The next day, I went to that cafe again.
No one was particularly welcoming, but I couldn't stop thinking about that place since yesterday. I'm not sure if it was the taste of the coffee I had, the yuzu tea bag, or the old bell I heard as soon as I opened the door.
Anyway, I was standing in front of him again.
The moment he opened the door, he said, shaking off the cat hair on the towel.
“You’re here.”
His face was still expressionless, but his voice, a tone lower than yesterday, seemed a little more relaxed. I couldn't help but chuckle.
“Yes, coffee.”
He answered, "Yes." He nodded slightly and quietly went into the kitchen.
A moment later, coffee, in a ceramic cup, was placed before me, just like yesterday. This time, I quietly set the cup down and turned away without saying a word. But in that brief moment, our eyes met. Their gazes were strangely warm. I took a sip of coffee and exhaled even more deeply than yesterday. The air here was still quiet, and that made me feel more at ease.
A cat cautiously approached my feet. Yesterday, it was the cheese-colored cat that had been sitting far away, blinking.
Dori, that's right.
Today, Dory sat down in front of my shoes and gently placed her front paw on my knee.
I flinched for a moment, but cautiously reached out. Fortunately, Dori didn't run away this time.
"He doesn't really react to snacks. He's the type of person who approaches people while watching their reactions."
His voice came from behind me. I turned around and raised my head. He spoke with a nonchalant expression as he cleaned up the cat food container. His tone was blunt, but his words belied the content. The words of someone who knew the cat intimately.
I said with a smile.
“Then I guess I’ll have to keep an eye out.”
He nodded slightly and turned back. It wasn't a smile, nor was it a reply, but it felt like a sort of affirmation.
He sat quietly at my table, holding a cat, and I hesitated, wondering if I should say something to him.
But he asked first.
“Can I ask why you are here?”
It was an unexpected question. He had barely spoken yesterday.
I was taken aback, but soon answered.
“Just a moment… I wanted to avoid it.”
He nodded, without saying anything else.
That brief nod was surprisingly comforting.
It's an atmosphere that seems like 'that could happen' even without saying anything.
“You came well.”
He said that, and I took those words to heart.
The cat he was holding slowly closed its eyes in his arms. The sight was so natural, it felt like it had been there for a long time.
I asked for no reason.
“Doesn’t the cafe have a name?”
He said with a shrug.
“It was there at first, but no one asked, so I just got rid of it.”
I laughed softly.
A place memorable even without a name. A warm person without words. This was that kind of place.
Since that day, I have become a little more accustomed to meeting Dori's eyes,
Even though I didn't know his name yet, I began to slowly anticipate the quiet affection of that man whose actions speak louder than words.