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

Episode 35: The Unwanted Revelation

“I see… Well, for now, I’m just glad Shizuku-chan is safe.”

The next day.

In the afternoon, during my shift, I recounted the details to Utahara-san.

After listening to the whole story, she flashed a wry smile.

“If everything ended without any trouble, that’s the best outcome. Good job, Jun-kun.”

“…Thank you.”

I can’t thank Utahara-san enough. She readily accepted my selfish desire to go look for Shizuku. She truly is my greatest admiration, both as a coffee mentor and as a person.

“Shizuku-chan seems to have recovered already.”

“She was already back to normal this morning.”

“I see, that’s good to hear.”

“She should be here soon. She wanted to drink Master’s coffee.”

As we were talking about that, the bell at the entrance rang.

“Good evening, Juntaro, Master.”

Shizuku, with a lively expression, walked towards us.

Seeing Shizuku looking energetic, I felt relieved once again.

“You seem lively, Shizuku-chan.”

“Yes, thanks to everyone’s help, I’ve fully recovered.”

As she said that, Shizuku flexed her muscles.

“You’re young… I’d probably still be sleeping for another three days if it were me.”

“Master, you’re not that old.”

Though Shizuku tried to ease the tension, Utahara-san’s gaze wandered into the distance.

“You two probably won’t understand… the feeling of heaviness in your body after crossing twenty-five.”

“”……””

I can’t say anything to that. Despite our silence, Utahara-san ignored it and clapped her hands.

“Well, let’s set jokes aside. Today, it’s a celebration of your recovery. Drink and eat as you like, it’s all on me.”

“Huh, is that okay?”

“Shizuku-chan is important to Jun-kun, so it’s only natural.”

Both Shizuku and I blushed in unison. Though she is indeed important to me, being told so directly makes me feel embarrassed, or rather, I don’t know how to feel.

“Then… I’ll gladly accept your offer.”

“Yeah, don’t hesitate.”

Utahara-san gently nudged me forward.

Seems like she’s encouraging me to follow along with Shizuku. I appreciate her consideration and leave the counter.

“Is it okay for you to come over now?”

“Yeah, Master gave me the go-ahead.”

“Did I trouble her…?”

“You can thank her later.”

Sitting on the sofa, I faced Shizuku.

Compared to Shizuku recently, her face looked completely different. I wonder how much fatigue had accumulated in her body. It’s really fortunate that nothing irreversible happened.

“…It might sound repetitive, but I’m sorry for causing you worry.”

“Shizuku did what she had to do. There’s no need to worry.”

“Having you say that makes me feel relieved.”

Shizuku took a sip of the iced coffee she ordered.

Then, with a content expression, she let out a small sigh.

“Phew… Yeah, this is what I wanted to drink.”

“It looks delicious.”

“I’ve been holding back on drinking this right after the shoot ended… Is this what they call a sense of accomplishment?”

“If it’s about how good coffee tastes after finishing a job, I understand too.”

After that, we continued with trivial conversations.

Apparently, Shizuku has a drama wrap-up party coming soon at a fancy hotel. She’s excited about the free gourmet food. Her childish excitement brought a smile to my face.

“…Oh right, I also want to plan an outing with Juntaro… Is that okay?”

“Of course. We haven’t decided anything yet, right?”

“Yeah… I have a place I want to go, though.”

“Which is?”

“An aquarium. It seems cool and refreshing, so I thought it’d be healing.”

“Oh… That sounds nice, doesn’t it?”

Both the coolness and the soothing aspect make sense.

The last time I went was probably on a school trip. I’ve never been since then, so I’m interested.

“Oh, then shall we settle on the aquarium?”

“Yeah, no objections here.”

“Great…! So, it’s decided, the aquarium! When should we go?”

“Well… I guess you’ll be working less for a while.”