Chapter Eleven: The Truth I Didn’t Want to Realize
“I see… Well, at least Shizuku-chan’s safe and sound. That’s a relief,” I murmured, feeling the tension in my chest ease.
The next day, I had a shift at the café in the afternoon. I recounted everything that had happened to Utahara-san, who listened intently, her eyes warm with understanding. When I finished, she flashed her usual carefree smile.
“If it all ended without trouble, that’s the best outcome. Good job, Jun-kun.”
“…Thank you,” I replied softly, gratitude swelling in my heart. I could never thank Utahara-san enough. She’d instantly understood my selfish urge to go look for Shizuku and sent me off without a second thought. As expected, she wasn’t just my coffee mentor—she was the person I admired most.
“So, Shizuku-chan’s already feeling better?” she asked.
“She seemed completely fine this morning.”
“That’s great to hear.”
“She’ll probably show up soon. She was craving Master’s coffee.”
As we spoke, the bell at the entrance chimed brightly.
“Good evening!” Shizuku’s voice rang out, brimming with energy as she strode toward us. She looked fully recovered, her vibrant presence washing away the last of my worries. Things hadn’t taken a turn for the worse, and relief flooded through me.
“You’re looking lively, Shizuku-chan,” Utahara-san remarked.
“Yes, I’m completely back to normal!” Shizuku flexed her arm playfully, showing off her strength with a grin.
“So young…” Utahara-san sighed wistfully. “If it were me, I’d probably need another three days in bed.”
“Master, you’re not that old, you know,” Shizuku teased, trying to reassure her.
But Utahara-san’s eyes grew distant. “You two will understand one day… That heaviness in your body once you pass twenty-five.”
“…” I didn’t know how to respond to that, and neither did Shizuku. We exchanged a glance, both at a loss.
Ignoring our silence, Utahara-san clapped her hands sharply, snapping us back to the moment. “Well, jokes aside, today’s a celebration for Shizuku-chan’s hard work and recovery! Eat and drink whatever you like—it’s all on me.”
“Really? Are you sure?” Shizuku’s eyes sparkled.
“Shizuku-chan is someone important to Jun-kun, so of course,” Utahara-san replied with a knowing smile.
Both Shizuku and I felt our cheeks flush. It was true—she was important to me—but hearing it said so bluntly made my heart stutter with embarrassment.
“Well then… I’ll take you up on that,” Shizuku said, recovering quickly.
“Yes, yes, don’t hold back!” Utahara-san gave me a gentle nudge, her gesture clear: go join Shizuku.
Thankful for her thoughtfulness, I stepped out from behind the counter.
“Oh, you’re coming over already?” Shizuku asked, glancing at me.
“Yeah, Master said it’s fine.”
“Hope we’re not making her go out of her way.”
“Just thank her later, and it’ll be fine,” I assured her.
We settled onto the sofa, and I met Shizuku’s gaze. “…Sorry for worrying you so much,” she said softly, her tone sincere.
“You were doing what you needed to do. No need to feel bad about it.”
“Hearing you say that makes it feel like all my hard work was worth it.” Shizuku took a big gulp of her iced coffee, downing half the glass in one go. A look of pure bliss crossed her face as she let out a small sigh. “Phew… Yeah, this is exactly what I was craving.”
“You really make it look delicious,” I chuckled.
“I’d been holding back on drinking this even though I wanted it right after the shoot. Is this what they call a sense of accomplishment?”
“Coffee after a job well done always hits different.”
From there, our conversation drifted to lighter topics. Shizuku mentioned a wrap party for a drama she’d been working on, to be held at a fancy hotel. Her eyes lit up as she talked about eating high-class food for free, her childlike was excitement so charming I couldn’t help but smile.
“Oh, and I was thinking we should plan an outing together, Juntaro… Is that okay?” she asked suddenly, her voice hopeful.
“Of course. We haven’t decided on anything yet, right?”
“Well, I have an idea… How about the aquarium? It’d be cool and relaxing, don’t you think?”
“Oh, that sounds great.” I hadn’t been to an aquarium since an elementary school field trip, and the thought piqued my curiosity.
“So, the aquarium works?”
“Yeah, it’s been a while, so I’m looking forward to it.”
“Awesome! Aquarium it is, then! When should we go?”
“Your schedule’s pretty light for a bit, right?”
“Yup. My manager was kind enough to let me decide my days off.”
We pulled out our phones to check our schedules, and then it hit us.
“…It’s exam week,” we said in unison, our voices harmonizing as we locked eyes.
The final exams loomed in early July. With all the chaos around Shizuku’s shoot, I’d completely forgotten, but starting next week, it was the week before exams. We definitely couldn’t afford to goof off.
“But after exams, we get a break, right? That’d be the perfect time to go out,” Shizuku pointed out.
“Oh, you’re right.” Our high school gave us a three-day break after exams, officially for self-study, but most students treated it as a rare chance to hang out on weekdays and make the most of the short break. I only had a part-time shift planned, so the idea of going out with a friend—especially a girl like Shizuku—was unexpected. Life really did throw curveballs.
“It’s better to go on a weekday when it’s less crowded, right?” Shizuku said.
“Yeah, and it’s less likely anyone will notice you,” I added, thinking of how a crowd spotting Shizuku could ruin our outing. I wanted her to enjoy her rare day off to the fullest.
“I’m so excited!” Shizuku beamed.
“Yeah, but don’t forget to study hard, too.”
“Ugh… I’ll do my best,” she groaned playfully.
And so, we settled on going out during the exam break. Trying to hide my bubbling excitement, I finished my coffee in one gulp.
◇ ◆ ◇
“Ughhh…” Shizuku’s groan echoed through the quiet expanse of Café Mellow, where she sat surrounded by a fortress of textbooks and scattered notes, her face twisted in pure agony. Looking at her now, who would believe she was a wildly popular model?
The café was empty save for the two of us. Today was Café Mellow’s day off, but Utahara-san had kindly opened the place for us to study for our exams, granting us free rein to use anything in the shop.
“I’ve missed so much school… Not that it’s an excuse,” Shizuku muttered, shaking her head as if to dispel distractions. She was clearly struggling, and with finals covering such a broad range, it was no surprise she was having a tough time.
I handed her a freshly brewed iced coffee. “There’s still time, and I know you can do it, Shizuku.”
“Thanks! You went out of your way to summarize the class notes for me, Juntaro, so I’ll make sure to put them to good use. Oh, and thanks for the coffee!” Her voice brightened, a spark of determination flickered in her eyes.
Whenever Shizuku had to miss school for work, I did my best to summarize the lessons and share them with her later. The school might be lenient about attendance, but they wouldn’t overlook test scores. To move up to the next grade, she had no choice but to hit the books hard.
“Can you imagine the hottest supermodel getting nothing but failing grades? Talk about embarrassing!” With that spirited declaration, Shizuku turned back to her textbook, her resolve almost palpable. Her dedication to everything she did—modeling, studying, everything—must be what inspired so many people. Having such an amazing friend filled me with quiet pride.
“Ughhh…” Another groan escaped her, though, and I couldn’t help but give a wry smile. Those groans were a bit much…
For now, I set thoughts of Shizuku aside and focused on my own work. Thanks to summarizing lessons for her, I’d gained a surprisingly deep grasp of the exam material. I felt confident I could score above average if I took the test now, but I wasn’t letting my guard down. I wasn’t naturally gifted, and if I didn’t study to internalize the material, it slipped from my mind like water through my fingers. Taking a page from Shizuku’s book, I dove into my textbooks and notes.
“Juntaro, how do you solve this one?” Shizuku’s voice broke my concentration as she pointed to a math problem.
I explained the steps in detail, and our back-and-forth continued for a while until Shizuku, seemingly out of steam, collapsed onto the table. “Sorry… I need a break…”
“Yeah, let’s do it.” I gave a wry smile and closed my textbook. Somehow, we’d been focused for about two hours. Shizuku had asked questions from time to time, mostly about lessons she’d missed, but otherwise, she was tackling problems with surprising ease.
“How were your grades back in first year, Shizuku?”
“Not bad, actually,” she replied, a hint of pride in her voice.
“That’s impressive. While balancing modeling, too?”
“Last year wasn’t that busy, so I didn’t fall behind in class.” As she spoke, Shizuku glanced down at the math textbook in front of her. “I don’t want to use my job as an excuse. Saying I can’t study because I’m busy with work… I chose this path myself, so that’d just be lame, right?”
“You’re really something, Shizuku.”
“Huh? R-Really?” Her eyes widened, perfectly round, a reaction that always struck me as funny whenever I complimented her. It was baffling that she wasn’t used to praise—her effort was absolutely worth celebrating. If there was an easy way out, it was human nature to take it, and I wasn’t exactly a fan of studying myself. My dream was to master coffee-making and someday take over the shop, and for that, I was willing to put in the work. But during class, I sometimes wondered if all this was necessary for my dream. I’d catch myself thinking I’d rather be practicing brewing coffee. It was escapism, plain and simple, but I couldn’t help it.
“I mean, sure, sometimes I think it’s fine to slack off on studying since I’m working so hard at my job,” Shizuku admitted with a cheerful laugh, as if to mask her embarrassment. “But I’m super competitive, you know? Plus, I don’t want people poking at me.”
“Poking at you?”
“Some kids in class once said, ‘Celebrities probably suck at school.’ That really pissed me off.” Shizuku took a sip of the last of her iced coffee, the straw slurping loudly from the bottom of the glass. “If I can nail my studies, too, I can shut down all those people with their stupid biases, right? That’d feel sooo much better.”
“…You’ve got a great attitude.”
“Is that a compliment?”
“Of course. Being tough like that is a good thing.”
“Hehe, right?” Leaning toward me, Shizuku flashed a big grin, her energy infectious as ever.
