CH 82

I arrived at the coffee shop where Tsukasa was working part-time at and opened the door to be greeted by a bell ringing.

“Welcome-”

The person who just greeted me was Marino Tobise whom I had already met earlier today.

“Are you here alone?”

“Yes…”

“Got it. Please follow me to this table.”

I followed behind Tobise after she said that.

Tobise didn’t seem to notice me which made me give out a sigh of relief.

(Fuu, I knew my disguise would work. My last disguise wasn’t under the premise that I was meeting someone I knew. I’m glad it went well.)

With that thought, I sat on the seat Tobise showed me to.

The seat Tobise showed me was a counter seat where you could see the food being cooked right in front of you.

And standing in the kitchen was Tsukasa.

“EH?! I-I didn’t expect to be sitting right in front of Tsukasa.”

Tsukasa was wearing a navy short-sleeved shirt and black tie, perhaps it was a uniform for this restaurant.

(Yeahh. It suits him a lot. Un!)

The seriousness with the work attire as well as the different atmosphere he emitted. I was getting a little excited.

“Please have a seat here.”

The other woman and Tobise were also wearing a uniform.

(Massive… This person’s chest is massive.)

Even if it’s Tsukasa, he can definitely still tell that it’s bigger than an average person.

If even I am in awe at how big it is, Tsukasa would definitely be affected.

A little bewildered, I sat down at the seat in front of Tsukasa.

Tsukasa stared at me with wide eyes.

(N-No way, did he find out? How?)

In my eyes, I think my disguise is perfect, so I didn’t expect to be discovered this quickly.

“Tsukasa-kun, what’s wrong?”

Tobise also found Tsukasa acting a little strange and asked him what was wrong over the counter.

“N-No. I-It’s nothing.”

“Is that so? If you’re not feeling well or something, tell the Manager and ask him to let you rest, okay?”

“I’m okay, thank you very much.”

Tsukasa was acting a little strange, but it seems like he didn’t notice it was me.

(Yoshaa! It seems like it worked well. That’s natural, of course. I’m wearing sunglasses and a hat after all.) [EDN: The perfect disguise.]

With a peace of mind, I opened the menu.

I was a little hungry so I decided to order iced cocoa and a cheesecake.

(As for the order… Should I just say my order directly to Tsukasa?)

It seems like Tobise is asking table to table, so it would be more helpful to her if I just ordered directly from Tsukasa.

Just as I was about to order, a thought hit me.

(Ah, Yabai. If I speak now, Tsukasa might recognize my voice. Tsukasa said he liked my voice too, so maybe I should change it a bit.)

So after a quick cough to cover it up, I ordered.

“Ano, I’d like to make an order?”

I raised my pitch a little and made a conscious effort to sound more ‘ladylike’ by imitating Tojoin in the way she spoke.

“HM?!”

Perhaps startled by the sudden voice, Tsukasa sounded as if he had choked on something.

“Tsu… A-Are you okay?”

I almost called him Tsukasa but I managed to save it just in time.

“Uuu…! I-I’m fine… Yes, please tell me your order.”

Tsukasa averted his face so I couldn’t see but it seemed like his body was trembling.

Are you really okay? You’ve been acting strange since a while ago, are you sure you don’t have a cold or something?

With a little concern, I told him my order.

“I’ll have an iced cocoa and a slice of cheesecake please.”

“A-Ah… sure. Please wait for a moment.”

Tsukasa immediately did a full turn with his back against me. With his body still trembling.

I’m worried that there’s something wrong with him, but I can’t just ask him about it. I’m just a regular customer right now.

“Ah… I forgot… Here’s some water, dear customer.”

“Thank you very much…”

I accepted the water from Tobise with a smile and took a light sip from the glass.

She was smiling and looked exactly the same as how she did on the street earlier.

After giving me some water, she went back to attend to the other customers.

She speaks respectfully to the customers, so why is she so informal with Tsukasa?

In other words, she’s the type to keep people at a distance.

(Shiho always had the same atmosphere but Tobise is even greater than that.)

As I was drinking water with some thoughts racing in my mind, Tsukasa called out to me.

“Dear customer, here’s your iced cocoa and cheesecake. Here you go.”

“A-Ah… yes, thank you very much.”

“…P-Please take your time.”

Tsukasa told me with his body trembling a little. I’m quite concerned, it should be okay if it’s just a little right…?

“Ano, is there something wrong? You’re shaking really bad.”

“N-No, t-there’s nothing wrong. I’m sorry for worrying you.”

“That’s alright, Please don’t be too hard on yourself.”

“Hai… it’s a little, well I’m getting used to it, so it’s okay.”

I don’t know what he needs to get used to, but I’m glad he’s not feeling sick or anything.

In the same tone of voice, I kept talking to Tsukasa.

“Are you a part-timer?”

“Yes, I just started the other day.”

“Ara, is that so? The female waitress there doesn’t seem very used to it.”

“Yes, she’s also a waitress that’s been working for more than a week.”

Apparently Tsukasa and Tobise were working part-time at about the same time.

“That waitress, she’s beautiful, has a nice smile and is pleasant to look at.”

Tobise was still chatting with customers and seemed to be enjoying herself.

“Yeah, she is. I think she is a very nice lady.”

Tsukasa also started talking to me as if he was talking to a customer.

I glanced at Tsukasa while pretending to be looking at Tobise.

“Wouldn’t it be great for any man to be able to work with a woman like her?”

After giving that remark, I regretted it immediately.

(I-Isn’t that too abrupt? It’s weird for a customer to suddenly ask something like that? I wish I could have phrased that better.)

Even though I was experiencing inner turmoil, I tried carefully to not show it on the outside.

Tsukasa looked into my eyes and gave a little smile before answering.

“Yeah, she’s easy to get along with and is certainly a pleasure to work with.”

“I-I see…”

Hearing that, my mind became even more fumbled.

Since I praised her, it’s natural for him to praise her too.

“However, whether I am happy as a man, to be honest, is a delicate matter.”

“Ehh..?”

When I heard that, my real voice leaked.

Tsukasa continued without noticing it.

“Especially for me, Tobise-san is just Tobise-san. A fellow colleague. It doesn’t seem likely I’ll even fall for her regardless.”

“A-Ara.. W-Why is that?”

“Because there’s someone I already love.”

With my composure flowing back in, it immediately collapsed again at his words.

Tsukasa smiled at me as he wipes the plates.

“As much as I think Tobise-san is a beautiful and attractive woman. There can only be one person in my heart. She is personally more beautiful, prettier and way more attractive than her. So there should be no way I would ever fall for her.”

“U-Uuu, I-I’m sure the lady you like must be wonderful.”

“Yeah, to me she is the most beautiful and lovely woman in the world.”

Hearing his words, I felt my face get dyed scarlet.

(Tsu-Tsukasa?! What is he saying?! It’s so embarrassing! It’s a good thing I’m the one hearing it though.)

Tsukasa doesn’t realize it, but he just professed his love again to the same person but in a disguise.

From a normal person’s perspective, I guess it’s just Tsukasa being infatuated with the girl she likes.

But for me, IT’S TOO EMBARASSING. WHY IS TSUKASA PROUDLY TELLING PEOPLE ABOUT HIS LOVE AFFAIRS.

(If someone said that to another person, they would think they are a bakacouple.)  [TLN: Bakacouple means a pair of lovey dovey idiots that like each other too much. Direct Translation would be Idiot Couple. Anyways… IT SHOULD HAVE BEEN ME! NOT HIM!] [EDN: one day…]

It’s fortunate that the person on the other party is just me in disguise.

“U-Uh… Y-You shouldn’t be sharing these things in public so proudly. I-It’s best to keep it to yourself. Yes, that’s for the best.”

“Fufu, I understand. Please excuse me, dear customer.”

“W-What are you laughing at?”

“No, it’s nothing.”

I tried to question Tsukasa about why he was smiling, but he was called away by a man who appeared to be the manager and disappeared before my eyes.

“Well dear customer. Please enjoy your stay.”

Tsukasa smiled and disappeared.

(A-Ahh… U-Uhh, he’s going to give such a nice smile to other customers? What if some female customer misunderstands?!?!)

With that, I ate my cheesecake and drank my cocoa quietly.

The dilemma I experienced when entering the store was gone and now I was just enjoying the food he had made for me.

(I’m glad I came. I was able to see how Tsukasa worked, and I was able to hear how he felt, albeit reluctantly. I was a little worried, but it seems I can trust him after all.)

Finishing the iced cocoa and cheesecake, I got up from my seat.

I then headed for the cash register near the entrance.

The cashier seems to have changed to be Tobise.

“I’d like to pay the bill please.”

“Yes, was it delicious?”

“Yes, it was very good.”

“I’m glad to hear that, Please come again, Sei-chan!” [TLN: HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA] [EDN: LOOOOOOOOOOOOOOL]

“Un… Eh?!”

I couldn’t help but freeze at her words. What did she just say?

“Hmm? What’s wrong Sei-chan?”

“E-Ehh? You noticed?”

“Yes, of course I did! Sei-chan, you look so cool!”

When Tobise said that with a smiling face, I was astonished.

“E-Ehh…! B-B-But you were speaking in honorifics just now, weren’t you?!”

“Because I’m a waiter and you’re a customer right?”

“I-I didn’t show any signs though, did I?”

“Is that so? I immediately noticed it was Sei-chan, that’s why I made you sit right in front of Tsukasa-kun.”

“Urgh… no way.”

“It’s true. Tsukasa-kun seemed to notice it right away, too, you know?”

“Ehh…?”

Hearing those words… I turned around in trepidation.

My eyes met with Tsukasa who was behind the counter, looking a little uncomfortable.

“……”

“……”

“Sorry, Sei-chan.”

“WHA――?!

My face turned red and I was on the verge of tears after learning my disguise was for naught.