Volume 3 - CH 10

“Morning, Ichinose-san.”

“Ah, yes…good morning.”

“Ah…yes. Good morning…”

The following day, when I arrived at work, Ichinose-san was in the back of the bookstore, which we knew as the residential space. And, she’s alone. Although we don’t know each other (in this setting I established), a Senpai using polite language towards her would be weird, so I tried to be more frank. Receiving a somewhat normal response let me sigh in relief.

Also, wouldn’t it be better to just drop the act and tell her that I know her? We’ll meet at school anyway, not to mention that we’re seat neighbours at school. On top of that, that it would be pretty rude to act like I didn’t realize despite hearing her name. Maybe coming clean here would be the best idea.

“Um…so.”

…No, wait. What would happen if I told her now? It’d be like ‘Why did you even keep it a secret?’, right. That way I’d have to explain about how I was basically treating her like a gloomy and unstable person…I mean, in reality, she is very calm and collected…

“I-It only occurred to me after I got back home yesterday, but…”

“…?” Ichinose-san tilted her head in confusion.

Her mouth looked like a single — line, not allowing me to figure out her expression. I want to gently brush her bangs to the side—like some curtain at an Asian restaurant. I can already see her letting out a shriek as she runs away.

“If I’m wrong, then I’m sorry, but…You are Ichinose-san from my class, right?”

“…!”

I could tell that her wariness jumped up ten-fold. That kinda hurts, not gonna lie. Maybe confirming it with her was the wrong choice after all…She’s probably even more suspicious of me now. She doesn’t have some crime-prevention buzzer with her, right? I can see myself landing in jail despite her being the same age as me.

“W-We haven’t talked much, but…looking forward to working with you…”

“……”

I feel like I’ve never taken more time in carefully selecting my words. Also, why am I acting so flustered now? I’ve been talking with Ashida, Natsukawa, and even Shinomiya-senpai, so why am I nervous in front of a girl now? What are girls, even?

“…Okay…”

Late! Such a late response! Crap, maybe she really hates me now? I don’t knoooow! Literature girls are so hard to grasp! Will she be able to pull it off? Work? I honestly feel bad to a level where I want to just quit. Slowly but steadily, we both walked backwards, distancing ourselves from each other. From an outsider’s perspective, it must have looked like we were moonwalking. Not to mention that we both had no expression on our faces.

“Ohhh, you’re here, Sajou-kun! Please take care of teaching Mina-chan today!”

“Urk…You sure are happy, store manager.”

“Wahaha! You can tell!?”

Because someone suddenly screamed at me from behind my back, I twitched in shock. Gramps’ vitality is on an entirely different level today. Well, I guess you’d be happy if you got a cute girl working part-time at your store. If I was him, I might be thinking the same. Though, I’d have my personal reasons that would make it hard to deal with her. Pretty sure the feeling’s mutual as well…

No, hold on? Isn’t this my chance to get back on track and improve my impression? At school, I always cause a ruckus, but if I can show her how diligent I can be, she might stop looking at me like I was some insect.

“I just have to do the same as always, right?”

“Just show her everything that doesn’t rely on strength~ And, no wicked thoughts, okay?”

“What are you talking about…”

“Wahaha, I was joking!”

How could I get in any mood like that? This feels like I’m visiting my grandma in a rural area rather than some romantic location. Also, should you really be saying that in the presence of a young boy and girl? That’ll just make things more awkward if anything. But, I guess it makes sense that I’d have to take care of teaching her. Gramps is doing the important work after all. Urk, I just hope this doesn’t backfire in any way. Well, there is one thing that needs to be taken care of first.

“Sooo…for starters, maybe your bangs?”

“Ah…yes…”

Wow, she really hates it, huh. I mean, I think her face…and forehead looked really cute, but if she hates it that much…Yeah, I shouldn’t be touching that. Feels like I’ll just summon a snake.

“That’s right, let’s do it like that during work, okay?”

“……”

Our gazes met when I tried to take a glance at her expression. She doesn’t want my impression about her face, right…? If anything, if I said anything wrong, she’d probably just hate me more. I don’t really receive that kind of gaze and emotion from other people, so I wouldn’t know. But, it’s really easy to guess…Maybe Big Sis already knows how I feel towards Natsukawa?

Even if she did, it’s not something that you would be saying out loud. Not just Ichinose-san, everybody would dislike any forceful prying.

“Then, let’s go. First, we’ll organize the shelves while looking at the list of yesterday’s deliveries. It’s super simple.”

“……”

“Ahh…When you’re with me, nodding is totally fine, but make sure to at least respond to the customers if they talk to you.”

“Y-Yes…”

Where’s the pen and paper…Guess I don’t need it. We don’t have that much work after all. But, knowing that this is about Ichinose-san, I doubt she’ll ask me even if there’s anything unclear. That’s a legitimate concern, and I’d like her to be frank when she doesn’t understand something.

Being on the teaching end of things, I realized just how many things I actually needed to be mindful of. If anything, it feels like more weight was added on my plate. Can’t be playing the same pop song all the time, and I need to add another sign outside…

Mid-shift, more problems appeared. Ichinose-san can’t reach the higher parts of the bookshelves, right. She could use the small stool to reach up there, but I’m worried. Just seeing her walk normally made me worried that she would collapse at any second.

“I-I can do this on my own…!”

“No can do. Are you fine with slipping on the stool and falling backwards right into my arms?”

“T-That’s…not good.”

Ah, my heart, it hurts. That’s typically me, alright. I sure am good at digging my own grave…Then again, I should have known.

“That’s right! Can’t have Mina-chan get hurt, so leave this to me!”

“Store manager, you need to calm down…Isn’t this why you hired me in the first place?”

“Ugh…”

I’m the one who’d get an earful from his wife. There, I spotted a stool with two sets of steps. With that, it won’t fall forwards, and you can still keep your balance with one foot even if you slipped. I doubt it’ll fall sideways, so this should be safe. Need to tell his wife about that later…Actually, I’m more worried about Gramps’ hips giving out, so maybe not.

“This should do it. All that’s left is dealing with the slow and sluggish customers.”

“Hey now, you shouldn’t be saying that, even if no customers are around.”

“Ah, I’m sorry.”

I feel like Gramps was treating the customers rather frankly as well, though. Well, I doubt many customers would be bothered to get treated like that by some old man. Maybe that’s just another prejudice.

“We’ve opened right now, so there’s no telling when a customer might walk in. Ichinose-san, could you organize the books that I taught you just now? I’ll take care of the customers and any high places. When it comes to the register, just follow me, you’ll be watching first.”

There are times when a few problematic customers come in, and even if they aren’t problematic in that context, they can still be complicated to deal with. That being said, we rarely get any customers.

“All that’s left is…Ah, that.”

A nameplate, right. I took out a new one which had ‘In training’ written on it. The current Ichinose-san might be quick to make any mistakes, which could infuriate the customers. That in result would probably have Gramps break out in a fury, so I want to avoid that…I didn’t have that when I started working here…Then again, I could always throw the question back at Gramps.

“Here…Ah, my bad.”

“……” She silently nodded.

Because I was just blindly explaining everything and didn’t give it much thought, I just subconsciously put the nameplate on Ichinose-san. Maybe having her do that herself would have been a better choice…She’s frozen stiff. That emotional distance between us is no joke…Then again, I’m treating her like a child.

“Ichinose-san, is there anything you didn’t understand?”

Let me ask, just to make sure. She might have been waiting for this pass since she couldn’t say it herself.

“…Um.”

—Alright, doesn’t seem like she does. Then, she could just tell me. The longer the silence lasts, the more awkward it’ll get. Come on, say it! ‘Nothing in particular’, right!

“……Um.”

“Yes…?”

You do…?

“…Nothing.”

Wow, we really don’t match up at all.

*

There’s times when everybody goes silent. Especially when you’re thrown into a group of strangers or a friend’s friend group. That also occurs when seat changes at school happen, and it feels like I’m being left out in class. You need a bit of time in order to be able to talk freely.

“……”

“……”

What is this, some sauna? I’ll spray some water on the hot stone, okay? Though, I’m sure Ichinose-san never went to one.

‘Go take a quick break’ is what the store manager said, sounding like some lousy company president, and took us to the living space in the back of the bookstore. Don’t leave us both alone here, Gramps. Not to mention that we’re sitting here facing each other. This awkward atmosphere is going to make me laugh. Since neither me nor Ichinose-san said anything, Gramps walked away while saying ‘Deepen your friendship’. I bet that I’d get an earful if I took out my smartphone here. Ichinose-san seems to feel the same way.

Then again, she’s a book reader. I could probably bring up a topic if we talked about books, but since she’s always hiding the book cover, I have no way of knowing what she’s even reading. What if it was some lovey-dovey steamy romcom novel? That’d just make it awkward. Even if it was a light novel, she doesn’t seem to have a personality where she could openly say it, and what if it was some genre that’s rather embarrassing…

“Um…Ichinose-san?”

“Y-Yes…”

“You can read a book if you want.”

“B-But…”

“Don’t worry about the store manager. I’ll be doing some stuff on my phone as well.”

Rather than being forced to talk, it’s much more comfortable for both sides to just do whatever they want. That’s at least one of the rules I came up with in regards to awkward conversations. Look, Ichinose-san is already taking out a small book from her poach. Because she’s still got her bangs split, I can actually see a happy expression on her face. Maybe I’ll play some game on my phone…Ah, I got some messages.

‘It’s not a punishment, but I want to meet Ai-chan as well!’

‘R-Really…?’

You two…Flirting around without me…Come on, do it more! I’ll properly watch over you two! Man, I love this group. I get to easily peek at this!

‘My club ends early today, so I’ll be taking a shower and then come over!’

‘Yup! I’ll be waiting!’

Did you hear that, everyone…’Yup! I’ll be waiting!’, she says. That’s one of the top-ranking phrases a boy wants to hear from a girl! You bastards…you…Ashidaaa! You better not make her wait, you hear me!?

“—Hey! Why are you both just living in your own worlds!”

“Woah!?”

“…!?”

Suddenly being screamed at had me almost drop my phone. I looked up in a panic, only to find Gramps glaring down at us. It seems like he’s not satisfied how we’ve gotten closer. You sure have a lot of energy.

“Store manager, telling two people to get closer is too much to ask for, don’t you think? This is the result of us trying to create a comfortable atmosphere for the both of us, you know?”

“Hmpf…”

That’s right, that’s right! There’s no other method to deal with that! …is how I was howling inside of me. When you’re attending a marriage meeting, you need a middle-man, right? Give us some time.

“Anyway…we took a quick break, so let’s finish up the rest, shall we.”

“………”

I stood up in an attempt to change the topic. This is probably the first time me and Ichinose-san thoroughly agreed on something. She put a bookmark in the shape of a thread into her book, swiftly pushed it back into her bag, and stood up.

“I’ll properly teach her everything she needs to know, so don’t worry.”

“Well…as long as everything works out…” Gramps reluctantly gave in.

Though, there’s no promise that we will be able to perfectly get along. I’m just happy if we’re at a comfortable distance where she doesn’t hate me. Ichinose-san left the small living space before me.

Come on, right when I thought she looked a bit cute, she’s already keeping a few steps between us. It kind of feels a bit regrettable almost. But, it’s the desire of all boys to tag along after a cute girl…!

I couldn’t hide my wry smile in the end, after being faced with such direct wariness pointed my way. Understanding that this was Ichinose-san’s evaluation of me, I just continued with my previous Senpai tone.

“I taught you most of the work, so all that’s left is for you to get used to dealing with customers. Let’s practice that a bit, shall we.”

“Eh…”

It’s a learning method that I acquired during my days of working at a convenience store, called ‘Role’. Basically, you become a normal customer, and try to train a new employee. It’s abrupt and pretty rough, so I added a few words.

“But, guiding people when you still don’t know the ins and outs is tough, so if push comes to shove, just say ‘I will confirm with the store manager, so please wait a moment’. Can you do that?”

“Y-Yes…”

“Great, then I’ll be playing the customer, so just stand over there.”

“Eh…?”

Confirming that no customers were approaching the store from the outside, I walked back inside, acting as relaxed as I would be as a normal customer, and walked towards Ichinose-san.

“I’m sorry, do you have Kawashima Reij’s ‘Summer Storm’ here?”

“Ah…Um…ehm…”

“……”

I stayed silent for a moment, simply waiting. I figured as much, but Ichinose-san sure is having trouble with normal questions. But, with everything I taught her, she should be able to deal with a customer just fine.

“Um…Um…”

“……”

Ichinose-san fidgeted nervously. Her gaze went up and down, looking between me and the floor. Time continued like that. None of the words that I taught her came out of her mouth. H-Hm? Weird, what is this feeling…It feels like I did something I shouldn’t have…What is this…(Excitement).

“…Urk.”

“Alright, out~!”

This ain’t the tone I wanted to use, but here we are. Makes it sound like I really did something bad there. My heart was racing. Why? I thought I didn’t have to be nervous about it.

“Ichinose-san…? Didn’t I just tell you…?”

“…I-I’m sorry…”

C-Calm down, me…! I might be fine with it, but there could be disgruntled customers! You can’t spoil her…! Become a demon—No, Ashura! That’s right, I’ve become a god!

“…Kawashima Reiji’s…’Summer Storm’…right?”

“Oh, yeah, that.”

I decided to stay in my customer role. I can tell that she’s actually working really hard. Maybe the customers won’t be complaining that much after all…

“O-Over here…”

With slightly watery eyes, Ichinose-san turned around, and started guiding me there. If this was a manga, they would have added the sweat dripping sfx in the panel for sure…What is this protective urge I’m having…It’s like she’s my own daughter.

“U-Um…were you talking about this?”

“You pass.”

“Eh…!”?

Ah, crap. I subconsciously gave her a pass. Because Ichinose-san is so much like a small animal, I can’t help but spoil her. But, I should definitely point out the problematic points.

“Because you were trying hard, I’m sure the customers will understand that. But, be careful to not guide them to the wrong place, so if you’re lost, make sure to ask the store manager.”

“Y-Yesss!”

I’m sure there must be customers who’d think ‘Ahh, she worked really hard, so I’m fine~’. After all, humans are living beings easily shaken by emotions, especially when looking at animals. They better be considerate like that, otherwise Ashura will come out.

“Oh?”

“…!”

As I was thinking that, the bell at the automatic door jingled, telling me that a customer arrived.

“Let’s go to the cash register, Ichinose-san.”

“Y-Yes.”

That response was more reliable than I would have imagined. Well, I’m only working part-time here myself, so I can’t exactly judge her for anything. Part-time work in high school is mostly just simple organizational stuff like this. In that context, working at the convenience store might have been the most complicated.

Anyway, I had her stand in front of the cash register. In the meantime, I was organizing the shelves. It might look like I was casting her aside, but just checking out the cash register should be worthwhile for now.

“U-Uuu…”

“…?”

As I was doing my part, I heard a flustered voice above me. Looking up, I spotted a person with a slender build, wearing shirt and jeans, with rectangular glasses. They put down two books at the counter, and through the lens of the glasses, I could see Ichinose-san. You’re gonna buy a book now?

‘Not having Mishima Yukio here, what an antiquarian bookshop this is.”

Never said we were. Also, that’s the kind of character you’re going with?

“It is a masterpiece of ‘music’ emphasizing a delightful taste! An antiquarian bookshop has no right to call themselves that if they don’t offer the works of him, who has changed unethical sexual intercourse into a piece of art!”

“Auuu…”

Eh, scary! The hell is wrong with this old man? And why do you have such long, glossy hair despite that? Yeah, Ichinose-san has reached her capacity. Not to mention that she’s still learning how the cash register works. I immediately stood up, and stole Ichinose-san’s position from next to her, accepting the books.

“Understood, these two books, right?”

“Hm…!?”

“Ah…”

I got no clue what he was even saying. But, as long as he’s standing at the cash register, he deserves proper treatment. Maybe I should have gone for a more cool entrance? I need to at least lighten up the mood.

“Would you like me to add a book cover?”

“Urk…P-Please do.”

“Understood! These two books will be 220 yen!”

“V-Very well…”

Mysterious customer X took out his wallet, opened up the zipper, and took out a thousand yen bill as well as a 20 yen coin, and put it not on the coin plate, but rather directly on top of the counter. Normally I’d feel a bit annoyed by that, but now I don’t really care. I just want to get this over with.

I handed the old man the plastic bag with a polite attitude as always, when our eyes met one more time. As long as you don’t show an opening to them, nothing bad will happen. Though this might have the opposite effect if this was a yankee.

“Your change is 800 yen! Thank you very much for your purchase!”

“…I thank you.” The man turned around as his long hair wavered in the air, and left the bookshop.

When he walked past the electronic door, he took a step to the side out of shock because the bell was clinging again. I don’t really get what just happened, but I’m glad it’s over.

“…That was one hell of a customer.”

“……”

“Ichinose-san?”

“…………Fueeh.”

“Eh…?”

Ichinose-san’s eyes were wide open, as she stood there frozen. Because she gave me no response, I had to look at her face, only to find her shoulders quivering. H-Huh? What is this…No, wait a second! This is bigger than I thought!

“Ichinose-san! Maybe that was too much? Let’s take a quick break in the residential space, okay!”

She didn’t look me in the eyes. I just used my arm strength to carefully push her to the residential space in the back. I tried my best to not look at the transparent liquid building in her eyes, and somehow managed to have her sit down on the tatami mat. I put down a tissue box in front of her, and headed towards Gramps who was working in the storage.

“Store manager, could you head to the register really quick? I want to call your wife here.”

“Why? What happened?”

“There was a rather problematic customer, and he, well, made Ichinose-san cry.”

“Whaaaat!? Where is Mina-chan!?”

“I had her take a break in the residential space, but please don’t head there. It’ll just hurt her more.”

“Y-You’re right…Ah, I get it. I’ll take care of the register, so you deal with it.”

“Thanks a lot.”

I went up to the second floor, and went to talk to Gramps’ wife, who was working on her laptop. After explaining the circumstances, she responded with a flat ‘I got it’, and went to where Ichinose-san was located. I’m worried, but this is definitely better than Gramps going there.

“…She cried, huh.”

I mean, I can’t blame her. If someone like that appeared on my first day of work, I’d probably cry myself. Might have even called the police.

“……”

This is actually pretty serious. Although she definitely wasn’t used to this job, this being her first day, it’s clear that she’s mentally very weak, and easily gets anxious. Even if this incident was out of her control, there’s a lot of complicated customers like that. I feel bad for Gramps, but there’s a good number of customers who are very much into literary studies. It’s only a matter of time until another customer like that walks through the door again.

At school, she’s always alone. Even when Ashida and I are causing a ruckus, she barely gives us a sideways glance. I don’t mean to deny that wall of self-protection that she clearly built, but that won’t get her through life. Will she even be able to improve herself when it comes to dealing with customers? Not to mention that she already has problems when it comes to talking with me or Gramps’ wife…

“…Maybe I’m just jumping to the wrong conclusion…”

Let me first consult with Gramps, he’s the store manager after all. As her Senpai, it’s my duty to report Ichinose-san’s current progress. Maybe we might even come up with a good idea.

*

I passed by the residential space, where I spotted Gramps’ wife consoling Ichinose-san in her arms. I guess that she’d grow weak when it comes to a crying girl. Since I didn’t have the courage to just jump in there, I instead went to meet Gramps at the cash register.

“Store manager, your wife is taking care of Ichinose-san, so she should be fine.”

“I see…Sajou-kun, what kind of customer was it?”

“The literature type, for sure. Was blabbering some philosophical nonsense that nobody understood. But honestly speaking, I deal with customers like these almost every three days.”

“Hm…That type, huh. I’m interested in older literature…And, I can kind of understand what they are talking about.”

“Eh, really?”

To me, it just sounds like some odd chant of a magic spell. Maybe I’d be able to understand it if I offered myself to literature like them…From what I understood though, that guy’s head was pretty rotten, so maybe not.

“Um…store manager, this part-time job, and dealing with customers…you need to be able to hold a proper conversation at least…”

I don’t think it’s that hard to be honest. Even if I say conversation, you basically have to act like a robot just dealing with customers like they’re coming at you on a conveyor belt.

“You’re right…Yeah.”

“Yup…”

Once I’m done working here, and Gramps will take care of all the easy work like dealing with customers, Ichinose-san will have to take care of the rest…and that won’t work. As someone working somewhere, you need to fulfill your duty and carry your own weight. Even if Gramps really likes her, he won’t allow that. Should I say it? I’ll say it.

“Store manager, I don’t think that Ichinose-san is made out for this…”

“What, are you only looking at—”

“Weren’t you watching her? I doubt your wife would be willing to take over dealing with customers, you know.”

“……”

I knew I sounded rather aggressive and forceful, but that’s just how it is. Luckily no customers were around, so I could be frank, but I was still surprised at that. That customer might have been one of the worse ones, but I’m pretty sure I was annoyed at Ichinose-san as well. Her personality of not standing up for herself in particular. I guess it’s just me being narrow-minded.

People are more fit and less fit for things, and I know that not everybody can do everything. But, seeing that she couldn’t even manage the bare minimum of human conversation and dealing with customers hit deeply. Maybe it’s just me. Either way, despite me truly feeling that way, I was worried if Gramps would take my words seriously and to heart.

“Mina-chan…”

“Hm?”

“Mina-chan…is a cute regular of this store…”

“……” Baffled, I looked at Gramps’ face.

His expression looked like he had no idea what to do. Almost like there was nothing he could do in the first place.

“:..Um.”

This was the first time I saw any kind of ‘weakness’ from him. Since he always seemed like a strong and confident person, it was unbelievable. The strong and reliable old guy is what I looked up to. That’s why, it made me want to do something about it.

“…Your wife—” I started my sentence, only to stop myself.

She’s the person who tried to cut Ichinose-san’s bangs, so although she might be experienced, she can’t really do anything for the person that is Ichinose-san. They might be both female, but I doubt she will be able to sympathize.

“…I’ll go try and talk with Ichinose-san.”

“R-Really…?” Gramps gave me a hopeful gaze.

This is the first time somebody older than me looked at me with such high expectations. Is this the pressure of being relied on? I don’t want that, yuck. That’s why I don’t want to join the student council or public morals committee.

“I’m sorry, but…don’t get your hopes up too much.”

“…Aye, I know.”

At school, Ichinose-san is always alone. There’s definitely nobody she can rely on. But, the Gramps here definitely cares for her. If not, she wouldn’t come here that often. This place—this location is not something she should come to hate. That’s why…this isn’t the time to care about her being introverted. At the very least, she has to be fine even if she falls over.