[Warning 15+]
Author's Notes:
Tenbin Volume 1 just got reprinted. This is the 7th printin'.
Tenbin Volume 1 just got reprinted. This is the 7th printin'.
Part Six
―With the Same Energy as Before, Wearin' a Smile
Chapter 218
An Unexpected Person Waitin'
―With the Same Energy as Before, Wearin' a Smile
Chapter 218
An Unexpected Person Waitin'
Himeko, havin' been called out by Saki, arrived at a certain cafe in the heart of the city.
It was a famous pancake joint with a cute, stylish aesthetic themed after a cabin in the woods—a place Himeko'd wanted to visit at least once.
Even though they got there pretty early, a massive line had already formed outside since it was a weekend.
Turns out, even after gettin' seated, they whip up the meringue to make the batter from scratch only after an order comes in, so there's a pretty long wait there too.
But for Himeko, that only served as extra hype to stoke her excitement and get her super pumped.
Besides, whenever Himeko was with Saki, time flew by in a flash.
School stuff, city stuff, the cafe they were at right now—topics just kept poppin' up one after another.
Eventually, right around the time it felt a bit early for lunch, their highly anticipated pancakes were brought over, makin' both Himeko and Saki squeal with joy as their eyes sparkled.
"Whoa, whoa, it's so super fluffy! The little jar with the maple syrup is insanely cute too!"
"Hime-chan, Hime-chan, gotta take a picture before we eat!"
"Already took it! Time to dig in!—Mmh!? It melts in your mouth, I've never had anythin' like this!"
"Fwah, it's so soft you can just scoop it with a spoon~."
The taste wasn't just light either; The richness of the cheese combined with the maple syrup to create a complex, deep sweetness.
With every single bite, not only did their whole concept of pancakes get totally shattered, but their faces melted into big grins right along with it.
Himeko'd thought it was a pretty hefty portion, but before she knew it, their plates were cleared in a flash.
"Oh, it's already gone..."
"After waitin' in line for all that time, eatin' it went by in a split second~."
As Himeko let out a slightly sad murmur, Saki replied with words tinged with that same sense of longin'.
Just then, an order was served to the table right next to them. Since it was different from the pancakes, they couldn't help but steal a quick glance at what was on the plate.
"...Come to think of it, their French toast is pretty famous here too, right?"
"If the pancakes were this good, you can't help but be curious about that one too~"
"Right? Mmm..."
Seein' the real deal at the next table instantly made Himeko curious about that one as well.
Opening the menu, the words 'Crispy on the outside and fluffy on the inside' practically begged Himeko to order it.
Placin' a hand on her stomach, Himeko took a quick self-inventory. Luckily, it felt like there was still a bit of room left.
However, when it came to her wallet, that was another story entirely.
Plus, the calories were definitely a concern too. Himeko recalled how much of a nightmare dietin' had been before Summer Break.
Still, after goin' through all the trouble of waitin' in that long line to get in here.
Torn over such an agonizin' dilemma, Himeko's face cycled through a whole spectrum of expressions.
Just then, Saki—who had been intently checkin' somethin' on her smartphone—spoke up as if to talk Himeko down.
"Hime-chan, if we order again now, it's gonna take forever. Plus, your stomach might end up feelin' full while we wait, though. Why don't we save that for next time?"
"Oh... ...yeah, true. Alright, let me invite Haru-chan next time too!"
If Himeko was gonna enjoy it, she might as well do it in peak condition—she quickly reset her mindset thanks to Saki's words.
"By the way, Hime-chan, there's somewhere I really wanna go after this. Would that be cool?"
"Huh, where, where?"
Holdin' her smartphone in one hand, Saki showed a momentary look of hesitation as if ponderin' somethin', before turnin' the screen toward Himeko.
"It's Room Standard A14 at this place at 1:30 PM, but..."
"Whoa, it's Karaoke Celery!"
"Do y'know where it is, Hime-chan?"
"Yeah, like I told you before, I went there with Big Bro, Haru-chan, and the others. I remember where it is too."
Saki let out a sigh of relief, visibly reassured.
And as Himeko was runnin' through songs to sing in her head, somethin' suddenly clicked.
"1:30 PM... ...wait, Saki-chan, did you make a reservation?"
"Eh... ...well, somethin' like that?"
Saki winced, a strained smile slippin' onto her face.
Seein' that, Himeko had a sudden realization.
Lately, after school, they'd sometimes head out to karaoke with classmates like Torigai Honoka.
But Saki had never really experienced karaoke before, and Himeko was hardly what you'd call good at it either. Practice was definitely needed.
Oh, I get it—this must be the real reason Saki called Himeko out today. Makin' a whole reservation shows just how fired up Saki is about it. With just the two of them, they'd have tons of time to sing. Plus, Saki'd brought it up before, so she probably really wanted to try going for real.
"If we head out now, we'll have plenty of time even if we take it easy. Want to take a little detour on our way over?"
"Yeah."
◇
This was Himeko's second time visitin' Karaoke Celery since the time they'd gone to the movies.
The cheap-and-cheerful spot in front of the station Himeko usually used wasn't bad, but a lavish resort-style interior like this naturally lifted her spirits. Heck, it felt like she could even sing better than usual.
When Himeko glanced over to see how Saki was doing next to Himeko, Saki was on the phone talkin' with someone.
Figurin' she'd get the check-in taken care of first, Himeko said, "Free time is fine, right?" and headed over.
But right as Saki looked up upon realizin' what was happenin', Himeko's hand was suddenly grabbed.
"Oh, Hime-chan, it's fine!"
"Huh? But the counter..."
"I-It's fine, really~."
Himeko tiltin' her head in confusion as to whether this was okay, Saki exchanged a word or two at the counter, and without the staff sayin' anythin', they headed straight to their target room.
Stoppin' right there, Saki took a breath and turned around with a dead-serious look on her face.
"Hime-chan, look... ...um, I think you're gonna be surprised, and I honestly still can't believe it myself, but... ...er, try not to freak out, okay?"
"Huh?"
While Himeko still not quite gettin' what was goin' on, Saki knocked on the door.
"Sorry to keep you waitin', Satō-san. It's Murao."
"Oh, yeah, please come in."
"—!?"
And along with the reply, Saki opened the door, leavin' Himeko wide-eyed and breathless at the sight of the person waitin' inside.
"Sorry for bein' so pushy today. Um, once again—I'm Satō Airi."
Satō Airi.
The hot-topic popular model of the moment was, for some reason, standin' right there waitin'.
Author's Notes:
Meow~.