Episode Twelve
“Shigure-san, wake up.”
Consciousness surfaced at the whisper in my ear.
“It’s already half past seven. You’ll be late for work.”
“Mm…”
I slowly opened my eyes.
Before me stood an exceptionally pretty girl.
“Blimey!”
“What?”
“N-nothing. Good morning…”
“Mm. Good morning, Shigure-san. Did you sleep well?”
“…………I did.”
I’d slept like a log. It felt like I’d truly slept holding Merry-san (the stuffed toy). The world seemed just as bright as yesterday, if not brighter.
Wait.
“Did you just say half past seven⁉︎”
“Sorry, Shigure-san, you just wouldn’t wake up.”
“Sorry, that’s entirely my fault! Ibara, school, hang on, uniform?”
“I changed over at my place at dawn.”
Clink. She held up the house key to show me. Come to think of it, I’d left it on the table when I got home. I was being far too careless. I reflected on that.
“Right then. Fancy breakfast? Only got cereal, mind.”
“I suppose I’ll have some.”
“Alrighty.”
I sprang up and washed my face.
I dumped a generous helping of fruit granola into a random bowl and poured milk over it.
As I slurped it down with a spoon, Ibara stared at me with wide eyes.
“…Got a problem with that?”
“Well, I’m just a bit surprised. Shigure-san, you’re surprisingly messy at home, aren’t you?”
“It’s fine. This is what a working adult’s morning looks like. Yesterday was special. It’s been ages since I cooked for myself.”
“Then why did you make it for me?”
“Children have to eat properly. Though today’s a bit of a stretch.”
“Ah, treating me like a child again.”
“Minor.”
We had this exchange yesterday too, didn’t we?
We finished our meal in a flash and left the washing-up to soak in the sink. It’s a faff, but I’ll wash it when I get back.
“Blimey, today’s rubbish day!”
I realised with a start while changing and finishing my make-up.
Carrying the cereal box to the sink, Ibara said casually.
“The burnable stuff, Wednesday, right?”
“Right! Oh no, that’s bad. Next week then…”
“I’ll sort it.”
Ibara offered her empty right hand casually. A small hand, half hidden by her knitted cardigan.
“Wh-what?”
“A spare key. If you lend it to me, I’ll do the washing up and take out the rubbish.”
What?
No, no, no, a key is a bit much. Ah, but this time of year, there are still gnats flying about, so I do want to get rid of the food waste.
“But seriously, will you be okay on time? Won’t you be late for school?”
“No worries, no worries. My school’s timetable starts a bit later.”
“Oh… right… Hmm…!”
After a few seconds’ hesitation, I snapped one dimple key off my keychain.
Placing the gleaming silver key in Ibara’s palm, I looked her in the eye and said.
“Don’t lose it, alright?”
“No worries. I’ll take really good care of it.”
“And make sure you give it back properly.”
“I’ll consider it positively.”
She bent her right arm, the one holding the key, in a limp salute.
This probably means it’s a lost cause. I have a feeling it won’t come back. Maybe I acted too hastily.
Grabbing my handbag, I headed for the front door.
“Right then, I’m off. Take care of the key.”
“Yeah. Have a good trip.”
At the doorway, Ibara in uniform waved her hand small.
How many years had it been since I’d heard “Have a good trip”?
Ibara smiled with sleepy eyes and said, like a bird singing.
“See you tonight at the café.”
†
And so.
Several nights later.
The wind chimes at Sereno Night Café tinkled lightly once more.
“Welcome.”
Master Aki pauses polishing the coffee cups and looks up.
Seated at the counter with just three stools, I order a decaffeinated coffee.
Hmm, today’s special is Hayashi rice, is it? Good. I’ll have that too.
After a short wait, the Hayashi rice arrives on a white plate.
The aroma of red wine and tomatoes, simmered slowly, is irresistible. Thinly sliced beef chuck glistened, coated in a glossy demi-glace sauce. The sweet, caramelised onions and the satisfying crunch of mushrooms added perfect accents.
Mindlessly, spoonful after spoonful went in.
Just as I finished eating, a hot coffee was gently placed before me.
One spoonful of sugar. A swirl of milk.
A satisfying fullness and the sweet, rich aroma of beans begin to unwind the tension in my body, stiff from work stress.
This is truly a sublime moment.
But then—
“Shigure-san!”
An exceptionally pretty, princess-like high school girl barges in.
“Look, look, look! I bought a new mug. Isn’t it cute? I’ll bring it over to your place today, Shigure-san.”
“…Ibara. Listen, about that spare key I gave you the other day—”
“And I bought this too! It’s bath salts that help you relax and sleep well. You only ever take showers, right? I really don’t think that’s good. It’s just plain cold. Let’s have a bath tonight.”
“Ibara.”
“Ah, but if we take turns, we’ll get into bed late, won’t we? Can’t be helped. How about we take one together? Eh, Shigure-san?”
“It’s not ‘eh’. What can’t be helped? I’m not taking one. And Ibara. I’d quite like you to return that spare key now.”
“Why?”
“Because Ibara comes to stay every single day!”
“Waaah!” I screamed. But it didn’t have much effect.
Ibara said, looking utterly bewildered.
“We’re going home together, so keys don’t matter, do they?”
“You’re just tagging along!”
“But I can’t sleep unless I’m with Shigure-san.”
“Well, that’s…”
That might be true.
“Besides, Shigure-san comes to Sereno every day too, doesn’t she?”
“Ugh.”
“Isn’t that for my sake? You come to pick me up, right?”
“Well, it’s not specifically for Ibara’s sake…”
The reason I go to Sereno is because Aki-san’s cooking and the decaffeinated coffee are absolutely superb.
There’s no other reason.
It’s just that when I leave this place, Ibara tags along of her own accord. And I suppose I’m partly to blame for not being able to refuse her.
“And then, how should I put it… this sort of creeping into a relationship isn’t really ideal, is it…”
“Are you the type who wants a proper confession when you start seeing someone, Shigure-san?”
“It’s not about that sort of thing.”
It really isn’t about that sort of thing at all.
“And… well, I don’t really want to bring this up, but there’s breakfast costs and utilities to consider too.”
“Ah, true.”
“So maybe not every day, just when you absolutely can’t sleep… you know?”
“Then I’ll pay. For the accommodation.”
“Eh?”
“Three thousand yen a night, right? So sixty thousand yen for twenty nights should be fine, I suppose?”
“No, no, no. Ibara, you’re a student, you don’t have that kind of money, do you?”
“I do have it?”
Why? Does this laid-back, light-hearted gal look actually hide a rich girl?
Sixty thousand yen? Even for me, in my third year working, that’s a considerable sum.
“Right then, I’ll give you 90,000 yen for the month. PayPay okay?”
“There’s no way I can accept that!”
Bringing a schoolgirl home, sharing a bed with her, and then receiving nearly a 100k yen. It feels like it must break some law. Not sure which one, but probably.
In the end, it was one thousand yen per night. Thirty thousand yen for the month.
I ended up receiving that much as payment for utilities.
Huh?
Also, I didn’t get my spare key back.
…Eh?