The person's individuality is
It has to be authentic.
There is a lady at the coffee shop I frequent. I'm not sure how old she is, but I'd guess she's over 75. She has a long, dark bob haircut that isn't particularly shiny, and she always wears feminine—or rather, more like a girl—dresses and shoes, and her nails are always neatly manicured.
The mama is very cute. She always greets me with a smile and a high-pitched "Welcome!", and when she spots my ashtray full of cigarette butts, she smacks her head with her right hand and says, "Oh no, I didn't even notice!" If we talk when there are no other customers around, she puts her elbows on the counter, cradles her face in her hands, looks up and says, "Uh huh." Sometimes she sneaks over to me, offers me a cookie from her right hand, sticks out her tongue and says, "Don't tell the other customers!" As you've probably noticed, she's so cute you could roll her eyes. It makes you feel like there's no age limit for cutesy behavior. And I love this kind of cutesy woman.
A cutesy woman is great. A generation ago, cutesy women were frowned upon, but cutesy women are the best. Because they are meltingly cute. There are rare women who act cutesy, but they must be the real deal. A cutesy woman should have no hidden side. A true cutesy woman is one who is cutesy at heart.
It would not be an exaggeration to say that there are very few people like this among the hostesses of the snack bars I frequent. The hostess of the one I frequent, in particular, always wears flashy accessories, wears a crimson color somewhere between red and purple, has a heavy kimono sash tightly fastened, and is constantly worrying about whether her bangs, which are slicked back, are out of place, with fingertips so long and sharp they look more like blades than claws.
And yet, she approaches me in a voice as fast as mine, or even lower, saying, "You're not drinking much today, why?" and then rudely adds, "Oh, Kanehachi is pretty, can I have a moderate amount?" Covering her face with both hands is out of the question, and she usually has her hands on her hips or her arms crossed while smoking a cigarette with a bored look on her face. Then she starts talking without waiting for my reply, saying things like, "We have some fried chikuwa, do you want some? Do you want it?" I'm being very selfish, but I'm guessing she hasn't seen a cookie in at least 30 years. And I also love this kind of sloppy woman.
A careless woman is good. A while ago, careless women were disliked, but carelessness is the best. Because it's just interesting. There are rare women who act careless, but they have to be the real thing. A careless woman should have no hidden agenda. A true careless woman is one who is careless by nature.
The aforementioned coffee shop mama's laugh is "ufufu," while the snack bar mama's is "gahaha." When the coffee shop mama hands over a souvenir, she says with a big smile, "Oh, thank you!", while the snack bar mama says, without changing her expression, "Oh, sorry about that." When you tell her you've had a haircut, the coffee shop mama says happily, "Cute! So cute!", while the snack bar mama replies, "An old lady like you wouldn't know the difference." These two completely different people exist in this world at the same time, and it makes you feel grateful that you can enjoy both of them. In short, a person's charm is nothing more than their true individuality.
If being cutesy is true, then cutesy is beautiful, and if being careless is true, then carelessness is beautiful. The older you get, the more outrageous the brilliance of your individuality becomes, and it's something you shouldn't underestimate. These two women, who appear to be over 75 years old, are truly dazzling, making you think that. Both are very eccentric, but it's wonderful to see them living their lives so freely.
I'm currently writing this article in front of the cafe mama, and when I said to her, "Mama, I'm a little tired," she replied with a big smile, "Thank you for your hard work! I'm going to collapse today!" She collapsed. That's just too cute. What's with the word collapse? Both "cold" and "quick" are cute. You're amazing for being able to choose words like that so quickly. And so, once I've finished writing this article, I thought I'd go visit the snack bar mama. I wonder what would happen if I told her, "I'm going to collapse today." I'm sure she'd even ignore me.
This month's Hikorohi
