NOVEL NEXT Chapter 54
“──Mizuki-kun. Can you come over here for a sec?”
While I was in the kitchen placing an order for supplies, the manager called me over. A quick glance at the clock—it’s almost time to clock out.
I speed up my work, finishing up to a good stopping point. Supplies, done. I’ll leave the raw materials for the manager.
“Sorry to keep you waiting. I got the supply order done, so could you handle the rest?”
“Oh, right. Thanks for that, I’ll take care of it.”
“Got it.”
As I hand over the work, I follow behind the manager. As expected, it seems like there’s something she wants to talk about. Given the atmosphere, it’s probably about the office?
“Sorry to bother you right before you’re off. It’s about Kondo-san.”
“Yes, what about it?”
“I just wanted to ask how things are going. I’ve received the reports, but I want to hear from you, since you’ve been accompanying her.”
“It’s honestly just one step short of a crime. I mean, in the sense of assault or something like that.”
“…I figured as much.”
The manager cradles her head in her hands. Internally, I’m doing the same. Even though I’m the one who said it, I can’t help but think how much this really sucks.
“You see, because you and Kondo-san have been moving together, it’s been causing some trouble for the other staff. We’ve been getting some complaints…”
“Complaints?”
“Yeah, but given the situation, we can’t exactly talk about it openly… If word spreads, it’ll make everyone else feel uneasy too.”
“That’s true.”
According to the manager, because of the nature of the situation, a strange information gap has formed. Specifically, the male staff are being kept out of the loop.
The part-time ladies and some of the older female staff have already shared the details amongst themselves. But the male staff? Not so much. It’s probably just due to fewer chances to talk about it. After all, it’s not exactly the kind of thing that comes up in casual conversation between men and women.
“And there’s also the location. You know how women tend to talk about these things in the locker room, right?”
“Ahh.”
Yeah, I get it. The part-timers don’t talk about really secret stuff in the break room, no matter how openly they might share other information. They like to keep things like this to themselves, even if it’s a bit unnecessary.
That’s why the guys tend to get left out. Sometimes, we don’t even know what the topic is. …Though among the part-timers, if you’re not on good terms with them, they won’t share that info with you either.
“Anyway, it’s become a bit of a hassle. Some of the people who were on the same shift as you have started to complain, those who don’t know the whole story…”
“Complain about what, exactly?”
“…Well, they seem to know that you and Kondo-san go home together, so they’re saying stuff like, ‘Don’t cause trouble for us just because you two want to flirt.'”
“Who said that?”
“Mi-Mizuki-kun. I understand how you feel, but calm down, okay? Your eyes are kind of intense.”
I *am* calm, okay? I’m not even irritated. I’m choosing my friend’s safety over public opinion, thank you very much?
I’m fully aware of what I signed up for. I’m skipping my university lectures and risking my safety by escorting Kondo-san, so I really don’t have the luxury to care about what some randoms think.
“I, uh, just wanted to warn you that someone might say something weird to you, you know, just in case.”
“…I see.”
“Y-Yeah. I know this is all a lot of trouble for you, and I promise once things settle down, we’ll properly apologize and thank you. I just need you to hold out a little longer.”
“I don’t mind.”
As I’ve said to Chiaki-san before, backing out now isn’t an option.
From the start, I’ve been acting out of a sense of responsibility as a decent human being, and now it’s also about ensuring my own safety. It’s far too late for other people’s “feelings” to change anything. All I can do is stick with it until the end.
“…Yeah, I figured that was the case. I was thinking we could gradually return you to your original shifts if things seemed okay, but… it doesn’t look like that’s happening.”
“It’d be pretty dangerous, honestly. At least until the stalker gets arrested, we can’t afford to let our guard down.”
“Yeah…”
It seems like the manager has reached peak concern as well. To be honest, I really wish Kondo-san would just take a break from work, but at the same time, I want her where I can keep an eye on her.
In reality, the situation is extremely dire. The stalker gives off a seriously dangerous vibe. I sometimes make sure to catch sight of him, and every time, he looks unhinged. His eyes… they’re dead.
Even Kondo-san, who usually isn’t too sharp about this stuff, seems to have finally realized how dangerous things are. There’s fear in her actions now. Her mother walks her to the station on school days, and she doesn’t leave the house on weekends anymore.
When I take her home, she clings to me much more tightly than before. …Honestly, if someone saw us, they’d probably think we were flirting.
But I get the sense that might be provoking the stalker more, so I’m kind of in a bind. It’s good that she’s finally aware of the danger, but it’d be great if she didn’t make the stalker even more dangerous.
“Sigh… I expected trouble with customers, being in this line of work, but this is the first time I’ve had to deal with something like this in all my years of running this café.”
“I bet.”
“Never thought I’d have to deal with something as serious as a stalker…”
“Nope.”
In reality, if you live a normal life, you’d never expect to cross paths with a stalker. …This is the second time for me, though. What even is this life?