Chapter 3 - Who is Silky?
“Minazuki-kun, take this to table number three.”
“Yes, sure.”
— Café **Marine Snow**: A privately-owned café in a bustling area near the station, where I work part-time. Our specialty is coffee and cakes.
“Oh, I’ll take your order.”
“Just a moment, please.”
— Due to its location, the café has a somewhat hidden and cozy atmosphere. New customers who casually drop by are not very common. It’s characterized by having more regulars and repeat customers, as the owner of the café explained.
“Well, Minazuki-kun, now take this to table number two.”
“Yes, alright.”
— So, surprisingly, the café is quite busy. Even though it’s a privately-owned establishment, they manage to hire several part-time staff, including me. And they need to, to keep the business running.
“…By the way, it seems quite busy today.”
“Well, at this stage, the bustling business is more important than harmless stalking.”
— At this point, dealing with the sudden increase in customers is more important than worrying about a harmless stalker.
“Hey, Minazuki-kun, is something wrong?”
“Boss, well, there seem to be more new customers today than usual. I was wondering why.”
“Yeah, I heard that from some customers too. It seems the live performance of **Horoscope** is the cause. I don’t know the name, but apparently, a popular band participated.”
“I see. That pattern, huh?”
— I understood what the boss said. The nearby live house, **Horoscope**, is likely the cause of this rush.
“The live house seems to be the cause of this congestion. They regularly hold live performances or events there. When popular bands participate, the audience who came for the event tend to visit the nearby establishments afterward.”
— It seems that’s what happened today. An inconvenience for sure. It’s probably a bonus time for the café, with increased foot traffic, but for us part-timers, it’s quite a hassle.
“Does that mean this rush will continue until the live performance is over?”
“Who knows. Why don’t you ask while serving them? Here, take this to table number four.”
“…Hmm? Did someone add another order over there?”
“No, it’s a complimentary item. Seems like something wonderful happened.”
“I see. Understood.”
— Well, it seems like the boss is just being his usual indulgent self. If it’s not a mistake with the order, I don’t have much to say.
“Wait, Ran-chan!? Stop bothering him, it’s annoying!… Sorry, waiter. Our friend is being a nuisance.”
“No problem at all. I don’t mind. I’d be happy to pass on the congratulations from the boss. I just think it would be rude to convey it without knowing what we’re celebrating. Could you tell me the reason for the celebration?”
“Ooh, are you going to ask that? Well then, I’ll tell you! We are going to become legends soon!”
“…”
“Really?”
— The girl who looks somewhat punk-like is called Ran. She seemed to be the talkative one among the group. Their excitement is palpable.
“To put it simply, we have a band called **Avant-garde**, and we’ve finally signed with a label—well, a music company. It’s not one of the big ones, so we can’t really say we’re professionals yet.”
— They’re more like semi-professionals, it seems. But still, they’re celebrating, and that’s what matters.
“Well, I may not know much about music, but I think it’s an amazing achievement. Especially signing a contract involving a corporation and money, I’d say that qualifies as being professional.”
— I offer some encouraging words, even though I’m not familiar with the music industry.
“Really? You get it, right? Meg should be prouder! You understand, right, big brother?”
“Hey, don’t just throw it on me! And I’m getting embarrassed, so stop it!”
— The energetic one, Ran, nudges the girl named Meg. They seem close.
“Uh, excuse me! Could you please celebrate with us? We’re not complete strangers, so we’d love to hear your congratulatory words!”
“Well, even though we’re regulars here, I still think it’s a bit awkward to ask the staff for this kind of thing…”
— I get that they’re regulars, but asking for this kind of favor from the staff feels a bit odd.
“Hey, Ran-chan!! Stop that, it’s annoying. …Sorry, waiter. Our friend can be a handful. It’s nothing. But really, Ran has a point. You’re not a complete stranger to us, so why not share a congratulatory message?”
“Uh, really…? Well, in that case, congratulations on your achievement! I may not fully grasp the music world, but signing a contract with a company is definitely a big step.”
— I decide to go along with their excitement and offer my sincere congratulations.
“See, you get it! Big brother here is pretty cool! Anyway, we’re going to make a big leap from here! Our goal is the Budokan! Oh, right, big brother. Why not get a signature from us now? Sayuri, do the honors for me.”
“Why are you picking on me?! And seriously, cut it out, it’s embarrassing!”
— The conversation starts getting chaotic again, with Ran trying to make Meg sign something.
“Well, it seems you have great camaraderie. Anyway, as an outsider, I should probably take my leave. Enjoy your time, and once again, congratulations.”
“Oh, yes! We apologize for any inconvenience, and thank you so much!”
— I manage to excuse myself from the table with a polite farewell.
“Wait… I forgot to ask about Horoscope.”
— Oh well, it’s a bit late to go back and ask now. I’ll just have to let that go. Time to deal with the ongoing peak hours.
… But anyway, who could that stalker be?
