Chapter 86The Quiet Kouhai
"Good morning, Ichinose-san."
"Oh... ...Yeah. Good morning..."
The next day, when I came to my part-time job, I found Ichinose-san already in the backyard that served as the living room of the storehouse. There were only two of us here. Although she probably didn't know me, I felt strange using honorifics for a girl my age, for whom I was now her senpai at our part-time job, so I greeted her honestly. I was relieved to hear her reply even if it was with a stutter.
It's no good if I keep pretending that I don't know her, right? One day we'll meet at school, especially since we sit next to each other. Besides, isn't it pretty harsh that I didn't recognize her when I asked her name? It might be a good idea to stop it from now on.
"Oh... ...Um..."
...Wait a minute? How about I tell you now that I already know her? "Why did you bother doing that?". I'll feel stupid and to be honest, I've been treating Ichinose-san like a loner. Well, I think that I'm too immature, but...
"C-Come to think of it, after I came home yesterday, I realized..."
"...?"
Ichinose-san tilted her head. Her mouth was in a straight position, so I couldn't see her expression. Her long bangs kept her eyes obscured... ...like a curtain in an Asian restaurant. I wanted to stroke her bangs with my fingertips. I could almost hear her voice screaming and she could have run away.
"I'm sorry if I'm mistaken, but you're Ichinose-san, who sat next to me at school, aren't you?"
"...!"
I could understand that my alertness level spiked. I was prepared, but it hurt. I guess I'd been looking from the wrong angle... ...and this was the least suspicious reason I could think of. I don't have a security bell of my own, do I? I could only imagine a scene where she was caught in one glance for being in the same class as me.
"Oh, I know that we haven't talked much at school, but please take care of me..."
"..."
I felt like I had chosen the safest words in the world. I mean, did she stutter and treat me like a shadow character for a long time, even though I was around her? Why do I still feel nervous around this girl when I often talk to Ashida, Natsukawa, and Shinomiya-senpai? Is this a more serious girl? It's like I'm looking at a mirror that doesn't look like a mirror. I'm deflecting everywhere.
"...Yeah..."
Hey! She's replying, hey! Gosh, maybe we're not compatible together. I'm getting very impatient.
I don't know, it must be really hard to be a literature-buff girl.... ...Will it be okay? Can we work together at this great part-time job? I'm sorry, I'm feeling regret, but I have to leave the front line instead.
The two of us naturally took a step back from each other. It was so natural, I thought it might be like we were walking on the moon. I'm afraid that if I do that, I'll lose my expression.
"Oh, you're already here, Sajou-kun! From today onwards, please take care of Mina-chan as her senpai!"
"Uh... ...you seem happy, Manager."
"Wahaha! How can you tell?"
I was suddenly frightened as someone with a loud voice spoke to me from behind me. The current Gramps must have another lung capacity.
Well, how could he not be happy that a cute girl was working in his store? I could understand if I were the owner of this store. However, in my case, it's hard for me to face my current situation honestly. Maybe Gramps will think I'm not good at it...
Oh, wait a minute! This is my chance to make a good impression, right? I'm a noisy guy at school, but if I show her that I'm actually a good boy and do everything properly, she might stop looking at me as an annoying boy with that annoyed look I sometimes get.
"Is it okay if I continue doing my works as usual?"
"Please show your works to Mina-chan, except for the really hard ones. And don't let any malicious ideas come up."
"What are you talking about...?"
"Wahaha! I'm just kidding!"
I can't let myself feel weird at my grandma's house in the countryside like this either. I mean, please stop saying that to us, a young boy and a young girl like this, because... ...it'll just make us feel awkward.
But I understand, now that Gramps is doing a job with a high level of responsibility, it's easier for me to just teach Ichinose-san... ...Uh, I hope she doesn't look at me with a resentful look anymore. But in the end, I also need to be strict with her.
"Oh—... so, your bangs are trimmed first?"
"Oh... ...Okay..."
She looked very uncomfortable. After all, I think her forehead is cute... ...and that way is pretty good, but maybe she hates that too much. Maybe not, and there was no touching there after all. To her, maybe I'm just a bush snake.
"Oh, right. When we're doing the part-time job, I'll ask you to do that."
"..."
The look in her eyes was like she was trying to ask me what she looked like. She's not asking me what I think of her face, is she? It's more like she's afraid I'll say something weird about her. I rarely get that kind of stare, so it's still fresh for me. You see, I'm usually the one staring. No, this is easy to understand... ...Is it possible that Natsukawa and Big Sis also know that I work here?
Even if they do, I can't say anything out loud about it. Why are you looking at me like that? I must be a real j*rk. Not just Ichinose-san, but anyone would hate me.
"Then, let's get started. First of all, we'll organize the books on the shelves while checking the list of books sold yesterday. This is very easy."
"..."
"Oh... ...just nodding when I talk to you is fine, but when a customer talks to you, you have to answer properly, okay?"
"O-Okay..."
Pen and notebook... ...are not necessary. It's not a lot of work. But the problem is Ichinose-san, so I can't pressure her to ask if she doesn't understand something. Should I try to be as considerate as possible? I don't think that's the right way.
When you're teaching, you'll find that there's more to do than you think. I feel like I've made a lot of changes to the look of the bookstore. We didn't have pop-ups at first, but we couldn't keep putting the same pop music all the time, either...
There was a problem with this training. Ichinose-san can't reach the top of the bookcase with her height. I'll ask her to use the ladder, so there's no need to worry. But she seems dizzy just walking normally.
"I-I can do it myself if it's this much...!"
"You can't. Don't say that! You're already using the ladder and shaking like that, if you fall, can I catch you?"
"Th-That's... ...no need."
Gosh, my heart hurts. *Self-destructive.
As expected of me. It was me, in the opposite sense... ...but it hurts more than I thought it would, so I won't say that anymore... ...Wait a minute, where did I put my confidence?
"Th-That's right! It's dangerous for Mina-chan to get hurt, so I'll just do it!"
"It's good that you've to hold back too, Manager... ...That's why you're hiring me, right?"
"Uh..."
I was the one who was going to get angry with Gramps' wife. Just then I googled it and found that there was a stool with two steps. If she fell forward, there was a bookshelf, and if she fell backward, she only needed to go down one step to keep her balance. I won't fall on my side, and I'll feel safer. I'll talk about this with his wife later.
As for you, Gramps..., I'm more worried about your back than your balance. Isn't that right?
"I don't know. The rest is just slow and sluggish customer service."
"Hey. You can't talk like that, even if there are no customers."
"Oh, I'm sorry."
Gramps also referred to them as customers. Well, even though I was treated sternly by Gramps, I guess that's the way it is. Maybe I'm just prejudiced.
"This bookstore is already open, so it's not strange that customers can come at any time. For now, I think Ichinose-san will use what I just taught her to take care of things. I'll do customer service and put the books on the top shelf. Then when I'm at the cashier to take care of the payment, you should already be next to me to observe first."
Sometimes some customers are troublesome from time to time, and some customers are difficult, but not troublesome. But I think this bookstore has fewer of those customers. Besides, if we mess with Gramps, he'll just get angry. It doesn't make sense, I've only seen that once. I don't know, I guess that didn't work either.
"And then... ...Oh, I guess we'll need that one too."
The name tag would be placed around her neck. I took out a new name tag and wrote "in training" in bold letters on it. Without this assurance, I was sure, Ichinose-san would probably be frustrated by the customers by now. She'll be so nervous that she won't be able to say anything, and I can also see a future where Gramps yells at us. That's not good...
I don't think it was like this when I was in her shoes. I used to be good at throwing questions at Gramps when I asked.
"Okay. Oh, sorry."
"..."
She nodded with a thud.
Perhaps because I felt like I was taking care of her, I accidentally hung Ichinose-san's name tag around her neck. I should have given her the name tag and asked her to hang the business card herself... ...it was so stiff. The distance between our two hearts is so far, it must be as far as my house is from here.
I wonder if I'm treating her too much like a child by doing this...
"Ichinose-san, is there anything you haven't understood so far?"
Let me ask just her in case. I took the step that she would not ask me, but there was a possibility that she had been waiting for this opportunity.
"...Um..."
—Oh, don't you have any particular questions about this...? If you don't have any, just say it! It's only going to get more awkward, the longer you make me wait! Just say it! "There are no particular questions!".
"...Um..."
"Please...?"
Is there any—?
"Nothing."
The two of us were out of sync with each other.
Author's Note: Yeah, there is.
TL: Reeze27
ED: Reeze27
PR: Reeze27
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