Juis Idol Story 1

(Now then, where should I sit today?)

(…Oh, that spot looks good. It’s hidden away, so I could probably relax there~♪)

(Hm…?)

(There was someone sitting next to me? I didn’t notice them because they were out of sight.)

(What? No way, are they actually going to pair that sandwich with the tea here?)

(The sandwhich will kill the distinct taste of that tea, won’t it? Are they the type of person that’ll drink anything as long as it helps them wash their food down?)

⁠—Hey.

If you’re going to order that sandwich, then you should pair it with the Ceylon ¹ tea instead.

The Ceylon tea here is made from leaves grown in Dimbula ² . It’s the perfect thing to pair with a sandwich.

Sorry for saying something so suddenly. It caught my attention, so I couldn’t help but say something.

Haha. There’s no need to thank me for something like that.

Hm…?

……

Ah, oh. Sorry for staring at you so rudely.

There was just something about your face that caught my attention…

Huh? Why did you suddenly get so cold?

Oh. I wasn’t making fun of your face or anything, so don’t get mad at me.

That’s not really what I meant when I said your face cought my attention. It’s more like… it seemed familiar somehow…

Have we met before? What’s your name, miss?

Anzu…?

Oh, right. You’re that “Producer”. I heard you’re really good?

No need to be so humble. All the idols at ES keep bringing up your name. So, that means they really trust you, no?

You’re like how Nice is for my unit, MELLOW DEAR US.

It’s a little late for introductions, but I’m Kojika Juis. MELLOW DEAR US and I will be in your care, great Producer…~♪

Oh. It looks like your order is here, Anzu.

Are you having lunch now? It seems pretty late for that, though…

Hmm? Well, when you’re in this line of work, I guess having your mealtimes shifted becomes part of the routine.

Hey. Since we’re here, why don’t we eat together? Could I sit at your table?

Hm? You’re asking why…?

Hmm, let’s see… because it could be fun?

I’d be perfectly fine taking my time drinking tea alone and enjoying the flavour. That’s what I’d normally do, actually.

But, for some reason today I just thought it’d be fun to have tea with you, Anzu.

Hm? You think I’m being oddly friendly? Really?

Maybe being surrounded by people with a messed-up sense of boundaries has rubbed off on me. I’d really hate it if that’s the case.

Don’t look so cautious. I don’t have any hidden motives.

I really just thought that it would be fun to have some tea and chat with you, Anzu.

Besides, we’ll be relying on everyone here in Japan from now on. Our meeting here has to be some kind of fate, so why not take the chance to get to know each other better?

Haha. Thanks. Since you don’t mind, I’ll join you.

Good. It looks like this’ll make for a fun tea break~♪

Oh, yeah. I like both tea and coffee. I guess having a good cup of tea while reading is how I like to relax.

Hm…? What are you doing?

For me? What’s this? A paper flower?

Oh, so that’s what had your hands busy this whole time. You’re pretty crafty. Did you make it out of the straw wrapper?

……

…Huh? Oh, sorry. I spaced out. I was just thinking this felt kind of nostalgic.

I got something like this when I was a kid, too. When I was in elementary school, this kind of thing happened to be really popular.

So I was remembering a girl I was close with back then. She gave me a flower like this.

You had these too, Anzu? Well, that’d make sense. It was a trend all kids from all over would get into, after all.

“Are you still close with that girl”…?

No. Or, it’s more like I don’t really know what happened to her.

I was actually a foster child.

Well, that’s not what’s important. Just when I’d finally gotten close with her, the idea of getting adopted by the Kojika family came up.

So I ended up moving away, and in the end that girl and I lost touch.

That’s why I never thought that I’d get a memento like this here of all places.

Haha. My instincts weren’t wrong. Having tea with you really was fun.

I’d like to have tea with you like this again sometime, Anzu. Let me invite you next time…~♪