A Beautiful Model In My Class Comes To The Coffee Shop Where I Work Part-time Only When I'm On Shift - Chapter 31

Episode 31: The Last Day

“Shizuku-chan, are you okay?”

“Yes…”

Inside the location bus, I battled intense drowsiness. It seemed like I had let my guard down a bit since only Reiko-san was inside the bus.

“You seem tired… It’s understandable. Four consecutive days of shooting from morning till night.”

“I’m okay… Today is the last day, so I just need to hang in there a little longer.”

Saying so, I smiled. Of course, it was a forced one. My body felt feverish, my mind was foggy, and due to consecutive days of action scenes, my whole body was aching badly. The producer insisted on a flashy finale, so the action was excessively intense.

However, the harsh shooting was finally coming to an end. We finished shooting the scene where I and the one who played as my assistant, Tachikawa-san, talked on the bridge, and all the filming was done. It felt both long and short—a tumultuous three months. Did I do well? As the end drew near, various regrets flooded my mind. If only I had done this differently, or that. Perhaps it was the exhaustion, but my mind was swirling with thoughts that I couldn’t help but think about.

“I think you did a great job, Shizuku-chan.”

With Reiko-san’s words, I was brought back to reality.

“You’ve really hung in there amidst the tough shooting schedule. If it were back when I was a rookie, I probably couldn’t have done it like you.”

“What’s gotten into you all of a sudden? Are you teasing me again?”

“Hehe, who knows.”

I knew that Reiko-san was genuinely praising me. I teased back because I felt like I might burst into tears. If I accepted her kind words now, I felt like a dam inside me would break, and then it would be hard to stand up again.

Nevertheless, Reiko-san was truly amazing. Even though she played a regular character, her schedule must have been just as tough as mine. Unlike me, she must have had other jobs too, yet she still had the capacity to worry about others.

Will I ever become like her?

―It’s up to me.

I’ve decided to balance both modeling and acting. It’s a promise I made to Juntaro.

So, I have to do it.

“SHIZUKU-san! It’s your turn!”

A staff member’s voice came from outside. It’s finally my last scene.

“I’m off.”

“Alright, take care.”

Seeing me off, I left the location bus. Once this is over, let’s go to that café. A cup of coffee after work will surely be the most delicious thing ever.

◇◆◇

While working part-time, I suddenly glanced outside. The sun had already set, and it seemed like rush hour as many people were walking towards the station.

As summer approaches, the time of sunset has been considerably delayed. Sometimes, when focused on work, I didn’t notice it. It was only when I looked outside like this that I finally realized.

“I wonder if Shizuku-chan’s filming is almost done.”

Wiping the washed dishes, Utahara-san murmured.

“I suppose so. It should be around this time, I guess.”

I’ve heard from Shizuku that it will usually be over by about this time. After that, she said she’d stop by this shop. Despite her fatigue, she seemed determined to have a cup of coffee before heading home.

Anyway, all I could do as someone working here was wait for her to come.

At that moment, the shop phone rang.

“Hello, this is Café Mellow.”

Utahara-san quickly picked up the phone. It was quite rare for the shop to receive calls. We didn’t take reservations, and most of our communication with suppliers happened via email.
Feeling a strange unease, Utahara-san handed me the phone.

“Jun-kun take my place. ”

“For me…?”

I put the phone to my ear and told the caller that I had taken over.

“Hello, this is Inamori.”

“I-Inamori-san? What’s the matter?”

The caller was Reiko Inamori. The fact that she called the shop was odd. My unease turned into a clear sense of foreboding.

“We just finished the final shoot, and Shizuku-chan said she wanted to stop by somewhere. She left before me, but she seemed really unsteady… I tried calling her but couldn’t reach her. She might be stuck somewhere and unable to move…”

“What…?”

What is Shizuku doing? Even if she wanted to stop by here, couldn’t she have asked her manager or staff to drop her off?

“If that’s the shop she wants to stop by, I thought it would be quicker for you to pick her up from the station, Juntaro-kun. That’s why I called to let you know.”

“…Thank you for telling me.”

What a mess. I was about to hang up to go search for her, but before I could, Inamori-san stopped me through the receiver.

“Sorry about this, Juntaro-kun. I shouldn’t have caused you worry.”

“…Why are you apologizing, Inamori-san?”

“There are various reasons… You’ll understand everything soon. For now, take care of Shizuku-chan.”

With those words as the last, the call ended.

“Master, I’m sorry. I have to…”

“Has Shizuku-chan gone missing?”
“Huh?”

“You’re clearly worried sick. It’s written all over your face. The shop will be fine, so go pick her up, okay? She’s probably heading this way, right?”

“…Thank you.”

As I thought, I couldn’t match up to Utahara-san.

Taking off my apron, I rushed out of the shop.