I Drink Every Night With a Lookalike of a Popular Idol on the Riverbank
The phrase “Flower Friday” sounds like nothing more than an insult to my exhausted mind, worn out from overtime work.
Dragging my weary body out of the office, I found myself buying a lemon-flavored canned chuhai at my usual convenience store.
It was Friday night. Maybe Nanase-san would still be there late into the night. With that faint hope in my heart, my feet naturally headed toward the riverbank.
But she wasn’t there at her usual spot.
Well, I guess so.
We didn’t have a date. It would be a miracle if we met. Probably, she drank alone on the riverbank until sunset and then went home.
I sat down on the concrete embankment where Nanase had been sitting, and started sipping my canned chuhai. After each sip, I checked the time on my smartphone. Time seemed to be moving unusually slowly.
Then I remembered.
Earlier that day, my colleague Narumi had been unusually restless.
“Sorry, I have to go! I have to watch Naginagi’s TV appearance live!”
She said that and rushed out at the end of the workday. I think it was the day when Yunagi Nagi’s group, “Luminous Tears,” was scheduled to appear live on a major music program.
It’s none of her business, since she’s an anti-fan who looks just like Yunagi Nagi.
She must be busy with her own work. I don’t know what kind of work it is, but it must be tough.
As I was thinking about such random things, I was almost giving up on meeting Nanase-san, when suddenly…
“…Haa, haa…! I’m sorry! I’m late!”
She ran over, out of breath.
The clock had already passed 10 PM. Her hair was messy from running, but her makeup was more flawless than usual. Had she been out somewhere?
“Na. Nanase-san!?”
“Y-Yeah… I’m sorry for keeping you waiting. Were you waiting for a long time?”
“No… I was just a bit busy today. I thought you had come first and left already.”
“Um… I had some errands to run too.”
Nanase-san said that and sat down next to me, taking a can of chu-hi out of a plastic bag. The common language of 7% lemon.
Nanase-san pulled the tab and started drinking it down.
“…Phew. Ah… I was so thirsty. A drink after work is the best.”
Watching Nanase drink so contentedly, I couldn’t help but smile. I suppose I’m not entirely unaffected by the joy of seeing her again.
“Nanase san, have you been busy?”
Finally, I asked her, who seemed to have calmed down.
“Hmm. Yeah, I guess so. I… I might be a little weird.”
After drinking the canned cocktail with relish, she muttered that quietly.
“Isn’t that how you’ve always been?”
I said that with a slightly teasing tone, and she laughed happily.
“Well, that’s true. I won’t deny it. I am a bit strange.”
She paused there for a moment.
Then, she continued with a slightly embarrassed expression.
“You know, after work, I found myself rushing here without even realizing it.”
“…”
“I wondered why. I thought about it alone in the taxi. It’s weird, isn’t it?”
She tilted her head in wonder, as if it were someone else’s story, even though it was about herself.
Her vulnerable gesture made my heart skip a beat.
I see. She was tired from work.
That’s why I wanted to let off steam here as soon as possible.
I understood her sincere confession perfectly in my own way.
“You were so stressed out…”
I said with genuine sympathy.
She didn’t say anything in response.
She just gave me a helplessly funny smile.
“…Actually, aren’t you hungry? At this time of day, I just feel like eating something unhealthy.”
She said, pouting her lips a little like a child.
“I understand. I already gave in to temptation when I stopped by the convenience store.”
“What did you buy?”
“An American dog.”
When I said that, she let out a slightly excited “Eh!”
“Hey, Yosuke. Can I have just the crispy part?”
“You’re asking for the best part… Okay, I haven’t opened it yet, so I’ll give it to you.”
I took the American dog out of the convenience store bag and handed it to Nanase.
“Well, you should have the first bite, Yosuke.”
“I already had dinner. Just leave me the crispy part.”
“The crispy part is so popular. Thanks.”
Nanase must have been really hungry, because she didn’t argue and just put ketchup and mustard on it and took a big bite of the American dog.
It’s not something I’m consciously thinking about, but seeing Nanase open her mouth wide and take a big bite makes it look strangely sensual.
“Mmm… so delicious… yeah… American dogs are best eaten with a big bite, aren’t they?”
“Yeah… that’s right…”
“I can’t usually do that. Once, someone put a mosaic over a picture of me eating a banana and turned it into a weird image.”
“What? Even if you look like her, that’s going too far, isn’t it?”
“Yeah, really. After that, my workplace issued a ‘no eating stick-shaped things in public’ rule.”
“What kind of company do you work for…?”
“Ah… hehe… well, it’s just a normal one, you know?”
“If you did that, it would be sexual harassment right away… Look-alikes have it tough, don’t they…”
“…hehe. Yeah, it’s tough.”
Nanase froze for a moment, then pointed the American dog she was holding at my face.
“Yosuke, open your mouth.”
“Eh… mmm…”
I opened my mouth as she told me to, and she shoved the American dog into it.
“I noticed you were glancing over at it earlier, Yosuke… But it’s okay because it’s you, Yosuke~”
Nanase smiled and tapped my forehead with her finger.
“Y-you have a wide field of vision…”
“Yeah. I’m a herbivore.”
“There’s sausage in the American dog…”
“No, sausage is a vegetable.”
Nanase said with a serious expression, as if it were a famous quote from a fat person.
“Well… anyway, I’m glad Yousuke was here.”
“I’m glad we both had to work overtime.”
“Yeah. I really am. I’m grateful for being so busy today. I was looking forward to this.”
Coming here isn’t mandatory. It shouldn’t be, but I realize that coming here is becoming the norm.
As I was thinking about that, the American dog was reduced to just the crispy part at the bottom. That crispy part seems to be Nanase’s favorite.
As I stared at that part, Nanase laughed and said, “Eat it.”
“Is that okay? You said you were looking forward to it…”
“Hehe… The crispy part is also a treat, but that’s not what I meant.”
Nanase, who was wearing more makeup than usual, licked the ketchup off her finger and laughed happily as she said that.
Maiasa