Episode Seventy-Three
“Do you think I’m disliked?”
“I sort of feel like I am…”
A week later.
I was complaining to Aki-san, the solitary beauty who runs the night café Sereno.
Today’s daily special was a smart little one-plate lunch.
Two small, barrel-shaped hamburgers, a quiche with bacon and spinach. A salad with pale purple five-grain rice and onion dressing, accompanied by a potage soup.
“Sisters not getting along? That’s hardly unusual. Aren’t you overthinking it?”
“But we used to be so close.”
I split one hamburger steak in half and took a bite.
The demi-glace sauce – meat juices reduced with red wine and ketchup – paired perfectly with the coarsely ground beef. It was a satisfyingly dense, meat-packed patty.
Even at times like this, Aki-san’s cooking was delicious.
“Well, when they’re children, yes. Once adolescence hits, all sorts of things happen, don’t they?”
“That’s true… but still…”
“Any idea what might have triggered her dislike?”
“Not particularly. But maybe I just haven’t noticed.”
I suppose hurting people often happens without us realising.
“Hmm”, Aki-san said, crossing her arms.
“When did things start feeling awkward?”
“Hmm, around when I started job hunting, I suppose… Things weren’t going well in Tokyo, so there was a period when I was interviewing at design firms back home.”
Even as a designer, you can’t win solely on the strength of your portfolio.
Ultimately, what matters in the working world is communication skills, and back then, I was spectacularly failing at that.
The frustration of not securing offers as I’d hoped, coupled with comparing myself to others—especially since it was around the time Runa started thriving—meant I often let my irritation show.
“…Maybe she was disillusioned by seeing her useless older sister?”
“If that were the case, I doubt she’d deliberately choose the same path.”
“I suppose so…”
I don’t know.
Ultimately, I know nothing about Shizuku.
Even though we’re the only two sisters.
And now, I even feel like she’s rejecting any attempts to understand her.
“—Well then, shall I go and investigate for you?”
“Whoa!”
Ibara poked her head out from under the counter.
When had she come down from upstairs? I’d been so engrossed in the conversation I hadn’t noticed at all.
“Aki-chan, I fancy something to drink too.”
“Mint, camomile, or rosehip?”
“Hmm… mint.”
Beyond the counter, Aki-san began preparing the tea.
“Ibara, what about the investigation?”
“Starting tomorrow, I’m a third-year.”
Right.
Come to think of it, she’d mentioned that since there’s only one arts class, she’d inevitably be in the same year as Shizuku.
“I think there are things you can’t tell your family, but you can tell your friends or classmates.”
That might be true, I suppose.
“But honestly, I’m just curious what kind of person she is. Shigure-san’s sister.”
“Is that… because she’s my sister?”
“That too, but seriously, isn’t it amazing? Transferring schools and living alone for the entrance exams.”
“True.”
Without pausing her hands, Aki-san agreed.
“Chasing a dream, leaving home to come to Tokyo. Sounds like a story I’ve heard somewhere before. Might you get along?”
Come to think of it, Ibara had also come to Tokyo to become an idol. And that was back in middle school.
In terms of drive, both of them are far more powerful than me. I couldn’t possibly imitate them.
Ibara leaned in close, grinning like a cat.
“Hey, hey, what would you do, Shigure-san? What if I ended up becoming really good friends with Shizuku-chan?”
“Eh? …Congratulations? Thank you?”
Ibara stumbled.
“No, that’s not it!”
“Eh?”
What?
“Well, Shigure-san, you might not know this, but I like your face. Not just your face, mind you.”
“Ah, thank you. I like your face too, Ibara.”
“Eh, really? Yay! No, wait, that’s not what I meant—”
“Mm?”
“So… your faces are similar, right? Yours and Shizuku-chan’s.”
“Our faces are similar, but our overall vibe is totally different. Even our hairstyles.”
“We’re talking about faces right now.”
“Right.”
“Similar?”
“To some extent…”
Well, we are sisters.
“Then I probably like Shizuku-chan’s face too. I’d end up liking it, wouldn’t I?”
Giving me a “come on, don’t you have something to say?” look, Ibara creeps closer with a suggestive upturned glance.
“Um, be nice to my little sister…?”
“You idiot, Shigure-san.”
Why?
“Ugh… It’s always Shigure-san who seems so calm and collected…”
She mutters, grumbling like she’s complaining. I haven’t the foggiest what she’s on about.
Haa, Ibara exhales a sigh tinged with resignation.
“Ah well. Anyway, I’ll go talk to Shizuku-chan. She must be nervous transferring here alone. I’ll ask her what she thinks of Shigure-san too.”
“Ibara…”
What a good girl. Just as Ibara said, Shizuku must be anxious too, even if she puts on a brave face.
In a classroom all by herself, there’s nothing more welcome than a female classmate who actively comes to talk to her.
But then, Ibara pouted.
“Just so you know, I won’t be responsible if I accidentally get too friendly.”
“B-bleh—” Ibara stuck out her tiny tongue.
What did that mean? I failed to ask.