Cloud Prince 「雲の王子」[Cell Phone Novel]

Bittersweet (iii)

I waited patiently outside the bakery

for Kumo to finish his cleaning.

I'm grateful to be given time to cool off,

but...

"Why did I even agree to this..."

I sighed to myself--

swinging the bag of doughnuts back and forth in my hands

and kicking a pebble on the ground out of boredom.

...

At last,

the door beside me flung open,

and from within,

he

e

m

e

r

g

e

d.

...Still in his work uniform?

"..."

Panting,

he ran up to greet me.

"Sorry, am I late?"

"Very."

I frowned and held up six fingers.

"You said 'five minutes.'"

"Ahaha, my bad."

He clapped his hands in front of him,

as if to say 'I'm really, really sorry."

Feigning annoyance,

I crossed my arms.

"I'll forgive you this time...

but if you break your word again,

I'm revoking your privilege to call me by first name."

"What! Isn't that too harsh?"

Displeased by his flippant response,

I flicked him on the forehead.

"Ow!"

"So,

why did you ask me to wait?"

"..."

For some reason,

as soon as those words were out in the air,

Kumo became despondent.

Instead of giving me a clear answer like I had hoped,

he walked past me and slipped something into my hands.

"Don't look at it until you get home."

"Wh-"

"See you."

Giving me a pat on the head,

he stepped back into the bakery--

leaving me standing there, bewildered.

There he goes again...

An entity moving at its own pace--

unswayed by the current of the wind--

--yet--somehow--it manages to sway me 

each time it leaves.