I Drink Every Night With a Lookalike of a Popular Idol on the Riverbank
It all started with a video URL that my colleague Narumi sent me out of the blue, along with an exaggerated message.
“It’s Nagi-chan’s legendary live performance! If you don’t watch this, you’ll be missing out on 80% of your life!”
It was a lazy afternoon on my day off. With nothing else to do, I thought it might be something to talk about, so I displayed the link on my TV screen.
“Luminous Tears, Special Live Performance!”
After flashy subtitles, the girls in sparkling costumes appeared on stage amid loud cheers. At the center, bathed in a dazzling spotlight, Yunagi was smiling.
(She really does look a lot like her…)
She resembled Nanase-san to an astonishing degree. They could have been fraternal twins.
However, her expression is completely different from the slightly lazy yet joyful smile she wears when we meet by the riverbank.
The smile on the screen is that of a perfectly crafted, flawless professional idol.
But in fleeting moments, the shape of her narrowed eyes and the way her mouth corners curve upward are identical.
(Look-alikes are amazing…)
I watched the screen in admiration.
After the live performance ended, a bonus video of the backstage area was shown.
It seemed to be a scene from between practice and rehearsal, with the members relaxing on the sofa and eating snacks.
Among them, Yunagi Nagi was innocently reaching into a bag of potato chips.
“Mmm, delicious!”
Her carefree smile was different from her stage persona, showing the face of a girl her age.
And then.
She naturally licked her finger after picking up a potato chip.
At that moment, the scene of the riverbank flashed vividly in my mind.
“Hmm… mmm. What’s this?”
“Hmm… this kind of candy powder is delicious, isn’t it… even the fingers are delicious.”
The face of Nanase-san, who was eating the Doritos I brought and licking her fingers happily in the same way.
“… Haha.”
I couldn’t help but laugh out loud.
Is that what a doppelganger is like? Even their actions sync up. Maybe that’s what a doppelganger is.
“Well… it can’t be the real thing, right?”
I found that strange coincidence incredibly amusing.
◆
A few nights later.
Nanase and I were sitting on the riverbank as usual, each holding a bag of potato chips.
I had seaweed salt, and she had plain salt.
“Hey, Yousuke. Why seaweed salt?”
“Huh? Because it’s delicious…”
“I get that, but is it worth the risk of getting seaweed stuck in your teeth?”
“I’ve never even considered the seaweed risk!”
“The seaweed risk, the seaweed risk.”
“You don’t have to say it twice… Besides, wouldn’t it be embarrassing if someone saw seaweed stuck to your teeth?”
“Then say ‘I’m fine with it.’”
“Eh…”
“Come on, hurry up.”
Nanasé looked at me with a sly smile and urged me to turn my head and show my gums.
Nanase’s big eyes stared intently at my face, and I couldn’t help but step back because she was too cute to look at directly.
“Oh, your teeth are so straight… No, wait! Look! Blue seaweed! Blue seaweed! I found it!”
“You don’t have to say it like you found a little autumn…”
I looked away from Nanase, who was staring intently at my mouth and getting excited.
“Mine’s salt. The simplicity of relying on the natural flavor of the potato and just salt is what makes it good.”
Nanase-san confidently shares her unclear theory, similar to the story about the fried egg being the main character from before, while taking a salt-flavored potato chip from her bag and putting it in her mouth.
“There’s also the simplicity of not caring if the seaweed sticks to your teeth.”
“Yeah, that’s true… Hey, Yousuke, can I have a bite of yours?”
“You wanted to eat it after all, didn’t you!?”
“Well, since the seaweed risk has been reduced, I thought it might be okay to eat it.”
Nanase said shyly. What a stubborn person…
“Sure. Then I’ll have some of your salted ones too.”
“Go ahead.”
We both reached into each other’s bags at almost the same time.
After taking shelter from the rain under the bridge, this kind of casual exchange felt much more natural than before.
I savored the simple saltiness of the light salt flavor. Nanase’s eyes widened slightly at the complex seaweed aroma of the seaweed salt flavor.
“Hmm… I see. This is… delicious, isn’t it?”
Then, she naturally licked her finger, which was covered in seaweed powder.
I recalled the scene from the live video I had seen at home earlier.
The sense of déjà vu was so strong that I had to hold back a laugh.
My finger was also covered in the light salt flavor.
It felt a little embarrassing to imitate her, but I gently licked my own finger too.
“Are you doing it too, Yousuke?”
Nanase-san was smiling happily as she looked at me.
“I was just imitating you.”
“Is it delicious?”
“…Yeah. My finger was delicious.”
“See?”
She nodded satisfactorily.
And there I was, sharing potato chips with her on the riverbank, licking our fingers. At this very moment, Yunagi might be doing the same thing somewhere at home.
Life is interesting, isn’t it?
As I popped another piece of sea salt-flavored potato chips into my mouth, I found myself thinking about such things.
Maiasa