"Good morning, Ichinose-san."
"Ah... yes. Good morning..."
The next day, when I arrived for my shift, Ichinose-san was already there in the back room—otherwise known as the shop’s living quarters. She was alone. Even though we weren’t supposed to know each other yet, it felt bizarre to use formal honorifics with a girl my own age now that I was technically her senior at work. I tried to greet her with a casual frankness, and I felt a wave of relief when she managed a halting response.
Honestly, was there any point in continuing this charade? We were bound to run into each other at school eventually; we literally sat in adjacent seats. Besides, pretending I hadn't realized who she was after hearing her name would be spectacularly rude. Now was as good a time as any to break the ice.
"Ah—um..."
...Wait. If I told her right now that I’d known all along, how would that look? She’d probably think, Why did you wait this long to say something? If I were brutally honest about my reasoning, I’d basically be admitting that I treated her like some delicate, gloomy hermit. I did think she was far too introverted for her own good, but still...
"I—I did some thinking after I got home yesterday, and then it clicked..."
".........?"
Ichinose-san tilted her head. With her mouth pressed in a tight, flat line, her expression was impossible to read. Her bangs swayed—what was that, some kind of beaded curtain you’d find in an oriental shop? I had a sudden, intrusive urge to flick them aside with my finger. I could already see the resulting catastrophe: her letting out a silent scream and fleeing into the night.
"Sorry if I'm wrong... but you’re the Ichinose-san who sits next to me in class, right...?"
"...!"
I felt her guard skyrocket instantly. She pulled back into such a defensive posture that it actually hurt my feelings. Did I approach this from the wrong angle? This seemed like the most plausible, least suspicious excuse I could muster. She didn't have a personal safety alarm on her, did she? I could already envision the humiliating scene of me being hauled away by the authorities for the crime of recognizing a classmate.
"A-Ah, we haven't talked much, but I look forward to working with you..."
"......"
I felt like I had reached into the bag of conversation starters and pulled out the most inoffensive, mundane phrase in existence. And yet, here I was, stuttering like a fool after having spent so much time mentally labeling her an introvert. What was wrong with me? I chatted with Ashida, Natsukawa, and Shinomiya-senpai all the time, so why was I getting so nervous around a girl now? Seriously, what was the deal with the opposite sex? They were like pieces of masterfully crafted glassware—one wrong move and shatter. I was currently doing nothing but smashing things to bits.
"......Yeah........."
Slow! Her response was so incredibly slow! This was a disaster; our conversational gears were completely jammed. I felt an unbearable sense of restlessness.
I didn't get it; literary girls were far too complex. Was this really going to work? Could I actually handle this training? I felt so bad for her that I was about to be the one to retreat from the front lines.
Quite naturally, we both took a step away from each other. It was performed with such synchronized grace that we might as well have been moonwalking. I was afraid that even if I actually broke into a dance, she’d just stare back with that same expressionless face.
"Oh, you're here, Sajou-kun! I’m counting on you to look after Mina-chan as her senior!"
"Y-You seem to be in high spirits, Manager."
"Wahahaha! Can you tell!?"
The Manager’s booming voice caught me off guard from behind. The old man’s lung capacity was on another level today.
Well, I suppose it was only natural to be delighted when a cute girl came to work at your shop. If I put myself in the owner's shoes, I could see the appeal. In my case, however, the circumstances made it difficult to interact with her normally. She likely found me overbearing...
No, wait. Wasn't this the perfect opportunity to rehabilitate my image? If I showed her that while I might be a noisy nuisance at school, I was actually a diligent worker, she might stop looking at me with those eyes that occasionally screamed "you're a bother."
"Should I just carry on as usual?"
"I want you to show Mina-chan the ropes for everything except the heavy lifting. And make sure you don't harbor any wicked thoughts, you hear?"
"What are you even saying..."
"Wahahaha! Just a joke!"
I had zero intention of getting any strange ideas in a place that felt like a quiet countryside home. Honestly, could he stop saying things like that to teenagers? It only served to make the atmosphere more suffocating.
Still, since the old man only handled the high-responsibility tasks now, it was more practical for me to do the teaching. Ugh, I just hoped she wouldn't look at me with that gaze of silent judgment again. But in the end, a senior has to be firm.
"Ah—well, should we start with the bangs?"
"Ah... yes........."
Wow, she looked like she absolutely loathed the idea. I guess the forehead issue was a sensitive topic. Personally, I thought she looked lovely and perfectly professional with them pinned back, but perhaps she hated it so much she couldn't stand the exposure. Then again, maybe I was overthinking it. Best to leave it alone. No sense in poking a hornet's nest.
"Right. Please keep it that way while you're on the clock."
"......"
Our eyes met as she peered at me, as if trying to gauge my internal reaction. She wasn't seeking a compliment on her appearance, was she? If anything, her eyes looked terrified that I was about to say something weird. It was a rare experience to have that kind of gaze directed at me, so it felt oddly fresh. Usually, I was the one doing the gauging. Man, she was an open book. I wondered if Natsukawa or Nee-chan saw through me just as easily?
Even if they did, it wasn't like they could say it out loud. Asking "Why are you constantly checking my facial expressions?" would make someone look like a total jerk. Anyone would end up hating you for that, not just Ichinose-san.
"Well then, let's get to it. First, we're going to organize the shelves while cross-referencing the list of books sold yesterday. It’s super simple."
"......"
"Ah... you can just nod when it’s just the two of us, but make sure you respond properly if a customer speaks to you."
"Y-Yes...!"
A pen and a memo pad... probably weren't necessary. The workload wasn't that heavy. However, knowing Ichinose-san, it was a safe bet that she wouldn't ask questions even if she were drowning in confusion. I’d have to be as considerate as possible. Though, in a real professional setting, that kind of hand-holding wasn't exactly ideal.
Now that I was the one doing the teaching, I realized just how much there was to do. If anything, the workload had increased because I’d spent so much time trying to improve the shop’s aesthetic. We didn't even have pop displays before I started... but I couldn't just let the same ones sit there forever.
A problem arose halfway through. Due to Ichinose-san’s height, the top shelves were completely out of her reach. I’d have to have her use a step stool, but the thought filled me with dread. I mean, this girl looked like she was about to topple over just by walking on flat ground.
"I-I can do this much...!"
"No. What happens if you say that, climb up, lose your balance, and expect me to catch you? Are we in a romantic comedy?"
"T-That would be............ no."
Ouch, my pride. A self-inflicted wound.
As expected of me. "As expected of me" in the most pathetic way possible. That hurt more than I anticipated, so I decided to keep my mouth shut from then on. Seriously, where did that sudden burst of unearned confidence come from?
"That's right, that's right! It would be a disaster if Mina-chan got hurt, so I'll handle the high spots!"
"Manager, you need to hold back too... That's exactly why you hired me, isn't it?"
"Ugh..."
If the old man threw his back out, I’d be the one the Wife scolded. I did a quick search on my phone and found a two-step stool. With that, even if she leaned forward, the bookshelf would catch her, and if she fell backward, she could find her footing just by stepping down one level. It seemed much more secure than a standard ladder. I’d have to consult the Wife about it later.
As for the old man... I was more worried about his spine than his balance. Definitely a no-go for him.
"I guess that's the gist of it. The rest is just the usual dull customer service."
"Hey. You shouldn't say things like that even if the shop is empty."
"Ah, sorry."
The old man wasn't exactly the pinnacle of politeness with customers himself, though. Then again, if an elderly man treated you a bit bluntly, people tended to just shrug it off as "classic old man behavior." I suppose that was just my own prejudice talking.
"The shop is open now, so a customer could walk in at any minute. For now, Ichinose-san, try to keep things tidy using what I just showed you. I'll take care of the customers and the high shelves. When we have someone at the register, stay by my side and just observe for the first few times."
We got the occasional difficult customer, and while they weren't always "troublesome," we got plenty of eccentric ones. Fortunately, this shop seemed to attract fewer of them. If someone tried to give the Manager a hard time, he’d just bark right back at them. It was a pointless endeavor for the customer; I’d seen it happen once. Though, personally, I thought both of them were behaving poorly.
"Also... ah, we’ll probably need this."
A lanyard with a name card. I pulled out a fresh one and wrote "In Training" in bold letters. Without this safety net, the current Ichinose-san would likely end up driving the customers to frustration. She looked like she’d get so panicked she’d lose the ability to speak; I could already see a future where the Manager ended up shouting at the customers in her defense. Yeah, that would be a nightmare...
I hadn't received anything like this when I started. Whenever a customer asked me something I didn't know, I just expertly passed the buck to the old man.
"Here. Ah, sorry."
"......"
She gave a tiny nod.
Perhaps because I was feeling overly maternal in my role as a mentor, I had instinctively reached out and placed the lanyard around Ichinose-san’s neck myself. I really should have just handed it to her and let her do it. She had frozen up completely. The emotional gulf between us was staggering; it felt as wide as the distance from this shop to my front door.
Was I being too overbearing, treating her like a child?
"Ichinose-san, do you have any questions about what we’ve covered so far?"
I figured I should ask, just to be safe. Even though my baseline assumption was that she wouldn't say anything, there was a chance she was just waiting for the prompt.
".........Um."
—Ah, so that’s a no. If you don't have anything, just say so! This was the kind of situation that only got more awkward the longer the silence stretched! Come on, say it! "Nothing in particular"!
"...............Well."
"In particular...?"
There isn't—?
".........There isn't."
How could two human beings be so fundamentally out of sync?
We managed it.