“Why?”

“You might think it’s too late to ask…… but is that really gelato?”

Osanai-san looks at what is placed in front of the person in suit. Intently, carefully.

“…… It looks like gelato.”

“Right, it looks like gelato.”

Could bringing something that looks like gelato and showing it to someone lead to something?

It does.

Indeed, I was watching. Pudding à la mode piled high with fruits and whipped cream, a parfait that was so tall it was hard to believe, and ramen with chopsticks floating in the air as if eating noodles.

I said, “That’s a food sample.”

“…… Ah.”

Osanai-san’s eyes widened for a moment. It would be a lie to say that I wasn’t proud of reaching the conclusion a step ahead of her.

“<Abernetty’s> recently opened here, and they didn’t display samples at the entrance. The person in suit is from a food sample production company that brought a prototype. It’s natural that the person in suit isn’t eating gelato because that’s not gelato.”

“Then.”

While looking at the gelato, the gelato sample, Osanai-san mutters to herself.

“Her business partner was the manager of <Abernetty’s>.”

“Probably. I think there isn’t a dedicated sales… or marketing person for food samples at <Abernetty’s>. It’s likely the manager.”

“Now I see. So the person in suit was waiting.”

I was about to say that, but I swallowed my words. Osanai-san’s story seemed understandable, yet it didn’t. The person in suit came here with <Abernetty’s>’s manager for a food sample contract, but since the manager left the seat, she’s waiting like that. Up to that point, I can think of it as reasonable. However, Osanai-san is saying that if the business partner of the person in suit is <Abernetty’s>’s manager, then it makes sense for her to be waiting. It doesn’t seem to make sense.

The only thing I can think of is that Osanai-san has a hunch about why <Abernetty’s>’s manager left the seat. Without even a clue for speculation, I reflexively asked.

“Why does the person in suit have to wait just because her business partner is the manager?”