08: I Love the Onee-san I Meet at the Cafe

I decided I needed to get back to my roots.

Things have been way too hectic lately, and I need to reset my mental state. What are my "roots," you ask? Well, first off, it’s about following my heart.

And so, after school, I left the building alone—

"Welcome!"

As I opened the cafe door, I was greeted by a friendly Onee-san. This staff member was also quite tall and wonderful.

Cafe 『Mireille』.

It’s a cafe near the station closest to Hiura High, and it’s been a recent favorite of mine. I found it while visiting schools during my third year of middle school, started coming occasionally, and now I'm steadily aiming to become a regular.

It’s a cafe that focuses on sweets, and right now, they have a limited-time spring strawberry menu. Ah, it smells so soft and sweet... I can't get enough of it. Convenience store fruit sandwiches and sweets are good too, but specialty shops are in a league of their own.

The scent drifting through the shop, the gentle atmosphere, the slow passage of time... It’s seriously good. Soothing. My roots might just be that quiet time spent in a sweets shop is the most important thing of all.

When I’m at school, Chito-chan is constantly right in front of me, and even when I’m with Luna or my guy friends, a chibi version of Chito-chan is bouncing around inside my head. Only a few days after reuniting, and her degree of encroachment on my brain is way too high.

But when I’m in this shop, I can think of nothing but sweets. Exquisite sweets can even drive out the existence of a beautiful loli girl.

"What should I have..."

I took a seat and began to agonize over the menu. It was a bit late today, so I wanted to keep it light, considering dinner. But I really wanted cake.

Oh, a strawberry mousse cake. That looks good. A strawberry rare cheesecake... that's not bad either. The combination of sweet strawberries and the acidity of the cheese is great. Wait, a parfait piled high with strawberries is also hard to pass up... The sheer violence of its visual impact is overwhelming.

"No... today’s concept was getting back to my roots."

The king of kings, the strawberry shortcake, started to look the most delicious. Looking the most delicious means my body is craving it. In times like these, one must not hold back. You should enjoy the things you love, when you love them.

I called the server and ordered the strawberry shortcake and tea set. Looking around again, the customers were almost entirely women. Mireille is a shop aimed at women, and even the interior has a pink theme. But I don't mind; I come here about once a week. If you worry about the female ratio in a shop, you’ll never be able to go on a sweets tour.

The women don't seem to mind me much either. I’m just glad I have a face that looks cute to older women—this is the only time I feel that way.

"Ah, boy. You were here."

"Ah, Onee-san. Hello."

A voice called out from behind me, and I turned around. There stood a beauty with a black ponytail, a large long-sleeved white shirt, and tight jeans. She looked to be in her mid-twenties.

She was tall—nearly 180 centimeters, I’d bet. Not only was she tall, her waist was high and her legs were slender and long. Standard trousers probably wouldn't be long enough for her, right?

"Boy, why are you standing up?"

"Sorry, force of habit."

The person before me was older, and a tall beauty at that. Even if everyone else allowed it, I wouldn't forgive myself for the rudeness of answering while seated.

"It's been a while, hasn't it? Have you been well?"

"Yes. If you’d like, would you care to sit?"

"You sit first," she said with a wry smile, prompting me to sit, and we sat facing each other.

A tall, beautiful Onee-san truly is a fine thing. The wrists peeking out from the sleeves of her white shirt were startlingly thin. The imbalance between her sharp facial features and her delicate body was also very striking.

After running into this Onee-san several times during my sweets tours, we’d started greeting each other. Even during my entrance exam studies, I’d visited sweets shops once a week to relieve stress. Lately, we’d even shared a table occasionally.

Is there a chance I might get an "ah~" soon? She’s so beautiful and mature that I can't help but harbor such fantasies. She’s the Onee-san of my dreams.

She ordered the same strawberry shortcake as me, along with a coffee.

"Ah, I remember now. Boy, you’ve become a high schooler, haven't you? It’s a bit late, but congratulations on passing. Have you gotten used to school?"

"Thank you. It’s still a bit hectic."

Most of the people around me are strangers, there are lots of unknown subjects, and I’ve been suddenly confessed to, after all.

"Well, that’s how a new life is. You should enjoy the chaos."

"Yeah, I’ll do that."

I really do love this Onee-san. I love how she shows the composure of an adult, treating me like a child while maintaining a cool attitude. Being pampered is nice too, but for me, this curtness is what makes me happy.

Two strawberry shortcakes, a tea, and a coffee arrived. For a while, we sat in silence, enjoying the cakes made with seasonal strawberries.

"Yeah, as expected, Mireille’s cakes are a cut above the rest in this area."

"Right? The fruit is fresh and full of sweetness."

Savoring delicious sweets across the table from a tall beauty... could there be any greater happiness in this world?

"By the way, you went to Hiura High, didn't you? I hadn't heard where you were taking your exams."

"Is that so?"

The forecast had predicted a chill today, so I was wearing my school blazer. Come to think of it, this was the first time I’d met her while wearing my high school uniform.

"What a coincidence. My younger sister entered Hiura this year, too."

"Huh, really? I still don't know many people, but I wonder if I know her. Surely she isn't someone like... Naruse-san?"

"............"

"Eh?"

"...You don't know my surname, do you? You've just been calling me 'Onee-san' this whole time, haven't you?"

"E-Eh?"

That was just a joke that slipped out, but...

"Um... Onee-san, could your surname happen to be Naruse?"

"Naruse Sawa. It’s not that I suspected you, but I made sure not to say my name."

"I think that’s a very sensible feeling. There are weirdos out there, after all. But... Ah, I’m Sora Tochika. It's written as 'Sky' but pronounced 'Sora.'"

"That’s a modern name."

"My parents named me that hoping I’d become a person with a heart as big as the vast Sky."

"What lovely parents. So, boy... the Naruse you know is—"

"Chito-cha—I mean, Chito-san."

"What a coincidence. My sister has the same name."

"............"

Wait, is it seriously confirmed? The Onee-san who was my oasis during my gray exam-study days... is she actually the older sister of the tiny girl I met after passing my exams?

"...Ah, come to think of it, I think I heard my sister saying 『Tochika-kun』『Tochika-kun』 on the phone. Are you Tochika-kun?"

"Does Chito-chan talk to her friends on the phone where you can hear her, Onee-san?"

"That girl’s voice carries well. I’ve pointed it out to her several times, but she forgets and just talks loudly. I don't have a hobby of eavesdropping, you know."

"It certainly is a voice that’s easy to hear."

Chito-chan has a bit of a lisp and a sweet way of talking, but her volume is high.

"Wait... for people who just met after starting school, her voice sounded a bit too intimate?"

"To be precise, it wasn't after starting school. We happened to meet before that."

"Ah."

Sawa-san stopped her hand just as she was about to cut into her cake.

"My sister was talking happily about how a boy helped her on a crowded train. No way...?"

"You have quite the intuition, Onee-san. I wouldn't go so far as to say I 'helped' her, though."

"Hmm."

Sawa-san was staring at me intently. It wasn't quite a miracle, but it was certainly surprising.

"And then a reunion at high school. How fateful."

"Chito-chan was saying something similar."

I gave a wry smile and took a sip of my tea.

"Well, thank you for helping my sister. She’s small, as you can see, but she doesn't seem to care about her physical handicap at all."

She uses it as a weapon, not a handicap, I started to say, but I bit my tongue.

"I tell her to be careful in crowded places, though. She’s a handful."

Sawa-san also gave a wry smile and took a sip of her coffee. Man, a beauty looks like a work of art just by sipping coffee.

"I’m just lucky I got to hear your name, Onee-san."

"Despite that, you’re still calling me 'Onee-san.' I’ve gotten too used to calling you 'boy,' so I can't change it now either."

"It seems neither of us can change it."

After we finished our cakes and drinks, we both paid our bills separately and left the cafe. We were just people who occasionally ran into each other at a cafe; there was no reason for her to treat me, regardless of the age gap.

"Since you helped my sister, I could have treated you today, though."

"No, I’m satisfied just having been able to enjoy sweets at the same table as you."

"You shouldn't tease your elders, you know."

Sawa-san poked my forehead with her index finger. I love this "Onee-san" move. As I thought, I am far from being a lolicon.

"Thank you for today, Onee-san. Give my regards to your sister."

"Hmm... wait a moment. Boy, do you have a little more time today?"

"Eh? Yeah, my parents are always home late. Even if I go home, only a lonely dinner by myself is waiting for me."

"Don't try to invite sympathy. Well, that’s perfect then."

"A-Are we going on a date, Onee-san?"

"How did you get that idea?"

She gave me a sharp glare. Even her scary face was captivating.

"I told you not to tease your elders. It’s not that—"