Chapter 103: Espresso

Reading Settings

Translator: Soafp

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“Momiji-san… (tears of joy)” 

“A-Are you okay…!?”

I got on the train, one stop, then two. 

After a short walk, I waited in front of the bookstore—and then she came.

Wearing the familiar uniform, she walked quietly, and when she saw me, she trotted over. 

It might be rude to say, but this is really soothing (pervert).

Especially that scent from the books, it's amazing (caught in the act).

“Momiji-san, you smell so nice (the absolute worst)” 

“Heh!?”

Oh no, the words slipped out because I'm mentally exhausted. 

It's over… Someone, please arrest me…

“I'm sorry (begging for forgiveness).” 

“Kuku, it's okay. The smell of books is nice, isn't it?”

“(Purification)” 

“Ah, Toumachi-kun!”

As we talked, everything felt cleaner and brighter. 

The atmosphere of the club was completely gone—

“T-Toumachi-kun, don't you smell kind of… mature?”

Oh, it seems a trace of it was left after all (taking back my previous statement). 

Well, I did get hugged, even if it was just lightly.

…Let's not think about it anymore. 

That Black Hole…

The light, me, everything got sucked in———

“Ah (mental breakdown).” 

“T-Toumachi-kun!?” 

“I'm fine (reborn).”

“Ah, thank goodness. Oh, I'm really sorry for being late.” 

“No, no. I had plans too, so don't worry about it.” 

“Thank you so much…”

Honestly, I'm not bothered at all. 

It's my fault for not noticing the LIME message in the first place.

“Shall we talk while we walk?” 

“Ah, um, w-would you like to have tea here instead?”

“Huh?”

And then. 

Momiji-san quickly trotted over, leading us to what looked like a fancy café.

…A sign with lots of stars. 

Stars. Stars. Black stars—oh (replaying memories from 30 minutes ago).

“(Toumachi.exe has stopped working).” 

“T-Toumachi-kun?”

“Ah, ah… Let's go.” 

“Yes!”

The face of Momiji-san peering at me—so cute. 

I regained my composure.

…No, wait a second. I entered the shop naturally, but—

---

“What would you like to order?” 

“Ah, um… (confused).”

“(Smiling and looking at me sweetly).” 

“Uh, a short espresso, please…” 

“Understood, that will be 590 yen.”

Come to think of it, this is my first time in a place like this.

Short, tall, grande, venti. 

The café's unique sizing chart confused me, but I somehow managed to place an order.

Luckily, I had some prior knowledge. 

“Can I get a large size, please! (loudly).” 

“Can I get some fried chicken! (huh?)”

…Thank goodness I didn't embarrass myself like that. 

Studying about baristas as a hobby really paid off in moments like this. 

Well, to be honest, the menu here has the sizes clearly written.

“This should cover it…” 

“Thank you, that's exact change. Please wait at the counter.” 

“Okay (feeling small).”

Ah, that was nerve-wracking. 

I never thought Momiji-san would invite me to a place like this.

But then again, she loves reading, so a café like this totally suits her—

“Uh—I’ll have this in M size, please…!”

M(omiji)-san!!

---

“I’m so embarrassed. I didn't even look at the size chart…” 

“It's a total trap for first-timers.”

I sat at the table with the espresso (590 yen) in hand. 

Man, that's pricey. I could make 10 cups of coffee at home for that price (Problematic Customer No. 1).

But the real issue is the taste. 

Now then—let's see if it can take on my barista pride!

“Is it good?” 

“Yeah. The espresso here is really delicious (utter defeat).”

I feel embarrassed for thinking I was on the same level. 

My barista journey still has a long way to go.

“…I enjoy things like this.” 

“Yeah, me too (purified).”

The sense of defeat vanished. 

Watching her happily sip her matcha latte, she looked just like a hamster munching on acorns (no offense).

“So… there's something I wanted to talk about.” 

“Go ahead.”

She put down her cup and started speaking while looking down.

“Well, today we had that creative dance class, right?” 

“Yeah, we did.”

“And, um, someone from the class next to ours invited me… and we ended up dancing together.” 

“Oh?”

“And then we started talking about books with the person I teamed up with…” 

“Hmm…”

“And they asked me… if we could be friends.”

Momiji-san squeezed the words out. 

Even though she must have been happy, she looked like she was a little scared.

“I’m scared… It’s all going so well, almost too well.” 

“Uh… Did anything else happen?”

“Well, I also got praised at my part-time job…” 

“I see.”

“It's weird, right? But I just can't help feeling anxious—” 

“You’re just overthinking, Momiji-san.” 

“!”

“It's okay, it's just in your head. Don't worry. It's normal to feel anxious when things are going well.”

I said it loudly, because last week, I had felt the exact same way. 

Just like the people in the forum taught me. 

I knew this was what I should say.

“You’re… right!” 

“Of course (acting high and mighty).”

“It's okay to hang out during the holidays, right?” 

“Of course. Wait, did they invite you?”

“Yeah, they said we should go shopping for clothes together.” 

“Oh…” 

“I don't have many casual clothes, and it just came up in conversation…”

Things seem to be moving pretty fast. 

But now that I think about it, it makes sense.

With how cute she looks, it's no surprise girls would want to befriend her. 

She's so polite with her words, too. 

Thanks to her voice training or whatever it was, she's gotten much better at talking.

“That sounds great.” 

“I-I'll do my best!” 

“Haha.”

She's changing for the better, more and more. 

She's practically a different person from when we were exchanging letters.

I'm sure she's going to make more friends now. 

She says she looks up to me, but—she'll surpass me in no time.

…Honestly. Honestly, this is selfish of me. 

But as she grows and drifts away, I can't help but feel a little… lonely. 

I hate that I can't fully be happy for her from the bottom of my heart.

“Thank you. I feel so much better now.” 

“Not at all. I'm glad we solved it.” 

“It's absolutely because of you that I'm where I am now, Toumachi-kun. Thank you so much.”

“…You’re exaggerating.”

The espresso. 

It tasted a little stronger than usual today. 

I took a sip, as if to drown out my emotions.

“It's not an exaggeration! Oh, by the way, what were you doing earlier, Toumachi-kun?” 

“Ah—it’s a secret…”

“Now you've made me curious…!” 

“Haha, forget about me. Tell me more about your new friend.”

“Oh, um… Rikka Tachibana. Her hobby was reading books, but no one around her was interested in novels. Then, one day, in the middle of the classroom next door, she noticed a girl who read books all day long…”

“(Oh, something's starting here)”

It was a late afternoon. 

I listened with a smile as she happily talked. 

Her precious time with her new friend dissolved into the bitterness on my tongue…

---

300: Name: Anonymous in Love 

So, it’s now 1 a.m. 

1’s snoozing time.

301: Name: Anonymous in Love 

I’ve been waiting for this.

302: Name: Anonymous in Love 

That theory is becoming more and more likely.

303: Name: Anonymous in Love 

He said he danced solo today… Yeah, it's pretty much confirmed now.

304: Name: Anonymous in Love 

If he had same-gender friends, he would have definitely teamed up with them.

305: Name: Anonymous in Love 

From what we've heard, he seems super close to that person… If they didn't form a group, then, yeah…

306: Name: Anonymous in Love 

It's still not 100%. 

There's still a chance they're from a different class… probably.

307: Name: Anonymous in Love 

Yeah, but still…

308: Name: Anonymous in Love 

It's a weird feeling of both envy and not being envious at the same time, lol.

309: Name: Anonymous in Love 

Having all your friends be the opposite gender must really make people talk.

310: Name: Anonymous in Love 

Hmm…

311: Name: Anonymous in Love 

I hope 1’s okay…

312: Name: Anonymous in Love 

Well, nothing’s confirmed yet (nervously).