"Kana-chan, is there anywhere in particular you'd like to go?"
Having taken Kana out, I was walking slowly to match her pace. I didn't care where we were going; I just thought that walking was the best thing to do when one's mind is cluttered. Kana, who had been following me in silence even when I spoke to her, finally spoke up.
"Not... really."
"Really? Then I guess I'll have to escort you."
"E... E-E-E-Escort?! Please don't say such embarrassing things!!"
"Ahaha. Just kidding, just kidding. You looked so stiff, I was just trying to lighten the mood."
"Whew... if you did that in front of Ai-senpai, I might actually get murdered..."
"Ah... yeah, sorry."
I couldn't really deny the words coming out of Kana's mouth. Whether you'd call it Ai's obsession or not... I knew to some extent that her affection was quite deep, yet somewhat twisted.
Of course, since it was a situation I had let happen, I had no choice but to take responsibility for it... anyway, Ai is scary to me, too.
"Well then, shall we go?"
"Where are we going...? I have school tomorrow."
"Ahaha! Don't worry so much. It won't take that long. So... what do you think is the most necessary thing for someone to resolve their worries?"
I slowly started the conversation as we cut through the park that served as a regular date course for Ai and me.
"I wonder... is it sincerity?"
"Hmm, sincerity. You're not wrong. There's nothing as foolish as speaking falsely when you want to solve a problem. But unfortunately, that's not what we need right now."
"Eh?"
Of course, what she said wasn't wrong. However, it was just my opinion that Kana-chan might need something deeper within her than just sincerity right now.
"In times like these, what's needed is a place and atmosphere that can draw out Kana-chan's true feelings."
"...Is that this park? No, more importantly, looking closely, isn't this the place you seniors often come to for dates?"
"Ahaha. It's just that cutting through here is the fastest way to get where we're going."
"Ehhh..."
Kana-chan looked at me with eyes full of disbelief... No, she used to not even be able to meet my eyes, but now she's grown enough to look at me with those eyes. You've really grown, Arima Kana... Sniff.
"It's right in front of us once we pass the park... See? You can see it already."
"Where are you talking about...?"
Emerging from the park entrance, the building before Kana-chan and me was a small BAR. Kana-chan looked at me with 'Surely not?' eyes, but unfortunately for her.
"Well, shall we head in?"
"This is a bar, though!?"
"Ahahaha~"
Don't sweat the small stuff~ I lightly feigned deafness toward the shouting Kana-chan's will and pulled her inside by both arms.
"Yume-senpaiiiiiiiiii!?"
Ah, Kana-chan's voice is loud today as well. Truly the center of the new B-Komachi. (Laughs)
"No, regardless of anything else, how could you bring a high schooler like me to a bar like this!? If anyone sees us, it'll be a huge scandal!?"
"Ah, so that's what you were worried about. Don't worry, this area is my responsibility."
There's no way anyone could boldly play paparazzi in the area I'm in charge of.
"Responsibility? You make it sound like you're some Yakuza... wait, Yume-senpai, are you actually a Yakuza?"
"No, no, that couldn't be... To begin with, it seems some people occasionally forget that even being an actor is just my side job."
"Ah... Yume-senpai, come to think of it, you were someone very high up, weren't you...?"
After confirming Kana-chan's 'now I get it' expression, I slowly surveyed the building I hadn't stepped into for a while.
"But don't places like this usually have a bartender...?"
Kana felt suspicious that the shop was open but no one was there. Well, that's only natural, since this bar.
"It's a place I operate occasionally. Also, my current role is a bartender, so I'm reopening it for a bit after a long time. I need to practice, too."
"Eeeh!? You operate this place yourself, Yume-senpai!? More importantly, a new role? Are you starting a drama?"
"Yes, Ai and I received an offer to appear together this time."
"Well... many people already take it for granted that you two are always in the same drama or movie... then what is Ai-senpai's role?"
After glancing at Kana-chan as she naturally took a seat, I walked toward the dressing room in the back.
"Should I keep that a secret? I think it'll be more interesting that way."
"Eeee..."
Leaving a seemingly disappointed Kana-chan behind, I entered the dressing room and changed. For today, I shall be a bartender consulting for a troubled junior. Well... I didn't tell her that Ai's role is the daughter of a high-ranking person with worries, but shall I let Kana-chan play that part today? Of course, Ai will be super sulky if she finds out, haha.
"So, is there any beverage you'd like to drink?"
"Ah, I'm fine with anything... Yume-senpai?"
Whether she was surprised to see my bartender outfit, Kana's eyes grew wider and wider, and eventually.
"Wow... since your face is perfect, you make the outfit look perfect too, Yume-senpai."
"I'll gratefully accept my junior's compliment."
As if it were the most natural thing, I stood there as a bartender. Now then, shall we slowly begin the consultation for our troubled junior?
"If it's non-alcoholic, are you fine with anything?"
"Ah... something sweet, if possible..."
"Understood."
A sweet non-alcoholic cocktail... Hmm... shall I try that? I took out grapefruit, orange, and pineapple juice from the refrigerator. I also brought out pomegranate syrup. First, I laid the pomegranate syrup at the bottom of the glass, then put 20ml of grapefruit juice and 20ml each of orange and pineapple juice into the shaker and mixed them slowly. Kana-chan watched me with a dazed expression, and seeing that, I thought this might actually suit me, letting out a small chuckle.
After shaking for a bit, I slowly poured the 'Cinderella' into the glass I had prepared, and topped it with a sliced lemon.
"It's a Cinderella, my junior."
"...I'm not a princess, Senpai."
Watching Kana-chan take the Cinderella from me with a bitter expression.
"Originally, lemon juice is used instead of grapefruit juice, but that tends to make the sourness a bit too strong, so I substituted it with grapefruit juice. Sourness might interfere with dreaming a sweet dream, right?"
"You know, I might actually like sour flavors?"
"Hehe, perhaps."
Kana-chan slowly took a sip of the Cinderella I handed her.
".....It's sweet. It's like I'm dreaming."
"What kind of dream are you dreaming?"
"......Just something from the past. A time when I knew nothing and only did what I wanted to do... Isn't it funny that the peak of my life, my dream, was when I was a child actor?"
"I won't say that the past is just the past. The past is why the present exists, and the present is why the future exists. However, right now, Kana-chan, you only look like you're trapped in the past to me."
".....That might be true."
"Hmm... for my troubled junior, I'll tell you a story I heard from someone."
"Eh?"
Well, to be precise... it's about my past life. It's my own story.
"There was once a family living happier than anyone else. For that family, every day was bliss. Living with a mother and father who loved him, and a girlfriend with whom he had promised a future, his life was a daily happiness. But that happiness didn't last. The man's job was a bodyguard, and because of it, he had incurred resentment. That resentment resulted in all of the family members he loved so much being murdered. He resolved for revenge. He succeeded in avenging them against everyone who made his family this way, but all that remained was emptiness. However, there was one phrase that filled that man's hollow emptiness. What do you think that phrase was?"
".....I don't know."
"That single phrase was simple. 'Always be happy.' Simple, right?"
Thanks to those words, my eyes were opened too... though I still haven't quite overcome it. What an unbelievable contradiction... truly...
"Always be happy..... do I even have the right to be?"
"Everyone has the right to be happy. Seizing that opportunity is entirely a matter of one's own choice."
What will you do, Arima Kana? Will you be able to grasp your happiness? Or will you just let it slip away? Whatever choice you make, I will respect it.
"..."
Kana-chan finished the rest of the Cinderella I gave her and said,
"I'll... give it a try."
"Yes."
"Because I didn't endure this industry with sheer spite just to collapse after coming this far."
"Think of being an idol as a bonus. Like me."
"Ahahaha! That's only possible because you're Yume-senpai... I've already decided to be an idol. I'll seize my happiness with everything I've got."
"I see. That's good then."
"Ah, can I have one more?"
"Certainly, customer."
Please realize that at the very least, your happiness is nearby, Arima Kana.
You'll surely meet someone who can eventually untangle your twisted personality. Well, it'll obviously be our Aqua...
Ah, how should I handle the fact that my son is building a harem...
While mulling over those worries, I made another Cinderella for Kana-chan.
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