Afternoon Hums

Nae sheepishly approached the living room with her hands behind her back. Although she's meeting one of her favorite celebrities, she still can't beat her fear of first impressions.

"H-hi, Miss Natsume..." she squeaked with an uncontrollable smile. "I'm Yozora Nae. I'm... I'm a big fan of Sunayomi, so... sorry if I seem a bit weird."

Natsume kept her gaze on Nae, eyes wide and mouth ajar. She must've been taken aback by Nae's sudden appearance. I don't even wanna think about the amount of damage control I'll have to do after this.

"...Cute," Natsume mumbled.

"Eh?" Both me and Nae said at the same time.

"Ah! Sorry! I... Um... Are you... related to Yozora?"

"Huh? Yeah. Has he not mentioned me to you before?"

"No, I don't think so."

I subtly shot Nae a look, and she picked up on it immediately.

"W-well, it's nice to meet you!" Nae grinned. "Big Brother doesn't really talk about me, so a lot of his friends are surprised that he even has a little sister."

"Yozora has friends?" Natsume asked.

In an instant, my heart shattered into a thousand pieces. I knew she didn’t mean it that way, but hearing it still sent a jolt through me. Meanwhile, Nae was reveling in it, her smile betraying the laughter she was barely holding back.

"Aha... U-um..." she coughed. "Aren't you his friend, Miss Natsume?"

"Eh? Friends, huh...?" Natsume said before a gentle smile formed. "Yeah. I think me and Yozora are friends."

The way Nae was looking at me made me want to smack her on the head. But, I can't do that when there's a witness. Maybe later.

"Anyway, we're leaving now," I said. "Natsume. Are you ready?"

"Yep!"

"Hm? Where are you two going?" Nae asked.

"I'm walking her home," I replied.

"Eh?! Wait! Can I come too?"

"Absolutely not. You have homework to do."

"I can do it later!"

"No."

"Tch... I hate you," she muttered.

Nae’s exaggerated pout made it hard to take her seriously. She always pulls this face whenever I say no to something she really wants, but I always make it up to her in my own way. With a small smile, I rested my hand on her head.

"What do you wanna eat later?" I asked.

Her eyes immediately widened. "Oh! Um... Uhm... Wait, are you trying to bribe me with food right now?!"

"Maybe. So? What'll it be?"

Even though she was still glaring at me with a slightly perturbed expression, I knew she was thinking hard about my question.

"Chicken katsu curry rice..." she mumbled.

"Alright. I'll pick it up on my way back, but don't forget to do your homework."

"Who do you take me for? I always get it done."

"Just a little incentive for you. Call me if you need anything else."

"Okay~" Nae then turned to Natsume with a huge smile. "It was so nice to meet you, Miss Natsume! My brother can be a ditz sometimes, but that's just the way he is. Go easy on him, if you can."

"Hehe, I will," she smiled back. "And it was a pleasure meeting you as well, Nae."

"Let's go, Natsume," I said.

"Yeah."

While Nae retreated to her room, I opened the front door for Natsume. What was supposed to be a day of relaxation had morphed into yet another outing... as usual. You’d think by now I’d learn to expect it.

Soon enough, we were out of the apartment and onto the bustling streets. It had only been a few minutes, but the fatigue from being in public was already setting in. The city air, thick with noise and movement, seemed to pound against my skull, making my head throb for reasons I couldn’t quite explain.

Suddenly, Natsume let out a soft giggle.

"What's so funny?" I asked.

"I was thinking about you and your little sister just then. You two seem very close."

"We are. Nae is still in high school, so I'm just doing whatever I can for her."

"Is that why you rarely spend money on yourself?"

"It definitely plays a big part."

It seems like Natsume has grown more comfortable. The timid posture and stutters are gone, replaced by a more confident demeanor.

"So! What are we eating?" she asked.

"I'm not sure. What are you in the mood for?"

"Maybe something spicy. Spicy food tastes better when it is eaten in cold weather."

"Spicy, it is. Do you have a spot in mind?"

"Uh... N-not really. I don't get out that often, so I'm pretty much unfamiliar with everything."

I pinched my chin as I thought to myself. I'm kind of familiar with this area because I used to go out a lot with Nae. It's heavily urbanized, so there are many options for food, even in places you wouldn't expect.

"First, what's the general direction to your house?" I asked. "I'll try to think of a spot that's on the way."

"One sec. I can just show you the map."

"What? No, don't show me that. Just tell me if we're going in the right direction."

"How come?"

I couldn’t tell if she was really that clueless or just overly trusting. Either way, it’s a bad habit, especially for an idol like her.

"You can't just show me your address like that, even if I am your assistant," I said. "Who knows what I'll do with that information?"

"Eh? But you’re walking me back anyway."

"I'll only walk you until you think it's safe to go alone. After that, you're on your own, but I want you to text me the moment you get home."

For a moment, her eyes widened as she stared at me. Is it really that surprising? Natsume might trust me, and that’s fine, but she shouldn’t go around trusting just anyone—even me. Considering what happened with the previous assistant, being cautious seems like the safest option. I won't overstep that boundary.

"W-well, in that case, it's a little further down that way, then we take a left and go straight for a while," she said while pointing around.

"Hm... That's actually very convenient. Let's go."

I led her along the side of the road, until we reached a small, traditional-looking shop amidst all the modern surroundings.

"Oh~ This place looks cool," Natsume gasped. "They even have a nice little patio area."

"Yeah. Nae and I would come here pretty often back then. When it comes to spicy food, not a single place does it better. At least, in my opinion."

"I'm curious to see if that holds up."

"Hello!" a young girl greeted us from the doorway. "Table for two?"

"Yes, please," I replied.

"Can we sit outside?" Natsume asked.

"Of course! Please, have a seat wherever you'd like. I'll be right with you."

"Thank you."

We found a table tucked away in the corner, close to the building. It wasn’t as brightly lit as the rest of the area, and the shadows provided a scenic obscurity. It was the perfect spot for Natsume to eat without the risk of being recognized.

I noticed that Natsume was moving around quite a bit.

"What's wrong?" I asked.

"Eh? Oh, nothing. I'm just... Hehe. I'm kind of excited. It's been a while since I've eaten out on my own like this."

"Really?"

"Yeah. No matter where we went, we always had a crew with us, even when we sat down for something as simple as eating out. It was worse when... W-when..."

Suddenly, her face darkened, and her body began trembling.

"Natsume...?" I called out.

"Ah... Sorry, Yozora."

"You don't need to apologize for that. You don't need to tell me if it makes you uncomfortable."

"No, I feel like I should. Um... What I was saying was that it was worse when... A-Assistant Tanaka was still with us."