"Sorry for the trouble."
Inoseri Nina and Sakurakoji Talent each gave their response. Then, as if remembering something, Inoseri Nina turned back toward the kitchen staff, bowed, and smiled as she raised her middle finger. "It was delicious! Thank you very much!"
Kawaragi Momoka, standing by the entrance, bent over in stunned disbelief, feeling as though she had done something terrible. Sakurakoji Talent turned away, unable to hold back a muffled chuckle.
Yeah, that felt better.
"Are you looking for a fight?!" The short waitress raised a skimmer, furious as if she wanted to hit someone, but the taller girl beside her stopped her.
"Thank you for coming."
"Sorry, this friend of mine just came from the countryside and doesn't understand what that gesture means." After laughing, Sakurakoji Talent wrapped his hand around Inoseri Nina's middle finger and turned back to explain to the two of them.
"Huh?! Doesn't this mean thank you?" Inoseri Nina was shocked, then looked accusingly at Kawaragi Momoka, who was clutching her stomach and laughing behind her. "Miss Momoka!!"
"I see," the tan-skinned girl said understandingly. The way she looked at Sakurakoji Talent was somewhat unnatural. "By the way, haven't you been here before?"
"Ah, yeah. I ate here just a few hours ago. I'm impressed you still remembered."
"Because you made quite an impression... Thank you for visiting again!" She suddenly bowed deeply, practically pressing her head to the floor, looking flustered.
"Huh? Ah, thanks. Though I didn't order any food this time." Sakurakoji Talent looked at her in confusion, unsure what this was about.
"RUPA?" The short girl beside her was also surprised, not knowing why her best friend had reacted so strongly.
"Ah, sorry!!" Realizing that she had overreacted, she apologized again.
"It's fine. Then... we'll be leaving first?"
"Yes! Please come again!"
Pushing the embarrassed and helpless Inoseri Nina out, the three of them reached the road outside. Once the cool breeze hit her, Inoseri Nina finally came to her senses amid Kawaragi Momoka's unrestrained laughter.
"How could that gesture possibly mean thank you?! They're completely different!"
"Sorry, sorry!" Kawaragi Momoka wiped away tears of laughter, apologizing without the slightest sincerity.
"Come with me. I'll take you to where I live."
In the restaurant, which had become quiet once again, Ebizuka Tomo patted her friend, whose expression seemed off, and asked with concern, "RUPA, are you okay?"
"Are you feeling unwell today? Why not get off work early?"
"Mm~ Yeah, I'm fine." The tall girl shook her head.
"Then what was that just now? You've seemed kind of strange today."
"Uh, it's nothing. Come on, let's get back to work, back to work!" Having returned to normal, the girl pushed her shoulder and skipped over the subject.
After walking for more than ten minutes and passing through a dimly lit side street, Kawaragi Momoka stopped in front of an old detached house.
"Is this it?" Inoseri Nina asked cautiously.
"It's cold inside, so be careful. The heater here doesn't work." As she spoke, Kawaragi Momoka set down her things and went forward to push the door open with difficulty.
"Your family?"
"Ah, they're not here! Not here!" she forced out through gritted teeth as she strained, shoving open the old front door before gesturing for them to enter.
"Taking off these shoes will take me a while. You two go in first. The room at the very end."
"Excuse us..."
"Excuse us."
Inoseri Nina took off her shoes and carefully walked down the dark hallway. Stopping in front of the last door, she pushed it open with some effort.
"The light switch is on your left."
Kawaragi Momoka called out the reminder from behind. Nina felt around and switched it on, and warm light instantly filled the room.
At the same time, something seemed to rub against her feet...
"Meow~"
"You aren't afraid of cats, are you?"
Kawaragi Momoka asked as she came in afterward. Both of them shook their heads.
"Then sit down first. I'll make you some coffee." With that, she walked behind the kitchen counter in the room.
"Thanks." X2
Sakurakoji Talent looked around the small room. Though tiny, it had everything one needed. The space was limited and there was not much furniture, but it was more than enough for one person to live in. If a place was too large, it could even make someone feel uneasy.
It was quite a cozy little nest, Sakurakoji Talent concluded.
Like him, Inoseri Nina was also observing the room, but her gaze was quickly drawn to the guitar Kawaragi Momoka had set aside.
"So cool!" Looking at the guitar's glossy finish, a longing gleam reflected in her eyes.
Image: "RUPA", location: "Images/1755949571-100446961-113760151.jpg"
Volume One: The Daily Life of Attracting Bees and Butterflies: Coffee Can Affect Your Sleep If You Drink Too Much
"What, can you play?" Kawaragi Momoka asked over her shoulder as she made the coffee.
"Not at all, but I've always admired it."
"Hm~ What about you, Talent?"
"A little, I guess." Sitting on a yellow barstool nearby, Sakurakoji Talent answered.
"Huh? Mr. Talent, you can play guitar too?" Inoseri Nina stared at him with wide eyes, her gaze glowing with envy.
"That's so nice. I should've learned an instrument too."
"I only learned a little because of my family, and I happened to be somewhat interested. I haven't practiced guitar much." Sakurakoji Talent explained, then comforted her. "Miss Nina, you don't need to envy other people. I think your voice would be amazing for singing. A lead vocalist doesn't need to envy the instrumentalists in the back."
"Huh? Really?"
"Really. I never lie. You definitely have talent for singing." Sakurakoji Talent was utterly certain.
"I think so too. If Nina sang, she'd definitely have a great voice." Kawaragi Momoka brought over two cups of coffee and agreed.
"Thank you." She accepted the steaming cup. "But I've never tried it before, so I don't know whether I can..."
"Everyone has a first time. You'll find out sooner or later." Sakurakoji Talent took a sip of the cheap instant coffee.
Come to think of it, he really wanted to know what Miss Momoka was thinking sometimes. Giving them coffee at night—what kind of thought process led to that decision?
"Mm, that's true. You seem really interested in guitars. Want to try holding one?" Kawaragi Momoka suggested.
"Can I?"
"Sure." She walked over, picked up the electric guitar, and put it on Inoseri Nina.
"Wow! It's heavier than I expected!" Inoseri Nina exclaimed.
"It doesn't suit you."
"Uh, I suppose you're right." Inoseri Nina smiled bitterly.
"I'm kidding, I'm kidding! Anyone can hold a guitar—it suits everyone!" Kawaragi Momoka explained with a smile. "You're still in high school, right?"
"Yes, I'm seventeen. If I were still in school, I'd be in my final year this year."
Kawaragi Momoka's eyes filled with memories as she returned to the kitchen. "Want sugar?"
"Ah, yes."
"I was seventeen too when I dropped out of high school and came here with my friends. Has it already been three years?" she said nostalgically.
"Huh? Then you're only twenty?" Inoseri Nina spotted the key point, her expression stunned.
"...For some reason, I feel like I've been stabbed."
Sakurakoji Talent watched the two girls expose each other, his gaze shifting back and forth between them as he quietly drank his coffee.
Yeah, if they did not say it, who would have guessed that one was seventeen and the other twenty?
One looked far too young, while the other looked far too mature.
Anyone unaware of the truth would have thought they were a middle schooler and an office lady around twenty-five.
Of course, compared to a certain high schooler who already looked like a married woman at such a young age, they were nothing!
"But I guess it really was fate." Kawaragi Momoka continued.
"Yeah, it was fate! Um..." Inoseri Nina tried to take a ticket from her pocket. It was a ticket for Diamond Dust's concert. Kawaragi Momoka had not signed it outside earlier because she had not had a pen.
"Didn't you come here today?"
"Yes, um, if it's okay..."
"I'm actually leaving tomorrow. Going back to Asahikawa."
"Going back means..." Inoseri Nina froze mid-motion and looked up.
"Moving away. Leaving this place." Kawaragi Momoka pulled over a barstool and sat on it. "Going back home. Giving up music."
"Why? You can clearly sing such amazing songs..."
"Thank you. Your coffee's going to get cold." She tactically took a sip of coffee.
"Miss Momoka!"
"There's no helping it. I just couldn't make it big." Kawaragi Momoka could only continue explaining. "It's really hard to live on concert and music income alone."
"You still have to work part-time, work part-time, work part-time..."
"But you wrote this song, didn't you? It has so many views." Inoseri Nina looked unwillingly at the page for Empty Box on her phone.
"I gave it away!" Kawaragi Momoka flexed her fingers, smoothing her brows and pretending to be carefree. "The copyright for that song isn't mine anymore."
"Huh?" Inoseri Nina looked up in surprise, then sprang from the sofa. She pulled over another barstool from behind, knelt on it, and said, "Please tell me everything!"
This was where there should have been background music. Watching such an excellent live performance, Sakurakoji Talent thought from the side.
Although he had been listening the whole time, he had not offered an opinion. It did not feel like the right time for him to interfere yet. Better wait a little longer. He watched the show with great interest—though seriously, this coffee tasted awful.
This was not what I paid to see!
Damn it! Give me my money back!
Finally, Kawaragi Momoka gave up and picked up the guitar. "You're really stubborn. Just what I'd expect from someone from Kumamoto."
"Of course I am!" Inoseri Nina replied defiantly. When she heard Momoka randomly strumming the guitar, she reached out to stop her. "Don't do that!"
"Don't touch it!" Kawaragi Momoka stopped her verbally and helplessly set the guitar beside her feet. "Seriously, what's with you? You were so timid just now. You're a real weirdo."
At that point, alarm bells rang wildly in Sakurakoji Talent's heart. As though he had sensed something, he jolted in shock, quickly pulled out the sunglasses he had put away, and put them on. At the same time, he wrapped his scarf tightly around his face.
Naturally, his actions caught the attention of the other two, and they looked at him in confusion.
Before you continue