The winter days are short, and the way back was already night. I contacted Osanai-san during that time.

It wasn’t such a complicated story, but it’s hard to share subtle nuances over the phone. It was decided that it would be better to talk directly, so we arranged to meet at a family restaurant along the bypass.

The time was past eight, and if found by those entrusted with upholding law and order, it could lead to being taken in for questioning. As a Petit Bourgeois, one must not commit the folly of being caught wandering at night. The solution is to carry a cram school pass, which allows one to insist that they are just returning from a tutoring session if questioned. It’s a great contradiction that cram schools are open until a time when high school students could be taken in for wandering, and contradictions should be exploited.

It was a cold night. As soon as I started pedaling my bicycle after leaving home, my ears began to sting painfully. I had only put on a windbreaker for warmth, which was a bit reckless. If I tried to speed up to get there quickly, the wind would hit me even harder. In the end, I ended up heading to the meeting place slowly.

The family restaurant had a variety of customers. Since it was after dinner time, there weren’t families enjoying their meal. A man with his neck bowed munching carbohydrate, a woman on her phone without a gaze on the food in front of her, a group of college students excited about something, a paper worker, a student…… and a small girl in the back of the store, sitting with a scarf wrapped around her neck despite being inside the car. Of course, that was Osanai-san.

A waitress cheerfully greeted me.

“Welcome. Are you here by yourself?”

“No, I have someone to meet.”

I answered and headed to Osanai-san’s table.

Osanai-san was not only wearing a scarf but also earmuffs, and she was still in her fluffy down jacket. Indeed, the seat was by the window where the winter chill was creeping in, but her appearance, as if she had just returned from a ski resort, made me chuckle a bit. Osanai-san, who had been cradling a mug with both hands, looked up and glared at me with an upward gaze.

“Why are you laughing?”

Because you’re all bundled up indoors.

There was cocoa in the mug that Osanai-san was holding. It looked warm, and I wanted to order the same, but cocoa could only be ordered as a single item. The drink bar was cheaper, so I chose that. When I returned to the table with hot oolong tea, Osanai-san asked without any preamble.

“So, what’s the matter?”

I understood why Osanai-san didn’t take off her warm clothes in this cold seat. I also started the conversation while wearing my windbreaker.

“Doujima Kengo wants me to introduce him to you.”

“I do think he’s a good person, but I have to think about whether he’s my type.”

“What type of person is Osanai-san’s type?”

“Hmm.”

The answer that finally came after a while was: