Midsummer had arrived. Even though it was still morning, the cicadas were already hard at work, amplifying the seasonal heat. I felt like screaming right back at them from point-blank range. If it weren’t for things like public decency and the police, I definitely would have done it. At this point, I wouldn't even care if a person or two pointed their fingers at me.
Despite the sweltering heat, however, my body felt surprisingly light. I realized now just how mentally exhausted I’d been yesterday; I had crashed by ten last night. I really must have been that tired.
That aside, I had work. I never expected that my sudden visit to the Natsukawa household would result in that "punishment" being invoked. I’d halfway given up on things with Ichinose-san, so having my back pushed like that was a big help. It felt a bit irreverent to treat it as a punishment, but the result was fine, so whatever.
Wait... was it really fine? In the end, Natsukawa had gone out of her way to help me. It felt more like I was enjoying the divine favor of the Goddess, Natsukawa Aika-sama. Thanks, Goddess. I’ll toss a five-yen coin into your mailbox next time—though that’d probably be a police matter.
I walked along the path under the elevated tracks, sticking to the shade as much as possible. It was muggy and incredibly humid over here, but it was better than walking under the blazing sun. I haven’t been exercising much lately, and since I never knew when heatstroke might strike, I had to take care of myself.
"...I don't want to go in."
The Secondhand Bookstore stood on a deserted street. Ichinose-san was probably already there. She had been yesterday, and even at school, it was normal for her to be in her seat acting like a bookworm by the time I entered the classroom.
—"Listen to what she has to say tomorrow. That's your punishment."
"......Sigh."
Oh, Goddess.
Ichinose-san was indeed there. The scene was so identical to yesterday that she might as well have been a fixed NPC. If I had to find a difference, it was that her forehead was already exposed today. The moment I appeared, she froze as if struck by lightning. What? Did she fall in love at first sight? Haha, she was so nervous the color was draining from her face! I couldn't stop this forced bravado!
"...Good morning, Ichinose-san."
"Y-Yes...! G-Good morning."
"Um... you don't have to be so on guard. I'm really sorry about yesterday."
"Y-Yes..."
This was no good. Just because I apologized didn't mean things would go back to normal immediately after what happened; expecting a normal conversation was asking too much. For now, I had to act as cheerful as possible to show her I didn't hold a grudge... I wondered if I could pull it off. Please, don't let any weird customers come in...!
"The Manager wasn't out front. Do you know where he is...?"
"Ah... um, he went upstairs."
"Got it. Thanks."
Okay, let's back off for a bit. A tactical retreat. With things like this, trying to close the distance all at once was too risky. It was just like allergy treatment—you get used to the stimulus bit by bit until you’re eventually fine. The "Sajou Allergy" was born then and there. If it didn't get cured, it would be a terminal illness.
Halfway up the stairs leading to the living quarters, I couldn't just walk in unannounced, so I gave a "Good mornin'!" at a decent volume to declare my arrival. After hearing an "Oh!" from the back, I heard the Wife's voice.
"Good morning, Sajou-san."
In times like these, unlike the Old man, the Wife was always proper and would usually show her face. Since she only gave a verbal reply this time, she must have been in the middle of putting on her makeup. Pardon me for the bad timing. Ohohoho.
I took my employee apron from the usual shelf. I was now ready to serve customers at a moment's notice.
When I glanced sideways, I saw Ichinose-san fidgeting, looking like she didn't know what to do with herself.
"We're not open yet, so let's just relax and organize the secondhand books out front."
"Ah... y-yes...!"
O-Oh...? Her reply was faltering, but it was better than yesterday. I could see her making an effort to improve. I suppose performing a dogeza wasn't for nothing... Ugh, my heart started to ache just remembering it. I needed to stop thinking about it.
However, watching Ichinose-san now, I remembered what Ashida had said. I found myself agreeing with her. "It’d be easier to just quit the part-time job and go back to being a customer," she'd said, and I felt the same way. Despite that, seeing her show up for work again today made me think she had some reason she couldn't back down from.
Even though we'd just started, Ichinose-san was moving more briskly than yesterday... No, sorry. To be honest, I could practically hear cute "boop-beep" sound effects coming from her as she moved around. She wasn't exactly moving with precision...
Further ahead, a book with a conspicuous color caught my eye on the very top shelf. It was clearly in a spot where it didn't belong. A customer probably picked it up, decided not to buy it, and just shoved it back in wherever.
Just as I was about to go fix it, Ichinose-san looked at the same spot and let out an "Ah." She ran over before I could and reached out toward it—no, no way you’re reaching that. No matter how hard you stretch, what's lacking is—
"Ah!?"
"Wait—"
Ichinose-san tried to grab it with a little hop. Her hand landed on a stack of books, which immediately slid sideways. Since she’d lost her balance completely, I panicked.
"A-Are you okay, Ichinose-san!?"
"—!?"
I caught Ichinose-san the same way one would catch a falling object. She was light... so light! You're the enemy of women and Tanita scales everywhere! You're definitely the type who doesn't gain weight even when you eat sweets! I won't forgive you for that!
...No, seriously, she was light. Were all girls like this? She was probably lighter than a student's backpack stuffed for entrance exams.
"U-Um...! I'm... okay..."
"Ah, right."
Ichinose-san pulled away, her hands even slipping as she hurriedly tried to escape my hold. How should I put it... looking at Ichinose-san, I didn't feel any impure thoughts even when touching her. Was it out of guilt, or was it simply because her appearance invoked a protective instinct...?
"I'll handle the high places, so just work your way through the shelves you can reach easily."
"Y-Yes..."
She replied in a thin voice. Great, she was back to how she was yesterday. It felt like I’d either had the wind taken out of my sails or I’d taken the wind out of hers... Well, she seemed motivated, so we could probably still recover. Yeah, good luck.
Wait, I’m talking to myself again.
"......"
"......"
Work proceeded in silence after that. Since the books weren't always a mess, sometimes organizing the shelves ended in a flash. Today was exactly like that. As the week passed the halfway point, the flow of customers became noticeable in the opposite way—it was dead. Everyone gets what they want in the first half of the week. You guys should work that hard on your summer homework, too.
"Time to open. I'll go flip the sign out front."
"Ah...! I'll..."
"Sure, I'll leave it to you then."
The mood, which had taken a nosedive, was gradually starting to recover. But what was this? I could almost see "patter-patter" sound effect characters and sweat emojis coming from her as she jogged... It was like watching a toddler's first errand. Sorry, Ichinose-san, I'm performing a dogeza in my heart—ugh, my head!
I needed to pull myself together. We were open. Ichinose-san was going to do her best, so I had to keep my nerves sharp in case any weird customers showed up. If handled poorly, they were like bombs that would explode. Those people took out their daily frustrations on us just because we were high schoolers. Use that energy for something else.
"Are you at it?"
"Manager. Well... yes, I think we're doing alright. It's still early."
"It’d be good if nothing happens..."
The Old man asked in a low tone. Sorry, but when someone who usually has a booming voice lowers their volume, it’s still normal. Well, Ichinose-san was outside, so it was fine. Or rather, Ichinose-san was probably more used to the Manager's personality than I was.
Just as I thought that, Ichinose-san returned.
"I-I did it..."
"Well done."
"Eh."
Ah.
Ah.