As they talked, the dishes they had ordered were brought to the table.
Besides the coffee, there was also the café's signature grilled meat sandwich. Who could possibly resist the heavy, high-calorie delight of roasted meat, bread, and cheese all stacked together?
And anyway, the menu didn't list the calorie count.
If it's not written, then it's zero calories.
Just eat and be done with it.
"Go on, try it. I'm not one of those refined city women who comes to cafés just to sip coffee. The only time I ever come to a café is when the food is actually good. Other people come for coffee—I come for the meal."
Eiren Kanagawa chuckled. "Honestly, to me, no matter how expensive a coffee is, it doesn't taste much different from the instant kind you can buy at the supermarket. The only difference is the price—one costs more, one costs less."
Hibiki Naegi looked at the table full of dishes. This didn't feel like a café at all…
She was certain she'd only ordered a cheap glass of orange juice and a slice of cheesecake, yet Eiren had somehow added all these extra dishes. When had she done that?
"I'm not paying for the extras."
"Of course not. And besides, there's no way I can finish all of this by myself. Don't worry about what's mine or yours—just eat whatever you like."
"You ordered too much."
"It's a date~" Eiren teased, smiling. "You know how it is—during a dinner date, you have to make sure the food makes your partner happy and full. Hey, what's with that look? I'm not going to do anything to you! It's just a figure of speech, okay? Just a metaphor!"
Hibiki took a bite of her cheesecake. It was too sweet—cloyingly so. She immediately reached for her orange juice to wash the taste away.
The cheesecake here wasn't good at all. She found herself thinking longingly of the apple cake Seiko had bought for her…
"Is it good?"
Eiren hadn't eaten much herself. Instead, she smiled and watched Hibiki eat, her gaze so gentle it made Hibiki's cheeks grow warm.
"It's good," Hibiki replied with a small nod. She couldn't deny that—aside from the cheesecake—the café's other dishes seemed quite tasty.
"Then," Eiren said softly, "can you tell me what's been bothering you?"
"Huh?"
Hibiki blinked, momentarily caught off guard by the sudden question.
"I could tell, you know," Eiren said, leaning forward slightly in her seat. "When I saw you at the station earlier—before you noticed me—you didn't look like someone simply waiting for a friend. Your expression was… troubled. It looked like you were upset about something—and not just anything, but something involving another person."
After a moment's thought, Hibiki finally said quietly, "I had a small argument with my little sister today."
"Oh, that's right—you do have a younger sister," Eiren said, nodding. "A little sibling spat, huh? That's something an only child like me could never quite experience."
She laughed lightly and took a sip of her mediocre coffee. If she could, she would've preferred a glass of whiskey instead.
"So, what did you two argue about?"
"...Sorry."
That was all Hibiki said. She knew perfectly well what the fight had been about—but she didn't want to tell Eiren. She didn't want anyone else knowing about the complicated feelings between her and Seiko.
Eiren didn't seem surprised by the refusal. She simply smiled faintly and shrugged.
"At your age, it's easy to guess what sisters fight about. Don't underestimate adults—we've been around long enough to recognize the signs. But honestly, whatever the reason, an argument only proves one thing."
"One thing?" Hibiki asked, a hint of curiosity in her voice.
"That no matter how close two people are by blood, they're still separate individuals—and that means they'll never fully understand each other. When it comes down to it, humans are creatures destined to misunderstand one another."
Eiren Kanagawa gave a small laugh. "It's alright if you don't quite understand what that means right now. Once you enter society, you'll come to realize it soon enough. Or rather," she added softly, "I hope you never do."
...
After finishing their coffee—or more accurately, their meal—Eiren went to settle the bill. However, before leaving, she walked toward the back of the café for a moment. Hibiki Naegi waited in her seat, wondering what she was doing. It wasn't long before Eiren returned, now holding a set of car keys in her hand.
"This is…" Hibiki began.
"Remember how I told you earlier about the café's owner? She and I are pretty good friends," Eiren explained. "I just went to borrow her car keys. She was so startled when I walked in—she didn't even know I was in Chiba. We ended up chatting for a bit. Sorry to keep you waiting. I'll drive you home."
"It's fine, I didn't wait that long," Hibiki replied.
"Thank you for being so understanding."
...
Inside the car.
After taking a moment to get familiar with the vehicle, Eiren started the engine.
About halfway through the drive, Hibiki began to notice something strange—the direction they were going didn't seem right.
"Professor Kanagawa, isn't this the wrong way?" she asked cautiously.
Eiren didn't answer. Her eyes stayed fixed on the road ahead, her expression unreadable, her hands tight on the wheel—as though she couldn't wait to reach wherever she was going.
"Professor Kanagawa!" Hibiki raised her voice.
Eiren jolted slightly, snapping out of her daze. She glanced toward Hibiki, whose expression was tense with unease.
"Ah… I'm sorry," Eiren said in a shaky breath. "I haven't been to Chiba that many times. I must've gotten turned around."
"Let's use the GPS," Hibiki suggested.
"Alright. What's your address again?"
Hibiki recited her home address, and Eiren entered it into the navigation system. As the GPS loaded, Hibiki glanced at the map—if they had continued just a little further along that route, they would've reached a five-star hotel.
Maybe it's just a coincidence… she thought silently.
Following the GPS directions, Eiren soon turned the car around and headed in the right direction.
...
Later that evening, after finishing the apple cake, Kotomi Izumi stayed with Seiko Kirigiri until about six-thirty before standing up to leave.
"Seiko, are you sure you don't want to come over to my place? You could have dinner with us~" Kotomi asked one last time, concern in her voice. Knowing that Seiko wasn't used to being home alone—and with Hibiki still not back yet—she couldn't help worrying.
"Thank you, Kotomi. You already kept me company for a while—I'm fine now, really!" Seiko said with a small, grateful smile, shaking her head.
"Alright, but call me if anything happens, okay? I'd better get home before my mom starts scolding me for being late again."
With that, Kotomi turned and left.
From beginning to end, every gesture she made, every expression on her face, and every word she spoke carried with it a terrifying gentleness.
It wasn't intentional—Kotomi truly saw Seiko only as a friend. But her natural presence had a way of subtly affecting those around her, stirring faint, inexplicable changes in their hearts and perceptions.
Especially among girls, Kotomi Izumi possessed a kind of quiet, alluring charm—like a soft spell that lingered in the air.
—
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