I Drink Every Night With a Lookalike of a Popular Idol on the Riverbank
“Hey, wait, heal! Hiori, heal quickly!”
“…Shut up. I’m not a healer. I’m memorizing the enemy’s attack patterns. It’s too late to dodge after seeing it.”
“Yeah, that’s the hard part.”
On the screen, a huge dragon with flashy effects was breathing fire, and our avatars’ HP was flashing red. My room on my day off.
It was more like a castle where a game enthusiast was playing with friends than the living space of the national idol Yunagi Yuna
Next to the sofa was Asagiri Hiori, a member of the same group. She was wearing a character-themed tracksuit, hugging a cushion, and calmly operating the controller.
“Ugh… I lost…”
The merciless “Game Over” text appeared on the screen, and I threw the controller onto the sofa.
“…So, how long are you going to keep playing this ‘look-alike game’?”
Hiori suddenly said without taking her eyes off the game screen. Her voice was as flat as usual, devoid of any warmth.
“Well, it’s not really a game.”
“…It is a game. At the last festival, you completely messed up the lyrics. He was in the front row, right? Yousuke. For Nagi to be so shaken up, it must have been pretty bad.”
“Ugh…”
Caught off guard, I stumbled for words. The scene from that day came flooding back. Yousuke, standing in the front row, looking up at me with a puzzled expression. I never expected him to be there.
And it’s true that I was shaken, and it’s also true that messing up the lyrics because of that is unprofessional.
“…Anyway, doesn’t he realize yet? his drinking buddy isn’t a look-alike, she’s the real thing.”
“He doesn’t realize it, that’s all.”
“…Why?”
“I wonder why…”
Was I happy, sad, or frustrated? I didn’t even know what this feeling was myself. But I just didn’t want to stay a “look-alike” forever.
As if she could see through my inner conflict, Hiori sighed and put down the controller.
“…This is annoying. Let’s just meet as Yunagi.”
“What!?”
“…It’ll be quicker that way. Watching you agonize over this is exhausting.”
“But… if I do that… Yousuke will be shocked. He might be so shocked that he’ll be speechless. He might not want to see me anymore…”
“If you keep this up, you’ll always be the ‘look-alike.’ Is that okay with you?”
Hiori’s straight gaze pierced through me.
…Are you sure that’s okay?
Isn’t it okay? No, it’s not okay. No, no, it’s okay, right? No, it’s not okay.
My thoughts went back and forth in my heart.
“…I understand. Then, Hiori, come with me.”
“…Why me?”
“I can’t do it alone! It’s scary!”
“..Haa. Energy drinks, one month’s supply.”
Hiori held up four fingers.
“Wait, isn’t it one week?”
I countered with a negotiation to reduce the amount.
“…Three weeks.”
“Two weeks.”
“… Deal.”
“Okay. So today, then.”
“… Today!?”
Hiori’s eyes widened in surprise. But there’s no time to waste.
◆
The usual bench by the river. I was waiting for Nanase-san while browsing news sites on my smartphone.
Autumn was deepening, and the breeze blowing across the river was a little chilly. I was thinking that it was about time for warm drinks when I heard footsteps.
It wasn’t just one set of footsteps.
Two sets of light footsteps. I looked up and couldn’t believe my eyes. My brain refused to comprehend the scene before me. My heart skipped a beat.
Standing there were Nanase-san and Asagiri-san… but they weren’t.
It was Yunagi, the national idol who had been standing right in the middle of the stage at the previous festival.
She looked exactly like Nanase-san, but the aura she exuded was undeniably Yunagi Nagi’s.
“What!? Yunagi Nagi!? And Asagiri-san!? Why are you here!?”
My mind went blank. Was this a prank? But there were no cameras in sight. Both of them were dressed casually, not in stage costumes, but even so, the atmosphere around them was different. Their aura was incredible.
While I was panicking, Asagiri sat down next to me. If things continued like this, Yunagi would end up sitting in the spot where Nanase usually sits. That would be awkward when Nanase arrived later.
So I shifted slightly and sat back in Nanase-san’s usual spot.
“…Why don’t you sit down too, Nagi?”
Prompted by that voice, Nagi hesitantly approached us.
Nagi didn’t stop next to Asagiri-san, but in front of me. She looked confused and asked me,
“Um… is it okay if I sit there? Where Aikawa-san is sitting now?”
Her voice sounded a lot like Nanase-san’s. Of course it did. She was her doppelganger. But it also sounded a little like a stranger’s voice. For some reason, I felt compelled to answer her simple question with a clear “no.”
This place is different. This seat isn’t where Yunagi should sit. This is where I talk to Nanase, who is a bit of a hassle, a little lonely, but kinder than anyone else.
I felt sorry, but I said it firmly.
“I’m sorry. This is… an important place for me. Someone else might come and sit here soon.”
The moment I said that,
Yunagi Nagi’s eyes widened as if she had seen something unbelievable. And in the next instant, I could see her face turning bright red all the way to her ears. She turned her head away with such force, as if to hide her burning face.
Wait, did I say something weird?
In the corner of my confused vision, another person, Asagiri Hiori, watched the entire scene and smiled, her lips curling up in genuine enjoyment.
Then, she opened the energy drink can she was holding with a satisfying “pop” and slowly sipped it, as if she were watching the most entertaining show in the world.
I had no idea what was going on. I was completely frozen between the national idol blushing and turning away, and the other national idol drinking energy drink while watching her.
Maiasa