I’ll take the fact that I unintentionally treated Ichinose-san like a child who just finished her first errand to my grave, but regardless, we were off to a smooth start. Once she mastered customer service, I could basically consider her training for this job complete. Was there any other part-time gig this easy? Well, the pay was bottom-tier, so I guess it evened out.
"Welcome."
I greeted our first customer in a voice that wasn't too overbearing. He looked like your typical bibliophile. From a short distance away, I saw Ichinose-san’s face stiffen. Given what happened yesterday, I wondered if I should handle the register for the first few rounds.
I stopped shelving the inspected secondhand books and started toward the counter. Suddenly, Ichinose-san darted in front of me, spreading her arms to block my path. Huh? What was that? It was a little childish and actually kind of cute. Could she please stop trying to be "moe" while we were on the clock?
"I—I’ll do it...!"
"Eh?"
Wait, let me just say, I was moved. Wasn't this growth rate insane? Had she gone and trained in the Hyperbolic Time Chamber since yesterday? If such a place actually existed, I’d rather spend my time there playing video games. My hunting time was severely lacking lately.
Ichinose-san trotted over to the register and stood there with a determined huff. I could see the tension written all over her face. Hey, Mr. Customer, if you’re going to buy something, please hurry up. Ichinose-san’s nerves are only going to get worse the longer you wait.
Oh, he was heading over.
"..."
"...A..."
Tch...! He was the type who placed his items on the counter in total silence. I suppose it was better than him throwing them down, at least. Still, that blunt attitude might be tough for Ichinose-san to handle...
"W-Welcome— Th-That will be 130 yen for... one item."
Oh.
"I—I’ve received 500 yen. Um, um... H-Here is 370 yen in change."
Whoa, wait, let me just say, I was moved again. This growth was insane! Did she really go off and train somewhere? The Hyperbolic Time Chamber really did exist! Let me use it too! I’m not asking for a freebie! I’ll pay the same hourly rate as a karaoke box!
"Ah... Um."
"Thanks. We can put a book cover on this size; would you like one?"
"Yeah."
"Understood."
I saw Ichinose-san reaching her limit during the packaging stage, so I jumped in and asked the customer. His "yeah" was a bit ambiguous, but as long as I tucked the cover into the bag with the book, he wouldn't complain. See? I was putting it in with the book. I wasn't lying.
I gave a polite bow and a "Thank you very much." Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Ichinose-san follow suit without a moment’s delay. Whoa, whoa, whoa, what happened to her? She really had awakened!
Once the customer left the shop, Ichinose-san looked at me with a slightly reproachful gaze.
"...W-Why did you step in?"
"!"
Are you serious...? Am I not wanted anymore? Is this where I smile and say my goodbyes? It felt like I could quit right now without any worries. I almost wanted to apologize for yesterday with a reverse dogeza. People really could change...!
No, I was too excited to hold back.
"What happened, Ichinose-san?! You’re like a completely different person from yesterday! That was amazing!"
"Hwah...!?"
In my excitement, I almost clapped her on the shoulder. My "no sexual harassment" spirit remained firm, however. I am a gentleman. But perhaps my voice was too loud, because Ichinose-san backed away, looking startled.
"Did you do some kind of special training?!"
"Ah... Um, yes... I watched some... customer service videos and such..."
"They have those?!"
"Yes-s-s..."
Wasn't she admirable? She was the model of a perfect newbie; I couldn't find a single fault. I felt like giving her a bag of assorted snacks, like I would for Airi-chan. I felt like giving my past self a Rolling Sobat learned directly from Nee-chan.
"That’s great... Let's keep this momentum going! Getting used to it is the most important part!"
"Y-Yes!"
Picking up the pace, Ichinose-san said she was going back to organizing the shelves. As she moved away from me, she did a tiny fist pump. Apparently, she was happy she could put her self-study to use. I was happy too, so everyone won! For a girl like Ichinose-san, building confidence was key, so I figured she was on the right track.
Whether my encouragement worked or not—I hoped it did—Ichinose-san began to tackle the work proactively, though still a bit tentatively. Whether she was speaking clearly enough was a task for later, but her rate of improvement was extraordinary. It was seriously insane.
The problem was whether she could handle a difficult customer like the one yesterday, but she needed to get used to normal service first, so I figured I could set that aside for now. Besides, that wasn't what I’d been worried about from the start anyway. It wasn't like I was able to pull off that little act of changing my tone of voice right from the beginning either.
In my case, it was only because the Old man would yell at customers with such intensity that I felt I had to do something about it myself. It was a matter of necessity.
"Sajou-kun, Mina-chan, take your break now."
"Got it."
We were granted a break and headed to the back. On the way to the living room, I ran into the Wife, who was heading toward the kitchen. She was dressed quite nicely; she was probably going to her computer class after this.
"Ah, Wife. I forgot to mention this yesterday."
I let Ichinose-san go ahead and consulted the Wife about the step stool we used for work, explaining the current dangers. If I talked to the Old man about it, he’d just snap and say we didn't need such a thing. He probably just thought it was a hassle.
When I got to the living room, Ichinose-san was already in the process of taking a book out of her small bag. Her thirst for reading hadn't changed since yesterday.
...Wait, hold on. This was our only break, which meant this was the only time I could have a casual chat with Ichinose-san. She seemed like the type to hurry home as soon as work was over. This was bad; I wouldn't be able to carry out Natsukawa's punishment. She’d definitely ask me for a report later.
Uhh, umm...
"Ichinose-san, I honestly thought you’d end up quitting."
"Eh?"
Heeey! What the hell was I saying?! Those weren't the words you said to someone who just worked her heart out! I just said something incredibly rude, didn't I?! I mean, it was how I truly felt, but still!
This must be what they meant by a slip of the tongue... Maybe I applied too much lip balm... On second thought, I wasn't even wearing any. The margarine from my morning toast must have been the final coating.
I timidly shifted my eyes toward Ichinose-san, only to find her looking quite miffed. I’m sorry, okay? I have no delicacy. I flushed it all down the toilet this morning.
"...I couldn't afford to quit."
After our eyes met, Ichinose-san looked away and spoke with a slight delay. Apparently, she had a firm resolve. Her spirit hadn't broken after all that happened yesterday.
...Wait? "Couldn't afford to quit"? Wasn't that a slightly strange way of putting it? Did she have a reason why she couldn't quit even if she wanted to...?
If I asked, "Why couldn't you afford to quit?" she’d probably think, Why the hell do I have to tell you? Was there a more natural way to ask...?
"Uhh... By the way, why did you decide to get a part-time job in the first place?"
"..."
Was this it? Her motive for applying? It sounded like something a senior colleague would ask. She probably talked about it with the Manager during her interview, so it should be an easy enough question to answer.
Ichinose-san put the book she’d been taking out back into her bag, sat up straight, and looked down, her eyes wandering.
"——...Because I want to be independent..."
"No way."
"Eh?"
What? To be independent? Wasn't that amazing? I’d never even considered something like that. What was my reason for working again? Oh right, "I want money to play, so I came to get some social experience." I’m trash. I’m actual garbage. A miraculous collaboration between my true feelings and my public excuse.
"Wait, in-independence?"
"Y-Yes... independence."
Even when I asked again, the answer was the same. I see... So that was why she didn't quit even after being told all those things yesterday. It felt like her attitude toward the job was different from mine. Rather than a special reason, maybe Ichinose-san viewed this as her job as a member of society. If that was the case, I could see why she wouldn't quit over something minor.
...But we’re only first-year high schoolers, you know? In the prime of our youth. Oh, wait, I forgot I wasn't a JK. Just Krazy self-conscious? Shut up, you idiot. I was a regular old DK. A dorky kid. No, a gorilla. Uho.
............Uho?