"Chihaya-san... how did you recognize me so quickly?"
That was the first question Minami Uika asked after taking her seat.
Confident that she had been thoroughly disguised, she was genuinely puzzled by Tetsuya's lightning-fast recognition.
"I'm even wearing a hat and a mask."
"Because I'm a designer, I'm more sensitive to body proportions."
Tetsuya answered very directly.
"A figure on par with a print model's like yours is rare to begin with. Plus, with the hair color and eyes you have showing, it was enough for me to recognize you."
"..."
Being a 'designer' is a bit of a sly excuse.
Although he probably did recognize her based on that, to be able to say an explanation that was so clearly mixed with a compliment so openly was something else.
Minami Uika, who was about to take off her mask, suddenly felt a bit of heat rise in her cheeks. In order to hide the change in her complexion, she only pulled the mask down to just below her lips.
"Putting that aside, for Minami-san to be riding the train at this hour... could it be you just finished work?"
Tetsuya, on the other hand, asked with some curiosity.
Hearing this, Minami Uika shook her head slightly.
"Not at all. My composing wasn't making any progress, so I thought I'd come out to clear my head and reset myself."
At this, she paused for a moment before adding:
"By the way, I heard about this way of clearing one's head from Sakiko."
"Eh? So, it's because of me?"
Tetsuya couldn't help but be taken aback.
"I feel... a little apologetic."
"? Why are you apologizing, Chihaya-san?"
"For giving an idol such a dangerous hobby because of me..."
"What a vague and misleading thing to say."
Minami Uika said, retorting Tetsuya's choice of words while giving him an amused look.
However, when she saw that there was no trace of playfulness on his face, but rather an expression of sincere self-reflection, she couldn't help but gasp.
What, was he being serious just now? Does he genuinely feel sorry about this?
"Um... Chihaya-san, this is, at most, just a normal topic that came up during a girls' chat. You really don't need to take it to heart!"
Minami Uika quickly explained.
"Besides, I only came here this time with the thought of trying it out. It won't be frequent enough to cause any kind of commotion, so it's fine!"
"Ah, is that so."
Tetsuya's expression also relaxed with relief.
"That's good... Although there are basically no other passengers at this time, Minami-san's appearance is still quite recognizable. You could easily be spotted by your fans. Considering the time, it's best to be a little more vigilant... Right, if you don't mind, if you ever want to take the last train to clear your head again in the future, you can contact me beforehand. This time is close to when I get off work anyway, so it's no inconvenience for me—"
"Eh... that would be way too much trouble for you."
Minami Uika couldn't help but wave her hands dismissively.
"To take up your precious rest time for a complete stranger like me, no matter how I think about it, it's not right!"
"It's fine. For me, riding the last train is the best way to relax."
Tetsuya said.
"Besides, as Togawa's childhood friend and Ai's partner, Minami-san is hardly a complete stranger to me... Speaking of which, I have you to thank for the advance notice regarding Ai's situation this time. I'm truly grateful, Minami-san."
"I only did it for myself and for Sakiko... so you don't have to thank me so formally, Chihaya-san!"
Faced with this string of words filled with sincerity and earnestness from Tetsuya, Minami Uika felt a bit overwhelmed.
Although she didn't actually plan on doing so, if she really were to contact him at this time in the future and say she wanted to take the last train, she believed Tetsuya would immediately rush over to be her escort.
While this consideration is very touching... is it really okay? To offer up his most precious rest time to someone else just because of a few casual remarks? And the most frightening part is, Uika could be almost certain that he had absolutely no thoughts about her other than a sense of protectiveness!
Ah, right. Come to think of it, Ai's evaluation of him did seem to include the line "a guy who attracts girls very easily."
Originally, Minami Uika had just thought it was praise for Tetsuya's maturity and kindness. However, from her two brief encounters with him, she suspected the reason he attracted girls wasn't so simple.
Whether you'd call it being natural or just oblivious, in short, Tetsuya's words and actions always had an unguarded and misleading frankness.
This feeling of ease, where one could get close to him with just a little effort, was a bit too abnormal no matter how you looked at it!
"Sigh, never mind. Anyway, that's my reason... Why are you here, Chihaya-san?"
To prevent certain strange thoughts from continuing to grow in her mind, Minami Uika quickly changed the subject.
"Don't tell me you're here to clear your head too?"
"Mhm, something like that."
Tetsuya nodded.
"I just dropped Togawa home, and I came here to think about some things."
"Could it be... about Ai?"
"...Mhm."
After a brief silence, Tetsuya slowly spoke.
"It's been seven years, after all. These past few days, I often find myself wondering what I should say to her when I see her."
"...So we're thinking about the same thing after all."
Minami Uika couldn't help but sigh.
"I also came out to clear my head because I was worried about you and Ai meeting in a few days."
"After all, for you, this is a major event that concerns whether your group will disband."
Tetsuya was also very understanding of Minami Uika's worries.
"Minami-san, you don't want Ai to give up her idol career either, right?"
"That's right."
Minami Uika nodded.
"Although it might not sound very convincing coming from a newcomer like me, she is truly the most suited person to be an idol I have ever seen... It's not just me; the agency, all the staff who have worked with her, and even the entire idol industry think so."
"I'm not questioning her feelings for you, nor do I intend to judge her choices, but... I just really can't understand how someone as smart and 'greedy' as her would be willing to give up everything for a childhood romance."
"Chihaya-san, seven years ago... that is, before you two were separated, what kind of relationship did you actually have?"