Vol 1 Chapter 5 (1/2)
[Bitter Chocolate]
I had to admit it: Youko Tsukimori was indeed a perfect girl.
It was naturally me who was a.s.signed to mentor her, being in the same cla.s.s and all. At first I was rather sour about that c.u.mbersome task, but I soon learned that it's quite enjoyable to teach someone who's good at remembering things.
Only two weeks had pa.s.sed since Tsukimori had started working at Victoria, but she was already able to do any work related to waiting the tables on her own, such as attending to the customers, taking their orders and operating the register.
In terms of handling the customers, she might have even surpa.s.sed anyone else in this café. Furthermore, thanks to the customers who would visit only to enjoy her in a waitress uniform, sales were on the rise, too.
The manager and the other employees were quite impressed with her abilities, while it was no surprise to me since I knew her from school.
What was a surprise, however, was that Tsukimori and Mirai-san were on very good terms. I would have been able to understand it if they had been like cat and dog, but in truth you could even say that they turned out to be a good match.
”I was convinced you wouldn't like her type of person,” I addressed Mirai-san.
”It's the opposite. Women like Youko can't stand me.”
Mirai-san flashed the kind of smile you would expect of the leader of some wicked organization that schemes to conquer the world.
”Why is that?”
”Conjurers don't like audience that sees through their tricks. And you see, the tricks of those women don't work on me.” Indeed, Mirai-san's intuition was queerly sharp. ”There's this gal in university who's quite popular with the guys because of such tricks. Well, once I was kinda p.i.s.sed off by her att.i.tude—okay, my mood had hit the rocks during that period in general—but anyway, I cut her down to size in front of all the others. And when I was finished with her, she wept and wept... such a pain.”
”My condolences.”
”Right? She always runs away right when she spots me ever since. As if I was the bad one!”
Mirai-san seemed pleased about having my a.s.sent, but my condolences naturally belonged to the poor young woman who had made Mirai-san her enemy.
”But Youko's nothing like that. She seems to be unfeigned, without any tricks or pretenses.”
Mirai-san turned her gaze towards the tables where Tsukimori was serving the customers.
”I was keen to blow her cover, but no matter how fiercely I observe her, she shows no openings. Heh, at first I was excited about the arrival of a powerful opponent and was like, 'Don't think you can deceive me forever!', but—”
Mirai-san made a short pause to sneer.
”—Lately, I've come to think that this is how Youko really is.”
I followed her gaze to Tsukimori.
Indeed, she was always dignified, so I couldn't even imagine her whining. Even with this cross-grained personality of mine, I considered that gleam of hers pure and not some trick.
She had even managed to tame the ”beast”. No wonder that the ”humans” around her would be captivated by her.
”What I like most about her is definitely that she isn't scared of me,” said Mirai-san, who then turned around to the kitchen and suddenly shouted: ”SARUWATARI!”
”Y-Yes, ma'am!”
”Do your work properly!”
”I...I will! I will do it so properly!” cried Saruwatari-san, and moved even faster than before.
”See? Any other guy's like that, right?”
”Are you a devil?”
”You moron! It may not look like it, but Saruwari actually has a crush on me, you know?” Mirai-san tapped my forehead with her index finger. ”Though I just don't have a thing for such timid guys.”
”You are a devil.”
I was speechless, only rubbing my forehead.
”Anyway, the point is I like her. Even if it's just some faked mask. It's my loss!”
”Is it as simple as that?”
”It is. However vicious Youko may turn out to be, I won't be able to dislike her so easily anymore. It's the same as my fondness of chocolate, which I can't stop though everyone babbles that eating too much isn't good for my health.”
The self-proclaimed chocolate addict Mirai-san sat down on an edge of the counter, took a block chocolate out of her pocket and threw it in the air just to catch it with her healthily red tongue.
”My, that is bad manners Mirai-san! Don't always try to snack on chocolate when the shop manager is not watching. He told me that certain story about you, you know? Once, you collapsed because you wouldn't eat anything but chocolate,” scolded Tsukimori, who had come over to forward an order, with the att.i.tude of a cla.s.s officer towards a delinquent.
”Speak of the devil!” countered Mirai-san in a daunting tone that sounded like nothing but a perfect example of delinquency.
”You were talking about me? Not badly I hope, right?”
”Why, of course not. We were praising you, Youko.”
”Very well, I will take your word for it this time.”
In contrast to what they said, they both seemed to enjoy talking to each other.
”You like me, don't you?” asked Mirai-san out of the blue.
”Yes, I do,” replied Tsukimori in a split second with a giggle. ”You also like me, right?”
”Without saying.” Another immediate reply. They looked almost like old friends. ”See? That's what I was getting at.”
”I see.”
There were still some points that didn't make much sense to me, but I understood roughly what she wanted to say.
”—You really resemble each other in a way, huh,” murmured Tsukimori suddenly.
Mirai-san and I looked at each other.
”Such an uncharming guy and I?”
”I'm not that frank, you know?”
Our denials were in sync.
”You don't flatter anyone, you don't go with the flow. 'You have your way', so to speak. I am actually quite jealous of that character trait of yours.”
I paused for a moment before answering her, ”Mirai-san is holier-than-thou to the core, while I simply take to going at my own pace. Unlike her, I am able to adapt and gladly follow superiors if necessary.”
”I am always honest and not scheming like you,” objected Mirai-san sharply.
”You ought to realize that sometimes the truth can hurt others more than a lie.”
”You really are a cheeky fellow without any charm, Nonomiya.”
”I don't need that from an indelicate bully like you!”
I sneered, whereupon Mirai-san stood up with glaring eyes.
”All right, Nonomiya!! You just overstepped your bounds! Let's take this outside! I'll bend that warped nature of yours into shape with my fists!”
Tsukimori, who had been watching us, suddenly started to giggle.
”You are like siblings.”
”—Nonomiya, my brother?”
She let go of my collar and evaluated me from tip to toe with her gaze.
”Sis,” I tried teasing her. To me it sounded like nothing but a Yakuza's way of addressing his female superior.
”.........what a nightmare.”
Whether it was because Tsukimori had spoiled her appet.i.te for argument or because she was disgusted with the way I had called her, Mirai-san disappeared into the kitchen, holding her head.
”She may not look like it, but Mirai-san likes you, Nonomiya-kun,” whispered Tsukimori. ”I think she was actually fairly pleased that you called her 'sister'. I am sure she only escaped because she was embarra.s.sed.”
I gazed at her.
”What's the matter? Why that wondering face?”
”Even though you have spent much less time with Mirai-san than me, you seem to understand her pretty well.”
”I have an eye for people. I knew we would get along well at first glance,” Tsukimori told me, seeming very pleased with the compliment I had given her.
”But your eye for men needs some serious polis.h.i.+ng.”
Apparently, her mood was good; all I got in return for my cynical remark was a sugar-sweet smile.
”I really don't think so? You will surely become my dear life partner.”
She skillfully put a cup of coffee onto the tray and headed with light steps towards a table.
I didn't intend to go along with her plans, so it was safe to a.s.sume that she had no foundation; but upon seeing her self-confident smile, I couldn't help but think that her words would come true.
Still, I had no plans of trusting her off-handedly like Mirai-san.
She wouldn't have stopped doubting Tsukimori so easily either, if she were in my position.
Because I knew about the murder recipe.
After Tsukimori started working at Victoria, Usami also became a frequent sight at the shop.
With her being very communicative, it didn't take long until she was well-liked by both the staff and the manager, and by now she was a proper regular. Thanks to that I was permanently on tenterhooks, afraid that Mister Kujirai might offer her a position.
”Hey, Nonomiya, Nonomiya, listen!”
Since she usually came after her club activities, she mostly arrived just before evening when the number of customers started to drop. She would then happily tell us about ”that day's events”.