Episode 10: A Little Breathing Space
Shiori smiled, satisfied, and gave my hand a gentle pull.
“Come on then.”
She set off with a light step, and I hesitated for just a moment.
But the warmth of her hand felt like it might ease my loneliness, just the smallest fraction, and slowly I started walking too.
We left the classroom and walked side by side down the corridor, dyed gold in the evening light.
Almost no one else was left in the building. It was quiet.
“Hey, Nanase-san — do you have a sweet tooth?”
“…Sweet tooth?”
“Yeah. Like, don’t you find that when you’re worn out, something sweet just picks you up a little?”
I thought about it. Sweet things — I didn’t dislike them.
But before I could answer, what came to mind was the things I’d eaten with Honoka.
“…I don’t know. I don’t think I’ve really paid attention.”
“Is that so. Well, let’s try it out today — just because we can.”
“Try it out?”
“Yeah. We’ll go somewhere and have some nice sweets and clear your head a bit.”
Shiori’s suggestion was lighter than I’d expected — a deliberate attempt to take the pressure off, I could feel it.
“And if it’s no fun, we can just go straight home. No pressure.”
She held my hand and kept walking, looking like she was enjoying herself.
When we stepped outside, the sky had nearly finished darkening, with just a thin strip of sunset left in the west. Shiori led me through the school gate.
“Hey, do you know that café over there?”
Where she was pointing — it was a café I’d been to before, with Honoka.
Through the wide glass windows, warm light glowed inside, and a quiet, settled atmosphere drifted out from it.
“…I came here once. With Honoka.”
“Did you? The sweets here are really good actually. Want to pop in?”
Without waiting for my answer, Shiori pushed the café door open in one easy motion.
Inside, a soft sweetness drifted through the air. The cake display case was lined with sweets of every colour, and gentle music floated quietly through the room.
“So, what do you feel like?”
Shiori picked up a menu and held it out to me. I looked down: a vivid parfait, a simple shortcake, a chocolate cake that looked dense and rich.
“…Hmm.”
“If you can’t decide, shall I choose for you?”
Shiori smiled as she said it.
Her voice was somehow calm, and I felt the tension inside me ease just slightly.
“Then… what do you recommend?”
“Mm, I like the berry tart here. It’s not too sweet — there’s a bit of tartness to it.”
For just a moment, Honoka rose in my mind. Honoka had liked that kind of thing too, I thought — sweets with a fruity sharpness to them.
“…I’ll have that.”
“Nice. Let’s get two of those then.”
Shiori gave the order to the staff and steered me toward a table by the window.
In the calm of the café, I finally let out a long, slow breath.
“This helps a little, doesn’t it. Being somewhere like this.”
Shiori said it quietly.
“…Yeah. Maybe.”
“Time like this matters. Not thinking about anything, just eating something good.”
She smiled as she said it, slow and easy. And somehow, strangely, that smile felt like it was finding its way into me, little by little.