I Drink Every Night With a Lookalike of a Popular Idol on the Riverbank
Even in September, the muggy air enveloping the city felt as if the entire city were sighing deeply.
I hadn’t seen Nanase-san even once since I was told that I wouldn’t be able to meet her anymore. Occasionally, I would receive photos of her drinking alone in her room or at a ryokan, along with messages from a drunk person named โNanapa.โ
โSo, how’s it going with that lookalike?โ
During lunch break at the cafรฉ, my colleague Narumi smiled mischievously while twirling pasta in front of me. Her cheerful voice was a bit too bright for this lazy afternoon.
โWell, I haven’t been able to meet her latelyโฆโ
โHuh? Why? Did you do something wrong?โ
โNo, that’s not it! Apparently, she’s in the middle of a big project.โ
โHmm. Well, whatever.โ
Narumi put down her fork disinterestedly, and at that moment, I noticed the gaze of a man sitting in the corner of the store. He had his cap pulled down low over his eyes, and his face was more than half covered by a mask. The man was staring intently at usโฆ no, at Narumi.
โNarumi, that guyโฆ I feel like he’s been staring at us the whole timeโฆโ
I whispered, and Narumi also looked over there with a puzzled expression. Then, her face suddenly changed.
โโฆNo way. Could it beโฆโ
โDo you know him?โ
โOf course not! Wellโฆ after 24 years of hardship, maybe my time to be popular has finally comeโฆโ
โThat also falls under โno wayโโฆโ
โHuh?โ
Narumi’s pressure intensified.
โNarumi-san is a wonderful person, both in appearance and personality, who is loved by everyone.โ
โYeah, yeah. That’s good.โ
Narumi nodded in satisfaction, but he still didn’t take his eyes off us, sending a chill down my spine.
โฆA stalker?
No way.
Narumi is cheerful and not the type to make enemies. But the man’s gaze was sticky, and it was clearly not friendly.
โBut are you sure you’re okay? What if he waits for you after work or somethingโฆ I’ll walk you home for a while.โ
“โฆHmmโฆ That offer is helpful, but if he really is a stalker, wouldn’t it be dangerous to have a man with you?ใHe might get even more worked up if he thinks, โhe’s her boyfriend!โ”
โI’m not an idolโฆโ
โWell, maybe I am an idol to him. Hmmโฆ but maybe it’s okay to scare him a little?โ
โNo way. I’ll talk to him first.โ
โEhโฆ won’t that make it even more dangerous?โ
Narumi asked quietly.
โIt’s okay, it’s okay.โ
โWhat’s your basis for that?โ
โโฆI don’t have one. But we eat lunch together pretty often, so it wouldn’t be surprising if he misunderstood something.โ
โThat I’m your girlfriend?โ
โWell, yeahโฆ something like that.โ
The two of us stared at each other. Then we both burst out laughing and said, โNo way!โ at the same time.
โThenโฆ let’s talk about it. Let’s leave this placeโฆ and wait at the corner of that curry shop? you’ll go into the shop once and then I sneak around behind to flank him.โ
โYeah, that’s fine. Let’s do that.โ
After a quick strategy meeting with Narumi, we left the shop without finishing our lunch.
As we walked side by side, Narumi took out a hand mirror and started looking at her face.
โYou don’t have to worry about that nowโฆโ
โNo, he’s following us. The guy from earlier.โ
โWhat? Seriously?โ
โYeah. Wellโฆ good luck.โ
We turned the corner and hid behind a vending machine so the person behind us couldn’t see us. Narumi also went into the curry shop so he couldn’t see us.
Soon, footsteps approached. My heart was pounding uncontrollably.
The footsteps grew louder. I mustered my courage and stepped out from behind the vending machine.
There stood an unfamiliar man. But he must be the one who had been watching us from the restaurant where we had lunch.
โUgh!?โ
โYou’ve been following us from the restaurant, right? Are you my grilfriend’s acquaintance?โ
The tension made the intonation of โgirlfriendโ sound strange, but there was no time to correct it.
โHuhโฆ girlfriend? Is that right?โ
โEh? Well, yeahโฆ I guess soโฆโ
โI seeโฆ I understand.โ
โYou understand!?โ
โYes. I won’t come here anymore, so don’t worry.โ
โHโฆ haaaโฆโ
That person left after saying only that. Narumi, who had been circling around to flank me, came over, but when she saw that I was alone, she tilted her head.
โOhโฆ did he get away?โ
โNo, I talked to him. he asked, โIs that so?โ so I answered, โYes,โ and he said he wouldn’t come back.โ
โWhat? What do you mean?โ
โI don’t knowโฆ Just be careful for a whileโฆ I’ll walk you home todayโฆโ
โOkay. Thanks. You’re reliable.โ
Narumi smiled and patted me on the shoulder. With that smile and gesture, I thought that if she wasn’t so obsessed with idols in her private life, she could easily have a boyfriend.
ใโ
In the conference room of the building where the agency was located, Misaki Kuroda was on the phone with the investigator she had hired.
โโYes, yes. I see? The recording fileโฆ Yes. I’ll open it.โ
Kuroda pressed the play button, and Aikawa’s voice came through.
โYou’ve been following her from the store, right? Are you my girlfriend’s acquaintance?โ
girlfriend’s acquaintance. The intonation could also be interpreted as referring to a lover.
โIs thisโฆ evidence that Aikawa Yosuke is dating Narumi Chiaki?โ
โHuhโฆ yes. After they left work together at the regular time, they walked toward Narumi’s home while talking intimately.โ
โDid they go inside the room?โ
โNo, they parted ways at the entrance, and Aikawa went home via the riverbank.โ
โHmโฆ Maybe you should have checked more thoroughly? This is like Zarboni not confirming Vegeta’s death.โ
โHuhโฆ Zarboni?โ
Kuroda inwardly sighed, thinking, โThis generation doesn’t get Dragon Ball references.โ
โNothing. Wellโฆ this is fine for now. Thank you.โ
After hanging up the phone, Kuroda pondered alone.
โA passionate fan’s boyfriendโฆ getting close to her for her sakeโฆ asking for favors? But eventually, it won’t make sense unless Narumi meets him too? A one-time chance? A love triangle? Well, whatever the goal isโฆ it’s certain that he has a girlfriend.โ
Now is not the time to use this information. Wait until the summer rush is over. Then I can talk to Nagi again.
โAikawa Yosukeโฆ You’re not a harmless person after all.โ
There are no good people who approach idols who are implicitly forbidden from dating. Kuroda’s conviction grew stronger.
ใโ
Time passed, and on a September night, the sound of insects began to signal the arrival of autumn.
On the day of our reunion, I found myself drawn to the usual riverside.
She was there.
Her familiar back, unchanged from before. Sitting and gazing across the river.
I didn’t know how to address her, so I stood a little distance away.
Eventually, she noticed me. An awkward silence was broken by the chirping of insects.
โโฆYour hair has grown a little, hasn’t it?โ
She nodded in response to the words I finally managed to squeeze out.
โHeheโฆ Stop using honorifics. It makes me laugh. Your hair has grown too, Yosuke.โ
After that, the conversation stopped again. The distance between us felt a little farther than before.
I sat down four cans of canned chu-hi away, and Nanase-san moved two cans closer.
She opened the can she was holding with a small โpopโ sound.
Then she looked at me with a searching gaze.
โโฆDid you get a girlfriend?โ
โNo wayโฆ I’ve been working all the time. What about you, Nanase-san?โ
โSame here. I’ve been working all the time. There’s no difference between weekdays and weekends. . it’s been tough. Look at this. I got sunburned here.โ
Nanase-san showed me her ankle. It seemed like she had gotten sunburned in a pattern that matched the shape of her sandals.
โWowโฆ that’s tough.โ
โIt was toughโฆ Well, cheers. It’s been a while.โ
โYeah. It’s been a while.โ
The two of them clinked their cans of chuhai together. A slight cold breeze blew through.
โHey, Yosuke. Summer’s over, isn’t it?โ
โI didn’t do anything, though.โ
โWhat are you going to do in the fall?โ
โNothing.โ
โWhat about winter?โ
โNothing.โ
โHmm, that’s great. Let’s just do nothing.โ
When I said that without hesitation, Nanase laughed and took a sip of her canned chu-hi, humming a song whose title I didn’t know.
โWhose song is that?โ
โOh, Fujifabric. I’ve been singing it a lot lately.โ
โHuhโฆโ
The conversation didn’t go anywhere. But I felt a sense of relief at seeing Nanase again, enough to think that was okay.
โ
When I got home and was mindlessly scrolling through social media, a video that looked like a live performance of Luminas Tears from this summer came up.
โWhat an amazing coverโฆ Everyone is amazingโฆโ
It seemed they had performed a cover song. It was the same melody as the song Nanase-san had been humming by the riverbank.
โI guess the staff who accompanied them must have been listening to it the whole timeโฆ It’s the kind of song that sticks in your head after hearing it so many timesโฆโ
Maiasa