Sleeping Beauty, Following Her. Part 2
“Making promotional materials for your solo exhibition?”
“Yes.”
Spinning pasta onto her fork, Shigure-san gave a wry smile.
“Apparently, she wants me to design posters and pamphlets for her solo exhibition opening next month at a gallery in Tokyo.”
“Design…”
I turned my gaze towards Yomi Runa.
My eyes must have looked rather glazed over.
“Why specifically ask Shigure-san? Wouldn’t it be better to hire a professional?”
“Ibara, I am technically a professional too. I’m a DTP designer.”
“Eh, really?”
“My main focus is packaging, but in terms of printing on paper, it’s no different from posters or flyers.”
Oh, I see.
…What’s DTP?
“By the way, DTP stands for ‘Desktop Publishing’. Since we design printed materials on computers, we’re Desktop Publishing Designers.”
“Huh.”
I’ve learned something new. There are all sorts of jobs in the world.
But no.
“But Shigure-san, earlier you said something about it being ‘wrong’ or something…”
“Well, my company’s stance on side jobs is a grey area…”
That’s confusing!
“But why specifically you, Shigure-san?”
I thrust a long-handled spoon into the cherry and black bean parfait, then glared at Yomi Runa again.
Still couldn’t let my guard down.
Sorry, Shizuku, but this woman is the enemy.
Probably. Definitely, absolutely.
Even though I glared firmly thinking that, Yomi Runa said casually.
“It’s an important solo exhibition, so I asked the designer I trust most. That’s all.”
“Are you casually hitting on her?”
“Ibara.”
Shigure-san placed a hand on the back of my hand as I lunged forward.
“It’s alright. Runa knows everything.”
“Eh?”
I turned around involuntarily.
When our eyes met, Shigure-san gave a small nod.
“Everything? Everything?”
“Yes.”
“That we’re dating?”
“Yes.”
“That we’re practically living together?”
“Ah, no, that…”
“That we always hug before bed?”
“Hold on.”
“That we kiss good morning every day?”
“Don’t lie so casually!”
I was hoping to use the commotion to get a bit cosy and gain the upper hand.
Stealing a glance at Yomi Runa, she was drinking her coffee with a ‘sigh’ on her face.
Her composed expression, made up with cosmetics, gave nothing away.
This is why adults are so frustrating.
She should show a little fluster at least.
But ‘I don’t know’ might be one answer.
In other words, it means she’s hiding something.
Therefore.
If my intuition is right, then probably, this person feels something for Shigure-san…
Forget it.
If Shigure-san says she’s fine, then she must be fine.
Nothing more, nothing less.
And so, that’s the end of that. The end.
I took a deep breath and exhaled slowly.
“I’m sorry.”
“Eh?”
Yomi Runa—san blinked rapidly.
“Sorry for saying something rude. We’ve barely met.”
I gave a slight bow, and Yomi-san flustered.
“N-no, it’s fine. Don’t worry about it. Besides, I mean, actually—”
“Actually?”
“Nothing at all.”
She looked away sharply.
…She really is alright, right?
I’m incredibly uneasy though. Hey. You’re not trying to make a move, are you?
It’s not that I doubt Shigure-san or anything.
It’s just that she’s beautiful and an adult, so I can’t help feeling anxious.
“You’re an artist, aren’t you, Yomi-san? From Kaimei.”
“Yes, that’s right.”
“Do you have a business card?”
“Here you are.”
Yomi-san took a cardholder from her handbag and placed one card on the desk.
It was a simple card with no title, just her name and contact details.
Actually, being an idol, I get these quite often (though I never give them out).
I slipped the card into my skirt pocket.
At least I had her contact details now.
Just taking the card felt a bit awkward, so I asked something else.
“When does the solo exhibition start?”
Yomi-san blinked at my question.
“Are you interested in paintings?”
“Not me, but a classmate of mine.”
The date Yomi-san gave me was still quite a way off.
Well, of course it would be, since she’s only just starting preparations for promotion.
“Would it be alright if I told her the date today? Actually, she’s Shigure-san’s sister.”
“That’s fine. Her sister is Shizuku-chan?”
“Yes.”
So she knew her after all.
“Of course. I’ve met her several times at Ame’s family home, and she’s my student now.”
“Your student?”
“At the art preparatory school where I teach.”
I thought Shizuku was planning to start living alone to attend prep school?
“Eh? Really? I didn’t know that.”
“No way. Ame, Shizuku-chan never told you?”
“No, she didn’t. Actually, she never tells me anything about school or anything.”
“Is that so? She’s such a good, obedient girl, though.”
“Shizuku’s always listened to Runa’s advice, ever since she was little. Yet she never listens to a word I say.”
“I wonder why,” they both chuckled.
Shigure-san’s smile felt slightly different from any I’d seen before.
It was… unpretentious somehow.
Between them, I could see something like a transparent glass pane – something I, as a child, couldn’t penetrate.
Yet Shigure-san’s profile when she smiled was so beautiful it made my heart ache.
“…I’m going home.”
I shovelled the last of my parfait into my mouth and stood up.
“It’s late, be careful.”
Shigure-san’s voice was gentle, but she didn’t try to stop me, didn’t stand up with me, didn’t give me a goodbye kiss.
Well, we were in public.
Not that she ever did that sort of thing anyway.
Stupid, stupid.