Chapter 51
As the two sisters enjoyed their parfaits near the café’s sunlit window, Kokoro maintained his silent vigil. With his disguise still intact—the infamously fake beard and mustache combo—he sat at his table pretending to scroll through his phone, casting discreet glances at Naomi and Sakura. Their conversation looked casual enough. Naomi was now fully smiling, even letting out a few laughs. Good, no red flags. Mission: Sister Date Surveillance was running smoothly.
Kokoro, however, had finished his parfait some time ago. The cold sweetness no longer masked the creeping boredom setting into his bones. His back ached slightly from sitting stiffly for too long, and he was beginning to wonder if the employees would come over and gently hint that it was time to give up the table. The shop had gotten noticeably busier over the past ten minutes. A small line was forming near the counter, and customers were scanning the café for open seating.
Just as Kokoro began to prepare a mental excuse—"I was just about to order another parfait"—he felt a small tug on his brown coat sleeve.
He blinked.
What? he thought, slowly turning his head to the side. Is it one of the employees?
But instead of a uniformed adult, Kokoro was greeted by a small boy, no older than nine. The boy had a mop of jet-black hair, sharp blue eyes that gleamed with curiosity, and wore a white T-shirt printed with some colorful cartoon mascot, denim shorts, and a clean pair of Nike sneakers. He stood beside Kokoro’s table, peering up at him with wide-eyed wonder.
"...Uh," Kokoro began, sitting up straighter. "Can I help you?"
The boy didn’t hesitate. "Mister, are you a secret agent?"
Kokoro blinked twice.
"I mean," the boy continued, leaning in and pointing a tiny finger toward Kokoro’s chin, "you’ve got a beard and a mustache, but they look fake. Are you undercover? Like in one of those spy shows? Are you tracking a criminal in this store or something?"
He said all of this in one breath, eyes practically sparkling with excitement.
Kokoro stared at him in stunned silence. What... he thought. This kid really thinks I’m some kind of spy?