Chapter 103The Young Lady Who Couldn't Wait
I was about to have a long chat with Sasaki-san since she was visiting here for the first time in a while but to be honest, she's probably too busy with Ichinose-san right now. Ichinose-san is full of motivation as if what I told her was just a stepping stone, but we never know when she'll break that motivation...
It's a common story that people fill the void in their broken hearts by doing work, but it's not a good thing... ...I know, it's just a story that exists in a television drama or a manga.
No, wait a minute.
"Sasaki-san, you're an avid reader too, huh? So I think maybe you and Ichinose-san will get along easily."
"Eh? Is that so?"
I threw the topic of conversation at the two of them as they introduced themselves to each other in an almost halting manner. Ichinose-san is also an avid reader, and I hope they can get along with each other, despite the age difference. In my opinion, if they can become close friends, at the very least, it can ease her loneliness after breaking away from her Big Bro. I mean, she doesn't have to break away from her Big Bro and be alone, right...?
"I... I do read books, but..."
"Really? I'm lonely because I don't have any fellow readers around me. Please be friends with me if you want."
"Eh? That's, um..."
Whoopsies? Sasaki-san is already the Sasaki-san I know well. Could this be her figure from the outside? So, that means I can assume that Sasaki-san, who is like a middle school girl, has opened herself to me... ...D*mn it, but there's a part of me that wants Sasaki-san to be more mature...! But when Sasaki-san was jumping up and down with excitement, she was still like, oh, ...never mind!
"...S-Sorry..., ...Right now, I'm still working..."
"Oh... ...Yeah, that's right."
"No, it's fine. You can talk to each other while the other customers are still not coming yet."
"Eh...?"
After all, we almost haven't any other customers coming today. So, if you want to talk to each other intimately, during work hours, then it's fine, just do it. I'm sorry, Gramps!
"Sasaki-san likes to read romance novels, huh? What genre of books does Ichinose-san like to read?"
"Um..., I'm not picky about the genre, I just read books that catch my attention from the title."
"Wow, that's amazing..."
"...!?"
Sasaki-san looked at Ichinose-san with sparkling eyes. Ichinose-san is a great book reader. I'm just a manga reader, so I don't know what's going on in this world as a fellow reader. But the fact that Ichinose-san is never picky about certain genres might indeed give the impression that she loves "books" themselves. There are an infinite number of books in the world, and I think she could read each one of them. I feel sorry for her again when I think about how important it is for her to read books with Bear-san-senpai to lean on...
Ichinose-san looked at me respectfully and a little hesitantly, but I think I'll let her go for now.
♦
"..."
No, there are no customers around here.
Now, should I let Sasaki-san take care of Ichinose-san — or vice versa? I already let Ichinose-san take care of Sasaki-san for 30 minutes. Since it's indeed an easy part-time job, I'm running out of things to do, and I can't afford to be lazy. It's not a good time to change the pop music in this bookstore, and as usual, this is the time for me to stand around thinking, "I wonder if this will end soon...".
Even in such a situation, Ichinose-san and Sasaki-san were having a nice conversation in front of the cashier counter. The voice I heard was Sasaki-san's voice always asking questions, but she always spoke gently — Spoke gently? Perhaps because the other person was Sasaki-san, Ichinose-san responded in kind. I wonder how long she's been doing that and how many people she's talked to....
I'm worried about Ichinose-san's mental health, but if this situation continues, it won't be a training program. I'll be leaving soon, so I think it would be best if I had a little meaningful time for her. Alright, I'll ask Sasaki-san to help us out here.
"I'm sorry if I interrupted your conversation. But, do you have time, Sasaki-san?"
"Yeah?"
The obstacle was dealing with annoying customers, or rather, customer service in general. Anyone who experienced difficulties would feel empty at first, and if that person was an adult like Ichinose-san, she would fall prey to logical and annoying customers.
I guess it's good that I taught her the tips and tricks thoroughly, but in reality, even if we repeat this several times if she doesn't get used to it, everything I think of will come out of her head, so, the end, it's just a matter of "getting used to it".
Thus, the customer service charade began. I asked Ichinose-san to play the role of the cashier, and I was going to play the role of the type of customer who was annoying and difficult for Ichinose-san to deal with. I went straight through the entrance and approached Ichinose-san, whom I had been eyeing for a long time, with her eyes fixed on me the whole time, and that gaze was rather sharp. I wonder if the customers would feel uncomfortable if they were being stared at by you all the time, Ichinose-san...
I stood in front of the cash register and looked at Ichinose-san, who was somewhat staring back at me.
"Hey, don't you guys have magazines here?"
"Ugh... ...Oh, we don't have them."
"Huh? Why aren't you guys have them here?"
"Wh-Why exactly, though...?"
If this kind of customer had come here, I might have shouted through the microphone, "Look at the sign outside, and come back!" loudly, while giving my thumbs down. However, due to my position, that kind of slow action would only cause unnecessary trouble. In most cases, if you can just say, "Sorry, we don't have them!" while bowing your body bluntly, they'll let you off the hook with just one click of your tongue. That said, the reason why some clerks still hold grudges is because they're bad people. I wonder if there's a bill that allows the floor in front of the cash register to detach at the touch of a button and drop them into a pool of lotion.
Putting all those bad ideas aside... ...since it's just a common phrase in customer service, Ichinose-san should know better than to approach such customers.
"I..., I should ask the Manager about that!"
Ichinose-san said so, then hurried to the back. Oh, I see, there's another way that's easier for her. But there are still a lot of questions about the products, and I'm sure Gramps will feel burdened if Ichinose-san can't answer these questions at the clerk level. I hope she can do this someday when she gets used to it.
I'll talk to Ichinose-san about this later. —Eh, Ichinose-san? Where are you going, Ichinose-san!? You don't need to go to Gramps in the back for real, you know!?
♦
I went to the back like jumping into a burning fire, sneaking in to explain to Gramps, who was one step ahead of the devil, and then I took one step down beside Ichinose-san. He understood that it was just practice and gave me a wry smile. "You've done this right, haven't you?" he said, patting my head as if I were his grandson, Ichinose-san looked a little embarrassed, but her mouth was smiling. By the way, it's still not done right. Gramps, don't you usually yell at me?
"Yeah, maybe that's the right response to make at another bookstore..."
"O-Okay..."
I took Ichinose-san back to the front and continued practicing customer service. I safely taught her without scolding her since it was indeed her first time. She placed the memo on the counter and wrote it down carefully. Ichinose-san wrote in fairly round letters..., which was a bit surprising to me since she seemed to be used to typing.
"S-So, this is what the part-time job is like, huh...?!"
Sasaki-san watched me from the cash register with sparkling eyes. "Have you never worked part-time before?" I thought, however, a second later I remembered her true age. No, the phrase "college girl" was stronger than the impression I got. Maybe it was because I yearned for it. ... "College girl" is already a strong word. That was the last evolution.
Sasaki-san's smile and carefree gaze made me melt to death. "Making me melt to death" is the cruelest thing I can imagine, isn't it?
"Then, next is Sasaki-san's turn. I want to try another pattern, so can you play the role of a troublesome customer?"
"Eh...? A-A troublesome customer..., ...huh?"
"How cute— That's right, a troublesome customer."
Wh-When I panicked at the sight of you showing a glimpse of the side of you that matches your age... ...You're the first person besides Natsukawa to mess up my overflowing emotional expression radar. D*mn it..., if only you were a college girl, I would've been spoiled by you to some extent...! D*mn it...
"Oh~... if that's too difficult for you."
"N-No! I'll do this, it's also a lesson for dealing with social life."
"...? Is that so, huh?"
I don't think I need to force her to do that, but she seems more willing to do that. The way Sasaki-san clenched her fists in front of her chest, it was as if she could hear me saying, "I'll do my best, Onee-san!" Hang in there, Onee-san...! (Opens eyes)
Sasaki-san took a deep breath and exited the bookstore with a clatter. Wow, when I saw her running around, I felt that it made her feel much younger, like a middle school girl. After all, being young feels so light. I was glad that I was looking at her from behind because if I had looked at her from the front, I would have been blinded by the violent potential energy that was overwhelming and toying with my existence. Fortunately, Sasaki-san goes to a girls-only middle school. Really.
"...Lucky her..."
"..."
I think I heard a murmur from Ichinose-san, who was standing behind the counter. I was about to turn around and look at her, but I decided to refrain. You'll know if you hear it, it's an unconscious thing.
I tried not to stare at Ichinose-san as much as possible, so I moved to the corner near the cashier. When I finally turned to Ichinose-san and looked at her, she was already red at the tips of her ears, holding her mouth with both hands and trembling. Not yet... ...but you can still grow, really, Ichinose-san! I'm looking forward to it!
"I-I'm coming!"
Using the voice of Sasaki-san who was standing near the entrance as a signal to "Go ahead!". With that, Ichinose-san also straightened her posture and looked forward. Her ears turned red. Sasaki-san walked towards Ichinose-san, who was filled with mixed emotions.
"Oh, oh, oh! Hey, you b*stard!"
Wait a minute, Miss.
Author's Note: Her cheeks are so flushed!
TL: Reeze27
ED: Reeze27
PR: Reeze27
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