Chapter 85Symbol of Shyness
A silence ensued. Well, just by looking at her, I could tell that she was shy, so I didn't mind that. I felt that it was a bad idea to move from here, so I decided to stay here.
"...Oh..., ...Um..."
"Okay."
"...The entrance, I saw there's a recruitment..."
"Oh, Is that so? —Eh?"
Eh, are you looking for a part-time job? Eh? Are you serious?
So you saw it and came here because you want to work part-time, right...? ...Ichinose-san? It's a customer service job, but is it okay?
"—Roger that. I'll call the Manager for you, so can't you wait for me for a moment?"
"...Okay."
I wonder if it's okay...
♦
"Oh, it's Mina-chan, huh?"
"Eh, you know her?"
"You always come home at lunchtime. She's that girl who usually always comes during snack time."
"Snack time...?"
What's snack time at 3. p.m.? I don't know if it's an expression that we don't hear very often anymore, but can't it be understood by youngsters these days? It might even be hard for the same generation as Gramps to understand...
I followed Gramps. Honestly, I was curious, it's rare to see Ichinose-san talk, so I wanted to see more about it. I mean, does she always talk to Gramps here? She doesn't seem to be the type of girl who opens up easily.
"You're hired!"
"Um, Manager?"
Isn't it too soon? Ichinose-san, huh? Eh? She'll be working part-time here. Eh? Didn't you misspeak? Maybe I thought he said this at the beginning of the meeting. Hey, wait a minute, we talked about more details when I was first hired.
"Manager. I'll look around and look after the store, please go to the back with her."
"Oh! You are a considerate young man!"
"U-Um..."
Ichinose-san's bangs did hide her face, but I think I could read her expression. "Really? Are you sure I've been hired?" She must be thinking that. I mean, anyone would be confused by this kind of thing, even if it's not Ichinose-san. Is this some kind of black company, where you can get hired just by submitting your documents?
Go inside, Mina-chan! Ichinose-san managed to follow behind the excited Gramps without falling behind. I could see the same confused emotion in Ichinose-san's mouth. When I passed by her, I think our eyes met.
I wondered why I seemed to hear an onomatopoeic voice as the petite girl hurried along. I mean, is that voice bad for a classmate of mine?
"Excuse me, are you selling the 'Mutant Monthly' here?"
"What kind of book is that?"
Well, in any case, it's good that this second-hand bookstore has a new part-time worker. I was indeed surprised that it turned out to be Ichinose-san, but it's not a difficult part-time job and I can leave without worrying after the summer vacation ended. Gramps, you'll organize the schedule well, won't you...?
Oh, dear customer, we don't sell magazines here.
♦
Now, Gramps, whose life expectancy was extended by three years by Ichinose-san's arrival, has been replaced by his wife because of his seemingly admiring attitude towards his grandchildren. Although Gramps looked depressed, he could not hide his happiness as he began to resume the work of labeling the second-hand books.
"Then, I'll be home soon."
"Oh, thank you again for your help today."
It should have been the same dialog as usual, but Gramps' mood was different. It sounded like he was humming, but... Is that song popular? Why is the key too high?
I took off my green apron, which I was still debating whether I needed it or not. I went to the shelf where I kept my personal belongings, and heard Gramps's wife's voice coming from the room that served as the storehouse's living room.
"I'm glad that you want to work part-time here, but... ...can't you do something about that bangs of yours? It's not suitable for serving customers."
Oops? You said it quite rudely. From what I heard earlier, I thought Gramps' wife also likes Ichinose-san. Well, those bangs don't seem suitable for the customer service business.
"I don't want to give customers a bad impression, so I'll cut those bangs for you."
"Oh..."
"Hey, stop. Stop right there, Ma'am."
I barged in without thinking.
She was a wife who lived at the same time as Gramps. I got the impression that she'd be strict with boys, but she was also strict with girls, and a caring guardian. But it's a bad idea to apply that to these days' high school girls. Probably because girls these days are 50 times harder than girls in the past. Moreover, from a labor law standpoint.
Um, Ma'am? Why did you take out your sewing toolbox? Maybe there are only thread cutters or scissors in there?
"Eh, Sajou-san. Good job today."
"Oh, what's going on here?"
"This is Ichinose Mina-san. I was just explaining to her about her part-time job."
"Oh, I see, um..."
Please take care of me, Ichinose-san! Is it bad? Ichinose-san will feel embarrassed when the guy who was her clerk colleague pretending not to know about her until now suddenly changes into her classmate. Um, alright then...
"—It's nice to meet you. My name is Sajou."
"Eh...?"
For now, I had no choice but to pretend we never met. If you're asking why I didn't take the position of her classmate, it's because, from Ichinose-san's point of view, I'm her male classmate who knows that she's always alone. Especially in the first stage, it's a point of weakness. I can't let Ichinose-san quit this part-time job for Gramps' sake.
"Ichinose-san, right? I heard from the Manager that you like reading books."
"Y-Yeah..."
"Your bangs must get in the way when you read books, right? What did you usually do?"
"Oh...!"
If Gramps likes Ichinose-san, his wife would also have no intention of letting her go. But if Ichinose-san says that she doesn't want to do it, that's a different story and I must propose the best solution here. If I do nothing, Ichinose-san's bangs will likely get cut because she's forced to do it.
"I-I usually..."
Ichinose-san frantically reached into her grey shirt pocket. She took out two hairpins and while bowing her head down slightly, she parted her long bangs in a 6:4 ratio until I could see her eyes. As Ichinose-san raised her head, I saw her face for the first time.
"Th-This is how I usually do..."
"Eh, it's changed quite a lot, huh?"
Her droopy, large eyes were visible. I thought she had some sort of complex with her long bangs, but I didn't think it was too strange. If I had to say it out loud, would I say that she has a wide forehead? I don't know if you would call her an anime face, but... she looks very young for a high school girl. Um...
"Look, when you see female anchors on morning news shows or something, you'll probably find them with long bangs on their faces, doing this kind of thing. It's a trend."
"Oh, that's right."
No, yeah, I just said that out loud. But the truth is, I don't know anything about the situation of female anchors. But I think I should say something like this to convince them. What if they start noticing the female announcer's bangs...?
"Just wear that haircut, Ichinose-san. I don't think there will be any problems with it when we work part-time here."
"O-Okay."
It's probably best not to say anything about my impression when I see her face. Honestly, I would never know what I would say that would hurt her. Don't worry, I'm used to socializing at work from my part-time job experience. I want to believe that.
"It depends on the schedule adjustment, but I hope to be able to work with you from now on. In that case, I'll leave everything to you, Ma'am."
"Oh, Sajou-san, one moment. I have some grapes, these are for you."
"Eh? Are you serious?"
I must say, she's a classic wife. Without realizing it, I already had a plastic bag of two bunches of cold grapes hanging from one of my hands. I didn't have time to decide whether to accept or reject...
"Oh, well, come to think of it, that guy is being bad again, huh? That was a few days ago, wasn't it?"
"Oh, yeah."
Eh, hey, eh? The crazy talk has already started, but... Eh? I was going to go home now, but... ...am I already impatient to eat these grapes as soon as possible? Is... ...my bag already wet? Ichinose-san was completely ignored.
"...Um..."
What am I going to do? Stop?
Author's Note: Should I Stop?
TL: Reeze27
ED: Reeze27
PR: Reeze27
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