Chance Encounters in Vivaldi
Just as Kain had expected, the inside of the cafe 'IDA' was bustling with people. "Phew, I got lucky." Layla Ruby wiped the sweat from her brow with a handkerchief she'd pulled from her pocket as she took the last available seat inside. Unlike her, Arina immediately reached for the iced lemonade floating with ice cubes the moment she set the food on the table. Click.
Arina pulled out her smartphone the instant the food was on the table. She smiled as she snapped a photo of the art latte with a cute Lara Raccoon face drawn on it alongside the character bread engraved with Lara Raccoon playing a trumpet, then tucked the phone back into her pocket and slid the cafe latte with the Lara Raccoon design toward Kain.
"……."
Though he'd suddenly been made to drink a hot cafe latte on this sweltering summer day, Kain had no complaints about the situation. He'd ordered it himself, knowing Arina wanted to see this latte, despite her protests. Arina never drank coffee, and she couldn't bear to watch him order a hot coffee he wouldn't even drink on a day like this. It was the kind of consideration and self-sacrifice Kain showed maybe once in a lifetime.
"Hmm." Layla watched them quietly. When he'd casually thrown away someone else's doenjang soup last time, she'd thought he was some kind of jerk, but now he seemed to take pretty good care of his niece.
"By the way, unni." Arina took a sip of the same lemonade as Layla, feeling both gratitude and guilt toward Kain. Then she suddenly looked up at Layla as if a question had occurred to her.
"Hm? What is it?"
"Is it really okay for you to be out in such a crowded place?"
The question carried a hint of worry, but also a trace of wonder. After all, even though the cafe was noisy, no one was approaching her or even glancing in her direction. It was a rather shabby sight for the continent's top star.
"Ah, that?" Layla proudly adjusted the sunglasses she was wearing. "This is a magic tool. It has a perception-hindering spell on it. It makes it so no one recognizes me as Layla Ruby unless I allow it."
She grinned, saying it wasn't that expensive and the performance wasn't great, but it was sufficient for use in crowded places where attention on any one person was low. Kain glanced at her and thought that unless someone was at an expert level—or at the very least, had Arina's exceptional sensory abilities even among beginners—they wouldn't notice her presence. As the saying went, to hide a tree, hide it in the forest. Just as she'd said, there wouldn't be anyone among this many people who would observe her closely enough to break through the magic tool's tangled perception field.
"Still, just in case, I wore a hat too, so there's no problem at all." She was thorough in her precautions, as expected of a celebrity. Then what could possibly be the reason she'd come all the way to Vivaldi despite such meticulous measures?
"I'm filming a variety show." Perhaps she'd noticed Arina's curiosity. True to someone living in the cutthroat entertainment industry, she quickly answered the question first. "It's a special program where professional singers do surprise busking performances on the streets."
When she said she'd joined because it sounded fun, Arina tilted her head for a moment. "Is it okay to tell us something like that?"
"What does it matter? It's not like you're going to spread rumors anyway." How could she trust them so much after meeting only a few times? Or had she perhaps been in frequent contact with the kid without Kain knowing? Unlike the slightly moved Arina, Kain remained indifferent to Layla's words throughout.
"Oh, then are you being filmed by cameras right now?"
"No, this is personal free time." A strange look of disappointment settled on Arina's face at Layla's reply. Had she wanted to appear on TV that badly?
"I heard last time that you were going to Vivaldi with your uncle, so I thought maybe I'd run into you if I got lucky, but I never expected to bump into you like this." Unlike before, Layla took another sip of her lemonade through the straw, seemingly unaware of Arina's expression this time. Her cup was already nearly empty despite having only just sat down. She must have been quite thirsty.
"Are you planning to walk around Melody Street from now on? If it's okay, want to come along?" The variety show filming started tomorrow. The actual busking performance was even later. Today was purely free time for herself. She'd originally planned to scout Ariaadna Square in advance, where the busking performance was scheduled, but wandering around with Arina didn't sound so bad either. Of course, assuming the other side was fine with it.
"……." At Layla's words, Arina glanced toward Kain. Kain, who had at some point finished the cafe latte with the Lara Raccoon character and was now resting his chin on the table while tapping on his smartphone, met her gaze as he felt her eyes on him.
"Why are you looking at me? Don't worry about me and just do what you want." If she wanted to go together, then go. If not, then refuse. Maybe she was looking at him because she felt bad about refusing? Did she want him to refuse in her place? As he thought this and looked at Arina, she shook her head vigorously, as if she'd read his mind. She'd nearly witnessed her uncle spewing curses at a top star right in the middle of a crowded cafe.
"Yes, let's go together." Since she'd gotten her uncle's permission too, Arina answered with a bright smile at Layla's words. The same bright smile appeared on Layla Ruby's face.
"Just how long are you planning to follow me~?" Clara's characteristically languid tone dragged out at the end. But what it contained was irritation toward the gloomy man trailing behind her like a shadow.
"Huh, was my following you a burden after all?" Had he really not known? She'd been dropping hints so obviously. Or had he wanted her to say it outright?
"Yes~" If that was what he wanted, then so be it. Clara nodded with a bright smile, openly expressing her discomfort. Karlsen nodded in understanding at her words, just as she had.
"I see. I had no idea at all. I just thought since meeting like this was a coincidence, it would be nice to walk together."
"Is there really any need for that~? We could just part ways here and meet again at Professor Vivaldi's recital~"
Just leave already while she's still being nice. It was a direct rejection unlike Professor Clara's usual kindness toward everyone, but Karlsen's self-centeredness was strong enough not to be pushed away even by that.
"More than that, I knew Professor Clara was interested in luxury goods, but I didn't realize you liked them enough to head straight to a clothing store the moment you arrived here."
A sudden change of topic. Right, she didn't want him to come along. Clara couldn't help but let out a hollow laugh at his absurd behavior of trying to shut her up with a question.
"Professor Karlsen went there too~"
"I went to pick out clothes to wear to Professor Vivaldi's recital. It's the first time I've been invited by a friend, so I couldn't go in my usual attire."
So he'd been planning to attend the recital in that flashy, bizarre outfit? She'd caught a glimpse earlier and it seemed to have a glow-in-the-dark function too—how much did he want to stand out in the dark audience seats…… Clara praised her past self for having pointed out that fashion.
"Still, thanks to Professor Clara, I've gained confidence. You told me that the clothes I usually wear suit me best."
Had she said something like that? She had a memory of saying something similar, but the meaning had been completely distorted. 'Still, that would be better.' Was it the lesser of two evils? Those old clothes that wouldn't stand out in the dark were far better than the completely inappropriate outfit from earlier.
"Even though we're both new professors, you're really something, Professor Clara."
Even as Clara momentarily lost herself in thought, Karlsen continued speaking. "I've never heard the surname Propol before. Is your family wealthy by any chance?"
"It's not that~ I just made some money from stocks~"
"That's impressive. I've lost my entire fortune in stocks before, but I've never made any."
Why wouldn't this leech of a guy leave her alone? And why did he keep prying like this? 'Don't tell me this guy likes me?' She felt goosebumps rise on her arms at the disgusting thought. The possibility seemed more plausible than she'd expected, which made it even more repulsive. Even without Jealousy's narcissistic way of thinking, Karlsen's current appearance made it a sufficiently credible hypothesis.
'If he confesses, I'm really going to kill him, this bastard.' Karlsen, oblivious to Clara's thoughts, nodded to himself as he continued speaking, then opened his mouth with the brightest smile he could manage. "So Professor Clara is that infamous gold digger I've only heard about on the internet."
"……."
Ah, thank goodness. So he didn't like her after all. There was no man in this world who would say "You're a gold digger, right?" to the woman he liked. Even Jealousy himself, who had little interest in women, or his master would be the same. The relief that this guy hadn't liked her was far greater than the anger at being called a gold digger.
"More importantly, where are we going right now?"
Now he was asking so casually. 'Fine, I'll just give up.' Clara ignored Karlsen without answering and turned her head again to keep walking. At the same time, she regretted it. She should have disguised herself as someone else instead of wandering around as Professor Clara.
"If we keep going like this, we'll reach Ariaadna Square……" The place they were currently passing through was the entrance to Melody Street. If they walked a little further, Ariaadna Square, Vivaldi Territory's famous landmark, would come into view.
"Ah, are you perhaps planning to go to Crochandiol in Ariaadna Square?"
"You know this city's geography surprisingly well~?"
"I studied up in advance. Before the trip. I heard there's a famous cafe at the entrance to Melody Street. How about it? I'll buy, of course."
"I'll pass~"
At Clara's words, Karlsen's gloomy face grew even more dejected. The repeated rejections must have hurt him in their own way. She hoped so.
"You're quite prickly. You were so kind at the academy."
"I want to rest alone when I'm outside of work too~"
Professor Clara's walking speed gradually quickened. Karlsen followed without a clue. "Argh! Please just give up already, Professor Clara! Walking around a travel destination with a friend has been my long-time dream!"
"Professor, please~ just leave me alone~!" So now he was showing his true colors! Clara firmly rejected Karlsen's confession that had finally spilled out. The two of them weaved through the crowd, now walking so fast it was almost like running.
"What are they doing over there? That guy." Kain frowned as he watched Jealousy's figure being chased by some gloomy, scrawny man while following behind Layla and Arina after leaving cafe IDA. He'd heard they were coming here, but why were they playing tag over there? 'Well, it doesn't matter, does it?' But soon he tossed the question aside as if uninterested and turned his back in the opposite direction from where they'd run off. 'I just want to get back to the hotel and rest quickly.' With that, Kain followed after the two with sluggish, powerless steps.