CH 30

“Oh, by the way, we haven’t introduced ourselves yet… I’m Nanami, like the number seven in Japanese.”

“I’m Kai.”

While placing his hand on his name tag, Toma introduced himself as well.

“Hey, are you the manager of this place? You look pretty young…” Nanami asked.

“No, I’m just a part-time employee. The manager is organizing invoices in the back,” Toma replied, expecting to be scolded, but instead receiving praise from the manager, Miki.

Thus, Toma was put in charge of serving the only customer in the bar, Nanami.

“Um…this is a place for drinking, right?” Nanami asked, looking around the bar.

Indeed, this was a bar, with a beautiful shaker on the counter and a variety of liquors such as whiskey, brandy, and liqueurs displayed on the back bar.

It was clear to anyone that this was a place to serve alcohol.

“Yes… so if it’s okay with you, please wear this. I’m sorry to ask you to wear my outerwear,” Toma said, bringing out his own coat from the back room.

“I’m not really cold or anything.”

“I wouldn’t recommend wearing revealing clothes at a bar.”

Nanami is wearing an outfit with clearly high exposure, a tank top and shorts.

As Toma had said, clothes that show off one’s body line are a no-go at a bar.

Wearing such clothes could potentially cause trouble, as with alcohol, anyone’s self-restraint tends to decrease. As they continue to drink, their judgment may become clouded, leading to unintentionally “tempting” those around them and causing problems.

“Could you wear this instead?”

“I-I guess I don’t have a choice. Bu-but only for now…”

“Thank you very much.”

Nanami, with her black hair tied up in pigtails, has a cherubic face that suits her. She has small cherry-colored lips and round brown eyes that are slightly puffy. When she smiles, dimples appear on her face.

Toma expected that if Nanami stayed at the bar in this outfit, it was only a matter of time before someone tried to hit on her, given that she looked both cute and feminine.

“Your intention is to make sureI don’t have to experience any more scary situations, right? You don’t need to thank me for that. In fact, I should be the ones thanking you,” said Nanami.

“That’s not true. I just don’t have confidence in my ability to handle all the trouble,” replied Toma.

“But earlier, you were brushing it off so lightly?”

“I wanted to run away in my heart,” Toma said, his expression still blank.

Nanami puffed out her cheeks and said, “Liar.”

“Well, let’s just go with what you’re saying. …By the way, can I borrow this outerwear for a little while?” she asked.

“I think it’s big, but okay,”

“Hahaha, it really is big. It’s so loose,”

Nanami said, noticing that the innerwear was big enough to cover up her short shorts, and the sleeves were like bell sleeves.

“But I never would have thought there would be a liquor store in a place like this. I never would have thought a stylish place like this would have juice,” Nanami said.

“It’s a little-known store. We have juice as well as employee meals, and chasers. In Japan, chasers are usually water, but we also have juice here,” Toma explained.

“What’s a chaser?”

“I see, so it’s a drink that you have after alcohol. It plays a role in preventing alcohol sickness, dehydration, and improving the taste.”

“Wow… Is it okay for you to pour it for me when it’s the employee’s meal? Won’t you get scolded…? I don’t want to cause any trouble for you.”

“It’s okay. Thank you for your concern.”

“Really?”

“Yes, I’m sure.”

Toma is showing a lot of consideration for Nanami. Nanami understands that.

She was starting to doubt his words, wondering if there were any lies in his previous statements.

“…And, you’re amazing.”

“Me?”

“Your ability to judge situations and your communication skills, things like that.”

“Thank you for your kind words.”

“After what happened earlier, I really thought that you were someone I could rely on. This is my first time in such a fancy place, but because you are so friendly, I don’t feel uncomfortable at all.”

“If you work at a drinking establishment, it becomes natural for you.”

“I don’t think it’s that simple…”

Nanami narrowed her round eyes and slowly sipped on her 100% orange juice.

“What’s your age?”

“I’ll be turning 20.”

“Wow, so you’re the same age as my younger brother.”

“That’s a coincidence…”

“Seriously, you seem too mature. You have an incredible sense of composure.”

“I think that just comes naturally from working in a drinking environment.”

“Wow, you have a strong comeback. Okay, I’ll go with that.”

Nanami smiled pleasantly, but the conversation suddenly stopped. Actually, it was more accurate to say that Nanami stopped talking.

“…You’re not going to ask about it, are you? About what happened earlier.”

“I can sense what you want me to hear and what you don’t.”

“But, you’re curious, right?”

“No.”

“What? You’re not curious? That’s a lie.”

“I have some idea of what it might be.”

“Oh really… you’re just guessing. Can you tell me? If you get it right, I’ll give you a heartfelt round of applause.”

“That’s interesting. I’ll aim for that applause then.”

“Okay, go ahead!”

Imitating a host, Nanami extended her hand and encouraged Toma to give his answer in a slow, easy-to-understand tone.

“I think that the blond person and you, Nanami-san were either lovers or friends. The reason I used the past tense ‘were’ is because the blond person did something that made you lose her patience. I couldn’t predict what that something was, but as a result, Nanami-san, you  slapped the blond person’s cheek and was chased. That’s all.”

“Uh-huh, and then?”

“Although I may be wrong, I believe that you are a very kind person. Based on your behavior, I could tell that you were trying to handle the situation in a way that would not cause any trouble for the store. However, the blond person was angry and chasing you. His cheek was red and marked with a handprint. I inferred from this that he was the one who had done something to upset you”

“Huh?”

Nanami was left dumbfounded by Toma’s prediction.

“Was I wrong?”

“No, you’re right. I can’t believe you could see through me like that, even though I wanted to run away on the inside.”

applause

Nanami clapped for Toma, acknowledging that he had guessed correctly, while still expressing her disbelief at his perceptiveness.

“If I may say so… even if that person is your ex-boyfriend or something, there’s no need to feel so down. I think it’s the fault of the person who made him so angry that he would resort to physical violence against you.”

“Well, that’s a bit of a sweeping statement… Maybe there was something wrong with me too?”

“That may be true, but there’s also the possibility that the blond guy was the one who struck first. And I can’t imagine you being the one to resort to violence. I can say for sure that something pretty bad must have happened to you.”

“It’s scary how you’re hitting the nail on the head… You’re really good at this. Please, no more!”

With the long talk apparently over, Nanaumi finished her glass of orange juice, jokingly cracked wise, and signaled that it was time to leave.

“I’m sure you’ll have a wonderful encounter next time. …So, would you like to have a refill?”

“Huh… R-refill? Ha ha, for what?”

But Toma had anticipated this and showed Nanaumi the bottle of orange juice.

“It doesn’t seem like any more customers will be coming, so please spend a little more time here. I’m sorry for being so selfish.”

“No… thanks, I really appreciate it. Thanks to you, I think I’ll be able to recover quickly.”

Nanami moved her glass forward, a sign that she wanted more.

“That’s good to hear. And thank you too.”

Toma took Nanami’s glass, added some ice, and refilled her juice.

“I have a feeling that I know your name,”

“That’s an interesting thing to say. Shall I add some apple juice if you guess it correctly?” replied Toma, raising his eyebrows with a composed expression.

“Thanks. But, can I say something? I’m 90% sure I know your name,” said Nanami with confidence.

“Okay then, what’s your answer?”

“It’s Toma, right?”

“What!? How did you know my name!?” exclaimed Toma, surprised.

“Well, if you confess everything you’ve been avoiding, I might be willing to tell you,” Nanami teased.

“Please spare me the embarrassment and just accept the apple juice,” Toma responded.

“Okay, okay, I guess I can’t blame you,” Nanai chuckled.

They continued to enjoy their time at Shine for about an hour, in a fun and lively atmosphere.

“He is something that even Mio-chan should fall in love with… The reason she didn’t want to introduce me to him…”

This soliloquy was carried on the jazz music playing inside the shop, and no one else heard it.