Former Teammates Reunited

"Boss, five skewers of kidney, five skewers of pork belly, and two more skewers of chives."

"Add a plate of grilled eggplant, too. Go easy on the chili."

Late at night, a petite girl walked into the barbecue shop and spoke to the owner, who was busy working beside the grill.

"Coming right up! How many of you? Mild or extra mild? You..."

The proprietress immediately came over to take the order. She looked the girl up and down. At first, she thought this would be a big order, but when she poked her head outside, the street was empty and quiet. Aside from a few scattered customers inside and this girl, there was no one else in sight.

"...Are you alone?" The proprietress withdrew her head, her face revealing a hint of curiosity.

The girl walked skillfully over to the refrigerated display case and examined the food. She said casually:

"Yep. Oh, you have dried tofu, too. Grill one skewer of that, and I'll grab a can of cola."

She casually pulled open the refrigerator door, took out a can of cola, and waved it lightly at the proprietress, who was unsure whether she should even be serving her.

Seeing the girl sit down in an empty private room, the proprietress turned back to confirm once more that the street was deserted. Her expression became even more helpless, but how could she refuse a customer once the business was at her door? She could only record the order while grumbling to the worker threading the skewers.

"Ah, these days... She doesn't even look old enough to have graduated from X Middle School. She came out alone this late at night, too. I wonder if anyone at home even looks after her..."

"That girl just now?"

"Yeah. She looks about