Tachibana Iori was guided to the table by the smiling Kobayashi. Their eyes didn’t meet along the way. Once the guidance was over, Kobayashi quickly ran over to me.

“I’ll handle Iori-sama’s dish!”

Since that was the plan from the beginning, I agreed. Today, I intended to spend time training Kobayashi. As she disappeared into the kitchen, I heard her happily report, “Table four, Iori-sama!”

After some deliberation, I decided to talk to Tachibana Iori. I figured it was an issue that would come up sooner or later anyway.

As I approached table four, Tachibana Iori looked up and met my gaze. At the very least, there was no awkward atmosphere.

“Hey, Natsuki. You look free today.”

Tachibana Iori was the same as always. So much so that it made me slightly anxious. I had assumed there would be some kind of reaction regarding yesterday.

“Because you’re not here. Today, I’m mainly focusing on training Kobayashi.”

“That’s good. Feel free to use me for practice.”

—”Boku.” (translator note: Male for I/me/my)

That word echoed in my head repeatedly. It was the usual Tachibana Iori I knew so well.

“I’ll do just that. If I mess up, let me know without holding back.”

“Got it.”

Saying that, Tachibana Iori reached for the ordering tablet. It was the perfect timing to end the conversation. My feet instinctively read the room, and I took a step back from the table.

“—Natsuki.”

Tachibana Iori muttered without looking up from the tablet.

“…If you could forget about yesterday, I’d really appreciate it.”

It was an uncharacteristically hesitant voice. Her short hair obscured her expression, but she probably wasn’t smiling.

Since I was young, I had been repeatedly told to be kind to others. So, unless there was a very good reason, I always wanted to grant people’s requests. Even more so if it was Tachibana Iori. A flood of voices in my head screamed, “Forget it for her.”

“No.”

I had said it before I even realized. Somewhere deep inside, someone cheered.

“I will never forget. So, if you ever feel like talking to me about it, I want you to tell me then.”

I knew I was being nosy. The fact that she brought it up meant she must have regretted what happened yesterday. Perhaps she had come to Cyberia today just to tell me that she didn’t see me as someone worth confiding in.

That meant my actions were completely unnecessary meddling.

…Even so, I didn’t care. Right now, I just couldn’t leave Tachibana Iori alone.

She kept her gaze fixed on the tablet. But it was obvious she wasn’t focusing on the screen. The usual Tachibana Iori was nowhere to be found—sitting there was someone entirely different.

“I don’t know what’s troubling you, but I want to help.”

Her fingers suddenly froze.

“Is that… because you’re my mentor?”

—”Watashi.” (Translator note: Female pronoun for I/me/my)

I met her again. The other Tachibana Iori.

“It’s because it’s you. I just can’t leave you alone.”

If Kobayashi were struggling in the same way, would I step in like this? Probably not. It was because it was Tachibana Iori that I felt compelled to interfere. I didn’t know why, but that was just how my heart worked.

Her fingers hesitantly slid across the tablet screen, flipping back and forth a few times before finally selecting fries. Thanks to the employee discount, what normally cost 400 yen was just 100 yen for staff. I could still clearly remember how ecstatic my classmates had been when they found out.

The entrance bell chimed. Two women in suits appeared in the windbreak area. Searching for Kobayashi, I realized she was in the kitchen, so I went to greet the new customers.

“…Thanks, Natsuki.”

Her soft voice seeped into my back.

◆

“Wheeeh… I’m so tiiired…”

After pressing the clock-out button, Kobayashi slumped into the manager’s chair.

“Good job today. You improved a lot, didn’t you?”

“Yeah, I think I nailed the register today!”

After finishing my own clock-out procedure, I quickly headed to the locker room. As I undid the buttons on my suit, I heard Kobayashi enter the locker room next door.

“Hey, Kobayashi, can I ask you something?”

“What is it?”

“What’s Tachibana Iori like at Suzakura?”

“What’s with that vague question?”

Kobayashi never held back with me. But I chose to take it as a sign of affection—it made things easier that way.

“I mean, how does she spend her time? Is she surrounded by friends?”

I had a feeling the answer was no, but I asked anyway. Sure enough, her response was a denial.

“Friends? If someone tried to stand out like that at Suzakura, it’d cause a huge problem. Even I get talked about a lot.”

“Wait, are you okay?”

“Of course! Just being able to work with Iori-sama makes me happy.”

I had thought Kobayashi was just an easygoing girl, but maybe she was struggling more than she let on. Come to think of it, the manager once mentioned how intensely she had pleaded to be hired. She must have decided to work at Cyberia fully prepared for whatever came with it.

“Tachibana Iori is lucky to have someone like you around.”

“What are you talking about? I’m the lucky one.”

“That might be true.”

After that, we chatted about trivial things before parting ways at Cyberia.

Kobayashi’s figure, riding her bicycle, gradually disappeared toward the station.

Meanwhile, the presence of Tachibana Iori grew larger and larger in my mind.