyes to make eye contact with Shuichi's gambogeish grey eyes. When she realized he had been staring at her, Kaede smiled sweetly, tilting her head slightly to the side. Shuichi blushed as he offered her a smile of his own. The two sat there, happily gazing at each other as soft music suddenly started to fill the room.

"What kind of crap is this?!" Kokichi yelled as Kaito made his way back to the table. "It sounds older than your grandparents!"

"I'll have you know Earth Angel is a great song!" Kaito barked, balling his fist up. "And my grandparents' age is none of your concern!"

Kokichi grinned. "You know what? You're right! This song actually is pretty great! In fact, it's so great, I wanna dance!" He shot up from his seat, dragging Rantaro with him. "C'mon, Rantaro, dance with me!!"

"Alright, alright," Rantaro allowed himself to be whisked away to a random spot in the restaurant by Kokichi.

"That's the spirit!" Kaito raised his fist in the air. He promptly turned to Maki. "Let's dance, Maki!"

The waitress glowered. "Over my dead body."

"Aww, c'mon, let's have some fun of our own!" Kaito took a step closer to Maki, grabbing her hands in his.

Kaede let out a giggle, catching Shuichi's attention. "Y'know, I think Kaito can convince Maki to dance." She rested her chin on her palm, watching the two intently.

"Ah, you think so?" Shuichi turned his gaze over to the two. "Kaito can be very convincing, so I can see it happening." He turned his gaze to Kokichi and Rantaro- both of which were looking directly at him and winking.

Shuichi's face couldn't seem to catch a break- for the millionth time that night, he found himself blushing hard. Taking a deep breath, he stood up from his chair. The movement was a bit sudden, creating a loud screeching noise that made Kaede turn her head in his direction. "Kaede..." He started, only to shake slightly as he made eye contact with her. "Would you like to dance?" He extended a shaky hand out for her to hold.

Kaede looked down at his hand, breaking out into a jubilant smile as she gingerly placed her hand atop his. "I would love to!" She cheered, rising from her seat.

Shuichi let out a breath he didn't know he was holding, walking with Kaede towards a more open space in the restaurant. "It's been a minute since I've danced," He warned, slowly setting his hand on her waist. (He felt as if his heart was going to explode out of his chest).

Kaede shook her head, grabbing his free hand with her own and intertwining their fingers together. "It's alright," She assured him, resting her other hand loosely across his chest. "I haven't either,"

The two were dancing at a regular pace for a bit, when Kaede let out a shaky sigh. "I'm a bit nervous," She admitted. "It's kind of dumb, but you guys are so well-dressed and I'm just... Well..." She trailed off, looking down at herself. She was wearing sweatpants and a slightly wrinkly pink t-shirt. Definitely underdressed in comparison to the others. "Why are you guys dressed up anyways?"

"Ah," Shuichi shrugged. "I don't even know. One second I was sleeping and the next Kaito was jumping on my bed saying that we had to dress up and go out to eat like men." He let out a little laugh. "Just for fun, I guess."

"That sounds like it would be fun, except all the formal wear I have is tight and uncomfortable," Kaede pouted for a moment, before she shook her head. "They seem like really good friends."

Shuichi scoffed. "Not when they wake me up at one in the morning to put on a three-piece so we can go to Denny's."

Kaede burst out laughing, and Shuichi was blushing once more. "Even so."

Suddenly, Kaede turned her head to the side and rested against his chest. Shuichi's blush deepened as he felt his grip on her tighten slightly. "Are you nervous too?" She asked him.

"I-is it that obvious?" Shuichi choked out.

Kaede nodded her head, pressing the side of her face further into his chest. "I can hear your heart beating like crazy right now. I've told you what's making me nervous, so what about you?"

Shuichi nibbled on his bottom lip as he thought about what to say. "I don't really know," It was only a partial lie. "I've just, always been kind of a nervous person. I'm worried about making a good impression on you, too," He admitted. "You seem sweet."

Kaede let out a coo, turning her head upwards and resting her chin against Shuichi to look at him. "I'm making you nervous? Is that your way of saying you think I'm cute?" She batted her eyelashes cutely.

Shuichi's heart pounded harder as he blushed. (This insane amount of blushing and heart-pounding couldn't have been good for him.) "N-no, that's not-" Kaede pouted, and Shuichi realized what he just said. "N-no! I didn't mean it like that I j-just-" He was flying over his words, trembling as he tried to make things right.

All it took was a single laugh from Kaede to get him to stop rambling. "I'm just teasing you, Shuichi!" She smiled brightly up at him. "You don't have to worry about what I think of you, okay?" Shuichi tilted his head, giving her a confused look. She took it as a sign to elaborate. "I tend to be a very honest person, you can ask Maki. I'm terrible at lying, and..." She trailed off, her lavender eyes flicking away from his gaze. She brought her cheek back to his chest, nuzzling the side of her head into his suit. "I think you're sweet, too. And cute. And out of all of your friends, I'd say you're my favorite so far."

"...Really?" Shuichi's trembling stopped as he let out a breath he didn't know he was holding.

"...Yeah." Kaede nodded. "I know it's probably easier said than done, but, you can relax a little around me, okay?" She asked, rubbing her thumb against his knuckles. When he said nothing, she squeezed his hand. "Jeez! The more I speak the more embarrassing I sound! Sorry!" She chuckled.

"Ah, no, don't apologize. If anything, that actually made me feel a little better." Shuichi smiled, resting his chin on the top of her head. "Thank you, Kaede."

Kaede hummed. "It's no problem, Shuichi."

The two said nothing to each other after that, dancing in a comfortable silence as they basked in the company of one another. That is, until a loud wolf whistle made both of their heads snap up.

Rantaro, Kokichi, Maki, and Kaito were standing next to each other, watching Shuichi and Kaede intently. Rantaro had his fingers to his mouth in a whistling motion as he let out another wolf whistle. Kokichi was making whipping motions with his hand. Maki was holding up her phone, shamelessly snapping pictures. Kaito was humping the air, winking and throwing a thumbs up.

A faint gasp quiet enough so that only Shuichi could hear it escaped Kaede's lips. She suddenly pulled herself away from Shuichi as her face lit up in embarrassment. Shuichi was in a similar state, although he seemed a bit annoyed. In a sudden motion, he took his hat off, winding his hand back and throwing it as hard as he could.

The hat went flying like a boomerang. Rantaro stepped back, narrowly dodging the flying cap. Kokichi ducked, bouncing right back up as it passed him. Maki leaned her head back the slightest bit, skillfully avoiding the cap's path of fire. Kaito was the unlucky one of the group- the cap hitting him square in the face.

Kaede, Maki, Rantaro, and Kokichi promptly burst into varying degrees of laughter as Kaito groaned at the sudden pain on his face. Shuichi, however, felt guilty for his actions, and made his way to Kaito as he bombarded him with frantic apologies and questions laced with concern.

The day was mostly uneventful after that- the food had come and gone as the group made small talk with one another. After what felt like forever, they found themselves near the entrance of the restaurant. "You don't have to see us to the exit," Shuichi assured Kaede.

She shook her head. "I'm waiting for Maki to finish her shift, not like I have anything better to do. Besides, I wanted to play a song on the jukebox anyway!" She turned to face the said machine. Next to it stood a claw machine, which had caught her attention. "Although, I suppose the claw machine looks a little fun." She mused, approaching the machine.

Shuichi looked towards his friends- Rantaro was fixing up Kokichi's tie as Kaito was flirting with Maki. (She looked a bit more open to Kaito's advances compared to when they had first arrived- although, that wasn't saying much.) He turned his attention back to Kaede, walking up behind her and watching as she tried to get a toy. The claw sunk down to the sea of toys, brushing against a half white and half black bear, only to come back empty handed.

"Aww..." Kaede pouted, slouching slightly as she watched the claw make its way back to the start.

"Here- allow me," Shuichi found himself grabbing his wallet, pulling out some coins and inserting them into the machine. He watched intently as the claw moved above the same bear Kaede had tried getting. "The trick to these things is to look at it from a different perspective," He told her, making his way to the left of the machine. He then made his way to the right side, letting out a small hum. "It looks like the claw is in a good position, but it's actually a few spaces back from where it needs to be."

Shuichi went back to the front of the machine, moving the claw forward and pressing the button to send it down. Kaede and Shuichi watched with wide eyes as the claw slowly made its descent. The claws lowered directly onto the bear at just the right angle- not actually clamping shut until it reached the bear's feet.

Kaede let out a cheer as the claw rose up with the bear. Shuichi held his breath as he watched the claw slowly move towards the chute. The bear fell forward slightly, but ultimately held on until the very end, dropping down the chute effortlessly.

Kaede clapped as she watched Shuichi kneel down, pressing the flap open and grabbing the bear. "Simple as that!" He stood back up, turning to Kaede and holding out the bear to her. "One cute little prize for a cute little birthday girl."

...Did he really just say that?

Yes, he had. But he supposed it was a good thing, as Kaede squealed softly and gave him a hug. "You're incredible, Shuichi!" She cooed, stepping back and taking the bear from him. "Thank you so much!"

"A-ah, it's nothing, really." He smiled, blushing slightly as he watched Kaede hug the bear. She looked so cute.

"Yo!" Kaito called out, catching the two's attention. He was standing at the door, holding it open.

Shuichi turned his head to Kaede. "I guess that's my cue," He awkwardly laughed, the blush still on his face.

Kaede frowned slightly. "Aww, I guess all good things come to an end eventually." She squeezed her new bear, shifting to hold it with one arm as she suddenly snatched Shuichi's hat off of his head in a swift manner. Shuichi blinked, taken aback by her sudden action. "You should wear your hat less often." She winked, leaning forward and kissing his cheek. "I think you look cute without it!"

Shuichi could've died right then and there. He felt his breath leave him as the hairs on his body raised up. His pale skin blushed violently as he stuttered to come up with something to say.

"We're gonna leave without you!!!" Kaito yelled. He had a smirk on his face- he had just watched the kiss transpire.

"Have a good night, okay?" Kaede asked, placing the hat back on his head.

"A-ah!" Shuichi choked out, suddenly coming back to wherever his soul had vanished to. "Y-yeah, I'll, uh, see you later, K-Kaede!" He adjusted his hat hastily, offering her one last little wave before he left the building alongside Kaito.

"Wow," Kaede turned to her left. Maki stood there, leaning against the podium at the front with her arms crossed and a brow raised. "Bold move." The corners of her lips etched upwards into a smirk.

Kaede giggled, giving her toy a squeeze. "He's so adorable, I couldn't help it!" She cooed. "But... Speaking of bold moves," Her eyes lit up as she leaned forward. "Did you give Kaito your number?!"

Maki rolled her eyes, pointing behind her towards the window where they had sat near earlier. "See for yourself." The two friends made their way to the window. Kaito and Shuichi were making their way to the car (Rantaro and Kokichi must have already been inside), when Shuichi pointed at Kaito's pocket. Kaito looked at where Shuichi was pointing, reaching into his pocket and pulling out a little origami bird made out of napkin. He carefully unfolded it, squinting to read what was written on it as he moved towards the Denny's window to get some light. Suddenly, his eyes lit up, and he let out a shout loud enough for Kaede and Maki to hear clearly.

Kaito turned his gaze to the window, seeing Maki and Kaede and waving enthusiastically as the grin on his face grew wider. Shuichi looked at the window as well, smilingly slightly and giving a wave of his own.

Maki and Kaede gave waves of their own, watching as the two made their way into the car. "I didn't think you'd actually do it." Kaede mused, watching as the car left the lot.

Maki shrugged, heading towards the back hallway. "Me neither." She disappeared for a minute, coming back out with some cleaning supplies. "He wouldn't leave me alone. I gave up."

"That origami bird didn't look like someone giving up," Kaede hummed, taking a seat back at her table. "That aside, when are you getting off of your shift?! I want to get started with the day!"

Maki scoffed as she started to clean down the other table. "In a few. I just gotta clean up and I'll be good to go." Kaede let out a little cheer. "I should remind you- it's three in the morning, I don't think we can really do anything at this hour."

Kaede pouted, the grin on her face vanishing in an instant. "Man!" She snapped. Sighing, she pulled out her phone. "Ah well, we can just watch a movie or something when we get home!"

Maki hummed in agreement, and Kaede turned on her phone as Maki cleaned up. (It wasn't as if she hadn't offered to help- she did so when she first arrived, actually. Maki sternly refused, however, and that was that). She saw she had a new message from an unfamiliar number- it must have been the video Shuichi sent her earlier.

Surely enough, the mystery message was Shuichi, and the video attached was the one where Kaito, Kokichi, and Rantaro sang her a happy birthday. Kaede played the video, smiling widely as it went on. She quickly made a contact for Shuichi, adding a black heart next to his name as she sent him a message.

They weren't kidding when they said your camera quality was really good!

Kaede paused, taking a moment to debate on whether or not she should add onto the text. (Even though she had already sent it. She had no shame in double texting, whatsoever, so it didn't really matter). After a few seconds, she smiled, typing out another quick message and sending it.

I had a lot of fun tonight, let's hang out again sometime! :D

~7.6k Words

Author's Note: I had so much fun writing this! I saw a video captioned "sometimes you just gotta dress up with your boys and hit up mcdonalds" and I immediately thought of this! I love Kaede so much, she's my favorite character, and I wanted to write something fun for her birthday! I know this is really late since I messed up the formatting (somehow) and had to take thirty minutes to fix it, and then take ten minutes to upload it to another site, but I worked very hard on it! I hope you enjoy it! Also, I'm like, fairly certain Denny's is only in America, so I decided that they call each other by their first names as opposed to using last names and honorifics. And finally, Happy Birthday Kaede!