Frightened in more ways than one, Ichinose-san somehow managed to finish dealing with Sasaki-san. Honestly, Sasaki-san was just a normal customer who happened to walk and talk a bit rough. I did wonder what to do when she raised a fist and yelled, "Thanks!" after getting her change, though. Well, she passed.
"Th-that was more embarrassing than I expected..."
I bet it was.
Fanning herself with her hand, she looked like the mature older sister she usually was again. That previous sight must have been an illusion. Sasaki-san and I were probably just tired. Sasaki-san was a student preparing for exams, and I was—well, it was summer, and it was hot. Plus, I hated bitter melon stir-fry.
It seemed Sasaki-san had originally come to see me, but like before, it also served as a change of pace for her. She actually acted like a proper customer and bought two books. As she left, the way she gave a small wave of her hand was like a lily of the valley swaying in the breeze. I'd trade my Nee-chan for her in a heartbeat.
"......That was something else."
"......"
The sentiment slipped out of my mouth. Ichinose-san didn't reply, but that was fine; I was just talking to myself. What was "something else" was the fact that absolutely no other customers came besides Sasaki-san. I mean, it was already almost the weekend; most people finished their shopping in the first half of the week, whether on a weekday or a holiday.
"I'm quitting this place after summer vacation, so I'm counting on you to handle Sasaki-san when she comes by."
"Eh...!?"
When I said it casually, she looked startled. She had a look on her face like she was thinking, Are you serious? Did she dislike Sasaki-san that much? She was a kind older sister type—oh, wait, she was younger than us. A college-student-looking middle schooler—wait, what?
In the end, I wondered what Ichinose-san actually thought of Sasaki-san. Observing from the side, Sasaki-san had been surprisingly assertive. I’d been so welcoming that I hadn't noticed at all. I hoped Ichinose-san didn't find her difficult to deal with. Come to think of it, once I quit this place, I wouldn't have any more chances to see Sasaki-san...
"Y... you're quitting?"
"Oh... you didn't know?"
The whole reason they were hiring for a part-time job was because I was leaving... I wondered if she hadn't heard about it during her interview with the Old man. He’d been so overjoyed back then that he might have forgotten to explain a few details. Though I wondered if she was okay with the part about getting along with Sasaki-san.
"Well, as you can see, this shop doesn't need two part-time workers. If the Manager were younger, he might not have needed any at all."
"......"
I’d mainly joined to take over the tasks that were hard on his back. Customer service was a main part of it too, of course, but now I felt like I didn't want the Old man doing much of that either. Well, he’d said it was a hobby for his retirement, so maybe it was fine. At the very least, Ichinose-san would probably look out for him.
"Well, since I've heard your story, I'll play the part of your senior until then—though I don't know if it'll help you reach your goal."
"......! ......"
Ah, crap. I let something delicate slip in the flow of conversation. Ichinose-san flinched. Kuma-san-senpai was probably with Yuri-chan-senpai again today—ugh... Even I was taking damage from this. I’d naturally called him Kuma-san, too. Those two probably wouldn't even notice me if I played dead right in front of them.
"......No...... thank you for listening."
"Ah, yeah...... Hm?"
Was she thanking me for listening to her story rather than for teaching her things as a senior? I felt more like I shouldn't have heard it in the first place, though.
As if something had caught her eye, Ichinose-san left the register and started organizing the shelves. Though I could only see her profile, she looked as emotionless as she often did at school. It was painful to see that kind of repressed expression...
"......It's almost time for my shift to end."
The clock was already pointing to noon. The Old man was strict about time, so he’d probably be coming out soon.
Until that moment arrived, Ichinose-san devoted herself diligently to her duties.
◆
It was completely someone else's business, but it was human nature to be curious once you'd heard it. To be honest, I'd rather not have heard it at all. But even if I was curious, it was Ichinose-san's family matter, and I had no intention of sticking my nose into it, so it might have just been idle curiosity. After all, I was just her senior at work.
Then why did Ichinose-san tell someone like me such a delicate secret? We’d hardly spoken until now, and if anything, I’d been an unpleasant guy who had been cold to her since the first day.
When I thought about it that way, only one answer popped up. If you knew Ichinose-san, it was actually quite easy to come up with.
Because she has no one else to talk to.
I’d thought this a few times before... but man, that was a rude way to think. It was like I was looking down on her. But I couldn't help thinking it; I hardly ever saw her talking to anyone at school. It wasn't like she didn't have worries about that.
Including that, Ichinose-san was probably pushed to her limit trying to become mentally independent. So much so that she ended up talking about it to me, someone she wasn't even slightly close with.
If she hadn't, eventually something would have overflowed. In a way, I thought she’d revealed her circumstances to me to protect herself. If she told her parents, it might cause trouble for her brother, and I didn't think the Old man would be able to empathize if she told him. The Wife would probably just throw negative words at her like she was giving a lecture. If there had been a girl Ichinose-san was close with... I probably never would have known about her circumstances.
"I wonder if she expects something from me..."
On the way home, I muttered to myself with a carbonated juice in hand. Oh no, was I some kind of protagonist? There was no way... If I were, I'd be more handsome and popular with girls, and I'd surely be amazing at sports. Of course, my Nee-chan would be super kind... wait, I should have had a Brocon little sister instead of an older sister to begin with... Wait a sec? That sounded kind of familiar.
If it were Sasaki, would he have done something for her? All I could do was act as her senior at work. Just teaching the usual, standard things. That alone was pretty tiring, and above all, that was the limit of this Sajou-sama's stature. Seriously paltry.
"A-ah...?"
If it were Sasaki, maybe even the carbonation wouldn't fade.
◆
【Um, is your part-time job over?】
Oh no, she was fast.
My Goddess, Natsukawa-sama... Never had I felt such a sense of urgency from one of your messages as I did today. I was planning to take a shower, eat, play some games, take a nap, and then think about how to explain things... Geez, you're so impatient!
No, wait, calm down. Natsukawa's punishment was just to ask Ichinose-san why she was trying so hard to keep her job, right? I didn't need to talk about the details. It would only be awkward to talk about that kind of stuff with a girl anyway. I could just say there seemed to be some serious reason why she had to be independent.
【Dear Natsukawa-sama. Although it is called autumn by the calendar, the severe heat continues; I hope you are doing well. I cannot express enough my gratitude for your extraordinary patronage.】
【What's with that greeting?】
Dammit...! My modest wish for her not to contact me yet, my immense joy at being able to exchange messages with Natsukawa, and my overflowing respect for her had clashed, and I’d instinctively sent something that sounded like a formal seasonal greeting...!
Crap, this was what happened when I blinked for a second. It wasn't like I’d actually received any "extraordinary patronage" anyway. I was just truly grateful she’d even been born. Thank you, God. You're a real god.
【No, you see, I just felt like trying to act a bit more mature? The heat wave is crazy, isn't it?】
【......Don't push yourself too hard.】
O-oh, she was being kind... That was weird; I’d thought she’d say something a bit more prickly. Had Natsukawa's "big sister power" gone up again? I bet she’d been using summer vacation to power-level her skills using Airi-chan. Was she about to learn a new move? Sheer Cold? That was a one-hit KO move...
【You too, don't wear yourself out trying too hard to look after Airi-chan, Onee-chan.】
..................
"....................................Huh?"
Huh...? I mean, like, no reaction or... wait, did I gross her out? Did I just totally creep her out? Haha, it seemed my professional side as a younger brother had come out... At my level, it was possible to create the illusion for a moment that I really was her younger brother. So Natsukawa wasn't creeped out at all, I was sure of it. Please let it be so. I'm going to cry.
【Stop it with the 'Onee-chan.'】
【Ah, yes.】
She was dead serious.
No, see, just as Natsukawa was a Siscon who loved Airi-chan, I also shared a strange fate with Kaede. It was a complex. I seriously loved how she’d eat an endless supply of meat buns and then make a bitter face on top of the scale. And even though she usually lied around with her belly button showing, she got fully armored only when it thundered—it was honestly hilarious.
"—What, you were here? Make me some coffee, the cold kind. About 8:2 milk to coffee. One teaspoon of sugar, and caramel powder too, please."
"Can you give me a minute?"
"Forty seconds."
"Yes, ma'am."
【Current Record】—— 38.14 seconds/cup