“I’m fine right now. I know this path well.”

True to her word, her legs moved confidently along the tactile paving blocks. The ripened afternoon sunlight flowed down her light hair. Her dark eyes sparkled with small lights, like an upside-down snow globe.

The woman looked ahead, and the man looked at the woman. When the woman looked at the man, the man looked ahead. Perry’s dinner companion, neither a schoolmate nor a friend, was not skilled at hiding or avoiding gazes.

“You’re wearing a black suit today.”

“Yes. Oh, you can’t see well. Should I take off my jacket? My shirt is white.”

“I can see fairly well until sunset. I’ll tell you if it gets uncomfortable later. Ask you to take it off— …to become brighter.”

“Sure. I’ll take it off anytime— …um, ahem, I’ll do that.”

The silence continued until they reached the restaurant. The man was the first to break it.

“This is…”

“Do you know this place? It’s a restaurant where I used to work, and it’s delicious. The owner is kind too.”

“…No, I’ve never seen it before in my life.”

“The atmosphere is nice. A lot of customers our age come here.”

“I see.”

“They used to only open during the day, but they extended their hours to include evenings a few months ago.”

“I see.”

“They say they referenced many Diam cooking methods, but the ingredients are sourced from the kingdom. Do you like fusion cuisine?”

“I se— Yes, I’m not picky about food.”

There weren’t many places where Perry walked around without using her cane. Home, stage, practice room. Restaurants were among those rare places on her list.

Perry climbed the stairs confidently without the aid of her cane. As soon as she opened the door, a young woman with a flamboyant impression rushed over, her apron fluttering, and embraced Perry.

“Perry! I knew it was you from all the way down the stairs!”

“It’s been a while, Boss.”

“Ooooh! And who’s this? Acting like you weren’t, but here you are together—”

“Pleased to meet you. I’m Yuan Jin.”

The man bowed politely. A courteous smile settled on his lips.

“Humble praised this restaurant so highly that I decided to join her.”

“Ah, aaaah, aaaaah. Really?”

“Yes. I happened to have business nearby and ran into Jin by chance. Oh, Jin and I met at school a few years ago.”

“I seeeee. Well then, I should introduce you to our menu. Is that okay, sweetie?”

“Of course.”

The owner guided them to the best seat in the restaurant—a window seat separated from other tables—and looked back and forth between them with a wide grin. The man smiled back with the utmost kindness while politely declining.

“It’s fine. You must be busy, there’s no need to—”

“First, our restaurant’s specialty is fried mushrooms with a very special cream sauce……”

But the owner completely ignored him.

The menu introduction finally concluded after a full twenty minutes. Even after that, Perry’s former colleagues who came to pour water or bring “service” dishes alternated between looking at the two of them while letting out dazed exclamations.

The man calmly downed his third glass of water.

“You seem to have been close with the staff.”

“Not so much close as…… I was always in a learning position. Everyone taught me well. I didn’t expect them to be this happy to see me.”

They must be surprised I came with such a handsome man like you, Perry thought as she stroked the corner of her mouth with her index and ring fingers, changing the subject.

“I’ve been curious—may I touch this?”

“What…?”

“Your suit. I’m curious about the material.”

The man’s arm rested on the cream-colored tablecloth. White shirt sleeve and black jacket continued without wrinkles over his ungloved hand. A small hand carefully traced up along his neatly trimmed nails.

Long extended joints, rough contours on the back of the hand, wrist bone, cufflinks of cold material, and fabric light for the season.

“Aren’t you cold? Isn’t the jacket thin?”

“I tend to feel hot rather than cold, so this is just right.”

“I can’t see well, does it have a pattern?”

“Not quite a pattern, but the fabric itself has texture.”

Perry furrowed her brow and brought the man’s wrist close to her eyes. The man’s Adam’s apple bobbed prominently. The sound of him swallowing was unusually loud.

“Can I…… ask something too?”

“Anything.”

“I’m not trying to pry, but that owner—she called you ‘sweetie.'”

“Oh, that’s just her habit.”

“I see.”

Blue eyes lazily turned toward the owner who was meticulously setting the dishes. The owner paid meticulous attention to even the angle of each plate and was reluctant to leave the table.

“That’s quite a unique habit.”

“Haha, well…… Some people fumble around for nearly a year, so this much is—”

“I didn’t expect the owner herself to serve us. Even though there are other employees.”

“That’s because our adorable Perry came, you know. I really care about Perry, you know, right?”

Perry nodded gently at the sly question. A triumphant expression appeared on the owner’s face as if to say “See?” The man maintained the same kind yet distant smile he had worn since entering the restaurant.

“How fortunate to have made such a good connection.”

“Isn’t it, though? Thanks to someone.”

The owner continued chattering for another three minutes before leaving. As Perry carefully grasped the cutlery handle, straightforward guidance followed.

“At 11 o’clock from Humble’s position, there’s a dipping sauce. It seems to have chili in it. The fried mushrooms are at 3 o’clock, and also……”

After explaining not only the food but also the positions on the menu, the man belatedly opened and closed his lips. Why is he acting like that after helping, Perry wondered, just before an awkward voice softly settled on the table.

“Ah, perhaps you didn’t need this kind of help?”

“Huh?”

“You said you’re not completely blind. Like on the street earlier…… I wonder if I did something unnecessary.”

The man, faced with a feast, gulped down only water. Perry instinctively bit her rolled lip. Otherwise, laughter might have burst out.

“No, no. Thank you for telling me. I can see the position of the plates, but—I usually have to guess based on color or shape.”

It’s better for me if you tell me clearly, her cheerful affirmation made his tense shoulders relax considerably. The man, who had been picking at his main dish half-heartedly, carefully asked again.

“May I ask how much you can see?”

It seems different from when we were students, if it’s uncomfortable you don’t have to say, you don’t have any obligation to tell me—there were more words following the main question. Something between excuses, explanations, and clarifications. The response was so light that it made such attempts seem unnecessary.

“Of course you can ask.”

“Uh…… really?”

“Really. How much one can see differs from person to person. I’m not completely blind, and it’s better to ask than to assume. It’s different from when we were young too.”

Hmm, a long contemplative sound flowed.

“Hmm, first, my field of vision has narrowed a lot. Here, no, I can’t see anything at this angle.”

The edges of both hands moved subtly between the woman’s pupil and iris.

“My vision itself is a bit worse than when I was a student, I think? It’s not something that can be corrected with glasses. I can still make out colors and shapes. From this distance, I might not know exactly what you look like, but I can see that you have black hair and are wearing a black suit. But if there were several people like that, I wouldn’t be able to tell them apart.”

Blue eyes sank seriously. Perry gave a couple more simple examples as she started cutting her food.

“I use the cane because of my field of vision. If there’s something at an angle, I might bump into it or fall.”

“I see. Is there anything else…… I should be careful about?”

“You’re doing fine as you are.”

“Empty flattery is okay but—”

“I’m serious. I don’t lie, unlike some people.”

Maybe I shouldn’t have said that last part, she thought, but the concern went down her throat with the water.

Jazz music played languidly. In the atmospheric window seat where golden light fell, the changed topic continued intermittently but never completely ended.

“What do you do?”

“Just, you know, ordinary stuff.”

“Where do you work?”

“Well, I move around a lot. How about you, Humble, are you doing well?”

“I’m the same as I said before. Oh, I recently passed an audition.”

“Congratulations. In that case, let me pay for this.”

“No need. I’m the one who suggested coming here.”

“You deserve to be celebrated.”

“You……”

Her hand holding the cutlery rested on the table. The woman, whose lips had been moving silently, narrowed her eyes. She barely managed to hide the question marks tangled in her mind. Her voice, which had risen half a note, returned to normal as if nothing had happened.