Chapter 99Her True Intentions
It is the midsummer. Even though it's still early in the morning, the cicadas are already chirping, making the atmosphere outside feel even more seasonal. I felt like yelling at them from so close. If it weren't for the honorable people and the police, I would have done just that. I didn't care if one or two people pointed at me.
But my body felt light despite the scorching heat. Yesterday, I knew that I was already feeling exhausted, and I had been in bed at around 10 p.m. I was sleepy.
But besides that, I still had a part-time job. I didn't expect that my "punishment" would have anything to do with a surprise visit like entering the Natsukawa Family residence. I had already half given up on dealing with Ichinose-san, but getting that kind of encouragement made me feel relieved. It might seem inappropriate to make that a substitute for my punishment, but the result was fine, I guess.
...No, but it wasn't a bad decision, was it? In the end, Natsukawa had a hand in this. It's more like I got a blessing from Natsukawa Aika-sama. Thank you, Goddess, I'll throw a 5 yen coin into the mailbox at the Natsukawa residence next time (unintentionally).
I walked along the underground railroad tracks in the shadows as much as possible. It was humid and stuffy here, but not as hot as walking under the hot sun. I haven't been exercising much lately, and I never know when I'll get heatstroke or something, so I'll cover myself up.
"I don't want to go in there."
I arrived at a second-hand bookstore on a quiet street. Ichinose-san was probably already here. Yesterday was the same, even when the school, when I entered the classroom, she was already sitting in her seat and focused on reading her book.
'"You will get news from her tomorrow and tell us." That's your punishment.'
"Huh."
Oh, my Goddess.
♦
Ichinose-san was already there. Her aura was still the same as yesterday as if she was a fixed non-playable character (NPC). The only difference I can tell is that she's currently styled her bangs to show her forehead and cute face. As soon as she saw me, she froze and stopped moving as if she had gotten an electric shock. What? Did she fall in love with me at first sight? Haha, is she breaking out in cold sweat because she's nervous? I can't stop smiling!
"...Good morning, Ichinose-san!"
"Y-Yeah...! Good morning!"
"Um..., you don't have to be so wary of me. I'm sorry about yesterday."
"Y-Yeah..."
This is not good. I did apologize, but that was yesterday, so normal conversation is impossible. I need to be cheerful right now and show that I don't have any bad feelings for Ichinose-san... But, is that even possible? I hope no more strange customers come...!
"I didn't see the Manager in front, do you know where he is?"
"Eh, ...um, he went upstairs."
"Okay. I see, thank you for the information."
Okay, let's move away. Wait a moment. It's very risky to close the distance at once in a situation like this. It was just like allergy treatment, she would get used to it over time and eventually, she would be able to overcome this. The Sajou Allergy has already exploded! If it was not cured, then it was an incurable disease.
On my way up the stairs to the living room, I said "Good morning!" in a low voice to announce my arrival as I couldn't go upstairs without permission. From the back of the house, I heard "O-Oh", followed by "Good morning, Sajou-san". At times like this, the Manager's wife almost always shows her face because she's a kind person, not because she's an elderly person. She just showed her face this time, so she must have been putting on makeup earlier. I apologize for my poorly timed entrance. Ohohoho!
I grabbed the clerk's apron from the usual shelf. I was ready to serve the customers at any time.
When I looked to the side, I found Ichinose-san watching me intently.
"Since the bookstore isn't open yet, we can sit around or organize the second-used books."
"Oh... ...Y-Yeah...!"
It was a difficult decision, the answer was still unresponsive but it was still better than yesterday. It shows that she's trying hard to improve herself. That's why, yesterday she was prostrating herself on the floor... ...my heart starts to get troubled when I remember that, so I try not to think about it too much.
However, seeing Ichinose-san right now made me remember what Ashida told me. She said... "Why doesn't she just quit her part-time job as a clerk and go back to being a regular customer? Isn't it easier that way?", I guess, there's some truth to that. But seeing that Ichinose-san put in so much effort that she came to work again today, I guess she must have a reason why she shouldn't just give up.
Even though it's still early in the morning, Ichinose-san is much more agile than yesterday... ...No, I'm sorry, but I can honestly hear the cute voice coming from Ichinose-san, as she moves. No need to go too fast...
In front of my sight, I found a strikingly colored book at the very top of the bookshelf. The book was clearly in the wrong position. Perhaps it was because the customer who had carelessly put the book there was going to buy the book, but didn't, and put the book there carelessly.
Just as I was about to correct the position of the book, it turned out that Ichinose-san was also looking at the same place and shouted, "Oh!" She ran there before me and stretched out her hand towards the position of the book —No, she wouldn't reach that position. Even if she stretched out her hand that long, she still wouldn't reach it...
"Ah!?"
"Wait—."
Ichinose-san tried to grab the book on tiptoe. She placed her hand on top of the pile of books and the book shifted to the side. Ichinose-san also lost her balance with all her might, so even I seemed to be in a hurry.
"A-Are you alright, Ichinose-san?"
"─!?"
I caught Ichinose-san as if I were catching an object that was about to fall. Wow, she's so light... ...she's so light! She's the enemy of girls and the TANITA company's weight scale, isn't she!? She must be the type of girl who will never get fat even if she eats a lot of sweets! I won't let her get away with it!?
...Wow, she's light. Are all the teenage girls in the world like this? She's probably lighter than the school bags that don't have anything in them of students taking the high school entrance exam.
"Oh, um...! I'm fine... I'm fine, really..."
"Oh, yeah."
Ichinose-san tried to get away from me in a hurry, while her hands slipped as she tried to escape from me. This... ...I don't know for sure, but as I looked at Ichinose-san, not a single malicious thought occurred to me even though I touched her. Was it because of my guilt, or was it just her face that made me want to protect her...?
"I'll take care of the books on the top shelves, so let's start in order from the reachable level."
"O-Okay..."
A quiet voice responded to my statement. Oh my, she's back again like yesterday. I think that's a sudden setback, or rather I feel like I was given false hope.... ...Yeah, I've lost my footing or something, but she seems motivated, so I guess she can't make up for it yet. Well, try your best.
No, that's not it, me.
"..."
"..."
Then, this part-time job continued with silence. It was often found that the books on the shelves were not scattered everywhere, so sometimes rearranging the books did not take long. Today was no exception. In the middle of the week, the number of customers became apparent in the opposite sense. Everyone had gotten what they wanted in the first round. I hope we can work just as hard so that we can complete our summer vacation tasks.
"It's time to open, huh? I'll invert the sign on the front door."
"Oh...! Leave it to me..."
"Okay, then, I'll leave it to you."
Her speed, or rather her good mood, which had dropped sharply, slowly began to return. But what's going on here, I can see the character with the cute voice "Pyoko-Pyoko" and the sweaty emoji in her running movements... ...There she is, her first time running errands. I'm sorry, Ichinose-san, I'm going to prostrate myself on the floor... —Ugh, my head!
Let's calm down a little. This second-hand bookstore is already open. I'm sure that Ichinose-san will do her best, but I must be wary that we'll have strange customers again. They're like bombs that can explode if handled incorrectly. They think we're just high school students, and they'll try to make us feel better about our boring lives. They should use that heat power for something else.
"Finally, has she made it?"
"Manager. Well... ...Yeah, I think she's doing a good job. However, it's still in the early stages."
"I hope everything will be fine..."
Gramps asked me in a low tone of voice. I'm sorry, I think this is a moderate tone of voice for someone who usually speaks in a very loud tone of voice. Yeah, Ichinose-san just went out, so it's fine. Or maybe it's just that Ichinose-san has gotten more used to the Manager's personality.
Just as I was thinking this, Ichinose-san came back.
"I-I did it..."
"Good job, you did it."
"Eh?"
Ah.
Author's Note: Ah.
TL: Reeze27
ED: Reeze27
PR: Reeze27
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