I Drink Every Night With a Lookalike of a Popular Idol on the Riverbank
As November drew to a close and the cold grew even more intense, the riverbank that night had become a place of ascetic training.
“It’s cold… It’s definitely getting too cold for canned chu-hi now.”
“Yeah. The coldness of the can is numbing my fingertips. Oh… It’s cold, cold. Yosuke… I’m freezing…”
Nanase and I were huddled together on the riverbank as usual. The wind blowing across the river blew through the gaps in our jackets without mercy, stealing our body heat.
“Hey, Yousuke. Let’s skip being outside today. Let’s go somewhere warm.”
“Somewhere warm?”
“Yeah. Like a izakaya or something. Well, if you don’t have anything tomorrow, that is.”
“I only have work.”
“Hehe… then it’s okay. Let’s have a drink and go home. I want a private room.”
“Let’s look for one… What kind of izakaya do you want? Yakitori or seafood?”
“Any genre is fine, but if there’s a handwritten ‘Today’s Special’ on the menu, it’ll make me a little excited.”
The two of us stood up and started walking toward the station while looking for a place. Since they were in front of the station, Nanase was fully disguised with a deeply pulled-down knit hat, a mask, and glasses. She said it was for warmth, but it was almost pitiful that she had to go to such lengths even though she looked exactly like herself.
Suddenly, lighthearted, cheerful music could be heard coming from the square in front of the station.
“Hey, Yosuke. What’s that sound? It’s not festival music…”
“Isn’t that Irish music?”
“Oh… that kind of thing…”
She said that and headed toward the sound. A small crowd had gathered in the square.
At the center of the crowd were a man with an acoustic guitar and a woman playing the violin. They were playing cheerful, exotic music.
Several men and women were dancing to the music. They all seemed to be quite drunk.
“Oh, I know this song. It’s from the movie ‘Titanic,’ when Jack takes Rose to the third-class party. That’s the music from that scene.”
“Oh, yeah! The one where they dance on their toes on the table! I see, that’s it!”
The rough sound of the violin danced joyfully. The guitar followed suit, keeping a pleasant rhythm.
It was a mysterious, magnetic music that made you want to tap your feet to the beat.
Our bodies were relaxed and slightly bold from the single can of canned chu-hi.
“Hey, Yosuke.”
Nanase, swaying her body to the music, smiled mischievously and pulled my hand.
“Huh?”
“Let’s dance a little.”
“No way, that’s impossible! Not here! I can’t dance!”
I tried to pull my hand away, but Nanase pulled me toward the center of the circle with more force than I expected.
Then, like a scene from a movie, she spun around once. Her hair danced in the night breeze in sync with her movement.
I no longer cared about the stares of the people around us. The lively music, the alcohol, and her smile as she laughed joyfully in front of me.
All of that easily broke the chains of my rationality.
I took her hand and tried to follow her steps. Of course, I couldn’t dance well. It was awkward and clumsy, maybe like a bon odori dance.
But that was okay.
We held hands and spun around. Sometimes our feet tangled, we stumbled, and we laughed at each other. The cold, the people watching, the fact that tomorrow was work—none of it mattered anymore.
Soon, the song ended, and the duo who had been playing received warm applause from the crowd. Our magical moment was over. Breathing heavily, I noticed we were still holding hands and hurriedly let go.
“Haha… Nanase-san, you were good.”
“Yousuke, you were so awkward. You looked like a robot.”
“I tried to express the soul of Ireland in my own way…”
“Well, I didn’t feel a shred of soul.”
“Really…”
We exchanged lighthearted banter and laughed. The coldness from earlier felt like a lie, and my body was warm from the inside out.
Shaking off a slight sense of reluctance, I said, “Well…”
“Let’s go warm up properly.”
Nanase nodded in response to my words. Her cheeks were slightly flushed, whether from the cold, the alcohol, or the dancing.
We left the bustling square behind and began walking toward a quiet izakaya with private rooms, through the alley lined with station lights.
Maiasa