I Was Supposed to Be Giving Love Advice on the School Radio, but Before I Knew It, the Beautiful Girls at School Were Hitting on Me
Quiet jazz music played in the background.
Café Bianca is usually a popular place with many people, but I was the only customer.
I sip my blended coffee, thankful for my good fortune.
The rich flavor of the coffee fills my mouth. The coffee is aromatic and has just the right balance of acidity and bitterness. It is indeed a coffee that he recommends.
“Phew……”
Exhaling slowly, I put the cup down.
Then, I take a bite of the chocolate gateau that comes as part of the set. When I tried to stick a fork into it, I felt more resistance than I expected. I’m happy to see how rich the cake is even before I eat it.
The bar has been raised considerably, but…..
“Oh….”
It was better than I expected. The moment I took a bite of the cake, the rich chocolate flavor spread throughout my mouth. Perhaps because they were planning to pair it with coffee, the chocolate gateau was quite sweet.
However, when I swallowed it, I found that it was not at all unpleasant, and there was no lingering feeling in my throat peculiar to chocolate.
I had a hard time deciding between the cheesecake and the gateau chocolate, but my eyes were not deceived.
I couldn’t help but smile at my own keen eyesight……
“Hey.”
Just as I was indulging in my blissful café time, something appeared to disrupt it.
A girl in Bianca’s uniform, sitting comfortably in her chair, called out to me.
“What is it?”
“I was made to sit here so that I could listen to your food review?”
“Don’t be in such a hurry. I’m eating a delicious cake.”
I sipped another sip of coffee. Ah, the pleasant bitterness soaks my entire being……
“Hey, stop pretending to be a character in a drama and tell me why you called me out here. I’m at work.”
The girl in front of me squinted her bright eyes and glared at me.
It was not the kind of response one would expect from a staff.
“There are no other customers here, and you’ve asked the manager for permission, right?”
When I said I knew someone there and wanted to talk for a bit, the store manager welcomed me.
Kageyama kun looked puzzled, but decided that was the case and went down to the back yard.
“Yes, but I might not get paid for this time…….”
She still looked dissatisfied. She was fiddling with the ends of her short bob.
But I’m sure the pay isn’t the only reason for her grumpiness.
I enjoyed the taste of coffee and cake. I put my fork down.
“Then, let’s get down to business.”
“!”
She seemed to sense something at that moment and straightened her back.
“First of all, sorry for the late introduction, I’m Kitahara Yuzuha.”
“……I’m Kinami Makino.”
She—Kinami san–greeted me, looking up as if glaring at me from below.
She has a face that oozes distrust towards me, but is full of charm.
“Kinami san, you seem to have a lot of friends.”
“What is it, all of a sudden !”
I thought I was trying to shorten the distance between us by complimenting her, but she became even more wary of me.
“Well, you’re very charming, and you work very hard at this store, so I’m sure you have many friends.”
“Well, not a few, but thank you very much…….”
Although she still seemed wary, she expressed her gratitude sincerely.
“In comparison, I don’t have many friends, and as you can see I have a sour face, so I’m usually alone even at lunch.”
“No, it’s nothing like that….. Senpai is beautiful…..”
Kinami san corrects me awkwardly.
The way she looks away apologetically shows her good nature.
“I’m not bothered by it. In fact, I’m alone at lunch.”
“Lunch….”
“I wonder if Kinami san is chatting with her friends at that time.”
“W-well, yeah…..”
“I don’t have anyone to talk to, so I listen to the radio.”
“Oh, the radio?”
I glanced at her, but she didn’t seem to be upset.
Either my prediction is wrong, or…
Well, there’s no use thinking about it. Let’s see if I’m wrong.
“Speaking of which, that radio seems to be run by Kageyama kun.”
“Oh, that’s right. He’s always listening to the radio in the back yard. That radio junkie is a real pain.”
She had been on guard, but then she started speaking for the first time.
Although she said he was a pain, there was something about her tone that conveyed a sense of ease.
“Don’t you ever ask your Senpai at part-time?”
“No, it’s just something that’s going on. The other day, he said to me that I had to listen too, so what can I do?”
Kinami san took a sip of the water she had brought from somewhere.
“Do you know that he’s been working on a project about love counseling recently?”
“Yes, Senpai told me something like that.”
The word “senpai” is always repeated…….
She is talking in a very pleasant tone, but I get the impression that she is thinking while she speaks so as not to come off as a ragdoll.
“That project was pretty interesting. I learned that love is different for each person.”
“I see you like that kind of thing too, Kitahara senpai. I thought you were the type of person who thought little of love.”
“What do you think I am?”
Well, I don’t deny it.
“So, the other day in the love advice corner, something really interesting came up.”
“Interesting…..?”
Her tone, which had been pleasantly pleasant, dropped a notch.
“Well, I’m sure you’ll be interested too, would you like to hear it?”
“Then, well……”
“It seems like she likes a senior at her part-time job, but he only thinks of her as a little sister. She wanted to ask for advice on how to deal with that. Kageyama kun’s response to her was that being treated like a little sister is proof of trust, so she shouldn’t give up and should just attack with a different approach.”
“……”
Kinami san remained silent to the end.
“She’s like a little sister to him at her part-time job. Sounds like something I’ve heard somewhere before.”
“…That’s a common story, isn’t it? It’s not just something that’s happening to me.”
“Oh, no one’s saying it’s you.”
“……!”
For the first time, I could see the agitation on her face. It was obvious that she had screwed up.
But her face immediately returned to normal.
“That’s an unfair way to ask. Anyone would think that they were being talked about.”
“You’re absolutely right. ….”
“Y-you see……!”
With that statement, I took a sip of my coffee. The coffee had cooled a little, and although it was a little more bitter, it was still drinkable.
“Haa….”
After waiting for a while as it was, Kinami san finally lost her patience.
“Yes, it’s just as you said, Senpai.”
“What do you mean?”
“You know what I mean…….”
Kinami san glares at me with a dissatisfied look on her face.
I stay quiet and take another sip of my coffee.
“I’m that ‘Matcha Powder’!”
Kinami san’s tone was one of resignation.
To reassure her, I chuckled.
“You finally speak up.”
“When did you notice……?”
“Well, for a while?”
The first thing I noticed was when Kageyama kun and her were walking home together after work…but I’m afraid she’ll resent me if I say anything, so I’ll leave it at that.
“So, what do you want?”
“Me?”
“What are you planning to do when you find out about this? Should I stop sending mail to the radio if I don’t want to be exposed? Or change my shift? Or something like that?”
Kinami san was somewhat indignant. She gulped down the glass of water in her hand as if she had made up her mind.
“I wouldn’t do that. What do you think I am?”
“Why not? Prove to me that you’re not a threat.”
“Proof…..”
“Yes, show me the proof.”
Kinami san’s tension is getting a little crazy.
Well, it doesn’t matter. That was my intention when I came here today.
“If you want proof, it’s me.”
“Huh? What do you mean…..?
Kinami san looks doubtful. I sat up lightly to make sure no one was listening to us.
I take a sip of coffee and straighten my residence.
“Nice to meet you, Matcha Powder. My name is Kitahara Yuzuha, and my radio name is Deltora Forest.”
“Nnnn……!”
Her eyes widen in shock and her mouth opens and closes, seemingly at a loss for words.
I smiled gently at her like a senior.
“Are you almost done with your shift? I’d like to talk to you in a different location.”
She nodded her head with a surprised expression on her face, not making a sound.
Maitoshi