NOVEL NEXT Chapter 52
“──Welcome. Is it just the two of you today?”
Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed Kondo-san attending to the customers who had just walked in.
“Hey, Mizuki-kun.”
“Manager.”
Today marks the beginning of my so-called “guard duty” for Kondo-san. While there had been some drama before this—like Kondo-san’s lie being exposed and Chiaki-san getting all fired up—things kicked off pretty smoothly, all things considered.
“It’s probably an unfamiliar shift for you, but how’s it going so far? Any issues?”
“Not really. The only thing that feels a bit off is working with different people, but that’s it.”
“Haha. You’ve been on a pretty fixed schedule, so I can see how that might be tough.”
“It’s not that bad. The work’s the same, after all. Plus, I’ll be leaving before the peak hours for a while, so in a way, it’s kind of lucky.”
“Ah, yeah, that’s right. You won’t be here during the busiest times anymore. Man, what are we going to do…”
Correction: the manager didn’t seem to be having quite as smooth a start as I thought. Then again, with the change in my shifts, we’re now facing a situation where one of the key members will be missing during peak hours on multiple days, so I suppose this reaction is to be expected.
When something goes wrong, it inevitably falls on management to deal with it. This is the kind of stress that comes with being in charge.
“Well, we’ve just got to make do. I mean, I’m responsible for keeping a valued employee’s daughter safe. Can’t really say no to that.”
“Right, exactly.”
The manager sounded resolute, but from my perspective, it’s hard to fully agree with that. Judging from his response, he probably doesn’t know Kondo-san was lying. Since her parents eventually gave their approval, it’s possible that little detail got swept under the rug.
Kondo-san is pretty sneaky, so I doubt she would’ve bothered confessing that she’d tricked us. She’d probably just tilt her head, thinking, “Well, the end result’s the same, so why bring it up?” Honestly, it wouldn’t surprise me if the idea of coming clean never even crossed her mind.
But then, it’s not like I feel the need to bring it up either. Things have already started, and throwing extra information into the mix now would just complicate matters unnecessarily.
From my point of view, it’s better to just go along with it. As for Kondo-san’s morals…well, that’s someone else’s responsibility, not mine.
Whether she grows up to be someone who uses this situation as a learning experience or just becomes more of a smooth operator depends on her own conscience. Or, in the worst-case scenario, maybe she’s doing all this without realizing, and there won’t be any growth at all. Actually, that’s probably the likeliest outcome.
“…Hey, Mizuki-kun. Do you think you could help out a little, just for a bit?”
“No way. I had to wrangle my schedule like crazy just to manage this shift change. Do you know how much time I spent staring at my calendar?”
“…Yeah, I guess you’re right.”
Come on, don’t pile on any more. Sure, I’ve got some flexibility, but I’m already pushing myself. Like, skipping or leaving a few lectures early, for instance.
Of course, I can only pull that off because I’ve got plenty of credits saved up, and I’ve already cleared most of the attendance requirements for the semester. If I overdo it, though, it’s going to come back and bite me hard, so I’d rather keep the chaos to a minimum.
“Plus, didn’t I mention? My taxes are going to be a problem if I don’t cut back on shifts overall.”
“I know your hobby’s turned into a source of income. But still, Mizuki-kun, you’re a huge asset to the team…”
“Please don’t say ‘asset’ with that tone. Anyway, it’s time for me to clock out.”
“You’re so cold… Well, could you pick up Kondo-san on your way out, too?”
“Got it. See you later.”
“See you.”
I gave a quick nod to the manager and headed to find Kondo-san. She had just finished helping the customers and was standing free, so I waved her over.
“What’s up?”
“It’s time. You can clock out now.”
“Oh, got it. I’ll just put this away, then I’m done.”
“Alright. I’ll wait in the break room once you’ve changed.”
“Sure thing.”
Having passed along the message, I headed to the locker room ahead of her. After changing out of my uniform and into my regular clothes, I waited in the break room, fiddling with my phone to pass the time.
Soon enough, Kondo-san walked in, now dressed in her high school uniform.
“Sorry to keep you waiting, Mizuki-san!”
“I wasn’t waiting that long. You were quicker than I expected.”
“You think I’d take my time changing while someone’s waiting for me? What kind of person do you think I am, Mizuki-san?”
“Like I said before—a gyaru.”
“Then your idea of gyaru is totally wrong. We’re not that irresponsible. Those are just the few bad apples.”
“Sure.”
“‘Sure,’ he says.”
She’s definitely part of that minority, though. But it’s too much trouble to argue.
“Well, anyway, let’s head home, shall we?”
“…Right.”
“Nervous?”
“…A little. I’m still scared, you know.”
“Then why… Ugh, never mind.”
I still don’t get why she won’t just quit if she’s so scared, but we’ve already talked about it a bunch of times. No point in bringing it up again.
My job now is to quietly do what needs to be done and get home as quickly as possible.
“Walk behind me.”
“Huh?”
“If you’re really that worried, walk behind me. I’ll cover your back. Not that it’ll make much of a difference, though.”
“…Shouldn’t this be the part where you hold my hand or something?”
“With a high school girl in uniform? You want me to get socially annihilated?”
Yeah, that’s not happening. It would look terrible.
“By the way, why are you still in your uniform? You live close, right? You could’ve gone home to change.”
“No way. Then I’d have to change clothes. Marine Snow is closer to the station than my house anyway, so going home first would just be a hassle.”
“Is that how it is?”
If it were me, I’d go home, change into my regular clothes, and drop off my stuff. But I guess everyone’s different.
“Alright, let’s go.”
“Yup! Oh, is it okay if I walk close to you?”
“Denied. If you see that guy, let me know. I still haven’t seen him.”
“…Got it. By the way, Mizuki-san.”
“What?”
“You just ruined it. You were being all cool, but then you had to bring up something scary and ruin the mood.”
“Stop spouting nonsense and let’s go home.”
“Aw, come on.”
Not “aw, come on.” Honestly, this girl has no sense of tension. I wonder how things will turn out from here…