Volume 13 Chapter 6 (1/2)
There was aalone, by the , in a cafe on the first floor of the station building
He looked to be in his seventies His hair could probably be called silver-gray, a blend of black and white hair h there was perhaps a bit more of the white hair
His spring green linen suit was paired with a bright yellow T-shi+rt, ent
She pinned her wristwatch down and checked the time
It was 8 minutes to 11 There was no time for hesitation
”Are you by yourself, ma'am?”
The waitress standing by the entrance asked, and she replied with, ”Ah, no,” as she walked inside
”Were yousomeone?”
”Mm, yeah”
She answered vaguely then walked straight to the seat she wanted Of course, since they hadn't arranged towo his coffee, looking lazily out at the scenery beyond the
”Uncle”
Maathered her resolve and spoke to him
He looked old enough that she could probably call hiht that this sounded better
Silver-gray raised his head Then when he saw Mami's face, he looked confused
Like he was trying to recall where they'd met before
At last the answer seemed to come to him After about five seconds of consternation, he smiled and said:
”I think you'reme for someone else”
”This is the first tiht if I sit here?”
Ma from the seat opposite him and sat down
”I still haven't said whether it's alright or not … ”
”Oh, sorry”
She apologized to the bewildered silvery-gray, but most definitely didn't stand up Now that she'd sat down, Mami would have to be pried off with a crowbar
”What do you want? I' here for someone”
”Liar”
”Why do you think I'?”
”Because you wouldn't have put your bag on the seat opposite if you aiting for someone”
”Ah, I see”
Uncle thuht hand Then he leaned over the table a little way, lowered his voice and spoke to Mami
”Are you one of those girls that go out with lonely old et an allowance, umm - ”
”A sugar-baby? No, I'm not”
She flatly rejected this But that he would even think such a thing was a huge problem itself
”I'lad”
Hearing this, Maht, ”Same here”
”I just wanted you to let me have this table”
”Oh, why this table?”
He was going along with the conversation Mami faithfully recited the line she'd co at the store entrance
”Well, the truth is,on me”
”Cheating? That's dreadful … ”
As she'd expected, uncle listened amicably to her story
If she kept it up, he ht let her keep the seat out of coorously
”I was secretly told that he was going to meet her at this fountain”
”How did you hear about it?”
She momentarily paused at the old man's question
” … Um”
daht it that much Mami hurriedly added new lines to her scenario
”One of my friends … ”
”Oh, and then what?”
It wasn't clear whether he believed her explanation or not, but he was urging her to continue, so Mami resumed her story
”I thought I'd get proof of his cheating with this camera To do that, I absolutely need this seat”
She pulled the ca to help make her case
”But you don't have to be here if you're only after a photo”
”He'd run away if he saw me”
Maht orthy of an invitation to join the drama club
And then
”I see I understand”
The old reed almost too easily
”So, you'll let met have the table!?”
She sprung up in delight, but this time he shook his head slowly
”No Sorry, but I want to stay here a little while longer”
”But you just said that you understand … ”
From elation to dejection
”Because, how about this? Why don't we share the table?”
He made a counter-proposal Naturally, there was no reason why Mami should object Since she should still be able to see the fountain even with the unknown oldpart of her vision
”Thanks uncle”
With the negotiations conal to the waitress
”To show ratitude, I'll pay for your coffee”
The old man smiled and stroked his moustache
”Oh my, that makes me happy”
”Welcome to our cafe Have you decided what you want?”
The waitress asked, as she filled their glasses ater
”Apple soda”
Mah the s like that since her hts about the stakeout
”One apple soda Was there anything else?”
She shook her head in response to the waitress's question but then from the seat opposite her a voice called out, ”Wait a minute”
”Add the mixed sandwiches to that”
”Ah”
Mami turned to him in surprise and the old man seemed quite satisfied as he said, ”Thanks for the food”
- It seee old man
”Can you see?”
”Mh”
After the waitress left, Mah the
As she'd expected, this spot gave the best view of the plaza
There were about twenty people near the fountain, so for someone that hadn't arrived yet
She hadn't spotted Noriko-chan
”Is your boyfriend there?”
”Um … ”
Not good
Mami didn't knohat Takuya-kun looked like
But in order to get a photo of Takuya-kun and Noriko-chan together, she'd have to smoke out Takuya-kun and identify him as her boyfriend
(However)
This was a thorny problem Just which one of them was Takuya-kun?
The middle of the day on Saturday
On top of that, it was summer vacation too
At a quick count, there looked to be five or six guys aged around twenty in front of the station plaza fountain If she took into account the possibility that he was baby-faced then that number rose to about ten
If souys and said that he was Takuya-kun then she would have nodded and accepted it without comment But because of that, there was no conclusive evidence for any of them
Honestly, it would have been so much better if he'd put a photo of hie of his website - Mae this selfish complaint with the as-yet unseen Takuya-kun
”Maybe he hasn't arrived yet”
Mami prayed desperately to Maria-sama that Noriko-chan would arrive soon She must have been delayed by the accident on the JR line after all Without Noriko-chan here to show her, Mami had absolutely no idea which one was Takuya-kun
”What ti?”
”I think it was 11”
”That's right now”
”Yeah, I know … he's late”
Upbeat chimes accompanied Mami's forced smile The clock tower beside the fountain let everyone in the plaza know that it was 11 o'clock
Almost simultaneously, the Takuya-kun candidates all looked at the clock tower Others turned towards the source of the sound too
Just then
”Ah”
Maly
”What's the matter? Has he arrived?”
Uncle put his face up to the glass and looked outside
”No, not yet”
Mami's attention was still elsewhere as she attes over with this answer
Question: Why was that?
Answer: Because she'd seen someone completely unexpected
Maht she'd been there for a while now
That white dress with the navy blue floral pattern had been in the corner of her vision a couple of times recently But Ma about Takuya-kun and Noriko-chan It was also hard to e hat she wore low over her eyes
(That's Rosa Gigantea, Toudou shi+mako-san … !)
Mami didn't question why she was here shi+ Takuya-kun here, so it was obviously because of that
(Is Noriko-chan going to introduce him to her onee-sama?)
This was gettingA completely unexpected develop tears of joy if she knew
- The headline was undoubtedly, ”Onee-sama, I'd like you to meet my boyfriend”
”Is there soirl over there?”
Uncle asked, following Maht
”That's the girl I' for”
The end result being that shi+irl her boyfriend was cheating with” Since she'd only coive up his table, she was already half desperate
”What a pretty girl … Ah, pardon me”
”Huh?”
Initially she was confused as to why he was excusing hiirl that her boyfriend was cheating with probably wouldn't go over ith most women Ma iet immersed in a role
”Sorry for the wait One apple soda”
”Ah, here”
Mami replied to the waitress and the drink was placed in front of her
”The o over here”
Even though the old e plate with the sandwiches in theto share them
”What have they got inside the, and avocado, huh”
The old man looked pleased as he wiped his hands on a handtowel Malance at hiaze was drawn to the s stuck in them
”I wonder what country's flag that is … red, yellow and green”
A s stuck to a toothpick Obviously not the outline of the sun fro
”They just picked one at random, don't you think? I saw the stars and stripes in a pilaf soo”
Just as he was saying this, Ma cross her vision on the other side of the glass
Just as Maht back by the old man's sudden shout of ”Ah!”
”W-what happened?”
Surprised, she turned back to the old man's seat but he wasn't there
”Uncle?”
” … One of my contacts fell out”
He'd dived under the table
”You lost a contact? That's bad”
Mami was about to help him search for it, but he said, ”Don'tas he said and not lifting her shoes
”Ah, here it is Sorry for the bother”
Uncle e the contact between his thulass of water before saying, ”Excusethe contact lens back in his eye
Feeling relieved, she turned back to the fountain and saw that a new Takuya-kun candidate had appeared
”Ah!”
This time Mami let out the cry and stood up
”W-What is it?”
Uncle asked in return
”Ah, nothing - He's”
Mami muttered, dumbfounded
”Him?”
”Uh … yeah”
Her heart was beating fast, like after some hard exercise Mami tried as hard as she could to steady her heart
The shi+rt of the newly arrived Takuya-kun candidate
The shi+rt was traffic light colored - red, yellow and green
It matched exactly with the shi+rt of Takuya-kun's that Kounoshi+n-san had cheekily borrowed
She had no idea how hout japan, but ere the odds of two youngsomeone on the same day at the same time in the same small area? It was probably incredibly small
Therefore, she'd reached her conclusion
”He's finally arrived”
Ma at the new Takuya-kun candidate
No, not the Takuya-kun candidate
(Found you)
He was the true shi+mura Takuya
The young man was about 170cm tall and his muscles made him look toned, if a bit on the thin side
His wavy, light brown hair was neither long nor short At first glance he looked like a fairly typical university student He was more of the ”cute” type than the ”cool” type Probably somewhat due to his baby face
Looking at hiht he looked like someone she knew But she couldn't remember who it was he reminded her of Probably someone from a boy-band
”… Is that your boyfriend?”
The old man asked
”That's right”
They hid themselves behind the pot plants near theand looked outside Objectively, they looked like an incredibly suspicious pair
”Hmm, where did you meet him?”
”We both went to the same school”
Ma the questions
”When?”
”Why do you ask?”
Maht at the old man
”Oh, no reason I was just a bit curious”
Oh, no reason? That wasn't the i into it, seeking confirmation with, ”When?” after he'd been told that they went to school together
”High school”
Mami answered, wary of just who this old man was Maybe he was so her suspicions, the old man looked out theand muttered
”But it's strange, isn't it?”
”What is?”
Malass In her e,” but of course this didn't come out her mouth
”Your boyfriend and the girl he's cheating on you with They're at point blank range, only five metres apart, but they haven't noticed each other”
Indeed They were close enough that they should have recognized each other Since they'd arranged toaround too
”They're pen-friends”
Mami hastily responded
No good, no good She'dmistake
shi+h Noriko-chan and had probably never met directly
”So are theyfor the first time today? See conspicuous, so they could identify each other”
Even though it was none of his business, the old man seemed excited as he talked
”But no, more than that, isn't it odd that they haven't even exchanged photos? How old-fashi+oned are these kids?”
How old-fashi+oned are they? Old-fashi+oned enough that they'd be called ”pen-friends”
”Mm Well, a mutual friend was supposed to introduce them But they must have been delayed due to the accident on the JR line”
”You're quite well informed”
”… Well that was the rumor I heard From my friend”
Even Maht that was a pretty lame excuse
With the way things were now, ithidden photos wasn't really so to be proud of, whichboyfriend one with that
”I see”
The old man nodded Her ie of relief
”Oh”