I finally said it……!

My heart was beating impossibly fast.

Instead of just my face, I felt like my entire body was burning with embarrassment. If I could crawl into a hole, I would want to do it right now.

The Owner had a surprised face. Of course, he was suddenly confessed to.

I couldn’t bear his sharp look and lowered my head.

As the silence continued, I suddenly felt a surge of regret. The longer it went, the more I began to think about it.

In the first place, if I think about it, it would be hard to have a good relationship with such a straight-laced person like the Owner. What Komada-san said probably doesn’t apply to all men. It’s too late to realise that now though.

But this time, it wasn’t a penalty game! It wasn’t something I said lightly.

Besides, I thought it was necessary to set my feelings straight. I didn’t want to be swayed by unstable emotions in the future.

 

I wanted to make a clean sweep here and start with new feelings.

I was embarrassed to tell him that I liked him, but I also wanted to continue working.

I loved the delicious confectionery of Nagasaki, the lovely western-style buildings, the fun and entertaining customers, the Evening Rain cafe and the stern but kind Owner.

Maybe I was a nuisance to the Owner, I had to ask him later.

 

Renewing my resolve I raised my head.

My eyes met with the Owner, who had a confused expression.

Complex emotions started pouring in.

Unrequited love is bittersweet.

It was cheerful feelings followed by sadness over and over again.

I wondered if the Owner held such feelings for ‘Yohko-san’ all this time.

From the beginning, this love was impossible to accomplish. When I thought about it like that, it made it a little easier.

 

–I’m prepared. Please turn me down quickly.

 

I looked at the Owner while thinking such things in my mind.

 

「You–」

「Yes.」

「Why are you telling me this now?」

「I-I’m sorry.」

 

Certainly, it wasn’t the sort of place or time to confess.

However, listening to his following words, I realised that I had misunderstood his meaning.

 

「I was waiting until you turned 20……」

「Yes?」

「There’s something called public appearance.」

「Um, what’s that?」

「A 30 year old man going out with a teenage woman. What would the people around us think?」

 

Huh? What’s with the way the conversation is going?

My confession-driven mind couldn’t catch up with the conversation.

The Owner kept talking.

 

「I’ve known you’ve liked me all along.」

「Ah, I-I didn’t hide it very well?」

 

Had me shouting in my heart ‘Owner, I like you!’ been heard by him? What is this.

I put my hands to my cheeks to try to cool my face down, but my fingers were also burning so it didn’t help at all.

After that, the Owner revealed a surprising fact.

 

「……I thought I was showing I liked you as well.」

「Eh!?」

「I wouldn’t invite anyone else to meals, for outings or to contact me.」

「Ah, yes, that’s true.」

 

The Owner started a general conversation about confessing and dating in Japan.

Even if we didn’t say it out loud, it seems that we were dating.

 

「However, I thought it was important to clarify our relationship in clear words.」

「So you were waiting for me to turn 20.」

 

The Owner gave a quick nod.

By the way, the Owner said that he was 28.

I thought it wasn’t unusual for couples with a working adult and a university student, but the Owner had very subtle feelings regarding me still being a minor and was going to wait until I turned 20 to propose a relationship.

 

「Sorry I didn’t notice.」

「Not at all. Instead of saying it, I thought was doing things that I would only do with a girlfriend.」

「I’m really sorry.」

 

For once, I was regretful of my dullness. Why hadn’t I noticed.

 

「I had always thought the Owner liked Nanase-san……」

「Why would you think that.」

「Because in the email address you showed me before, it had Yohko in it.」

「That’s–it’s different. It was the address I had before I met Nanase-san. In the first place, do you think I would use the name of someone I liked in an email address?」

「……No, I can’t see you doing that.」

 

To be honest, I didn’t think the Owner would do something like a highschool girl would when she got a boyfriend for the first time. Why didn’t I realise that, I held my head.

The Owner said he would tell me about the meaning of the address next time.

 

It was quiet inside the car.

When I apologised again, he gave a sigh.

 

「Now, do you understand?」

「Yes. But somehow, I’m surprised. I didn’t think we both had feelings.」

「It’s a wondrous thing.」

 

Indeed, it was nothing short of a miracle that both of us had feelings for the other.

However, when I thought about what he liked about me, I was puzzled.

 

「–At first, you seemed to be in trouble, so I called out to offer help. But, then I realised, you were the one helping me.」

「That, why is that……?」

 

The Owner began to tell me quietly.

It started with the beginnings of the Evening Rain cafe.

 

「I always hated the rain at night.」

 

When things got bad, it always rained at night.

Days when he had to part with people he cared for, days when work didn’t go well or days when he got hurt, rainy nights always made the Owner recall bad memories.

 

「It was hard to work on rainy nights, I couldn’t sleep, I couldn’t do anything.」

 

When he talked to a friend about it, they suggested that he should do something special on rainy nights. Like that, he would be able to spend the time on something more meaningful than being depressed by himself.

 

「Because of that, I thought of opening a cafe only on rainy nights–.」

 

The Owner’s actions were quick, not to stay stagnant but to change.

Since he already had a ‘chef’s license’ he obtained the other necessary qualifications such as ‘food hygiene manager’ and ‘fire prevention manager’ and bought a western-style house that was owned by an acquaintance. The western-style building was then completely renovated, so much so that it was almost rebuilt.

 

「Preparing to open the shop was a lot of fun. After deciding on a cafe that offered traditional Nagasaki dishes, I researched various historical information.」

 

The Evening Rain cafe was opened after a year and eight months of preparation. But of course, no guests came.

 

「Even if no customers came, because the shop had my full attention, the depressing feeling of rainy nights lessened. I thought that my drastic actions weren’t wrong–and one day, my first customer came.」

「Could it have been me?」

 

The Owner nodded.

I understood why the price of the menu hadn’t been decided, it was because I had been the first customer.

 

「Why hadn’t you decided on prices?」

「I wasn’t thinking about profits. Eventually, I put it at the back of my mind and completely forgot about it.」

「I see.」

 

But that allowed me to get hired. I must have been lucky.

 

「I had never reached out to others. But I wanted to change that, and because of that I did something I usually wouldn’t.」

 

He said he would tell me the reason later.

 

「That said, when I came to like you, it certainly wasn’t at our first meeting.」

「I guess……!」

 

I was very aware that my appearance wasn’t one that would make a man fall in love at first sight.

 

「But, if you asked me when it was, I wouldn’t know.」

「I think that is how it is.」

 

I realised it when he rescued me from the man who was stalking me, but I couldn’t remember when I started to like him.

 

The Owner looked at me with a faint smile. My heart pounded at the gentle smile I had never seen before.

 

「–I think was strongly attracted by your bright and innocent appearance when you ate the delicious confectionery I prepared, that and all the little things.」

「U-Um, yes. I’m very honoured.」

 

The Owner smiled at my stiff response and reached out, gently touching my cheek.

 

「Before I knew it, the rainy nights were no longer depressing, because you had come.」

 

I felt my face get hotter than before with his touch on my cheek.

And then the Owner said.

 

「I’ve always liked you. Would you go out with me?」

 

For a moment, large tears fell from my eyes.

I couldn’t believe it, it was like a dream. When I blinked, my tears flowed down my cheeks.

 

After I calmed down, I said ’I’m a foolish person, but please take care of me’ and gave a bow.

 

–That was how we ended up dating.

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