Chapter 120: A certain boy’s tale 2
"So you had a surrogate dad, Kimizuka..."
We were still in that restaurant, with the summer wind blowing through. When my story reached a stopping point, Natsunagi exhaled. I guess she wasn't expecting that.
I'd told them about a certain day a few years back, when Danny and I had been in a car chase, up until we gave the client the money we'd retrieved from the loan sharks. And in order to tell that story, I'd also had to tell them about how I'd met Danny and what he was like.
I'd never mentioned him to Natsunagi before, though. Saikawa and Charlie hadn't heard about him either, and the story seemed to catch them off guard.
"Kimizuka, you were reckless even before you met Ma'am." Charlie narrowed her eyes at me.
Well, I'm pretty sure Charlie and I weren't much different there.
"Blame it on my predisposition; it didn't start with Siesta. I've been involved in this stuff since I was born." I didn't want to write that off with a simple, So I'm used to it, though.
"They say the gods don't give people trials they can't overcome, right? That's what this is," Charlie said. She primly sipped her drink. "Better tell them thank you."
"If that's true, then the gods of this world are total sadists, don't you think?" "That doesn't get me excited. I'm not Nagisa."
"Wh-who did you say was such a masochist that she wanted the person she liked to yell at her for hours and hours?!"
"Nobody went that far." Charlie scolded Natsunagi, sounding as if she was
genuinely worried. "You shouldn't say those things in front of men." This was definitely the scene I'd least wanted to witness this year.
"I see. So you've had it rough for quite a long time, Kimizuka." Saikawa gazed at me, getting the conversation back on topic. "If you had such an unusual experience, why haven't you ever mentioned it to us?" Something about it seemed to tug at the idol singer; she tilted her head. "I mean, your stories are always pretty weak, you know. You should share the ones about car chases and things first."
"Saikawa, when you give advice, try to do it without hurting people." What if I stopped being able to speak in public because I was traumatized by that comment? "I'm pretty sure you've always listened to me with a smile."
"Oh, I was practicing being sweet for fans at handshake events!" "I just learned something ugly about idols..."
Still, as her producer, if my noble sacrifice made the idol Yui-nya shine brighter, maybe there was no greater joy.
...As her producer?
"Still, I didn't expect that." Natsunagi turned to me. She and Charlie seemed to have wrapped up their comedy skit.
"What? You realized my side profile was unexpectedly attractive?"
"No, that wasn't unexpected; it happens all the time—er, no, I mean 'never,' or not."
Not? I don't really get what "not" means in this case.
"I meant that first story. The one about Danny Bryant. He doesn't seem to be associated with you now, or... Hmm. I'm not sure how to phrase it." Natsunagi put a finger to her chin, thinking. "Does that mean the apartment you live in now used to be Danny's place?" she asked, turning back to me.
Saikawa and Charlie seemed curious about that, too. Like Natsunagi, they gazed at me intently.
"If you had a bird's-eye view of us right now, it would look like I had a harem." I smiled wryly, taking a sip of my extremely sweet coffee.
"That doesn't sound like you, Kimizuka." "Yes, I second that."
For some reason, Charlie and Saikawa didn't seem happy about that.
"That bit about your side profile a minute ago, too. You don't usually act narcissistic like that." Even Natsunagi was eyeing me dubiously.
Sheesh. When did they make such a detailed profile of me?
"You were trying to change the subject, weren't you?" Natsunagi leaned in,
getting straight to the point.
I hadn't been trying to hide anything... But it was true that I didn't think my old stories were that interesting, and I'd hesitated a little.
It seems the high school girl, idol, and agent had all inherited the former Ace Detective's observational skills.
"And? It's the part that comes next that's important, right?" Charlie asked, urging me to continue.
I'd started sharing this story because we were talking about birthdays. As Charlie had guessed, the story would go on for a while: until my birthday that one year, on May 5. At the very least, it wouldn't end until we'd reached some sort of conclusion.
"Tell us a sidesplitting, hilarious story that will have us rolling in the aisles, Kimizuka!" Saikawa's eyes sparkled.
Raising the bar like that makes it a whole lot harder for me...but I guess that's nothing new, either.
We'd finished lunch, but there was still plenty of time before the next thing on our schedule. Figuring we'd stay here and talk for a while longer, I geared up to resume my story.
"In that case, I'll go get us more drinks!"
...Hey. You were the one who wanted to hear it, Natsunagi, I retorted in my mind as I watched her leave.
"...Um. Kimizuka? Would you come help me?" Natsunagi turned back, scratching at her cheek in embarrassment.
It appears my story was going to have to wait until we picked up those drinks.
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