Maria-sama ga Miteru Volume 13 Chapter 6

 

 

 

 

There was a man sitting alone, by the window, 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 making a lovely gray color - although there was perhaps a bit more of the white hair.

 

 

 

 

 

His spring green linen suit was paired with a bright yellow T-shirt, making him quite the stylish old gent.

 

 

 

 

 

She pinned her wrist.w.a.tch 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 you meeting someone?"

 

 

 

 

 

"Mm, yeah."

 

 

 

 

 

She answered vaguely then walked straight to the seat she wanted. Of course, since they hadn't arranged to meet, there was no reaction from silver-gray when a young woman walked over to his table. He just continued sipping his coffee, looking lazily out at the scenery beyond the window.

 

 

 

 

 

"Uncle."

 

 

 

 

 

Mami gathered her resolve and spoke to him.

 

 

 

 

 

He looked old enough that she could probably call him "Grandpa" but she thought 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're mistaking me for someone else."

 

 

 

 

 

"This is the first time we've met. Is it alright if I sit here?"

 

 

 

 

 

Mami moved the leather bag from the seat opposite him and sat down.

 

 

 

 

 

"I still haven't said whether it's alright or not &h.e.l.lip; "

 

 

 

 

 

"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'm waiting here for someone."

 

 

 

 

 

"Liar."

 

 

 

 

 

"Why do you think I'm lying?"

 

 

 

 

 

"Because you wouldn't have put your bag on the seat opposite if you were waiting for someone."

 

 

 

 

 

"Ah, I see."

 

 

 

 

 

Uncle thumped his left palm with his right 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 men. and in exchange they get 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'm glad."

 

 

 

 

 

Hearing this, Mami thought, "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 come up with when she decided to launch a blitzkrieg at the store entrance.

 

 

 

 

 

"Well, the truth is, my boyfriend's cheating on me."

 

 

 

 

 

"Cheating? That's dreadful &h.e.l.lip; "

 

 

 

 

 

As she'd expected, uncle listened amicably to her story.

 

 

 

 

 

If she kept it up, he might let her keep the seat out of compa.s.sion. Mami continued talking vigorously.

 

 

 

 

 

"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.

 

 

 

 

 

" &h.e.l.lip; Um."

 

 

 

 

 

d.a.m.n it. She hadn't thought it that much. Mami hurriedly added new lines to her scenario.

 

 

 

 

 

"One of my friends &h.e.l.lip; "

 

 

 

 

 

"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 camera out of her bag 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."

 

 

 

 

 

Mami pleaded, in an acting display that she thought was worthy of an invitation to join the drama club.

 

 

 

 

 

And then.

 

 

 

 

 

"I see. I understand."

 

 

 

 

 

The old man agreed 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 &h.e.l.lip; "

 

 

 

 

 

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 old man blocking part of her vision.

 

 

 

 

 

"Thanks uncle."

 

 

 

 

 

With the negotiations complete, Mami raised her hand to signal to the waitress.

 

 

 

 

 

"To show my grat.i.tude, 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 gla.s.ses with water.

 

 

 

 

 

"Apple soda."

 

 

 

 

 

Mami ordered perfunctorily after flipping through the menu. She didn't have time to bother within minor things like that since her mind was filled with thoughts 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 seems that she'd somehow got tangled up with a strange old man.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

"Can you see?"

 

 

 

 

 

"Mm, well enough."

 

 

 

 

 

After the waitress left, Mami surveyed the view through the window.

 

 

 

 

 

As she'd expected, this spot gave the best view of the plaza.

 

 

 

 

 

There were about twenty people near the fountain, some standing and some sitting, each looked to be waiting for someone that hadn't arrived yet.

 

 

 

 

 

She hadn't spotted Noriko-chan.

 

 

 

 

 

"Is your boyfriend there?"

 

 

 

 

 

"Um &h.e.l.lip; "

 

 

 

 

 

Not good.

 

 

 

 

 

Mami didn't know what 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 th.o.r.n.y problem. Just which one of them was Takuya-kun?

 

 

 

 

 

The middle of the day on Sat.u.r.day.

 

 

 

 

 

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 someone pointed at any of those guys 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 himself on the introduction page of his website. - Mami wanted to lodge 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 time were they meeting?"

 

 

 

 

 

"I think it was 11."

 

 

 

 

 

"That's right now."

 

 

 

 

 

"Yeah, I know &h.e.l.lip; 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."

 

 

 

 

 

Mami called out, unthinkingly.

 

 

 

 

 

"What's the matter? Has he arrived?"

 

 

 

 

 

Uncle put his face up to the gla.s.s and looked outside.

 

 

 

 

 

"No, not yet."

 

 

 

 

 

Mami's attention was still elsewhere as she attempted to smooth things over with this answer.

 

 

 

 

 

Question: Why was that?

 

 

 

 

 

Answer: Because she'd seen someone completely unexpected.

 

 

 

 

 

Mami thought 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 Mami hadn't noticed her because she'd only been thinking about Takuya-kun and Noriko-chan. It was also hard to make out her face because of the large hat she wore low over her eyes.

 

 

 

 

 

(That's Rosa Gigantea, Toudou Shimako-san &h.e.l.lip; !)

 

 

 

 

 

Mami didn't question why she was here. Shimako-san's pet.i.t soeur was supposed to be meeting Takuya-kun here, so it was obviously because of that.

 

 

 

 

 

(Is Noriko-chan going to introduce him to her onee-sama?)

 

 

 

 

 

This was getting more and more interesting. A completely unexpected development. Tsukiyama Minako-sama would be crying tears of joy if she knew.

 

 

 

 

 

- The headline was undoubtedly, "Onee-sama, I'd like you to meet my boyfriend."

 

 

 

 

 

"Is there something about that girl over there?"

 

 

 

 

 

Uncle asked, following Mami's line of sight.

 

 

 

 

 

"That's the girl I'm looking for."

 

 

 

 

 

The end result being that Shimako-san was rather unfairly labeled as the "girl her boyfriend was cheating with." Since she'd only come up with the scenario as a way to get the old man to give up his table, she was already half desperate.

 

 

 

 

 

"What a pretty girl. &h.e.l.lip; Ah, pardon me."

 

 

 

 

 

"Huh?"

 

 

 

 

 

Initially she was confused as to why he was excusing himself, but on second thought complimenting the girl that her boyfriend was cheating with probably wouldn't go over well with most women. Mami contemplated whether she would have been better off showing immediate irritation. It was important to get 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 mixed sandwiches go over here."

 

 

 

 

 

Even though the old man had ordered them, the waitress had placed the large plate with the sandwiches in the middle of the table, probably a.s.suming that they were going to share them.

 

 

 

 

 

"What have they got inside them? &h.e.l.lip; Tomato and cuc.u.mber, egg, and avocado, huh."

 

 

 

 

 

The old man looked pleased as he wiped his hands on a handtowel. Mami shot a glance at him, but more than the contents of the sandwiches, her gaze was drawn to the small flag stuck in them.

 

 

 

 

 

"I wonder what country's flag that is &h.e.l.lip; red, yellow and green."

 

 

 

 

 

A small flag stuck to a toothpick. Obviously not the outline of the sun from the j.a.panese flag.

 

 

 

 

 

"They just picked one at random, don't you think? I saw the stars and stripes in a pilaf some time ago."

 

 

 

 

 

Just as he was saying this, Mami saw something in the same red, yellow and green of the flag cross her vision on the other side of the gla.s.s.

 

 

 

 

 

Just as Mami was turning her head to look at it, she was brought 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?"

 

 

 

 

 

" &h.e.l.lip; 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't move." Mami concentrated her efforts doing as he said and not lifting her shoes.

 

 

 

 

 

"Ah, here it is. Sorry for the bother."

 

 

 

 

 

Uncle emerged from the table holding the contact between his thumb and index finger, then gave it a quick rinse in the gla.s.s of water before saying, "Excuse me a moment," and turning around. Probably putting the 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 &h.e.l.lip; yeah."

 

 

 

 

 

Her heart was beating fast, like after some hard exercise. Mami tried as hard as she could to steady her heart.

 

 

 

 

 

The shirt of the newly arrived Takuya-kun candidate.

 

 

 

 

 

The shirt was traffic light colored - red, yellow and green.

 

 

 

 

 

It matched exactly with the shirt of Takuya-kun's that Kounoshin-san had cheekily borrowed.

 

 

 

 

 

She had no idea how many of those shirts had been sold throughout j.a.pan, but what were the odds of two young men owning that shirt and just happening to be meeting someone 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."

 

 

 

 

 

Mami said, pointing at the new Takuya-kun candidate.

 

 

 

 

 

No, not the Takuya-kun candidate.

 

 

 

 

 

(Found you.)

 

 

 

 

 

He was the true Shimura 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 him, Mami thought he looked like someone she knew. But she couldn't remember who it was he reminded her of. Probably someone from a boy-band.

 

 

 

 

 

"&h.e.l.lip; Is that your boyfriend?"

 

 

 

 

 

The old man asked.

 

 

 

 

 

"That's right."

 

 

 

 

 

They hid themselves behind the pot plants near the window and looked outside. Objectively, they looked like an incredibly suspicious pair.

 

 

 

 

 

"Hmm, where did you meet him?"

 

 

 

 

 

"We both went to the same school."

 

 

 

 

 

Mami replied perfunctorily since she was busy watching them, but the old man kept asking questions.

 

 

 

 

 

"When?"

 

 

 

 

 

"Why do you ask?"

 

 

 

 

 

Mami peeled herself away from the gla.s.s and looked straight at the old man.

 

 

 

 

 

"Oh, no reason. I was just a bit curious."

 

 

 

 

 

Oh, no reason? That wasn't the impression Mami had received. Why had he continued to dig 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 some kind of shady fortune teller. Sensing her suspicions, the old man looked out the window and muttered.

 

 

 

 

 

"But it's strange, isn't it?"

 

 

 

 

 

"What is?"

 

 

 

 

 

Mami once again concentrated on what was beyond the gla.s.s. In her mind she said, "You're what's strange," 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 to meet here, they should have been looking around too.

 

 

 

 

 

"They're pen-friends."

 

 

 

 

 

Mami hastily responded.

 

 

 

 

 

No good, no good. She'd made a casting mistake.

 

 

 

 

 

Shimako-san and Takuya-kun knew each other through Noriko-chan and had probably never met directly.

 

 

 

 

 

"So are they meeting for the first time today? Seems rather poorly planned. They should have both worn something 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-fashioned are these kids?"

 

 

 

 

 

How old-fashioned are they? Old-fashioned 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."

 

 

 

 

 

"&h.e.l.lip; Well that was the rumor I heard. From my friend."

 

 

 

 

 

Even Mami thought that was a pretty lame excuse.

 

 

 

 

 

With the way things were now, it may have been better to be honest from the outset. But taking hidden photos wasn't really something to be proud of, which made it hard to tell the truth. Doing it because of a cheating boyfriend made it marginally acceptable so she'd gone with that.

 

 

 

 

 

"I see."

 

 

 

 

 

The old man nodded. Her improvisation may just have fooled him. Mami felt a surge of relief.

 

 

 

 

 

"Oh."

 

 

 

 

 

The guy who looked like Takuya-kun glanced at Shimako-san.

 

 

 

 

 

(There, that's Noriko-chan's onee-sama!!)

 

 

 

 

 

Mami clenched her fists, sending out all her energy.

 

 

 

 

 

But the young man then quickly looked away, turning his head in a different direction. Looking around restlessly. He must be waiting for someone after all. The person he was waiting for obviously hadn't arrived yet.

 

 

 

 

 

Next it was Shimako-san taking note of her surrounds, going on a short walk around the fountain. She pa.s.sed by the traffic-light-color shirt.

 

 

 

 

 

(Shimako-san. That's Takuya-kun!)

 

 

 

 

 

But Mami's thoughts didn't reach her. Shimako-san walked past that flashy shirt without sparing it a single glance.

 

 

 

 

 

"Why are you so worked up about this?"

 

 

 

 

 

"Huh, no I'm not."

 

 

 

 

 

While this was happening, Shimako-san completed her circuit of the fountain and returned to her original position.

 

 

 

 

 

It felt almost like snakes-and-ladders, where she'd rolled the dice and moved forwards only to be sent back to her original square.

 

 

 

 

 

Mami took a sip of her flat apple soda.

 

 

 

 

 

It looked as though the status quo would persist until Noriko-chan arrived.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

How long would that take?

 

 

 

 

 

As time went on, the people that the Takuya-kun candidates were waiting for arrived one by one and they left the fountain.

 

 

 

 

 

Despite this, Shimako-san and the leading Takuya-kun candidate remained standing there, making no progress whatsoever. But the fact that he remained there just strengthened Mami's belief that he was Takuya-kun.

 

 

 

 

 

The only thing left on the sandwich plate was the parsley garnish. Everything else had disappeared into the old man's stomach.

 

 

 

 

 

"You don't have to stay with me, uncle."

 

 

 

 

 

Mami opened her mouth.

 

 

 

 

 

"Huh?"

 

 

 

 

 

"I'll settle the bill, so feel free."

 

 

 

 

 

The "to go ahead and leave," was left implied. But the old man seemed to misunderstand something.

 

 

 

 

 

"Really? Don't mind if I do then. Excuse me, waitress, another cup of Blue Mountain coffee please."

 

 

 

 

 

He said, waving his arm in the air.

 

 

 

 

 

"Huh!?"

 

 

 

 

 

"Coming right up."

 

 

 

 

 

The waitress walked over and picked up the empty sandwich plate and docket for the table.

 

 

 

 

 

"Thank-you."

 

 

 

 

 

The old man held the traffic-light-colored flag in his fingers and spun it around.

 

 

 

 

 

"I told you didn't I? I'm here because I'm waiting for someone."

 

 

 

 

 

She couldn't tell if it was the truth or a lie. But it looked like the old man was going to stick around for at least another cup of coffee.

 

 

 

 

 

Feeling a light headache building, Mami concentrated on what was happening outside the gla.s.s window.

 

 

 

 

 

From here on, she was going to ignore the old man as much as possible. Paying for the sandwiches and the coffee hurt, but she could chalk that up as the price of the seat. She'd had to share tables with strangers in the past and there was no way she'd be able to get any info if she spent all her time attending to them.

 

 

 

 

 

"Sorry for keeping you waiting. One Blue Mountain coffee."

 

 

 

 

 

The coffee arrived. But Mami didn't turn her head away from the window.

 

 

 

 

 

She heard the sound of the saucer being placed on the wooden table.

 

 

 

 

 

She sensed the waitress bow and walk off.

 

 

 

 

 

Even though she hadn't seen it happen, Mami could picture it as vividly as if she had. In contrast, the scene beyond the gla.s.s, by the fountain, hadn't made much of an impression on her mind despite the fact that she'd been watching it.

 

 

 

 

 

But that was fine. Because just her att.i.tude would convey to the old man that she was busy with what was happening beyond the gla.s.s.

 

 

 

 

 

"I wonder if there's something you'd like to order."

 

 

 

 

 

"I'm fine."

 

 

 

 

 

She responded to his question, but obviously she didn't turn her face towards him.

 

 

 

 

 

"But your soda's now just apple-scented ice, right?"

 

 

 

 

 

No response.

 

 

 

 

 

"How about the apricot frozen yoghurt sundae? The caramel, banana and chocolate parfait looks good too."

 

 

 

 

 

He waved the menu in front of her face annoyingly, saying, "Here, take a look."

 

 

 

 

 

"I told you, I don't want anything."

 

 

 

 

 

Fed up, Mami turned to look at him.

 

 

 

 

 

"- I guess not."

 

 

 

 

 

Then she spotted something in the old man's face that hadn't been there earlier and her anger died off completely.

 

 

 

 

 

Spot the difference. Now then, what had changed from before?

 

 

 

 

 

"You're finally looking at me."

 

 

 

 

 

The old man looked triumphant. As though he had completely missed his own blunder.

 

 

 

 

 

"I've been thinking about your goals for quite some time now."

 

 

 

 

 

"Okay?"

 

 

 

 

 

Calling a halt to her tactic of playing dumb, Mami looked straight at the old man. No matter how much she thought about it, it seemed odd. That thing spread across the center of his face.

 

 

 

 

 

"You've been lying."

 

 

 

 

 

"You're the one that's been lying, uncle."

 

 

 

 

 

Mami said, unable to remain silent.

 

 

 

 

 

"About what?"

 

 

 

 

 

The old man asked blankly.

 

 

 

 

 

"Then let me ask a question. Why are you wearing gla.s.ses?"

 

 

 

 

 

"I need my gla.s.ses to be able to read the fine print on the menu."

 

 

 

 

 

"On top of your contacts?"

 

 

 

 

 

"Ah, d.a.m.n it."

 

 

 

 

 

At that point he finally seemed to catch on to the situation.

 

 

 

 

 

Earlier he'd put on a display of losing a contact lens, picking it up, washing it, then putting it back in his eye. But normally you wouldn't wear both contact lenses and gla.s.ses at the same time.

 

 

 

 

 

"Since you're wearing those gla.s.ses, you must have been lying about the contact lens, right?"

 

 

 

 

 

Thinking back, Mami hadn't actually seen the contact lens. Instead, she'd been convinced solely by his actions. Since contact lenses are small, thin and transparent.

 

 

 

 

 

"Stands to reason."

 

 

 

 

 

"So why did you pretend you'd lost a contact lens &h.e.l.lip; "

 

 

 

 

 

"It's the same as you. It was a lie of convenience."

 

 

 

 

 

"Huh?"

 

 

 

 

 

"Back to our earlier conversation. I did indeed tell a lie. But so did you, so you're in no place to judge."

 

 

 

 

 

"What lie did I tell?"

 

 

 

 

 

She didn't know what he was talking about because there were too many to count.

 

 

 

 

 

"That young man. He's not your boyfriend."

 

 

 

 

 

"&h.e.l.lip; Why do you say that?"

 

 

 

 

 

Mami asked and the old man smirked.

 

 

 

 

 

"Are you a boy?"

 

 

 

 

 

"No."

 

 

 

 

 

Mami wondered why he was asking such a wildly off-topic question. How could anyone mistake this cute young girl for a boy? That should have been obvious even without contact lenses or gla.s.ses.

 

 

 

 

 

"Is that so? Well, it would have been better if you were a boy."

 

 

 

 

 

"Huh?"

 

 

 

 

 

The old man shrugged his shoulders.

 

 

 

 

 

"Unfortunately, that young man went to an all-boys school for middle and high school. But you said you met him at high school."

 

 

 

 

 

He pointed out the window as he said this.

 

 

 

 

 

Unaware that his previous schools were the topic of discussion the young man in the traffic-light colored shirt kept checking the time.

 

 

 

 

 

"&h.e.l.lip; No way."

 

 

 

 

 

"Oh? It's not a lie. I'll bet you 3,000 yen if you want."

 

 

 

 

 

"3,000 yen?"

 

 

 

 

 

It was a reasonable amount of money. The sort of money a female high school student would realistically have in her purse. If he'd suggested 300,000 yen then it obviously would have been hyperbole &h.e.l.lip; which meant the old man was seriously planning on winning the bet.

 

 

 

 

 

"You don't believe me? Then run out of the store, over to the fountain and ask him. That is, if you can."

 

 

 

 

 

Since he was going that far, it meant his information was probably solid.

 

 

 

 

 

"So you know that guy over there?"

 

 

 

 

 

"Pretty much. That's why I was surprised when you said you were his girlfriend, but you didn't know anything about him. You probably randomly picked him as your boyfriend from among the young men you could see. Am I wrong?"

 

 

 

 

 

Bingo.

 

 

 

 

 

Although it may not have been as "randomly" as he believed. Since it was his shirt that clinched her decision.

 

 

 

 

 

The shirt?

 

 

 

 

 

Thinking about it further, Mami came to a sudden realization.

 

 

 

 

 

"When he pa.s.sed by the window earlier, you had to suddenly hide yourself. That's why you pretended you'd dropped a contact lens."

 

 

 

 

 

"Bulls-eye. It'd have been a bit of a bother if he'd seen me here."

 

 

 

 

 

"A bother?"

 

 

 

 

 

Mami looked from the young man waiting in vain on the other side of the gla.s.s to the old man sitting in front of her sipping coffee.

 

 

 

 

 

"Don't tell me, the person you're waiting for is - "

 

 

 

 

 

Him.

 

 

 

 

 

Then no matter how long he waited, the person the young man was waiting for would not arrive.

 

 

 

 

 

Then, on top of that, she could conclude that he wasn't Takuya-kun. Because Takuya-kun was waiting for Nijou Noriko-chan. And since he wasn't waiting for Noriko-chan, he couldn't be Takuya-kun.

 

 

 

 

 

"No, that's not it. I'm not supposed to be meeting him."

 

 

 

 

 

The old man refuted her theory.

 

 

 

 

 

"Then why are you here?"

 

 

 

 

 

"For the same reason as you, in a sense. To watch from here. To survey the plaza, including his actions."

 

 

 

 

 

He smiled and looked out over the fountain. Then suddenly it all made sense to Mami.

 

 

 

 

 

"Don't tell me you're Kounoshin-san!?"

 

 

 

 

 

Then the old man spoke as he slowly turned towards Mami.

 

 

 

 

 

"How do you know that name &h.e.l.lip; ?"

 

 

 

 

 

"You're Kounoshin-san, right? Takuya-kun's grandfather."

 

 

 

 

 

She asked again, looking right into his eyes.

 

 

 

 

 

"- You're wrong."

 

 

 

 

 

The old man looked away, breaking eye contact. Despite his denial he was clearly shaken. First of all, if it was unrelated then he wouldn't have reacted so strongly to hearing the name "Kounoshin."

 

 

 

 

 

"So why did you just ask me how I knew that name? It's because you already knew the name Kounoshin, right?"

 

 

 

 

 

Thinking this, she took another look at both of them and despite the age difference they did seem to share a resemblance.

 

 

 

 

 

When Mami first saw the young man she thought he'd looked like someone. It wasn't some kind of celebrity she saw on TV, but the senior in front of her.

 

 

 

 

 

"Ho ho."

 

 

 

 

 

The old man turned to look at Mami with an incredibly displeased look on his face. Was he going to turn defiant?

 

 

 

 

 

"Anyway, I've decided not to tell you about that name just yet, since you still haven't yet told me the truth."

 

 

 

 

 

"Kounoshin-san."

 

 

 

 

 

"So please, don't call me by that name."

 

 

 

 

 

Despite him saying he wasn't Kounoshin-san, all the circ.u.mstantial evidence certainly pointed that way.

 

 

 

 

 

But the image she had in her mind of Kounoshin-san was completely different to the reality. Given how poorly Takuya-kun had wrote of him, she'd expected someone far more dowdy. But surprise of surprises, he was actually a refined old gentleman.

 

 

 

 

 

"It doesn't matter if you're not Kounoshin-san."

 

 

 

 

 

Mami tried asking a slightly different question.

 

 

 

 

 

"Could you tell me whether that guy over there is Shimura Takuya-kun?"

 

 

 

 

 

"Well, I wonder. When you get older, you often forget people's names."

 

 

 

 

 

Again with the sudden senility. What kind of grandfather would forget his grandson's name? Suppose, for arguments sake, that he did have that level of dementia, then there's no way he'd be let out on his own.

 

 

 

 

 

Given this, Mami decided her only course of action was to tell him everything. Then ask for his co-operation. It was a risky gamble but the potential payoff was proportionately large.

 

 

 

 

 

She breathed in then out. Then she leaned forward across the table a little way and whispered, like she was letting him in on a secret.

 

 

 

 

 

"The truth is, I came to take a look at my friend Noriko-chan's boyfriend, Takuya-kun."

 

 

 

 

 

"Oh."

 

 

 

 

 

Hearing this, the old man looked at her in wonder.

 

 

 

 

 

"&h.e.l.lip; In that case, wouldn't you be better off asking this Noriko-chan directly? Ask her to introduce you. Then you wouldn't have to be lurking in a place like this, trying to take a photo."

 

 

 

 

 

"That's true. But I don't want him introduced just to me, I want him introduced to everyone."

 

 

 

 

 

"To everyone?"

 

 

 

 

 

"I'm a member of the newspaper club at school."

 

 

 

 

 

"Ahh &h.e.l.lip; so that's how it is?"

 

 

 

 

 

"That's how it is."

 

 

 

 

 

Even though she hadn't explained everything, he seemed to accept this. He caught on quick and seemed mostly fine with it.

 

 

 

 

 

"But still, an ambush by the newspaper club. Is this Noriko-chan really such a celebrity?"

 

 

 

 

 

"She is."

 

 

 

 

 

Also known as Rosa Gigantea en bouton.

 

 

 

 

 

"Hmm. Such a gap in my knowledge, I had no idea.

 

 

 

 

 

"She's only a celebrity within our school. No need to concern yourself."

 

 

 

 

 

"I see. So it would have been weird if I'd known that."

 

 

 

 

 

The old man laughed noisily.

 

 

 

 

 

"Perhaps Kounoshin-san came to see Takuya-kun's girlfriend too."

 

 

 

 

 

"It's possible."

 

 

 

 

 

"But Noriko-chan hasn't shown up yet."

 

 

 

 

 

"Right."

 

 

 

 

 

Perhaps he was relaxing, because the old man was no longer protesting each and every utterance of "Kounoshin-san" or "Takuya-kun." But more than that he seemed interested in Mami's talk of school as he actively peppered her with questions.

 

 

 

 

 

"About this young lady, Noriko-chan, that you say isn't here. In your scenario, she was the one that was going to introduce the two pen-friends, right?"

 

 

 

 

 

"Huh? Ah, yeah."

 

 

 

 

 

"Then who's that girl that you said your boyfriend was cheating with?"

 

 

 

 

 

The girl your boyfriend was cheating with. The old man was talking about Shimako-san.

 

 

 

 

 

"Um, she's Noriko-chan's onee-sama &h.e.l.lip; ah, well, she's not actually her older sister, that's what we call an older student that we're especially close with."

 

 

 

 

 

Hearing Mami's response, the old man spoke decisively.

 

 

 

 

 

"I understand. You go to Lillian's Girls Academy, right?"

 

 

 

 

 

"Uh &h.e.l.lip; "

 

 

 

 

 

"Of course I know about the soeur system that's unique to that place. That girls' school is steeped in tradition."

 

 

 

 

 

Never underestimate senior citizens. Lillian's Girls Academy was an old school, founded in the 34th year of the Meiji period. There was nothing unusual about old people being aware of it.

 

 

 

 

 

" &h.e.l.lip; My apologies."

 

 

 

 

 

Mami admitted her mistake.

 

 

 

 

 

The soeur system only existed in the high school division. In other words, Mami had completely revealed herself as a member of the Lillian's Girls Academy High School newspaper club to this elderly gentleman. Mami focused her energies on not worsening her position.

 

 

 

 

 

"By the way, where did you hear the names "Takuya" and "Kounoshin?" Did that girl, Noriko-chan, tell you about them?"

 

 

 

 

 

"No, I found them on the internet."

 

 

 

 

 

"Ah, from "Takuya-kun's Buddhist Shrine?""

 

 

 

 

 

"You know about it?"

 

 

 

 

 

"Of course."

 

 

 

 

 

Which meant he must have checked "Kounoshin-san's Six Tatami Mat Room" too. Given the way it was written, what had he thought about it? Her reporter's instincts fired up and she instinctively asked him what his impressions of it were, to which he replied, "No comment."

 

 

 

 

 

What was he doing, putting on airs at this point? Mami couldn't really tell what he thought he was protecting.

 

 

 

 

 

"You could at least tell me something, since I've given you so much information."

 

 

 

 

 

Mami pleaded, after being rebuffed.

 

 

 

 

 

"You chose to tell me all that on your own. It's not like we had a deal."

 

 

 

 

 

The old man's lips were sealed.

 

 

 

 

 

"So you're just going to listen? Even though your comment of "You're not telling the truth," was what got me to start talking."

 

 

 

 

 

"Alright, alright. I'll tell you something very important. This is the national flag of Guinea. It's the reverse of Mali. They're quite similar, so it's easy to get them confused."

 

 

 

 

 

He was still dodging the issue, pretending not to understand. The sly old racc.o.o.n - although in terms of appearance he was closer to a deer.

 

 

 

 

 

"&h.e.l.lip; You're quite the font of knowledge, aren't you."

 

 

 

 

 

Mami grinned, her words dripping with sarcasm. But her opponent didn't seem to be affected by this in the slightest.

 

 

 

 

 

"Every day of your life is a learning experience. I've already retired from work so I've got plenty of free time to challenge myself in various ways. To learn and for fun. Even the sort of things that young people do."

 

 

 

 

 

Understanding dawned on Mami - so that's why he was more interested in his grandson than strictly necessary. His grandson was the closest example of youth culture that the old man had.

 

 

 

 

 

"Hmm, it's already 11:30."

 

 

 

 

 

The old man said, looking at his watch.

 

 

 

 

 

"How about this? Why don't you go and get Noriko-chan's onee-san and bring her back to the cafe."

 

 

 

 

 

"Huh?"

 

 

 

 

 

"Even though she's wearing a hat, she must be about reaching her limit waiting out in this heat. If Noriko-chan arrives, she'll be able to see from here."

 

 

 

 

 

"You want me to go?"

 

 

 

 

 

"Well I can't."

 

 

 

 

 

He was probably at least somewhat worried about appearing to be flirting with a young girl by calling out to her. But the old man had another reason too.

 

 

 

 

 

There was one other person waiting in vain near the fountain. The old man didn't want to be seen by him.

 

 

 

 

 

"She'd be better off in here, cooling off and replenishing her moisture."

 

 

 

 

 

If moisture was the issue then there was a ma.s.sive amount right beside Shimako-san, but it wasn't as though she could drink that - to say nothing of jumping in.

 

 

 

 

 

"Heatstroke can be a killer, especially to those with a weak const.i.tution."

 

 

 

 

 

Despite the serious topic, the old man kept talking in a carefree manner.

 

 

 

 

 

"&h.e.l.lip; Alright, I'll go and get her. That's what you want, right?"

 

 

 

 

 

It really would have left a bad aftertaste if someone had died because she hadn't done something. While she was desperate for some info about Rosa Gigantea