Source
https://kakuyomu.jp/works/2912051603008595869
It seems the concept of “opening hours” doesn’t apply to someone who’s just been dumped.
“Just let me in, already.”
“You’re late.”
“It’s still five minutes before opening.”
“I feel like I’ve been waiting since yesterday.”
“That’s none of my business.”
As I unlocked the door, Hinata Natsume strode inside as if she owned the place and sat down in the center seat at the counter.
Her eyes were red and swollen, and her hair—which she usually tied up high—was hanging limply over her shoulders today.
She didn’t look like the same cheerful track and field girl she had been just yesterday.
“A parfait.”
“We’re still getting ready to open.”
“You promised.”
“I know, just wait a minute.”
“Make it a large one.”
“Don’t think you can get away with anything just because you’re heartbroken.”
After explaining the situation to the manager, she was allowed to use the kitchen a little early.
She piled cornflakes and ice cream into a glass and drizzled chocolate sauce over it. To finish, she topped it with whipped cream and stuck a wafer into it.
It was just a little bigger than what the shop usually served.
“Here you go.”
“…Did Kasugai make this?”
“I just assembled it.”
“So, Kasugai’s homemade parfait.”
“Don’t read into it.”
Natsume picked up a spoon but didn’t start eating right away.
Facing the colorful parfait, he sniffed softly.
“I couldn’t confess to him yesterday.”
“I saw it in your message.”
“He was the one who told me he wanted to talk.”
Natsume began speaking in short bursts as she scraped the surface of the ice cream with her spoon.
Makabe Senpai had a girlfriend he’d been dating since middle school.
When they entered high school, they ended up at different schools, and apparently broke up once because they both got busy with club activities.
Even so, his feelings for her remained.
And yesterday, she contacted him saying she wanted to give it another try.
“Senpai looked really happy.”
“……I see.”
“he said he trusted me enough to confide in me. But that was all.”
Natsume tried to smile.
But her mouth twisted awkwardly, and a single tear fell from her eye.
“I thought I was the one closest to Senpai.”
I understood those words all too well.
Being close and being chosen are two different things.
Just because you spend a lot of time by someone’s side doesn’t mean they’ll eventually turn to you. There’s no such convenient rule in romance.
“When he confided in me, I really cheered him on. I told him, ‘You’ll be fine, Senpai.’ And, ‘Your ex-girlfriend definitely still loves you, too.’”
“That’s admirable.”
“It’s not admirable!”
Natsume slammed her spoon down on the table.
“What I really wanted to say was, ‘Stop it!’ I wanted to tell him to look at me instead, to forget about his ex!”
Natsume’s voice echoed through the quiet restaurant.
It was a good thing they weren’t open yet.
“But if I’d said something like that, he might have hated me… If he’s happy, I guess I just have to accept that it’s fine…”
“You don’t have to think that.”
“Huh?”
“It’s normal not to be able to immediately celebrate the happiness of someone you used to love. You won’t be punished for resenting them a little.”
There’s no need to make someone who’s just been dumped play the role of the perfect person.
Natsume kept her head down as she wiped her tears with her fist.
“…Then, I’ll resent them.”
“Do whatever you want.”
“I’ll resent him, and I’ll resent his ex, too.”
“Don’t go overboard.”
“I wish it would rain only on the days they go on dates.”
“That’s a bit small-scale.”
“But I hope they don’t catch a cold.”
“Decide which one you are—kind or scary.”
Natsume finally brought the parfait to her mouth.
The moment she took a bite, tears fell again.
“It’s sweet.”
“It is a parfait, after all.”
“So it’s true—sweet things really hit the spot when you’re heartbroken.”
“Is that how it works?”
“Why don’t you try some too, Kasugai?”
“I’m on the clock.”
“Well then, open wide—here.”
“Eat it yourself.”
“Aren’t you being a little cold to a woman who just lost?”
“Don’t use losing as a universal get-out-of-jail-free card.”
Just as we were having that conversation, the shop door opened.
“Isn’t it still before opening hours?”
Himuro, dressed in her uniform, walked in while checking her watch.
The moment she spotted Natsume sitting at the counter, her eyes narrowed.
“……Why are you here?”
“Because I just got dumped.”
“I see. Please leave.”
“That’s way too heartless!”
“This shop isn’t a shelter for the heartbroken.”
“But you come here every day too, Himuro!”
“I am a regular customer.”
“I ordered a parfait, too!”
“What about the bill?”
“Kasugai’s treating.”
Himuro’s gaze slowly turned toward me.
“Kasugai-kun.”
“What?”
“You’ve never treated me to anything, have you?”
“That’s because Himuro always brings her wallet.”
“Well, from now on, I’ll leave mine behind.”
“Don’t get all competitive like that.”
Himuro sat down at the counter, one seat away from Natsume.
Not by the window, where she usually sits.
“I’ll have some tea, please.”
“Wait until we’re ready to open.”
“But you made a parfait for Natsume-san?”
“I promised her yesterday.”
“I see. So if you make a promise, I get to enjoy Kasugai-kun’s homemade treat.”
“I just plated it, that’s all.”
For some reason, the atmosphere in the shop felt heavy.
I’d thought that with another heartbroken person like me in the shop, Himuro would finally have someone she could let her guard down with, but apparently not.
“Himuro got dumped too, right?”
“That phrasing is rather crude.”
“Then you went through a breakup, right?”
“Rephrasing it doesn’t make the wound any shallower.”
“Then we’re on the same team.”
Natsume pulled out the chair next to her.
“Sit here. Let’s have Kasugai listen to us badmouth our senior.”
“I have no intention of badmouthing President Kuze.”
“Do you still like him?”
“I don’t feel anything for him anymore.”
“So, do you like Kasugai?”
Himuro froze.
I froze, too.
Only Natsume kept eating her parfait.
“Why does it have to come to that?”
“Well, you come here every day, don’t you?”
“It’s just easier to talk to him because we’re both losers.”
“Oh, really?”
Natsume looked at me, then at Himuro.
Then she smiled, looking as if she’d just realized something.
“Kasugai, you really don’t understand women at all, do you?”
“Did you hear that from Kotonoha?”
“I figured it out just now.”
“What?”
“Nothing in particular.”
While Natsume laughed cheerfully, Himuro silently opened the tea menu.
For some reason, it was upside down.
By the time the shop opened, Natsume had regained a little of her energy.
“Can I come back tomorrow?”
“As a customer, sure.”
“I don’t have any money.”
“You’ll save up if you stop buying snacks on your way home from club activities.”
“Then I’ll just come by to drink water.”
“Don’t turn this place into the track team’s water station.”
“I’ll pay for it.”
Himuro suddenly chimed in.
“In exchange, don’t interfere with Kasugai-kun’s work. Don’t raise your voice. And don’t talk to him without a good reason.”
“That last one’s just for your own convenience, Himuro.”
“Also, don’t sit next to Kasugai-kun.”
“Is there a rule like that?”
“I just made it up.”
“Well then, don’t sit next to him either, Himuro.”
The two glared at each other.
Even though the wounds from her heartbreak hadn’t healed yet, why was she so full of energy?
I couldn’t understand it.
It was late afternoon that day.
Just as the rush of customers had died down, the shop door opened quietly.
A petite girl wearing glasses walked in.
Koyoru Shiina from the Literature Club.
She’s in the same grade as me, but we’re in different classes.
She’s the kind of girl who’s always reading alone; I’ve hardly ever seen her talking to anyone.
Shiina clutched a paper bag to her chest and looked around the shop nervously.
Eventually, our eyes met, and she walked toward me as if she’d made up her mind.
“Kasugai-kun… right?”
“Yeah, that’s me.”
“I heard you hide people who’ve had their hearts broken here.”
“Who started that rumor?”
When I asked, Natsume, who was sitting by the window, blatantly looked away.
Next to her, Himuro let out a deep sigh.
Shiina clutched the paper bag even tighter.
“I… lost too, yesterday.”
Apparently, there’s something about this place that draws people who’ve been rejected in love.
And so, the final loser had arrived at our hangout.
–
–
If you enjoy our content, feel free to donate, Thank you in advance !