Chapter 3: Reunion

It had been nearly a month since Midori left Conijo.
As I walked home at night after work, I found myself no longer turning my feet toward Nipponbashi. I knew she wasn't there anymore. That was why.

With my weekly habit broken, a hollow feeling remained deep in my chest. I could still laugh when I went out for drinks, but on the way home, I would suddenly remember the sight of Midori telling jokes in her low voice.

Then came a Saturday. Invited by a junior colleague, I decided to show my face at a different concept cafe. I opened the door to an unfamiliar shop in the office district of Nipponbashi.

The interior had a new, bright atmosphere. At the counter in the back, a cast member was welcoming customers with a smile. Among them—I saw a profile I recognized.

A short bob cut, and a low voice that didn't match her face.
It was Midori.

“...Huh?” A voice escaped me involuntarily.

But she was chatting with other customers, showing no sign of noticing me.

After a little while, Midori came over to where I was.
“Nice to meet you! What would you like to drink?”

Her voice was bright. But my heart skipped a beat.

“...Midori, right?”
“Huh? ...Oh, sorry, who was that again?”

At those words, my chest felt cold for a moment. The smiles and conversations that remained vivid in my mind were hazy in hers.

“We used to meet at Conijo. I was the guy who ordered a highball every week.”
“Oh...! Ah! Maybe I remember! You’re that, um, serious-looking guy, right?”

Midori clapped her hands together. But it felt more like a social nicety than a sign that she had fully remembered.

I gave a bitter smile as I took the glass.
“I thought you’d forgotten me.”
“Sorry, sorry! I really forget people’s names and faces right away. My friends at school get mad at me for it all the time.”

Midori stuck out her tongue and laughed. That gesture still tickled my heart just as it always had.

As she turned to leave with the drinks, I couldn't help but call out to her.

“So you’re working here now.”
“Yeah. I didn't get along with the manager at the last place, so I quit pretty quickly... But I still find it fun, so I joined somewhere else.”
“I see. ...I’m glad I could see you again.”

The honest words slipped out.
Midori widened her eyes for a moment, then gave a soft laugh.

“...It’s been a while since someone said that to me.”

After we talked for a while, Midori asked me something out of the blue.

"Come to think of it, big brother... do you have a girlfriend?"
"Eh, why so suddenly?"
"No, it's just, you seem so serious, I thought you'd be the type to have a proper relationship."
"I don't. I'm not that skilled at it."
"Hmm... That's surprising."

Midori muttered that in a low voice and spun her straw around. That casual gesture strangely grabbed my heart and wouldn't let go.

That night, after leaving the shop.
My phone notification chimed.
--"Thanks for today. Looking forward to seeing you again♡"
For a moment, my heart skipped a beat at the "♡" in the text.
"Could it be... that she likes me?"
But I immediately reconsidered.
"No, using a heart in a text is common... I shouldn't get the wrong idea."
I couldn't help but laugh.