"I'll try to wrap this up as quickly as I can. Just wait a bit."
When we got to the office, Oze-san went into one of the semi-transparent booths alone.
"We're all set on our end. Let us know if there's anything we can do to help."
...That kind of thing Aochi-san says—it’s probably what makes him annoying.
Oze-san has never once asked for help. You're close in age and get along okay, so you'd get that, right? I'd like to say that. The reason I find Oze-san creepy isn’t just because he’s always by himself. If we’re going there, I’m not much better.
But Oze-san does look creepy. At the very least, I want to believe I don’t look like that. He’s tall and lanky, and thanks to that annoying fringe, you can’t tell where he’s looking—or if he’s even seeing anything at all. I wonder what his face actually looks like. While I was staring at the door he disappeared behind, Aochi-san spoke up.
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“You admire someone like that?”
“Just because I was looking at him? I respect him as a senior. Maybe it’s because we’re similar. I’d like to be like him in five years—if there is a ‘five years from now,’ that is. Want some coffee?”
I asked Aochi-san, who was sitting on the sofa in the common area.
“What do you mean, ‘if there is a five years from now’? Don’t jinx it. I’ll have tea—with sugar and milk. Still, man… that stings. I’ve been trying my hardest to be your ideal senior, and I lose to that moody guy?”
“Sorry. So, tea then.”
It’s usually coffee. Is he trying to act cool in front of the others?
In the kitchenette right next to the shared space, I brewed two cups of tea and set them on the table in front of the sofa. The one I poured hot water into first—so it’s stronger—is for Aochi-san.
“While we wait for Oze, why don’t we go over everything from the past two days? Let’s start with your side of the story.”