Hina leads a quiet, solitary life—gaming marathons, school, and the familiar four walls of Nitta Yoshifumi's apartment. She doesn't care about much. She definitely doesn't care that Nitta won't stop talking about Anzu, the former assassin-turned-waitress who smiles too brightly and makes gyoza that are apparently "on another level."
...Except she does. And she has absolutely no idea why.
When the culture festival approaches and her class decides to recruit Anzu for their café, Hina's carefully
Hina and Anzu's Great Misunderstanding Operation - The Bar Regular and Her First Jealousy
The evening air was slowly turning cold. Hina lay sprawled on the living room floor of the apartment, staring up at the ceiling. She had her baggy hoodie pulled over her head again today. Her black hair fanned out across the hardwood, bangs falling over her eyes. The TV was off. The controller lay where she'd dropped it on the floor.
(It's quiet.)
Nitta still wasn't home. The clock ticked—tick, tick—each sound absurdly loud.
When was the last time Anzu had come over?
(...It's not like she has to come.)
She thought that, and yet her eyes kept drifting to the window. Toward the shopping arcade. Toward the direction of Rairaiken. Hina rolled over and turned her back to the window.
Just then, the front door opened.
"I'm home."
Nitta's voice. Hina didn't answer. She closed her eyes. Not pretending to sleep—just, reacting felt like too much effort.
"Hey, Hina. You asleep? I brought food. Gyoza from Rairaiken today."
Hina's eyelid twitched. Rairaiken. Just the word sent a stir through her chest.
"...I'll eat."
Hina slowly sat up. Nitta was setting a white plastic bag on the table. Inside, she could see gyoza in a clear container. The steam had already died. Looked like they'd been sitting a while.
"Anzu-chan was full of energy today, too. 'Nitta-san, thank you as always!'—with that smile. Man, it gets me every time."
Nitta loosened his tie as he started talking, looking pleased. Hina silently opened the container lid and picked up one gyoza with her chopsticks.
"That girl is really something. Every time I go, she throws in extra gyoza for free. Today she gave me a bunch extra. Said it was special."
"...Huh."
Hina put the gyoza in her mouth. The wrapper had gone a little soft, but the filling was still warm. The juices burst across her tongue.
It was good.
The moment she thought that, something twinged deep in her chest. It was good, and it hurt. What a strange feeling.
"Hey, Hina. You getting along with Anzu-chan?"
Nitta asked it out of nowhere. Hina's chopsticks stopped.
"...Not really."
'Not really,' she says. Come on—a girl that nice is right there, why not get closer to her?"
"...Why should I."
"Why—because more friends is better, isn't it? And Anzu-chan seems like she wants to be close to you, too."
Hina went quiet. What Nitta was saying was right. It was right, but somehow she hated it.
(Anzu wants to be close to me?)
Was that true? And if so, why?
"...Nitta. Do you like Anzu?"
It came out before she realized. Her own voice startled her with how low it was.
"Ha!? W-what are you saying! I mean, Anzu-chan's cute, and her ramen's delicious, and her gyoza's the best—no, wait. That's not what I meant."
Nitta waved his hands in a panic. The sight was somehow funny, and Hina let the corner of her mouth soften, just a little.
"...Doesn't matter either way."
You... Anyway. I'm stopping by the bar after this, so I'll be late."
"...The bar."
"Yeah, a place called Little Song. It's my regular spot. There's a beautiful bartender there named Utako-san."
Nitta's voice picked up again. Hina put another gyoza in her mouth.
"...Huh."
"You want to come? She'll at least give you a juice."
"...Not going."
Hina answered immediately. She had no interest in some grown-up bar.
"Right. Well, I won't force you."
Nitta said that and took off his suit jacket. Hina kept quietly eating the rest of the gyoza.
──
The bar Little Song was tucked down a narrow alley just off the shopping arcade. The sign's lettering was small, and subdued lighting lit the entrance. Nitta opened the door with the ease of long habit.
A chime rang out.
"Welcome. Oh, Nitta. Alone again today?"
From behind the counter, a woman with black hair pinned up called out to him. The beauty mark at the outer corner of her left eye glinted alluringly in the dim light. The owner and bartender of Little Song—Sakura Utako. Her long, narrow black eyes fixed on Nitta's face.
"Yeah, Utako-san. Beautiful as always."
"Yeah, yeah, spare me the flattery. What'll you have?"
Utako waved a hand and began wiping a glass with practiced motions. Nitta took the seat at the far end of the counter.
"The usual."
"Coming up. ...So, what happened today? You've got 'I want to talk about something' written all over your face."
Utako said it as she reached for a bottle of whiskey. Nitta gave a wry smile.
"Is it that obvious?"
"Completely. You're terrible at hiding things. Come on, out with it."
Utako dropped ice into a glass and poured the whiskey. The amber liquid ran down between the cubes.
"The thing is, lately Hina's been in a bad mood at home. Whenever I bring up Anzu-chan, she gets openly sulky."
"Oh? Jealousy?"
Utako laughed, amused. Nitta shook his head.
"Jealous of who over whom? Hina's still a kid."
"Precisely because she's a kid, she gets jealous. You go on and on about some other girl, of course she's not happy about it."
"No, but Hina doesn't dislike Anzu-chan. She even said Anzu-chan's gyoza was 'good' before."
"Oh? Hina-chan said that? Surprising. I'd heard that girl never shows any expression and you can't tell what she's thinking."
"That's exactly it. Normally she's completely blank—I've got no idea what's going on in her head. But when she ate Anzu-chan's gyoza, her face softened, just a little."
Nitta said it with a faraway look. Utako set the glass on the counter.
"You realize you're talking about a girl, right?"
"Huh?"
"When you talk about Anzu-chan, you get this incredibly happy look on your face. You don't even notice?"
Utako said it teasingly. Nitta's face went red in an instant.
"W-what are you saying! I was just talking about how good Anzu-chan's ramen is—"
"You don't make that gooey face when you're talking about ramen. You like Anzu-chan, don't you."
"Th-that's... I mean, like—I do think she's cute, but... no, wait. I'm here for you, Utako-san—"
"Yeah, yeah, I'm fine. I've got no interest in your love life. But it's funny, isn't it? You go all soft over Anzu-chan, and Hina-chan gets jealous over it. It's practically a love triangle."
Utako laughed and took a sip of whiskey. Nitta clutched his head.
"A love triangle... Hina's a child."
"Even children get jealous. Especially when the person who used to make them feel like number one goes head over heels for someone else."
"I do think of Hina as my number one, though."
"That's not getting through to her. You don't say it out loud. You think you're showing it through your actions, but from Hina-chan's side, it probably looks like you only care about Anzu-chan."
Nitta fell silent at Utako's words. She might be right. He'd done nothing but talk about Anzu to Hina. He'd never once considered Hina's feelings.
"...If Hina-chan heard this, she'd have quite the reaction."
Utako said it mischievously. Nitta broke into a cold sweat.
"Please don't. That girl—there's no telling what she'd do."
"Oh? Does she use psychic powers or something?"
"Ha!? W-why would you—"
Nitta's face went pale this time. Utako giggled.
"Just kidding. But that Hina-chan of yours does have a certain something about her. Bring her by sometime. I'll have a talk with her."
"...I'll think about it."
Nitta slumped face-down on the counter. Utako watched him and dropped fresh ice into a glass.
──
A few days later, Friday. After school, in the evening, Nitta said to Hina:
"Come to the bar today. Utako-san says she wants to meet you."
"...Not going."
Hina answered without even turning around, game controller still in hand.
"You're going. Get out of the house for once. Sitting around playing games all day is bad for you."
"...It's not bad for me."
"Just come. Utako-san seems to have taken a liking to you. She said she'd put out juice and snacks."
Hina's fingers stopped for a moment. Snacks. The word stirred something in her, just slightly.
"...There are snacks?"
"Yeah, apparently. So you're going."
Hina thought about it for a while, then slowly set down the controller.
"...I'll go."
"Good, settled. Go on, get changed. How many days have you been wearing that hoodie?"
Hina stood without a word and headed for her room.
──
When she opened the door to Little Song, a sweet scent drifted out. The smell of alcohol mixed with something floral. Hina felt a flicker of nervousness at entering this grown-up place for the first time.
"Welcome. Oh, you actually brought her."
Utako's face appeared from behind the counter. A grown woman with black hair pinned up. The beauty mark at the corner of her left eye looked bewitching under the soft lighting. Hina stared at Utako's face.
"Nice to meet you, Hina-chan. I'm Sakura Utako. I run this place. Pleased to meet you."
"...Hina."
Hina gave just her name. Utako smiled faintly.
"Oh, adorable. Just like Nitta said—no expression, impossible to read. But your eyes are lovely. You've got clever eyes."
Utako peered into Hina's eyes. Hina, uncomfortable, looked away slightly.
"Come on, Hina. Sit here."
Nitta pointed to a seat at the counter. Hina obediently sat. The counter stool was tall, and her feet didn't reach the floor.
"Hina-chan, what'll you have? For juice we've got orange, apple, and cola. I'll put out some snacks too."
"...Orange."
"Orange juice it is. And for snacks, here—chocolate and cookies. Which do you want?"
"...Both."
When Hina answered immediately, Utako burst out laughing.
"Ahaha! I like that shamelessness. Fine, I'll give you both."
Utako pulled orange juice from the fridge and poured it into a glass. Then she arranged chocolate and cookies on a small plate and set it in front of Hina.
Hina picked up a cookie first. She bit into it with a crunch. The scent of butter spread through her mouth.
"It's good."
When Hina murmured that, Utako smiled happily.
"I'm glad. I baked those myself. They're popular with the regulars, too."
"...You can cook too, Utako-san?"
Nitta said, sounding surprised. Utako shrugged.
"Anyone can do this much. Don't underestimate a bar mama."
Hina put a chocolate in her mouth. Sweet. Then another cookie. A sip of orange juice.
(It's good.)
Hina kept quietly eating the snacks. Nitta watched her out of the corner of his eye and drank his whiskey.
"Hey, Hina-chan. Is school fun?"
Utako spoke to her across the counter. Hina answered while nibbling a cookie.
"...Not really."
'Not really'—so it's not fun? You have friends, don't you?"
"...I do."
"I see. What are they like?"
"...Normal."
Hina's answers were short as ever. But Utako didn't seem to mind—she was smiling.
"Fufu, you don't say much, do you, Hina-chan. But I don't dislike that. I like girls like you."
Utako lightly patted Hina's head. Hina let her. It didn't feel bad. If anything, it was a little ticklish.
"Hey, Hina-chan. Are you getting along with Anzu-chan?"
The sudden question made Hina's hand stop. She froze with a cookie halfway to her mouth.
"...Not really."
'Not really' again. But you eat Anzu-chan's gyoza, don't you? Nitta told me. You said it was 'good.'"
Hina glanced at Nitta. He was drinking his whiskey, looking awkward.
"...I said it."
"You're not very honest, are you. If you think it's good, you should just say it's good."
"...I did say it."
"Only once, right? Anzu-chan probably wants to hear it more, I bet."
Hina fell silent at Utako's words. Anzu wants to hear it more. Was that true?
(Anzu wants to hear what I say?)
As she thought that, something stirred in her chest again.
"You two—I never get tired of watching you."
Utako said it with feeling. Hina tilted her head, not understanding.
"...What do you mean?"
"The relationship between you and Anzu-chan. You two are fascinating. You care so much about each other, and yet you can't be honest."
"...I don't care."
When Hina answered immediately, Utako laughed again.
"Yeah, yeah, you don't care. Fufu, you still don't get it, do you. Your own feelings."
Utako tilted her glass and took a sip of whiskey. Hina
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