Episode Six
Light filtering through my eyelids brought consciousness back to the surface.
…What time is it now?
With the orange indirect lighting switched off, the shop interior looked utterly transformed from its nighttime appearance.
It was as if a spell had been broken.
Gazing up at the stationary ceiling fan, I drew in the crisp, cold air.
The rain had stopped unnoticed, and birdsong reached me from outside the window.
A sense of deep sleep I hadn’t felt in ages. A far more refreshing awakening than I’d expected.
White morning sunlight streamed in through the window—morning sunlight?
Sunlight meant it was already morning… morning.
Morning?
I was wide awake in an instant.
“You’ve got to be kidding me⁉︎”
I snatched my handbag and pulled out my phone to check the time. 16th October, Tuesday. 5:36am.
The word ‘late’ flashed through my mind, oh right, my workplace had a flexitime system. I breathed a sigh of relief.
Right then, I could go home now, remove my make-up, shower, reapply make-up, eat breakfast, get ready… yes, I could make it. I’d be there before core hours.
“Haaah…”
I exhaled a sigh of relief, and only then did I realise.
She wasn’t there. She should have been sleeping close beside me.
“Ibara…?”
Aki-san said the two of them lived here. Had she moved to the living area?
Or was it a scam after all? My handbag was safe, though.
I raised my voice slightly.
“Ibara, where are you? Not here?”
“Here I am?”
“Whoa!”
Suddenly, fluffy hair sprouted.
From behind the counter, near the kitchen.
“Morning, sis.”
I wonder how long she’d been awake. She’d already changed into her loungewear. A fluffy pink thing. The bottoms were shorts length – isn’t she cold in this season? I can’t help but worry.
“Did you sleep properly, sis?”
“…I suppose so.”
“Oh, I see, I see. That’s good, that’s good.”
She grinned, showing her teeth.
Even though she must have removed her make-up, her face was astonishingly beautiful. Bathed in the morning sun, her skin and hair sparkled.
Even though she was younger and the same sex, I found myself almost mesmerised.
At the same time, I was startled by her casual, unguarded display of her loungewear. After all, this shop had no curtains on its windows. Even this early in the morning, I worried about being seen.
Unaware of my concerns, Ibara stretched her arms wide and said,
“It’s a bit early, but fancy breakfast? She said we could help ourselves to the frozen bread and such.”
Ah, so that’s why she was in the kitchen area.
She’d been scouting for prey.
“Ibara, you’re actually quite good at cooking?”
“Quite good? What do you mean? I’m pretty good at things like toasting bread in the toaster.”
Just as I expected.
“…Alright. Let me see.”
I got up and went behind the counter.
Huh, I thought. So this is what it looks like behind the counter of a coffee shop.
A large sink, a two-ring hob. A silver commercial refrigerator and a barista machine. A coffee siphon resembling a beaker and round-bottom flask, countless coffee cups and glasses.
It felt like seeing backstage, which was rather fun.
“Master… where’s Aki-san?”
“Still asleep. She’s a typical night owl. Well, you couldn’t run a night-time café otherwise, could you?”
“True…”
I suppose so.
Still, is it really alright to just use this freely?
…Hmm. Well, I suppose I’ll just have to trust Ibara on this.
Opening the fridge, I found chilled sunflower lettuce. Then, ham in a Tupperware container. Eggs. Sliced cheese. Onions. Ketchup and mayonnaise. Grainy mustard.
“Ibara, could you bake some bread? Two slices.”
“Leave it to me.”
Beside the sink sat a box of disposable gloves. I slipped them onto both hands and plucked a couple of bright green leaves.
I drizzled oil into the frying pan and cracked in an egg. When ready, I flipped it over and cooked both sides thoroughly. In the empty space, I fried some ham too.
Meanwhile, I lightly sautéed sliced onion in butter. I poured in hot water and crumbled in a stock cube with my fingers.
“Big sis, the toast’s ready.”
“Thanks.”
I spread a little mayonnaise, ketchup, and grain mustard onto the toasted bread, then placed drained lettuce on top. I added the fried egg, ham, and cheese, then sandwiched it with another slice of toast.
A simplified clubhouse sandwich and onion soup.
“…It’s ready, but—”
Placing the dishes on the counter, Ibara’s eyes lit up.
“Eh? Can I eat this too?”
“Of course you can.”
Truth be told, I made something proper because she was here.
As Ibara sat down, she murmured quietly.
“When was the last time I had a proper breakfast?”
“What do you usually have?”
“Bread.”
“Anything else?”
“Anything else?”
Oh dear… growing up…
“Ah, I do spread butter on it.”
Calling it parental neglect might be harsh.
Frankly, I don’t even understand why she lives with her cousin away from her parents.
Should I say something? But then again, I suppose I felt much the same during my own student days. When did I start paying attention to meals?
“Let’s eat, big sis.”
She gives a goofy smile. I’m hopelessly weak for that face.
We sit facing each other at the table.
I take a moment to think.
What on earth is this situation?
In a café I’d never even been to before, sleeping next to a high school girl I only met yesterday, waking up, making breakfast, eating it.
What on earth am I doing on a weekday morning?
“This sandwich is delicious!”
“…I’m glad.”
She eats so deliciously, this girl. Her expressions are rich and adorable.
Though those puffy, dark-circled eyes remain half-closed the whole time.
“Um, can I ask you something?”
“What is it, big sis?”
“Did you sleep properly last night?”
“Yeah. I slept. I slept. I slept like a log!”
She says this, holding up three fingers.
“Only three hours?”
“No, no. Three hours, I mean.”
Three hours doesn’t really count as ‘only’, does it?
“I can’t even remember the last time I slept this well. It must be months.”
“…I see.”
Should I say ‘I’m glad’?
Looking closely, the dark circles under Ibara’s eyes seemed… perhaps just a little lighter than yesterday.
She certainly looked more lively. So that was good.
“It’s all thanks to you, big sis.”
“I didn’t do anything.”
“You slept with me, didn’t you?”
“That’s all.”
“That’s enough.”
Ibara wiped the sauce from the corner of her mouth with her finger.
“That’s enough. Because I got to sleep, you see.”
Beneath her long lashes, a thin, transparent film glistened.
“You’ve no idea how happy I am right now. How deeply grateful I am to God. You probably can’t even begin to understand, can you?”
Even if she said that…
…well, it’s awkward.
If someone you’d just found a wallet for started crying, anyone would feel awkward. It’s that sort of feeling.
Is this what they call feeling “embarrassed”?
By the time breakfast was finished, it was past half past six.
“I’ll be heading back soon. I’ve got work today.”
“Right. I’ll take care of the tidying up.”
Taking her handbag, she rose from her seat.
Her steps towards the café entrance felt just a little heavier.
Was it because going to work was depressing?
That was part of it.
But surely, it wasn’t just that.
The feeling tugging at her heartstrings right now…
“Big Sis”
She turned around.
Sunlight streamed through the window, dazzlingly illuminating the morning café.
“I’m usually here after school. I’d be really happy if you came again. Really, really happy.”
“…Ibara?”
“So I’ll wait. I’ll wait forever.”
Her eyes remained half-open as she smiled softly.
“Work hard, okay? Off you go, big sister.”