Source
https://ncode.syosetu.com/n4533ij/16/
“Hisa-kun! Did you wait for me?”
“I was just getting here, too”
Yuisa shouted out with a big wave of her hand and came trotting in front of me. She has blonde hair, white skin, and a well-defined face, and she is dressed a little too revealingly. I had often seen her in party dresses about exposing around her shoulders, but she was not the type of dress I was around on a daily basis, so I was a bit nervous when she approached me.
Once we got on the train and chit-chatted, we were soon downtown.
It was lunchtime, so I suggested we go to a restaurant we had our sights set on, and she agreed that it would be no problem.
“Somehow, Aren’t you familiar with this place?”
“Well, I have a younger sister, so I’ve gotten used to her being selfish.”
“Sister! What kind of girl is she?”
“She’s a little selfish. When I told her I was going out again today, she asked me to buy pudding.”
“You guys are so close!”
“I’m just a big brother who’s lower in the hierarchy than my little sister.”
“Haha, if you can say such a thing so easily, you must be very good friends with her!”
After that, we slowly made our way around the downtown area, talking about our middle school days, our memorable club activities, and who we knew in middle school at our current high school.
We went to a chain coffee shop on the way there, where at lunchtime there were people eating and people taking a coffee break, and the place was noisy and the staff was busy working.
I told her that the purpose of my part-time job was a photography trip, and she talked about where she wanted to go, and we talked about the places we both wanted to visit as we thought of them.
For lunch, being a student, we took a meal at a certain Italian food chain restaurant. The restaurant was crowded not only with families but also with young students, and my impression was that the recruitment of people, including Yuisa, seemed to be a difficult task.
I made a note of the restaurants where I could find recruitment, just in case I couldn’t find.
“I wonder if all the chain restaurants are busy on weekends.”
“Right. However, they do have openings with a sign that says they are open only on weekends, so I make a note of it even if it’s not a priority.”
“Hmm.”
After touring the stores in a large commercial building nearby, we returned outside and slowly made our way down one or two side streets parallel to the main street, which gradually turned off. There were some chain stores, but also a few small independent stores.
Walking along the street, which was quieter than the main street, I suddenly stopped. It was a coffee shop with wooden dark brown walls and a small sign. A sense of nostalgia was coming over me. I had stopped visiting this place after last summer.
Yuisa-san stopped and spoke to me curiously, to which I responded in a curt manner and opened the door.
A small bell rings, announcing my arrival to the clerk.
A girl slowly and languidly stands up and looks up, wearing a white and black uniform of this store with a body that looks like a junior high school student. I had just heard her voice the other day.
“Welcome!”
“Manager.”
“Ugh.”
Standing in front of me was the director of the club, Marumiya, who was also active in the evening yesterday. She looked at her own attire with a wry expression on her face, and then slumped down even more.
“…… Sir, please come this way.”
“You have a different character.”
“You’re too noisy, junior. Please move quickly.”
I was hit hard, and when prompted, I had no choice but to become more docile. When I took my seat obediently, the manager put down the menu and quickly left the table, not wanting to have a conversation.
Yuisa san glanced at the petite head of the manager and then nodded her head.
“You mean the head of the department, the photography club?”
“Yes, yes, she looks like a junior high school student, but she’s the third-year Marumiya manager.”
“I can hear you!”
“Excuse me.”
“Hmm, I see you two are close.”
“The photography club is not very crowded and many of the members don’t come to the club room. I haven’t had a chance to meet any of the other seniors yet.”
“Oh, so it’s just you and that senpai. So you can’t work on weekdays?”
“I’m sorry, one coffee and one tea. The type of coffee and tea is up to you, and the pastry is today’s recommendation.”
I don’t think there is anything wrong with being alone with her in club activities, but when I get into this kind of situation with my sister, I understand very well that nothing good will come out of it, whether I try to explain or shut up and listen to what they have to say, so I force myself to break the subject of Yuisa-san by calling the clubmanager who was waiting to be ordered to place an order
“Yes, yes, thank you for your order.”
The manager is probably busy, but leaves the table soon after receiving the order.
“Mouu, Hisa-kun”
“I didn’t start using a camera until last fall, so even though it’s a club activity, I want to take it seriously.”
I look at Yuisa firmly and answer her. This is something that I need to do now.
The time when the short hand of the clock moved about one-twelfth, Yuisa-san looked away as if lost in thought, and then tried to open her mouth to me again,
“I brought you some coffee and tea. If you want to make out, you’d better go to another restaurant.”
“W-we’re not like that, we’re just friends.”
“Please don’t go to …… for the lovey-dovey stuff.”
The manager left the coffee and tea without really listening to Yuisa-san’s response, and her remark was too quiet for me to catch. Yuisa-san, once again, ‘that’s not what you mean! , she said in a strong tone, so the manager must have been teasing her.
I put my hand on the coffee and found that it tasted very good, different from the bitter memories I had of it.
I was able to dig up from my memory that it tasted like this. Yuisa san also put her hand on her tea, and while taking a sigh of relief, her words were naturally overflowing with deliciousness.
“I recommend today’s baked goods. They go well with both, so please enjoy them. There are cookies, bite-sized baumkuchen, bite-sized sponge cakes, and financier.”
“H-how cute!”
“Is it really this good?”
“The sponge cake is an extra from me.”
Even though it was for two people, I didn’t think it would come out this good in terms of price when I asked for it on the menu. Yuisa-san thanked her extraordinarily! and promptly picked up a fork and munched on the castella she had given me as an extra.
Looking at her face, I could tell that she was satisfied with the taste without saying a word.
The manager also gave Yuisa a look of satisfaction, and then asked her to take her time and leave her seat.
I gratefully pick up a piece of cookie and eat it too. It’s safe. However, it was a cookie that went very well with coffee.
While enjoying the delicious pastries with Yuisa, the manager asked me if I wanted another cookie, so I gratefully ordered one. It’s not free, it’s a little extra charge. However, I thought it was a pretty good deal.
Suddenly, Yuisa opened her mouth to the manager who brought her another cup of tea.
“Do you have any part-time job openings here?”
“Hmmm.”
The manager put her hand on her chin and made a little thoughtful gesture before looking around the store. The reason why the manager is not involved is because all the seats in the restaurant are occupied and orders are being taken and items are being served. Come to think of it, I only saw manager
“Well.”
“Excuse me.”
“I’m coming!”
Before I could answer, the manager was called to order. I wonder if the restaurant was this popular in junior high school. The scene I was trying to recall faded into a blur as my heart pulsed with a set of painful feelings.
Yuisa, who was watching my face, was startled and grabbed my hand.
“W-What’s wrong?!”
“No, just a little. I’ll be fine once I calm down, just give me some time.”
“Y-yes, I understand.”
She kept holding my hand the whole time until I calmed down, and it took me quite as long to calm down as it did for the manager to come back from rustling up the other orders.
“Yeah, mother–‘
Due to the fact that I knew she was making a character, I looked at the Manager when I heard her say “Mother,” and I wondered if she was making this one too. Manager looked at the hands that Yuisa and I were linking and pretended not to see them.
“Are you two looking for a part-time job?”
“Ah, yes, I’m okay on weekends and weekdays after school, while Hisa-kun is only on weekends.”
“Orikawa-kun, why do you want a part-time job?”
“Oh, I had a good time on the photo shoot, so I’m looking for money for the trip.”
“Ah, it’s good to have a part-time job so that you can set a goal and a plan. What about you?”
“Ah! I’m Namazue Yuisa. I’m sorry, I didn’t tell you my name. I used to be a club member in junior high school, but I don’t do club activities in high school, so I thought I’d try a part-time job.”
“Hmm, to tell you the truth, there was a high school student who was working there a while ago, but he left, so I’m considering it. But it’s hard to teach when there is a turnover of people, so if you can stay with us for a long time, I think you’ll be welcome.”
“Am I good?”
If someone is going to hire me as a part-timer, they are going to look into my personality, and I am not something that the manager would think very highly of me. In fact, when she told me that I was a strange one, I thought that although she would be involved as the head of the photography club, there would be no overlap in the private side of our relationship.
I didn’t exchange contact information with her.
“Yeah, I know what you’re thinking, Orikawa kun, but …… well, as long as you’re willing to work hard in whatever state of mind you’re in, I’m fine with it. It’s good to recruit, but it’s hard to find good people. It’s not free to advertise jobs, and with my social circle, there are a lot of high society people who don’t have to work part-time or don’t have time.”
“Well, I’m sorry to ask, but I look like this.”
“Hm? Our family doesn’t judge people by their looks, and it’s nice to have a difference. Especially if you have a good face.”
As for the senior’s friendships, she is a member of the photography club and the tea ceremony club, saying that she likes pretty girls.
I see.
It must be such a connected environment for Ageha to join the club and say that these seniors are in a position to know each other.
Considering this, it seemed to me that the friendships that the department head actively formed would not be the type of people who would do much part-time work. Also, as I said, the reason she is accepting Yuisa san proposal is probably because her face was passable. It’s totally the manager’s taste
I wondered if I should tell her that, but the smiling manager won me over, so I let it slide by simply replying to Yuisa san that it was nice of her to do so. The maanger nodded in satisfaction. The manager seems to be very popular because she is very easy-going and friendly.
I was still wondering if Yuisa san was still good, but the manager forced me to exchange contact information with her, the contact information of this store and my personal contact information. She told me that she would give me the detailed terms and conditions at that time.
With the deadline clearly set, Yuisa was able to answer honestly, “Thank you very much, I will think about it and contact you”. Satisfied with this, the maanger did not give me her personal contact information, and quickly left the table.
I guess it was Yuisa who she wanted to be able to contact personally, so the manager probably followed herown motto. She is a thorough person, even if she is making a character out of me.
After that, we enjoyed the coffee shop to the extent that it was not too long, and left the store. As if to remind the good-looking Yuisa, the manager told her that she would be waiting to hear from him and sent us off.
The manager let Yuisa out first, and as she handed me her umbrella, she didn’t forget to give me a nail in the coffin.
“You’ll get stabbed someday”
“I’m trying to make this a high school where you get along with my friends because in middle school my friendships were ruined.”
“I thought you said it wasn’t your fault that you went bust.”
“No, ……, no, maybe it wasn’t. Because I’m a disgrace.”
“Orikawa-kun.”
I left the store to run away from the manager who called my name. I glanced at the messages on my smartphone, and when I looked at the time, it was already evening, so I told Yuisa-san, who was waiting outside the store, that we should call it quits for today.
Yuisa-san must have felt like it had been a long day, and she stretched out, feeling moderately tired.
“Uu～～～～, we walked more than I thought we would. It was fun, wasn’t it? Do you want to go home with me?”
“Sorry, I’ll go home after finishing some errands. We’ll partways at the station.”
“I see! roger.”
Yuisa is not the type of person who would stop you. She sometimes steps in, but when I clearly state the end of things, she accepts it. I dropped her off at the station, parted ways with her, and waited at the station until the person I was waiting for showed up, looking at my phone.
The spring sun is slowly tilting and the clock is ticking toward dusk, and I see a figure with the western sun on its back.
Raindrops drip down to the ground from the overcast sky above my head. I put on the umbrella the manager had lent me and started walking.
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