| Izumi | It’s rare of you to ask me out, Chikage-san.... |
| Chikage | I thought I should work on getting to know you a little better, Director-san. |
| Izumi | (And he’s not as standoffish as usual. What’s with sudden turn of events?) |
| Chikage | Don’t be so suspicious. It’s a spice shop, so I thought you might be interested too, Director-san. |
| Izumi | Eh? A spice shop? |
| Chikage | Yup. Curry-lover Director-san is the only person around here who would enjoy that sort of thing. |
| Izumi | Well, I guess that’s true, but.... |
| (He hates women—is he really okay going out with just the two of us?) |
| |
| Izumi | They had such an amazing selection! I wanted so many spices that I ended up buying too much. |
| Chikage | I’m glad. |
| Izumi | Did you not want to buy anything, Chikage-san? |
| Chikage | Yeah. I own most of the spices they had. Can we go to the general store next? |
| Izumi | Ah, yes. |
| Muku | ...Huh? |
| Isn’t that Director-san and Chikage-san? |
| Yuki | That’s a surprising combination. |
| Muku | D-do you think they’re on a date!? |
| Yuki | No way. I don’t think the Curry Alien’s taste is that bad. |
| |
| Chikage | Let’s head to the next store. |
| Izumi | Are you done already? |
| Chikage | I’ve checked out enough. |
| Izumi | (He says that, but he looked like he was just briefly passing through the store...) |
| Citron | I found Director! |
| Itaru | Eh? Where? |
| Oh, you’re right. That’s a pretty rare combination. |
| Citron | Something smells fishy. I’ll report to Masumi! |
| Itaru | .... |
| |
| Chikage | Guess that’s enough of this place. |
| Izumi | Okay.... |
| (Is he actually interested in this place....) |
| Chikage | I want to check out clothes next. |
| Izumi | Eh? You want to go to somewhere else? |
| Chikage | Sorry. |
| Izumi | No, it’s fine.... |
| (I feel like he’s just trying to drag me all over the place... Is this some new kind of harassment?) |
| Sakoda | Aniki! It’s Director-neesan! |
| Sakyo | Hm? |
| Sakoda | Should I go teach that guy a lesson? |
| Sakyo | You idiot. He’s the new member of Spring Troupe. |
| Sakoda | Oh!? Is that what he is!? I thought he was nee-san’s guy. |
| Sakyo | .... |
| |
| Chikage | Let’s go. |
| Izumi | .... |
| Chikage | I want to look at utensils next. |
| Izumi | ...All right. |
| (I’ll hang out with him till he’s done for the day....) |
| Kazunari | Huh? Director-chan and Chika-chon? |
| He~y—. |
| Chikage | Watch out, a car’s coming. |
| Izumi | !? |
| (Wh-why is he so close all of a sudden? I don’t think he has to get this close...) |
| Chikage | ...Sigh. Guess that’s enough. |
| Izumi | ——. |
| (And then he pushes me away....) |
| Kazunari | ...I guess I shouldn’t get in their way? |
| |
| Izumi | Um, what are we doing next? |
| Chikage | I’m heading back now. |
| Izumi | (He dragged me around all day and now his attitude is back to normal...!) |
| Sigh.... |
| (I don’t get it, but I’m tired. We walked around all day without even eating anything....) |
| Hm? |
| (That curry place... You can order your meal to be pretty spicy. Chikage-san might enjoy it!) |
| Chikage-san, let’s eat there before we go! |
| Chikage | Eh? |
| Izumi | I really recommend it! |
| Chikage | No, I’m—. |
| Izumi | Let’s go! |
| Chikage | .... |
| |
| Waitress | May I take your order? |
| Izumi | I’d like the chicken curry set. |
| Chikage | Mutton curry with extra spicy topping. |
| Waitress | Understood. |
| Izumi | I’m going to the bathroom for a bit. |
| Chikage | Go ahead. |
| |
| Chikage | .... |
| Izumi | Oh, the curry’s already here. |
| ? |
| (Chikage-san is taking a picture... Wait, he has a really distinct style...) |
| Chikage-san, are you Chikausa-san!? |
| Chikage | ——. |
| Who is that? |
| Izumi | You were just taking a picture. A shot of one scoop in a spoon—that’s Chikausa-san’s trademark! |
| Chikage | No, I just took this on a whim.... |
| Izumi | You wouldn’t go through the trouble of doing all that on just a whim! |
| Chikage | .... |
| Izumi | Wow! I never imagined that the Chikausa-san would be sitting right before me.... I’ve read all your blog posts! |
| I went to the curry place in front of the station with the delicious naan, too. Your posts are all so relatable; I really wanted to be your friend...! |
| Chikage | ...Director-san, what’s with your obsession with curry. |
| Izumi | It’s essentially my lifework! |
| Chikage | ...I see. Well, I guess I understand. |
| Izumi | Right? Have you been to the neighborhood curry place that opened up recently? |
| Chikage | Oh. The Chinese and curry fusion place? It’s really neither, so I don’t get what they’re going for. |
| Izumi | The food is good, but~. Even when I look at their menu, I can’t tell if they’re going for Chinese or curry, so I don’t know what to do. |
| Chikage | Director-san, you say you love curry, but you’re open to all varieties, huh. As expected of someone who collected a troupe full of weirdos. |
| Izumi | (I wonder if he realizes that he’s included in that...) |
| ...Ahaha. Chikage-san, you must be all twisted and hot-tongued because all you eat is spicy food. |
| Chikage | ——. |
| Izumi | ? |
| |
| August | “And you’re all twisted and hot-tongued because all you eat is spicy food, April.” |
| |
| Chikage | August.... |
| Izumi | (August...? Where have I heard that before....) |
| Chikage | Going by that reasoning, Director-san, curry is your blood, so your personality must be pretty twisted too. |
| Izumi | Uu.... |
| (I don’t think I can beat Chikage-san in an argument...) |
| |
| Izumi | Phew, my mouth is burning. Water, water.... |
| Chikage-san, do you need some too? |
| Chikage | No, I still have some left. |
| Izumi | Is that so? |
| (He’s right; he hasn’t drank any, even though he’s eating that extra spicy curry. Wow.) |
| ...Phew. |
| ——. |
| (Huh...?) |
| (What’s going on, I’m so sleepy all of the sudden... My head is spinning.) |
| Chikage | Is something wrong? |
| Izumi | I’m sorry, it’s just—. |
| (My eyes won’t stay open, and I can’t speak... I can’t fall asleep here...) |
| Chikage | .... |
| Excuse me. |
| Waitress | Yes? |
| Chikage | She’s feeling ill. Could you call us a taxi? |
| Izumi | (Chikage-san’s voice sounds really distant....) |
| |
| Chikage | .... |
| You shouldn’t leave someone an opening to mix something into your meal, Director-san. |
