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The temperature has gradually gotten hotter, July is near its end. We’re in the height of summer now. Once August starts, it’s going to get even hotter but unlike the outside, the inside of the cafe is comfortable. Long sleeves are perfectly fine to wear.

「Then owner, I’ll hang the sign now.」
「Sure, today’s meal is curry, okay?」

They always provide lunch for me. Because of that, it’s been a great help to my finances. Well, it’s basically just recycling the leftovers though. Man, the heat when stepping outside is annoying.

「It’s still safe right!?」

As I was about to go back inside after hanging the “break time” plate in the front, someone who was just running asked me so. Actually, this voice sounds familiar.

「No, you’re out. We will be awaiting your return in another day.」

Because of that, I ended up replying like I usually do, but normally this would have been unacceptable. I really should ask for the owner’s confirmation first in this case.

「Please!」

I guess she really isn’t giving up, huh. Still, why is she even here right now? She lives in the neighboring town, so as long as she didn’t move here, I didn’t imagine that I’d ever see her. Moreover, what about her job?

「Kotone~, you can let ‘em in.」

Since the owner has given his permission now, I have no choice but to let her in. Besides, the guys behind her are familiar faces to me as well. How did things end up like this?

「Sorry about our problem child being unreasonable.」
「No, the owner has given his permission, so please don’t mind.」

Among them, someone stepped up and apologized, but this guy’s taking responsibility as usual. It doesn’t look like they’ve changed at all. They’re giving me nostalgia, all of them. Still, this is my first time meeting them, so I need to act that way.

「Your orders, please.」
「Pasta!」
「Curry.」
「Chef’s choice.」
「Sandwich set, on the heavier side.」

Not a shred of consistency. Also, we’re not taking that last order. What does a set on the heavier side even mean? We’re just serving normal ones. It looks like the curry addict hasn’t gotten cured either.

「Sorry, but we’re entering break time right now, so we can’t attend to you much.」
「It’s our fault for coming in at this time of the day, so don’t mind it at all, Mr. Owner.」

It’s always like this for them, after all. I’m used to it myself. That’s why, right after I serve their dishes, I’m just going to have my lunch. The owner has already started eating, after all.

「Owner, do we have autograph cards here?」
「What for?」
「These people should be sort of celebrities, more or less. Don’t you want something to remember them by?」

Besides, Kaori did say that she’s a fan of theirs, so we should get their signatures. I personally don’t need it though. What good is it for me to get the signature of my old acquaintances?

「Who are they?」
「Owner……」

Your daughter’s a fan of them and you don’t know them at all. He should have seen them before while Kaori watches the TV or something, but I guess he doesn’t remember.

「That’s just the way it goes. Most of our fans are pretty young, after all.」
「Is it alright to be here when you have a live concert tomorrow?」

Had Kaori been at home right now, I would’ve called her through the phone, but sadly I know that she’s out. She’s buying groceries for tomorrow. Unfortunately for her.

「We didn’t plan on being out either. But our manager, damn it…」

They must have had an argument with their manager. Maybe something related to tomorrow’s concert? In that case, wouldn’t it be bad for them to speak about it here?

「She got us hamburgers for lunch! When none of us want any of that!」

It was about something stupid. I mean, just deal with it and eat your lunch. Look at the owner. He’s completely speechless.

「Do you hate hamburgers?」
「I don’t particularly dislike it. But due to a certain reason, I don’t want to eat those.」

Doesn’t that practically mean you hate it? Well, even I don’t want to ever eat those. It’s what I ate dying after all, so my body just rejects it. The mere smell makes me nauseous.

「Because of that, we sneaked out to have lunch. Still, if we went to somewhere populated, it might cause a big ruckus.」

Well,sure, you do appear on TV after all. It’s certain to cause a ruckus if people realize it’s you. I guess you have the head to think about that sort of stuff now. You’ve grown, huh.

「Still, that’s not an excuse to target a shop nearing its break time, is it?」
「Ah, you can tell?」

How many years do you think I’ve been with you? You’ve moved the seats so you can’t be seen from the outside too.

「Still, the earlier exchange really reminds me of him.」
「True that. You did the same thing at the place he was working part time, right Isami?」
「Come to think of it, I did. I can’t remember why that was though.」

Because of that, it was rumored at my workplace that Isami and I were dating, and it was tough fixing that misunderstanding. I even grumbled about it to Isami, but she just laughed at me, this girl.

「Miss waitress, what’s your name?」
「It’s Kotone, Ms. Kondou Isami.」
「Are you perhaps a fan?」
「That’s by no means correct, please rest assured.」

I am curious about them, but it’s not like I’m a fan. I’ve heard of their songs from Kaori and I certainly do like it, but it’s just that. I’ve neither bought CDs or digital copies, after all.

「Kotone, aren’t you a bit cold to me?」
「Please don’t worry, this is how I usually am.」

It’s a deeply ingrained habit, so I can’t do anything about it. To put it positively, she’s cheerful. Negatively, she’s noisy and causes a lot of trouble. So if I match her groove, then things will get out of hand real quickly. Within this group, I was the sane guy back then, you see.

「But when you first saw me, weren’t you a bit surprised?」
「You are more or less a celebrity, after all.」

I was so sure that I didn’t show my shock though. But still, anyone would be surprised to suddenly see a person they never expected to meet ever again. That’s all there is to it.

「Well that’s true. But how do I say this? It didn’t look like that sort of surprise.」

As usual, she’s sharp when it comes to weird stuff. However, she probably doesn’t realize my real identity. After all, that’s just too absurd of a conclusion.

「Besides, they’re completely different gender and appearance-wise. You’re similar, you see. To Sou.」
「Is that so.」
「Incidentally, do you have an older brother? Or could it be a hidden child kinda deal?¹」
「No to both. I know both my father and mother, and I only have twin younger siblings.」

Just hypothetically. With how my mother is, it wouldn’t be a surprise if she had a hidden child or kept me a secret. I get that. That’s probably why Isami asked this. After all, I have no idea whatever that woman is doing wherever she is now.

「Fhmm, I guess that means that they’re just similar. Hmm, but still…」

1. Lyly: Wow, that’s pretty direct, lol