Aren’t You Too Sweet Salt-God Sato-San?

……

……

In the sunset, two people sit side by side on the bench in front of a tee pearl, of which, they smoke their respective milk tees.

Just silent, take the time, little by little, little by little smoke milk tea.

The diminishing milk tea is a time limit for me and Mr. Sato to remain silent.

... and it's almost gone.

Me and Mr. Sato's straw sounded air-containing at the same time.

……

……

... awkward.

I can't see Mr. Sato's face.

Would there have been such awkward moments yet...

Sato-san seems to be Sato-san and this awkwardness is the same, messing around with the ice inside with straws.

My face... I can't see it.

Obviously unnaturally, only the top from the neck is pointing the other way.

... hated me.

Definitely, totally, hated me.

That's right, that happened...

The odd thing about my body is that I'm sure it's not because I drank cold milk tea.

……

... I can't help but be feminine.

I know you already hate me, but I can't tell you.

I don't want you to hate me any more, what a pity lid on my throat, and that word doesn't come out.

Just one word,

"Mr. Sato, I'm sorry about earlier," I said.

"Sa......"

Never mind, I manage to twist words out of my pulling throat.

But I swallowed the words out to that throat.

Why.

That's because I saw Mr. Sato's shoulder tremble in small pieces.

"Mr. Sato...?

"Huh..."

Called upon his name, Mr. Sato frightens his shoulders.

Eh, Sato, cry...

"... I'm sorry, really... I'm sorry, Mr. Pushtail..."

Sato's weak spinning with a trembling voice was a word of apology.

"I... after all, I don't think so... Whatever I do, I fail..."

Her thin fingers glimpse through the straw without force, and the ice inside makes a squeaky noise.

"No, I... I can't do the same thing if you help me out on purpose... even this tapioca milk tee has not taken a proper picture yet, but I drank it..."

My fingers are trembling through the straw.

Her head leans slightly.

When one of her big eyes was about to spill...

"- Sato."

My body was moving before I thought about it.

I pack the free distance between the two of them at once and lean over to Mr. Sato.

"What, hey, Mr. Pushtail, now... eh"

Mr. Sato tries to cover his own face.

I took her hand like that and kneaded the cup of tapioca milk tea that turned Kara high.

"What..."

Confused her, take her other free hand and make her hold my smartphone.

And...

Picon.

My smartphone rang the missing noise between them and cut out the sight (...).

"... you just said that it's not the tapioca milk tea itself, it's the tapioca milk tea that counts"

Sato peeks into the display of his smartphone and breathes much more.

There - a brilliant, transparent cup of tea pearl signs backed up through the sunset into the ice.

"Beautiful..."

Sato whines in his dreams.

I chuckle at her innocent reaction like that.

"You can't say much about yourself or anything, because there must be someone who likes Sato like that"

"... I'm not here."

"I'm here, absolutely, full"

At least one here.

"I don't need a lot... I just..."

Mr. Sato said so much and then closed his mouth with a somewhat painful look.

In the silence, I feel the hiccups chirping naggingly.

And after a lot of silence, Mr. Sato slowly opened his mouth,

"... Next, Saturday"

"Yeah?"

"Next, Saturday..."

Repeat again, take a big, deep breath.

Then we turn around.

"- Gosh, I'm going for roll ice cream next Saturday! I was wondering if you could follow me, too!

She told him to get up early and lay down her face, either out of embarrassment or because of the thought that he might say no to it.

That's so true a wish that I don't think it's meant for a friend.

Is it anxious, or is it thin?

Thin shoulders, shaking in small pieces.

Looking at it like that, my chest tightened, but...

"... sorry, I have business that day"

I don't know what Mr. Sato looked like at this time.

But one thing is for sure... her shoulders weren't shaking already.

"But don't worry, Sato can take so many pictures that he can see them, even if he doesn't have my help, I'm sure..."

My mouth overlaps words on its own, even though my head knows I should.

Then Mr. Sato raised his face and smiled back.

"... yeah, this way. Sorry, that was a little too steep"

When I saw her smile stained with sunset color, I felt my chest crushed.

That smile...

Knowing or not such a state of mind, Mr. Sato rises to jump off the bench, and says:

"- Thank you for today, Mr. Pushing Tail. Shall we go home then?"

In the sunset, she looks back at this one like she dances.

It's terribly beautiful, terribly flashy, and...

- That was the last time Sato and I exchanged words.