Chapter ５

 

 

 

 

 

The next day after school.

 

 

 

The temperature hadn’t risen much since the morning, and it was freezing cold. Even the sky was cloudy and covered with black clouds, and it looked like it would start raining at any moment.

 

 

 

But no matter how good or bad the weather was, she would still be waiting for me.

 

 

 

After class, as usual, Kirinomiya-senpai was waiting to ambush me in front of my classroom.

 

 

 

She stood there with her jet-black hair fluttering and her eyes glittering strangely.

 

 

 

I gave up, and as soon as I left the classroom, I waved my hand at her and ran over to her.

 

 

 

 

 

[I’m sorry, I kept you waiting.]

 

 

 

 

 

Even though Kirinomiya-senpai is in a higher grade than me, she always finishes her classes early.

 

 

 

I’m not sure if it’s her homeroom teacher’s policy or if Kirinomiya-senpai is escaping on her own, but if she’s waiting for me with such high expectations, I can’t ignore her.

 

 

 

Kirinomiya-senpai smiled unusually radiantly and brushed her own hair away in embarrassment. {TLN: sus}

 

 

 

 

 

[No, I don’t mind at all. I’ve just arrived too.]

 

 

 

[I see. Well, shall we go?]

 

 

 

 

 

She twined her fingers ecstatically.

 

 

 

[I’ve been looking forward to meeting you after school since yesterday. So much so that I could hardly sleep. Today, Takatsukasa won’t be here, and I’m going to make sure you stay with me until the end!]

 

 

 

 

 

She walked happily down the hallway, and I followed her like a loyal dog.

 

 

 

Listening to our conversation would make someone think that we were about to go on a date, but what we were going to do, was going to the house of Okabe Suzu, a girl who was bullied by Amase Ayano and became a truant. It was rare to have an unexciting plan like that for a date.

 

 

 

However, I’ve come this far so I’ll follow her to the end. I don’t have the right to refuse anyway.

 

 

 

 

 

[But you don’t know where Okabe-san lives, right?]

 

 

 

[Be at ease, shounen. It’s nothing to be worried about.]

 

 

 

 

 

I’m not really worried about anything.

 

 

 

 

 

[I already took care of acquiring Okabe Suzu’s address.]

 

 

 

[Seriously?]

 

 

 

 

 

If the name and the school the person goes to is known, it’s easy to find out their address for Kirinomiya-senpai.

 

 

 

If this person was ever to go after me, it would be impossible for me to escape.

 

 

 

 

 

□

 

 

 

 

 

Okabe Suzu’s house was located in a quiet residential area about a fifteen minute walk from the shopping district.

 

 

 

When we arrived at the address that Kirinomiya-senpai had found, there was indeed a house with the nameplate “Okabe” on it.

 

 

 

It was a cozy two-story house, but it had a somewhat gloomy atmosphere, perhaps because it was surrounded by buildings, or perhaps because the weather was not good today. Or maybe it was the ivy growing on the gray walls that made it look dark. Or maybe it was the grayish-brown color of the roof that made the air seem heavy.

 

 

 

Kirinomiya-senpai seemed to be in a good mood and tapped me on the shoulder.

 

 

 

 

 

[Well, we’ve arrived, shounen. All that’s left is to press that button over there!]

 

 

 

[So why are you making me do it?!]

 

 

 

 

 

Kirinomiya-senpai is always pushing me to do troublesome things.

 

 

 

There was no point in standing around in front of the house forever, so I reluctantly rang the doorbell.

 

 

 

The doorbell rang several times, but there was no sign of anyone answering.

 

 

 

 

 

[Hmmm, are they not home?]

 

 

 

 

 

Kirinomiya-senpai didn’t seem convinced.

 

 

 

 

 

[Didn’t Okabe Suzu become a truant? If so, even if no one else is here, she alone is supposed to still be at home. I’m sure she’s staying indoors and just playing games.]

 

 

 

[No, even Okabe-san would go outside sometimes, right?]

 

 

 

 

 

I don’t know what kind of certainty she had, but after saying that, Kirinomiya-senpai hit the doorbell repeatedly like an idiot.

 

 

 

Ping pong ping pong ping pong, the ringtone was played over and over again.

 

 

 

 

 

[Please stop, you’re only being an annoyance!]

 

 

 

 

 

Kirinomiya-senpai didn’t listen to my words, and continued to press the doorbell while arguing with me.

 

 

 

 

 

[It won’t be annoying if no one’s there! If it’s annoying, it will only be if there’s someone pretending not to be home!]

 

 

 

How absurd. My head is starting to hurt.

 

 

 

However, Kirinomiya-senpai’s ping-pong attack was answered, and after a while, the faint voice of a girl came back from the intercom.

 

 

 

 

 

[…Who the hell are you people? What do you want?]

 

 

 

 

 

Her voice was low, a mixture of anger and fright.

 

 

 

A normal person would be frightened if the doorbell was suddenly pressed so many times.

 

 

 

 

 

[See, she’s still here.]

 

 

 

 

 

I beg of you, let’s apologize for the time being.

 

 

 

 

 

[I’m sorry for being so noisy. Um, are you Okabe Suzu-san?]

 

 

 

 

 

When I asked that,she replied in an even grumpier tone.

 

 

 

 

 

[That’s right, but who are you? I don’t have plans to meet anyone.]

 

 

 

 

 

Then the call was cut off with a bang.

 

 

 

I appealed to Kirinomiya-senpai with my eyes, “What do you want to do?”

 

 

 

Then Kirinomiya-senpai rang the doorbell again, persistently.

 

 

 

 

 

[Kirinomiya-senpai…]

 

 

 

[I’m not leaving here until that woman comes out.]

 

 

 

 

 

I don’t have the strength to stop her anymore, and I feel weak. It’s just an annoyance.

 

 

 

It was probably about the time that Kirinomiya-senpai had been ringing the doorbell for a long time.

 

 

 

As one would expect, Okabe-san’s voice was heard over the machine again, as if she couldn’t take it anymore.

 

 

 

 

 

[What are you guys doing? Do you really want me to call the police?]

 

 

 

 

 

Kirinomiya-senpai stuck to the intercom and shouted. The camera on the other end of the line would probably be able to see a very amusing picture.

 

 

 

 

 

[Do you know that Amase Ayano is dead?]

 

 

 

 

 

When she asked that question, the temperature of Okabe-san’s voice changed.

 

 

 

 

 

[…Dead?]

 

 

 

 

 

Apparently, she was interested in the death of Amase Ayano.

 

 

 

 

 

[Yes. Didn’t you know?]

 

 

 

 

 

When I replied, it became quiet and there was no reply.

 

 

 

 

 

[Um, Okabe-san? Hello?]

 

 

 

 

 

Huh, did it get cut off again?

 

 

 

Kirinomiya-senpai rolled up her sleeves, stiffly pursed her lips, and started pointing her index finger.

 

 

 

 

 

[If you don’t come out, I’ll ring your doorbell until you do, cuckoo!] {TLN: special thanks to ucali}

 

 

 

[Like I said, you’ve done enough! You’re just being too annoying! And the cuckoo is irrelevant to this!]

 

 

 

 

 

While we were arguing with each other, the front door suddenly opened with a clank.

 

 

 

Then through the opening of the door, a pale face with a sharp glare appeared.

 

 

 

I was so surprised that I lost my words for a moment.

 

 

 

The way she appeared was like something out of a horror movie, but apparently she was Okabe Suzu-san.

 

 

 

Kirinomiya-senpai didn’t seem at all perturbed and asked her a question.

 

 

 

 

 

[Are you finally interested in hearing what we have to say?]

 

 

 

 

 

Okabe-san glared at us for a while with a face like a wax doll, and then opened the door slowly.

 

 

 

 

 

[…You can come in.]

 

 

 

 

 

She left it at that, and quickly disappeared upstairs.

 

 

 

 

 

[She told us we could come in.]

 

 

 

[Hmm, well then, pardon our intrusion.]

 

 

 

 

 

Without hesitation, Kirinomiya-senpai stepped into Okabe-san’s house.

 

 

 

She left her shoes neatly lined up at the entrance and walked up the stairs. She’s usually chaotic, but she’s a lady in this kind of situation. She was just repeatedly going pingpong though.

 

 

 

 

 

[Please wait, I’m coming in too.]

 

 

 

 

 

I was about to be left behind, so I impatiently took off my shoes.

 

 

 

The inside of the house was even dimmer and darker than it looked from the outside. I wondered why it was so dark. Even though the lights were on, I felt as if I had wandered into a dense forest. I wonder if Kirinomiya-senpai isn’t scared.

 

 

 

There were several rooms on the second floor, but the door to the farthest room was slightly ajar.

 

 

 

Apparently, that was Okabe-san’s room.

 

 

 

The rest of the family seemed to be out, and there was no sign of anyone but her.

 

 

 

 

 

[Excuse us.]

 

 

 

 

 

Kirinomiya-senpai gallantly opened the door to the room.

 

 

 

Then, the girl from earlier was in the back of the room. The room was dark, probably because the curtains were closed, and only the computer display near the window was unnaturally bright.

 

 

 

Okabe-san was sitting on the floor, fixedly staring at us as if she was cautious. I thought she was a ghost.

 

 

 

That was the first time I saw her appearance clearly.

 

 

 

Okabe-san was restlessly chewing on her own fingernails.

 

 

 

I wonder if she doesn’t usually go out much. She didn’t seem to be paying much attention to her appearance. Her hair was dry and lusterless, and had grown to her waist. It’s not that she purposely let her hair grow long, it’s more like she didn’t bother to go to the hairdresser so she just let it grow long. Her bangs covered most of her face so it was hard to see her expression, her face was pale and only her eyes looked big. Her cheeks were slightly deflated, as if she was thin, and it was extremely hard to say that she was healthy. There were dark circles under her eyes, as if she hadn’t slept much. She was wearing a worn-out sweatshirt. Maybe these clothes were her pajamas. On top of that, there was a large piece of gauze haphazardly stuck to her face, as if she had been injured.

 

 

 

 

 

[Um, did you get hurt? I thought your face looked painful.]

 

 

 

 

 

When I asked her, she replied whisperingly in an indifferent tone.

 

 

 

 

 

[Not really, I just fell.]

 

 

 

 

 

Unable to say anything else, I quietly observed the room.

 

 

 

There was a tall bookshelf in the room, which was stuffed to the brim with manga. Next to the bookshelf was a desktop computer which seemed to have a game playing on it just a while ago, with an RPG style city and several avatars that seemed to be players displayed on the screen.

 

 

 

The floor was littered with trash from snacks, finished plastic bottles, manga magazines, and stripped clothes. It didn’t look that filthy, but the whole place was a mess. I guess it can’t be helped that we barged in so suddenly.

 

 

 

Since I didn’t want to just stand there, I sat down on the spot.

 

 

 

There was a low table in front of me, and I was facing Okabe-san across it.

 

 

 

The glare in Okabe-san’s eyes shifted to me, and she snappingly asked.

 

 

 

 

 

[So, is it true that Amase Ayano is dead?]

 

 

 

 

 

She looked immensely curious.

 

 

 

 

 

[Yes, two days ago, her body was found at school.]

 

 

 

 

 

She seemed terribly surprised. Didn’t she know about the incident?

 

 

 

 

 

[Haven’t you seen it on the news?]

 

 

 

[I haven’t watched TV for a few days.]

 

 

 

 

 

As soon as she said that, Okabe Suzu laughed in a high-pitched, happy voice. I couldn’t help but back away from her creepy laugh, as if she were a witch.

 

 

 

She covered her face with her hands and shivered with joy.

 

 

 

 

 

[I see, she’s dead… dead, dead, dead!]

 

 

 

 

 

She expressed her joy so straightforwardly that I am baffled.

 

 

 

Okabe-san’s eyes lit up brightly as she asked.

 

 

 

 

 

[Hey, how did she die?]

 

 

 

 

 

Her eyes, which seemed to be downcast, glittered with anticipation.

 

 

 

I was a little perplexed about how much to say, but I decided to give a brief summary of the incident.

 

 

 

 

 

[Her body was found the day after she was murdered, and it was only her head that was there, sitting on top of a desk. Her body had been severed and taken away, and it wasn’t there…]

 

 

 

 

 

As I replied, Okabe suddenly slammed the table with a powerful thud.

 

 

 

I was so startled that my heart almost jumped out of my chest

 

 

 

And then she bursted into laughter, her loud voice echoing throughout the room.

 

 

 

 

 

[AHAHAHAHA, serves you right! If you do things that make people resent you, that’s the way of death you get!]

 

 

 

Her hearty laughter reverberated throughout the room.

 

 

 

She started shaking with laughter, and then she started biting her nails hard, making a cracking sound. A little blood oozed from her fingertips.

 

 

 

She’s too emotionally unstable.

 

 

 

On the other hand, Kirinomiya-senpai was surprisingly calm and unconcerned. I’m sure that even if the person in front of her suddenly died, that blank expression would not change.

 

 

 

I tried to determine whether Okabe-san’s extreme attitude was an act or her true intention. If she was the culprit in the murder case, there must be something unnatural about her.

 

 

 

With that in mind, I observed her for a while, but since I didn’t know Okabe-san while she was normal, I didn’t get much out of it.

 

 

 

Perhaps tired of keeping silent, Kirinomiya-senpai opened her mouth.

 

 

 

 

 

[So, I wanted to ask you if you were involved in the incident. Where and what were you doing at

 

around six o’clock in the evening on the day of the incident?]

 

 

 

 

 

Okabe-san snickered at Kirinomya-senpai, laughing scornfully as if making fun of her.

 

 

 

 

 

[I was at home playing games, as usual. Don’t tell me I’m a suspect?]

 

 

 

 

 

Kirinomiya-senpai nodded calmly.

 

 

 

 

 

[You must have harbored a strong grudge against Amase Ayano. You have the motives, so the possibility of you being the culprit is already plenty.]

 

 

 

 

 

Okabe shouted as she slammed his fist down on the table again.

 

 

 

 

 

[There’s no way I killed her! If I wanted to kill her in the first place, I would’ve done it before I became a truant!]

 

 

 

Her tone was rough, but she certainly seemed to have a point. It’s been over two years since she stopped going to school. It would be strange to kill Amase Ayano after all this time. If she did it now, she must have had a recent incident that made her resentful. Maybe Amase-san got in touch with her, maybe there were more interactions between the two even after she became a truant, or maybe something happened that she couldn’t put up with anymore…

 

 

 

Okabe-san exhaled heavily as if she was agitated, and kept pounding on the table over and over again like a broken robot.

 

 

 

 

 

[I don’t have something like an alibi! I’ve been cooped up in my house all day! I’m home all the time, unless I have something special to do, which I don’t!]

 

 

 

Her breathing was getting more and more ragged, and I was beginning to worry that her blood pressure would rise and she would collapse.

 

 

 

As usual, Kirinomiya-senpai seemed to be unconcerned and continued to talk nonchalantly.

 

 

 

 

 

[I see, so there’s nothing to prove your alibi.]

 

 

 

[Proof… proof? There’s no way there’d be something like that! I’ve just been playing games all morning in this room! Today, yesterday, the day before, and for many days, always the same!]

 

 

 

 

 

Then she stood up suddenly, walked over to the computer, and clicked the mouse.

 

 

 

 

 

[No, wait! I’ve been in the game since morning, the chat logs are still there. That’s right, isn’t this fine as an alibi!?]

 

 

 

 

 

The screen she pointed out to me showed the contents of an intermittent conversation she had with other players of the game from nine in the morning to about six in the evening three days ago. By the way, Kirinomiya-senpai, who is not familiar with the Internet, had no idea what she was talking about.

 

 

 

I skimmed through the contents and tilted my head in contemplation.

 

 

 

 

 

[Hmm, it’s true that there is a record of the time of the crime and the chatting. But isn’t this kind of thing something that can be created by machines?　And there’s no way to verify if it was Okabe-san who actually typed the words or not.]

 

 

 

[What do you want me to do then?]

 

 

 

She lashed out.

 

 

 

 

 

In fact, I don’t really know if Okabe-san is suspicious either.

 

 

 

There probably is a way to set the time of the crime and prepare the chat logs in advance, but it would be difficult. If there is a mobile version of this game, it would be possible to write from a cell phone at the scene of a crime, but it would be impossible to do such a detailed investigation without the help of a provider or telecommunication company. However, if she was the culprit, she would have at least thought of an alibi for the day of the incident.

 

 

 

Anyway, I wanted to calm her down, so I looked around the room to change the subject.

 

 

 

There was a dusty photo frame hidden behind a stack of books.

 

 

 

Apparently, it was a picture of Okabe-san and her friend when they were at school. In the photo, Okabe-san was an incredibly normal girl.

 

 

 

The photo seemed to be taken when she had just entered Eirin.Wearing a brand new, slightly larger high school blazer, a pure white shirt and a blue tie, she was smiling bashfully next to her friend. Behind them was a picture of a cherry blossom tree.

 

 

 

The Okabe-san in front of me now seems to be quite an eccentric girl, but that’s just because she was bullied by Amase Ayano, and she was originally a girl who could smile sweetly like this.

 

 

 

 

 

[It’s a nice picture.]

 

 

 

 

 

As I stood up and muttered this to myself as I tried to get the photo frame, Okabe-san raised herself up and snatched it away from me with tremendous speed.

 

 

 

 

 

[Don’t look at it without permission!]

 

 

 

 

 

She gasped hoarsely like a wounded beast and shouted at me so loudly that the windows chattered and shook.

 

 

 

 

 

[Listen up, if you’re done with your business here, get the hell out!]

 

 

 

[Y-yes, excuse us.]

 

 

 

 

 

It seemed that she was in a bad mood because I looked at her photos without permission.

 

 

 

I tried to cheer her up, but once Okabe-san got into a bad mood, she wouldn’t forgive me.

 

 

 

We were chased out the front door and the door was locked tightly.

 

 

 

I scratched my head and wondered.

 

 

 

 

 

[Hmm, was it so bad that I saw the pictures?]

 

 

 

 

 

Then Kirinomiya-senpai exhaled in astonishment.

 

 

 

 

 

[What are you talking about. It wasn’t the fact that her pictures were seen,rather it was her connection with that girl, that she didn’t like being known.]

 

 

 

[Eh? That girl…]

 

 

 

 

 

‘Does Kirinomiya-senpai really not understand?’ was probably written all over my face.

 

 

 

 

 

[We met her the other day, didn’t we? The one in the photo next to Okabe Suzu is Sudou Ryouko.]

 

 

 

[Eh!? Really!? I didn’t notice it at all.]

 

 

 

I couldn’t believe that the simple looking girl in the photo was the same person as the flamboyant looking Sudou-san now. Maybe it was because she wore very little makeup in the photo taken just after she entered the school.

 

 

 

However, when I remembered that, the parts of her face were indeed the same. My image of her had changed quite a bit.

 

 

 

Okabe Suzu who stopped going to school after being bullied by Amase Ayano. And Sudou Ryouko, who seems to have been a friend of Okabe Suzu. Furthermore, Sudou-san was very close to Amase Ayano.

 

 

 

I don’t think this is just a coincidence.

 

 

 

If so, then what could this mean?

 

 

 

□

 

 

 

After leaving Okabe-san’s house, Kirinomiya-senpai was lost in thought as we walked through the residential area.

 

 

 

 

 

[As I thought, that girl was being suspicious. I wanted to investigate her a bit longer, but she seemed to be in a bad mood.]

 

 

 

 

 

At the moment she said that, a drop of water fell from the sky.

 

 

 

I looked up at the sky carefree, wondering if it was raining, but what started out as a trickle suddenly became a heavy downpour in a matter of minutes.

 

 

 

The asphalt smelled of rain and turned darker and darker.In the meantime, it was pouring down like an overturned bucket. To make matters worse, there were roars of lightning.

 

 

 

Despite the sudden onset of heavy rain, Kirinomiya-senpai didn’t seem to be in any particular hurry, and just stared blankly up at the sky.

 

 

 

 

 

[Oh, did the forecast say it was going to rain today?]

 

 

 

[Anyway, let’s take shelter from the rain somewhere! Oh, look, there’s a coffee shop right there!]

 

 

 

 

 

I found a small coffee shop a few minutes walk from Okabe-san’s house.

 

 

 

 

 

[Let’s go inside until the rain stops!]

 

 

 

 

 

I lightly pulled Kirinomiya-senpai’s arm and forcibly leaped into the nearby coffee shop.

 

 

 

In a quiet street lined with houses, there was an old coffee shop that seemed to be hiding in plain sight. It was made of brick and even had a chimney, giving it a rather stylish atmosphere. I guessed it was not a chain store, but a privately owned store.

 

 

 

This is the first time I’ve been to this restaurant, as it’s not in my area of activity.

 

 

 

When I opened the door, I heard the tinkling sound of a bell.

 

 

 

As I entered the building, I could still hear a little rain. It was cloudy, so I thought it would start raining sooner or later, and I hoped I could get home before it started, but I didn’t expect it to rain so hard so suddenly.

 

 

 

The inside of the restaurant was lit by orange lights, with relaxing jazz music playing in the background, creating a calm atmosphere.

 

 

 

Maybe it was the heavy rain, or maybe it was the time of day, but there seemed to be no customers except for us.

 

 

 

I don’t come to coffee shops very often, and when I do, it’s only at chain stores, so I was a little nervous about the calm atmosphere.

 

 

 

However, Kirinomiya-senpai doesn’t care about such things. She quickly walked to the back of the store by herself.

 

 

 

The store was filled with the delicious aroma of coffee beans. It had been a while since I’d had a good cup of coffee. I was secretly excited. The air-conditioning was warm, and my body, which had been chilled by the rain, was slowly relaxing.

 

 

 

As I was wondering if anyone was around, I was welcomed by the master at the counter. He was dressed in a black bow tie, apron and white shirt, just like a coffee shop master. I was a little relieved to see that he was a slim, gentle-looking man with a beard.

 

 

 

With an amiable smile, the master offered me a towel he had taken from the back.

 

 

 

 

 

[It must be hard since it rained so suddenly. You can use it if you like.]

 

 

 

[Excuse us, it’s very helpful. Ah, but the floor and chairs might get wet.]

 

 

 

[It’s okay, I don’t think there will be any other customers today.]

 

 

 

 

 

I made a small bow and sat down on a box seat by the window at the far end of the room.

 

 

 

Kirinomiya-senpai, who was sitting ahead of me, was quietly looking out the window.

 

 

 

The raindrops ran through her long hair. And her uniform was dripping wet. It was a little difficult to find a spot to look at her.

 

{TLN: no illust for this damn you author}

 

 

 

 

 

[I hope it will stop soon.]

 

 

 

[If it doesn’t stop, I’ll ask the people at my house to send a car.]

 

 

 

 

 

When I heard those words, I felt sorry.

 

 

 

 

 

[I’m sorry, but it would be better if Kirinomiya-senpai went home first like that. If you don’t, you might catch a cold.]

 

 

 

 

 

When I said that, she smiled softly.

 

 

 

 

 

[What, isn’t it elegant to sometimes take shelter from the rain in a coffee shop. I don’t dislike stores with this kind of atmosphere.]

 

 

 

 

 

I looked out the window and saw that it was still raining hard. Raindrops pattered against the glass, bursting and streaming down.

 

 

 

I held out the towel I borrowed from Master to Kirinomiya-senpai.

 

 

 

 

 

[Kirinomiya-senpai, if you don’t wipe your head, you’ll catch a cold.]

 

 

 

 

 

However, Kirinomiya-senpai seems to be more concerned about the case than her own wetness.

 

 

 

She placed her elbows on the desk, propped her face on them, and pondered with a serious expression.

 

 

 

 

 

[I don’t think that Okabe girl is unrelated to the case. I’m curious about her relationship with Sudou Ryouko. Speaking of Sudou Ryouko, that boy called Mizuwaki was also interested in the case. That’s a little suspicious.]

 

 

 

[Aren’t they all suspicious?]

 

 

 

 

 

She doesn’t even seem to have me in her line of sight, so I get up and roughly wipe her head.

 

 

 

Then I squeezed the towel against her face.

 

 

 

After a few seconds had passed, Kirinomiya-senpai finally noticed that I was pressing the towel against her face, then she moved my hand away and shivered slightly.

 

 

 

 

 

[…Hey, shounen, I can’t breathe.]

 

 

 

[If you don’t even realize you’re getting wet, it’s no wonder you can’t breathe.]

 

 

 

 

 

Kirinomiya-senpai reluctantly took the towel and wiped the moisture out of her long, wet, feather-colored hair.

 

 

 

 

 

[So, I think that the girl was the culprit, but what do you think?]

 

 

 

 

 

I pondered for a moment, then lowered my eyes and tried to sort out the events that happened today.

 

 

 

 

 

[That’s right. I do think that she’s suspicious, but she did have the chat records left over from the day of the incident on her computer, of course there’s the possibility that she intentionally saved it to use as an alibi, but besides that, what I’m more concerned about Okabe-san is…]

 

 

 

 

 

I was about to say something, when I suddenly held my tongue midway through.

 

 

 

I felt the presence of a person nearby.

 

 

 

It seems that Kirinomiya-senpai felt the same.

 

 

 

The two of us turned our heads to the side in unison.

 

 

 

Then I saw a man with long bangs standing quietly right next to our seats. I wondered how long he had been standing there. I hadn’t noticed him at all.

 

 

 

Perhaps it’s because I couldn’t see his expression because it was hidden by his hair, but he had a damp atmosphere about him. I’ve encountered a lot of people with long bangs today.

 

 

 

He was silent, overlooking us.

 

 

 

As I stiffened up, he murmured in a low voice.

 

 

 

 

 

[…Your order?]

 

 

 

 

 

For a moment I couldn’t make out what he said. As I was in a daze, he repeated his words.

 

 

 

 

 

[…Your order.]

 

 

 

 

 

His gruff voice startled me, and I ruminated on the words he had said.

 

 

 

 

 

Order?

 

 

 

Ah, the order.

 

 

 

I hurriedly unfolded the menu.

 

 

 

Oh right, an employee. He was dressed in a shirt and a black apron, and there didn’t seem to be anyone else in the store, so I guessed he was an employee, but for some reason he didn’t look like an employee. Perhaps it was the gloomy atmosphere he created, but I even thought he was the Grim Reaper who had suddenly appeared.

 

 

 

 

 

[Err, I’ll have a blend. Senpai, what would you like?]

 

 

 

[Then I’ll have a café au lait.]

 

 

 

[… Please wait for a while.]

 

 

 

 

 

After muttering in a muffled voice, he walked toward the counter without a smile.

 

 

 

He’s a very unfriendly person, isn’t he? The eyes behind his long bangs were sharp, and he had an angry expression on his face the whole time.

 

 

 

I couldn’t see his whole face because of the long bangs, but he looked surprisingly young. Maybe he was about the same age as us.

 

 

 

I muttered to myself as I gazed outside where it had become completely dark.

 

 

 

 

 

[By the way, Kirinomiya-senpai, is this time alright? Did you have dinner plans or something?]

 

 

 

[I don’t have any plans today, so it’s no problem. I’ve already told Takatsukasa not to pick me up.]

 

 

 

[Don’t you have a curfew?]

 

 

 

[There is nothing like that.]

 

 

 

[Eh, is that so? That’s unexpected for a young lady.]

 

 

 

[I used to be told to always be in touch, but I don’t do that anyway.]

 

 

 

 

 

That’s for sure. No matter how tightly you lock her up, Kirinomiya-senpai is likely to slip out like a carefree cat and leave before you know it.

 

 

 

 

 

[Speaking of contact, I don’t have shounen’s contact address.]

 

 

 

She said as if she had just remembered, and she was right. Whenever she was looking for me, she usually barged into the classroom, and even if I didn’t try to meet her, she would stand out just by being there, so I never felt inconvenient.

 

 

 

Kirinomiya-senpai took out a simple smartphone with no cover or anything on it.

 

 

 

 

 

[Young people these days use apps and such to keep in touch, don’t they?]

 

 

 

 

 

Young people these days…Now that you mention it, this person is not familiar with machines, right?

 

 

 

 

 

[That’s right. Do you have an account?]

 

 

 

 

 

When I asked, she tilted her head and frowned.

 

 

 

 

 

[Account?  What’s that? How do you unlock this thing in the first place?]

 

 

 

[That’s where you start!? You can’t even unlock it!?]

 

 

 

[I don’t use it at all.]

 

 

 

[If you don’t use it at all, is there even a point to carrying it around anymore. Instead wouldn’t it be better to carry a paperweight then!?]

 

 

 

 

 

When I reproached her, Kirinomiya-senpai rather unusually replied in a flustered manner.

 

 

 

[How rude! From now on, I’ll use it in many ways, and start living a dazzling modern life.]

 

 

 

I don’t know how she would start a dazzling modern life, but through trial and error, I unlocked her lock screen and created a messaging app account.

 

 

 

[What would you like your name to be?]

 

 

 

[Just Kirinomiya Saika.]

 

 

 

[With your real name?]

 

 

 

[Can’t I use my real name?]

 

 

 

[No, many people do.]

 

 

 

Kirinomiya-senpai is a famous person, and using her real name might be dangerous. I was confused for a moment, but even Kirinomiya-senpai is not a child. IThere are many people who have registered under their real names. There was no need to worry so much. I reconsidered it and completed the registration as I was told.

 

 

 

As we were doing this, the unfriendly employee from before came in again. He had a tray in his hand with two coffee cups and saucers on it. He grabbed the saucers and put them down on the table carelessly. A little coffee splashed out from the impact.

 

 

 

While I was startled, he said in a voice that suggested that there was no need to answer him.

 

 

 

 

 

[Is the order alright?]

 

 

 

[Y-yes.]

 

 

 

 

 

I timidly stared at his retreating back.

 

 

 

Are you angry? What are you angry about? I couldn’t help but want to ask him that.

 

 

 

The tablecloth was spattered with coffee from his rough placement. It was so clean and beautiful.

 

 

 

I lifted up the tablecloth that had been placed under the sugar pot.

 

 

 

The coarse blue cloth was beautifully embroidered with patterns of small birds, plant vines and flowers. The name of the store is also embroidered on it, so it seems to be handmade, not ready-made. The coffee was splattered all over the place. I dabbed at the stain several times with a paper napkin, but it didn’t seem to do much good as it was a little thin.

 

 

 

Kirinomiya-senpai didn’t seem to be interested in such things at all, so she threw some sugar into the café au lait and drank it at her own pace.

 

 

 

 

 

[Right, shounen, tell me your contact address.]

 

 

 

[My contact address? Ah, let me see…]

 

 

 

 

 

Then I rummaged through my pockets and realized that I had left my phone at home.

 

 

 

 

 

[I’m sorry, I don’t have it with me right now. If I know your account, I can send you a friend request, so I’ll write down your ID.]

 

 

 

[Account? A friend request?]

 

 

 

 

 

She didn’t seem to understand it at all. It’s too much trouble to explain, she’ll just get it once I send her a friend request.

 

 

 

 

 

[Err, something to write with…]

 

 

 

 

 

When I was looking for a pen, Kirinomiya-senpai called out to the unsociable employee from earlier.

 

 

 

 

 

[Sorry, can I borrow that ballpoint pen?]

 

 

 

 

 

Sure enough, there was a ballpoint pen in his chest pocket.

 

 

 

I thought he would refuse, but he offered the pen with a blank expression.

 

 

 

 

 

[Thank you.]

 

 

 

 

 

Kirinomiya-senpai took the pen and prepared to write on a nearby paper napkin.

 

 

 

[These letters here are your ID, so if you write it down it should be fine.]

 

 

 

[Alright.]

 

 

 

 

 

After finishing writing her name and ID in fluent letters, Kirinomiya-senpai called the employee to return the ballpoint pen.

 

 

 

He reached out his hand silently, but for some reason, Kirinomiya-senpai did not return the pen.

 

 

 

She was observing the ballpoint pen intently with a serious face.

 

 

 

 

 

[What’s the matter?]

 

 

 

 

 

When I asked her about it, she replied in an indifferent voice.

 

 

 

[No, I thought I had this pen too. You know, there’s a building in front of the station that recently reopened, and they were handing out these pens to commemorate the reopening.]

 

 

 

[Ah, you’re right.]

 

 

 

 

 

Now that you say it, I also remember receiving one when I passed by the station. If I look for it, I might find it at home.

 

 

 

 

 

[I didn’t realize it when I got it, but each one has a serial number. His number is 102.]

 

 

 

 

 

The employee silently took the pen, put it in his pocket again, and walked to the back of the store.

 

 

 

Master, who had been nearby for some time and was probably listening to our conversation, entered the conversation.

 

 

 

 

 

[I have one of those pens too, mine is 188.]

 

 

 

 

 

He then showed us his own white ballpoint pen.

 

 

 

 

 

Sure enough, the ballpoint pen had the name of the station building, “Cheerful Tsurugamine” and the serial number in raised letters processed into it. It may not have any special meaning, but when you put it that way, I too became curious about my number.

 

 

 

I guess Kirinomiya-senpai was the same way. She took the trouble to take out her pen case from her bag, checked her ballpoint pen, and said with pride.

 

 

 

 

 

[My number is 68. Since I have the smallest number, I win.]

 

 

 

[I don’t understand the meaning of winning and losing.Or rather, Kirinomiya-senpai, you don’t have to borrow someone’s pen if you have your own.]

 

 

 

[Taking out the pen case is a pain.]

 

 

 

 

 

You eventually did take it out though. She really is a strange person.

 

 

 

The coffee was getting cold as we were talking, so I folded the paper napkin with my ID on it in half, put it in my pocket, and picked up my cup. The aroma of freshly ground beans spread through the air.

 

 

 

 

 

[Ah, it’s delicious.]

 

 

 

 

 

As I sipped, a slight sourness followed the bitterness. It was deep yet mellow, rich yet sweet, a classic coffee taste. I always drink instant coffee at home, so it made me feel very luxurious.

 

 

 

 

 

[The coffee in this store is really good.]

 

 

 

[The employee was unsociable, though.]

 

 

 

 

 

It was as if the pot was calling the kettle black.

 

 

 

As we were having this conversation, the master who was nearby started to talk to us.

 

 

 

[No, I’m sorry he’ s not very friendly. He’s not angry, he just has that look on his face. He’s not a bad kid, though. He does all the cleaning, food stocking, and ordering. These days, I can’t even tell which one is the owner.]

 

 

 

 

 

I don’t know if it’s because there are no other customers and he’s not busy, or if he’s just a person who talks to customers a lot, but the master seems to have a friendly personality.

 

 

 

 

 

[I’d like to apologize, so would you like some cake? I’ll serve it to you if you like.]

 

 

 

 

 

At these words, Kirinomiya-senpai’s face, which had been expressionless until then, started sparkling.

 

 

 

 

 

[Cake!? I’ll gladly take it!]

 

 

 

 

 

An immediate answer. This person has a huge sweet tooth.

 

 

 

After hearing Kirinomiya-senpai’s reply, the master retreated to the counter and immediately brought out two small square cakes.

 

 

 

I was surprised and checked with the master.

 

 

 

 

 

[Is it really fine?]

 

 

 

 

 

He put the plates on our table in a good mood.

 

 

 

 

 

[It’s okay, it’s just a prototype, and it’s raining today, so I don’t think there will be any more customers. I’ll close the restaurant when you guys leave, so take your time and eat. I really want Yagami to try it, but he doesn’t like sweets, so the opinion of someone who likes sweets would be valuable.]

 

 

 

 

 

Apparently, the unsociable part-timer from earlier was named Yagami. I looked around to see what he was doing, and found him at the counter, wiping dishes with a blank expression.

 

 

 

 

 

[If you want, you can tell me what you think later.]

 

 

 

[Yes, thank you very much.]

 

 

 

 

 

Um, I sort of feel bad making him feel considerate of us.

 

 

 

Kirinomiya-senpai was looking at the cake happily.

 

 

 

It was indeed a captivating, beautiful moulding. It was small in size, but it had layers and layers of sponge, thin chocolate, and dark colored sauce piled on top of each other. At the top was a round of whipped cream and a triangle of chocolate.

 

 

 

[Are you allergic to anything?]

 

 

 

I replied that I was fine to Master.

 

 

 

He asked us to tell him what we thought about it later, but the master didn’t move from his spot. I guess he must be really bored.

 

 

 

With the cake in front of her, Kirinomiya-senpai immediately sprinkled a lot of sugar on the cake.

 

 

 

Master’s mouth dropped open as he watched this scene.

 

 

 

Anyone who witnessed this for the first time would have been surprised.

 

 

 

Kirinomiya-senpai has a sweet tooth to the point that people around her would be surprised.

 

 

 

Of course, the café au lait she had just ordered before had a scary amount of sugar in it. But even so, how could she even put sugar on the cake? I wondered why this cake had to be subjected to such humiliation when it had been born so delicious. I shed tears for the cake, which was humiliated by the sugar and not allowed to taste like its original ingredients.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[She’s too ruthless… I apologize on her behalf. Sorry.]

 

 

 

 

 

Master’s face twitched as he started to laugh.

 

 

 

 

 

[No, um, it’s up to each person how they want to eat it… hahaha.]

 

 

 

She ignored our conversation and took the sugar-filled cake into her mouth.

 

 

 

Then she chewed slowly, and muttered something that sounded like she understood.

 

 

 

[Hmm, this is Belgian chocolate. The richness and aroma of the cocoa is richer than that of Japanese chocolate. The sponge is light on the palate and brings out the flavor of the ingredients, so it brings out the taste of the chocolate even more.]

 

 

 

 

 

Hearing such a plausible impression, I couldn’t help but slap the table.

 

 

 

 

 

[How can you talk about the taste of the ingredients when they’re covered in sugar? Get down on your knees and apologize to the hens who laid the eggs, the cows who were milked, and the people who took the cocoa!] {TLN: dogeza}

 

 

 

 

 

[Rude! I’ve been called the child with the tongue of God since I was five years old!]

 

 

 

[That’s an absolute lie. Kirinomiya-senpai has poor taste, poor taste.]

 

 

 

[Who’s got a poor taste? The one who calls someone stupid is the one who is stupid!]

 

{TLN: bit of context, 馬鹿舌, or “poor taste”, 馬鹿 is baka, aka idiot/stupid, hence her retort}

 

 

 

While we were arguing like grade school kids, Master intervened.

 

 

 

I cleared my throat and drank my coffee, as I was embarrassed to be seen in this situation.

 

 

 

[Err, but still it’s amazing right. The cakes at the shop, did Master make them? It’s unusual.]

 

 

 

When I said that, Master smiled happily.

 

 

 

 

 

[Ah, actually I used to be a patissier.]

 

 

 

[Oh, is that so?]

 

 

 

[Yes, I’ve always loved to make sweets. I worked as an artisan overseas for a while, but I got tired of the hectic pace of life. So when I came back to Japan, I opened a coffee shop. It was my dream to open a small coffee shop with my own coffee and cakes.]

 

 

 

 

 

I see, so maybe he is actually quite a famous artisan. Maybe it was lucky that we stumbled upon this store today.

 

 

 

As I was impressed, his mood seemed to have improved and he started talking about something I hadn’t heard.

 

 

 

[And I love high school girls. That’s why I was so happy to have a beautiful customer after a long time. It’s no exaggeration to say that this world revolves around high school girls. Don’t you think so?]

 

 

 

 

 

I think it’s an exaggeration.

 

 

 

Then, Kirinomiya-senpai replied with a good argument.

 

 

 

 

 

[And yet, the employees are all male.]

 

 

 

 

 

That’s certainly true. On other days, there might be another employee, but today, there is only that unsociable employee.

 

 

 

Then the master said something absurd with a nihilistic smile.

 

 

 

 

 

[Actually, I wanted to hire a female employee as well… But then, a serious problem occurred.]

 

 

 

[Serious problem?]

 

 

 

 

 

He had a serious expression on his face and clenched his fists to emphasize his point.

 

 

 

[With a high school girl as an employee, won’t you want to change the store’s uniform to a maid’s uniform!?]

 

 

 

 

 

No, it doesn’t really have to be a maid…

 

 

 

He started trembling, and emphasized again.

 

 

 

 

 

[And then, you’ll end up hiring a lot of young women, won’t it turn into a maid cafe!?]

 

 

 

[H-huh? Is that so? That won’t happen though.]

 

 

 

[In other words, I can’t be the manager! The one who manages the maids has to be the cool head maid with red glasses and a well-fitting whip!]

 

 

 

 

 

It’s a theory I don’t understand, but if he says so, it probably is the case.

 

 

 

I thought the store had a nice atmosphere, but it’s a shame that the manager is an absurd person.

 

 

 

It might be better to get out of here quickly.

 

 

 

 

 

[Kirinomiya-senpai, shall we go home now?]

 

 

 

When I called out to her, Kirinomiya-senpai gave an aizuchi.

 

{TLN: aizuchi basically means the person interjects to show that they’re still paying attention, can’t really find a way to say it in english.}

 

 

 

[That’s right, let’s go home immediately after eating this cake.]

 

 

 

 

 

As we prepared to flee, Master grabbed Kirinomiya-senpai’s hand, seemingly unwilling to give up.

 

 

 

His eyes were sparkling.

 

 

 

What should I do, I better report this.

 

 

 

[Oh yeah, young lady, if you’d like it, won’t you try working part-time here?]

 

 

 

Saying that, he tried to recruit Kirinomiya-senpai, who seemed to be one of the top five high school girls in the country who had never had a part-time job.

 

 

 

 

 

[Isn’t the guy from earlier enough for you?]

 

 

 

I’ve never been here before, so I don’t know how the store usually works, but it doesn’t look like it’s short-staffed.

 

 

 

There weren’t that many seats, and I felt like the master could run the place by himself.

 

 

 

The master wiped down a nearby table with a cloth and said,

 

 

 

[Yagami is in his third year of high school, so he’ll be quitting soon. He’s going to an escalating school, so he’ll stay with us until just before he graduates, but he’s still busy working at the food factory. If he’s not going to be around at this time, I thought I might as well try my hand at a hobby store.]

 

 

 

 

 

I listened to him with mixed feelings.

 

 

 

After all, Kirinomiya-senpai is the kind of person who is not only far from working part-time as a maid in a coffee shop, but also has a real maid at home. No, I’ve never been to her house, so I don’t really know, but if it’s the head house of Kirinomiya, one of Japan’s leading conglomerates, then it must be an amazing mansion.

 

 

 

If Kirinomiya-senpai were to work, it would probably be at a company affiliated with the Kirinomiya Group, where she would be training to be an heir, or doing some kind of social study, to gain experience, and never by any means, would she be interested in a part-time job at a shady coffee shop like this.

 

 

 

I thought she would reject him coldly, but for some reason, Kirinomiya-senpai didn’t seem to be dissatisfied.

 

 

 

She folded her arms, looked down and began to think seriously.

 

 

 

 

 

[A maid… Hmm, not a bad idea.]

 

 

 

[Are you for real!?]

 

 

 

[No, actually, I’ve always wanted to try on a maid uniform before I die.]

 

 

 

[Ehh!? What kind of reason is that!?]

 

 

 

I tried to imagine Kirinomiya-senpai in a maid uniform.

 

 

 

Rather than the mini-skirt maids with lots of frilly ornaments that are all the rage these days, I think a classic maid uniform  with a long skirt in a calm color would suit her better.

 

 

 

Well, she would look good in any kind of clothes, but she seems to be more suited to push people around than to serve them, so with her personality, it would be no loss or gain I think.

 

 

 

In the first place, I can’t imagine Kirinomiya-senpai, who doesn’t show any interest in anything other than the cases, serving in a coffee shop diligently.

 

 

 

 

 

[You don’t really have to work for it, if you just want to wear a maid’s uniform, you can order one through mail order or something and try it on.]

 

 

 

 

 

And then Kirinomiya-senpai’s voice became sharp and indignant.

 

 

 

[What are you talking about? You’d look like an idiot wearing a maid’s uniform at home and being happy all by yourself. If you’re going to wear special clothes, there has to be a reason for it.]

 

 

 

As usual, she is a person who is obsessed about the parts I don’t really understand.

 

 

 

Then Kirinomiya-senpai seemed to have realized something important.

 

 

 

 

 

[But I’m probably not capable of working in a coffee shop. After all, I’m quite clumsy.]

 

 

 

 

 

Master then spread his hands and agreed with a rapturous smile.

 

 

 

 

 

[It’s fine it’s fine, if such a beautiful young lady wears a maid’s uniform in our store, all she has to do is sit in a seat and drink tea.]

 

 

 

 

 

That’s no longer a part-time job!

 

 

 

I knew this Master was a bit dangerous.

 

 

 

I sensed a hint of evil, and guarded Kirinomiya-senpai from Master.

 

 

 

 

 

[Kirinomiya-senpai, this person is dangerous! You shouldn’t be working here!]

 

 

 

[How rude! I’m not dangerous at all! I’m more harmless than a cow on a farm!]

 

 

 

[Hmm, I’ll have to think about it more.]

 

 

 

 

 

After eating the cake, Kirinomiya-senpai seemed to be satisfied and was in the mood to go home.

 

 

 

When I looked outside, the rain had long since stopped.

 

 

 

Kirinomiya-senpai took the bill and walked towards the cash register with a rare big smile on her face.

 

 

 

 

 

[Hmm, that was quite a worthwhile break.]

 

 

 

[Ah, I can pay for myself.]

 

 

 

 

 

I chased after her.

 

 

 

 

 

[Don’t worry about it, shounen. I’ll pay.]

 

 

 

[I can’t ask you to treat me when there’s no reason to. Then let’s split it.]

 

 

 

 

 

Then I felt a stare at me from the front, so I lifted my head with a start.

 

 

 

Before I knew it, the unsocial employee from earlier was glaring at me.

 

 

 

 

 

[…The bill, is it fine?]

 

 

 

 

 

I’m sorry, did I make you wait? I responded with an awkward smile.

 

 

 

 

 

[Yes, thank you very much.]

 

 

 

 

 

When the bill paying was finished, the employee bowed his head and saw us off.

 

 

 

 

 

[…Thank you very much.]

 

 

 

 

 

Rather than a send-off, but I felt like the way he looked at me as if to tell me to get the hell out of here.

 

 

 

The coffee was good, but the store was somewhat unique, I thought as we headed home.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

■

 

{TLN: different pov}

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Today, I met a strange pair of people.

 

 

 

I was sitting in my room at my computer, scratching my hair in frustration.

 

 

 

I tried not to think about it, but my mind wouldn’t calm down.

 

 

 

I thought back to her figure. A girl with long black hair, ominous and beautiful, as if she were the Grim Reaper of the Underworld. There was no doubt that she was beautiful, but I felt an inexplicable discomfort. Her appearance was the polar opposite of my angel.

 

 

 

And then there was the boy who followed her as if he were an extra, a dull, young-looking boy.

 

 

 

It seems that they were on the prowl for the case. I don’t know where they got the idea, but I didn’t expect them to show up in front of me.

 

 

 

I pretended to be ignorant, but I wondered how much they knew about the case.

 

 

 

I’m only interested in completing the angel. So long as they don’t make any unnecessary moves, I have no intention of harming them. However, if there is any inconvenience in completing the angel, then I will show no mercy. It doesn’t look like they knew more than what was being reported, but they might want to be careful.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

TLN: Thank you guys for reading until this part of the translation, I’m sad to say that I will be dropping this series after this chapter, the reason simply being it takes me too long to get a chapter out for this series, reading it is very fun and as a series this is amazing, but as a translator it becomes a bit of  a drag as it’s long as hell. If anyone wants to pick up the series going forward for the last 5 chapters and hopefully Volume 2 as well, please contact me on Discord at Chaos#3484.