When I Picked Up A Stunningly Gorgeous Downer-Type Beauty In Front Of The Entrance. - Chapter 52: The meeting place is the cafe.

The meeting place is the cafe.

Holding the rabbit-shaped note, I headed to the café I had visited before.

Surrounded by fields, it was a rustic prefabricated building.

A new flag stood next to the entrance, fluttering in the breeze with the words “Caramel Cream Cappuccino now available.”

Was it targeting high school girls?

Since this street was also a school route, it might be targeting students returning from school… But with the backdrop of fields, it felt out of place for a prefab shack like that. It seemed out of sync.

Caramel and cream… Just imagining it made my mouth water.

Well, I probably wouldn’t drink it, so I grabbed the doorknob and entered.

Ding-ding.

The doorbell announcing my arrival chimed.

As always, the interior of the café was different from the exterior prefab. It was a proper café. The ceiling fan was still spinning vigorously, just as it was before. I had looked it up because I was curious about it last time.

Unlike the exterior, the interior had a calm, retro vibe.

Although the doorbell announced my entrance, no staff greeted me. Looking at the register, no one seemed to be standing there; they seemed to be hiding in the back.

I thought about calling out, but I spotted the person I was meeting in the back of the shop, so I decided to head straight to the table.

Walking on the creaky wooden floor, I approached the person I was meeting and slid the note I was holding onto the table where she could see it.

“What would you have done if I hadn’t seen this?”

A memo for a meeting in the mailbox.

It’s an uncertain method of communication whether or not to look at it. I might accidentally throw it away.

Actually, I dropped it in front of the mailbox.

Even if I noticed, I wouldn’t have made it in time if I had slept until noon.

If I hadn’t seen her off to her job interview, I would still be asleep.

“I might have ended up as an idiot, you know?”

As I took my seat opposite her and said that, the woman I was waiting for smiled resignedly.

“Well, it is what it is at that moment.”

“But you came, didn’t you?” Her mother, with a gentle expression, said.

Her initially alluring charm had faded, now wearing no makeup or perfume, dressed casually in a sweatshirt just like the first time I saw her at this café.

I shrugged at Sajou-san’s mother’s optimistic outlook. Leaving things to chance had its limits.

But perhaps for her, either outcome was fine.

Whether I came or not.

From the uncertain method of contact and her resigned expression, I somehow felt that way.

I had hesitated about whether to come.

Honestly, I didn’t want to meet Sajou-san’s mother.

She didn’t directly tell me that, but it was obvious Sajou-san disliked her mother.

This way of meeting, hiding from Sajou-san, made me feel awkward and felt like a secret meeting. Although it shouldn’t have been wrong, I felt sorry for Sajou-san.

Still, well.

It was convenient that there was a trilateral meeting.

“Welcome.”

“One iced coffee, please.”

I placed my order with the delayed arrival of the waiter. “Certainly,” they replied before disappearing. I moisten my dry lips with the water they provided.

Then, with a smoother mouth, I began to speak.

“So, what’s the matter?”

“Straight to the point, huh? I think it’s okay to enjoy the conversation a bit more.”

“Cut me some slack…”

I frowned.

Just meeting her was already a problem, let alone enjoying a conversation.

Gracefully stroking her cheek, Sajou-san’s mother said, looking puzzled, 

“Other men look forward to talking to me, even paying for it.”

“Can you not compare me to the customers…?”

Well, if male customers come for that purpose, talking to Sajou-san’s mother might be enjoyable.

But our relationship and positions are different.

Why should I have to enjoy a conversation with my classmate and roommate’s mother?

It felt more like sitting on pins and needles. If you sat like that for too long, your butt would get sore.

I wanted to quickly finish my business and leave.

“Yeah, you’re right. I forgot. I’m sorry, okay?”

“No, I’m sorry too.”

Seeing her apologize with an apologetic expression made me feel even worse.

Their faces were so similar. Even though they were mother and daughter, when she apologized, I couldn’t help but see Sajou-san in her, making me feel uneasy.

It was uncomfortable. Rather, I didn’t know how to deal with her.

I’m on Sajou-san’s side.

Sajou-san dislikes her mother.

To feel repulsed by someone you’ve just met based on someone else’s words… I understand it’s not a good thing. But I can’t help but want to support someone I’m close to.

I’m not a saint. I can hide my emotions with reason, but I can’t change my heart.

Still, that’s okay. That’s what I think.

But when I see her being saddened by someone who reminds me of Sajou-san, I can’t help but feel the thorns of negative emotions towards her fall away, leaving me at a loss for how to respond.

I feel like I need to be kind. Comfort her.

I’m confused by the emotions welling up inside me.

Is it a protective instinct?

It’s not just because she looks so much like Sajou-san; it’s also because of her own disposition.

I feel like I’m inherently prone to being taken advantage of. No wonder I’m popular. But I might come off as disliked by women.

“So, what’s the matter?”

With a somewhat softened voice, I managed to start the conversation, feeling uncomfortable with myself.

Sajou-san’s mother hesitated for a moment, then murmured “Um” and lowered her face.

Glancing up at me from under her lashes, she looked very childish, far from what one would expect from a mother.

Her adorable demeanor almost made my cheeks slacken, but I clenched my thighs to hold myself back.

Damn it. Having the same face as Sajou-san is just unfair.

Feeling the dampness at the corners of my eyes from the pain, it seemed Sajou-san’s mother finally made up her mind.

She lifted her face, revealing eyes similar to her daughter’s but with a glimmer of light, and turned them towards me.

And then…

“Is Hitori living in your house, by any chance?”

“…………Huh?”

For a moment, my brain refused to comprehend what she said.

“Wait a second.”

I held out my palm to stop Sajou-san’s mother, who looked bewildered.

Pressing my hand against my forehead with the other hand, I closed my eyes. Furrows formed on my brow.

Tap, tap, tap, I tapped the center of my forehead with my index finger.

Wait, hold on.

What does that mean?

So, if Sajou-san’s mother is asking that question, then…

She doesn’t know about the moving arrangement, but Sajou-san is currently staying at my house…?

…I see?

“Sorry for the wait. Here’s your iced coffee.”

The waiter brought the iced coffee, and I grabbed it as if to snatch it away, then quickly drank it all in one go. When Sajou-san’s mother expressed concern, I waved my hand as if to say “Wait, wait.”

The cold coffee went down my throat. It cooled me from the inside out.

It felt like brain freeze from eating shaved ice, but right now, I was actually grateful for it.

…Okay. I’ve calmed down a bit.

Stay calm, stay calm… I screamed internally.

But damn it! Didn’t she get permission from her mother for the moveeeeeeee?!!?!