Eighth Period: Part-Time Job, Rainy Walk Home

In the end, the pain in my right arm didn’t subside, and it was already after school. And, just my luck, today was a work day.

“Morning,” I said, entering the staff room after changing into my uniform. My junior coworker (kitchen staff), who seemed to be on break, looked up from her phone.

“Oh, Atsuto-san! Hey!”

“Yo. How’s it looking today?”

“The customers are totally sparse today! Lucky you, Senpai!” I opened a can of coffee I’d bought at the convenience store on the way, ignoring the junior who gave me a thumbs-up.

“More importantly... S-E-N-P-A-I.” The junior suddenly scooted her pipe chair closer to me, giving me a cheeky grin.

“What is it?”

“Have you run into that short, big-chested foreigner again?”

“Guh... Cough, cough, cough!”

Shit! I almost sprayed coffee everywhere!

“Ah, that reaction means something did happen, right?! You gotta share the progress!”

“Why would I share that... and nothing happened! I just choked!” I managed to argue, finally swallowing the coffee.

“What! You got kissed and there’s zero progress?! No way! Just spit it out and feel better!” The junior poked and prodded my side, grinning like a cat that found a mouse.

“Hyaah...! Stop that! That tickles!”

“Pffft... ‘Hyaah!’ he says! I’m not stopping until Atsuto-san confesses! Come on, come on!”

Just then—Ding-dong!—the bell requesting backup at the register rang out in the room.

“Oh, backup! The register needs help! See ya!”

“Ah! W-Wait up, Senpai!”

I fled to the register, where a girl (a new part-timer) was standing there, looking flustered.

“Yes. What’s the matter?”

“I-I’m sorry! What’s the order for confirming a sandwich order...?”

She was new, so she must have forgotten the steps.

“I’ll take over here!”

“S-Sorry! Thank you!” The new girl bowed and moved aside, letting me take the register.

“Thanks for waiting! Welcome...—to the cafe?!” My voice completely cracked, despite my intention to be a good example.

The customer who was on her phone looked up. It was—

“Sensei?!”

“Oh, Atsuto-kun?!”

—Char.

“W-Why is Sensei here?!”

“Atsuto-kun, you work here!”

“Well, yeah. But why are you...?”

“I just had some leftover work I needed to finish! What a huge coincidence, Atsuto-kun!” Char grabbed my hand and happily swung it back and forth.

“S-Sensei! Shhh! Please be quiet in the cafe...!” I put my index finger to my lips, but Char pouted.

“Ehh, come on! There are no other customers, anyway!”

She was right; Char seemed to be the only customer.

But that wasn’t the point—the new girl next to me was staring!

As I wondered what to do, Char leaned in again, giving me a sparkling, innocent, childlike gaze.

“And your apron looks great! It really suits you!”

“Oh? Y-You think so?”

“Yeah! It’s really good! ...Ehehe, Apron Atsuto-kun is so cool...” Char gazed at me with a goofy, melted expression.

I was happy, but it was embarrassing to be praised so much in front of my coworkers!

“A-Anyway, let me take your order!”

“Ehh! But I want to talk more!”

I managed to calm the disgruntled Char and got back into work mode. I confirmed her order—the type of bun, the vegetables, and the toppings—without a hitch.

“By the way, how long are you working for, Atsuto-kun?” Char asked, glancing at me as I handed her a number tag.

“Umm, until ten tonight.”

“Yes! Got it! Then I’ll work hard until then!” Char gave me a determined fist pump and headed toward a booth in the corner of the shop.

She was going to wait until my shift ends... right?

...Shit, I bet I’m grinning right now.

“I see! That was very informative, Senpai!”

“Dwaaaah?!”

There was only supposed to be the new girl next to me, but somehow my junior coworker had appeared.

“W-When did you get here?!” I gasped.

“Heehee,” the junior giggled cheekily. “Atsuto-san took too long to come back! I got worried about my Senpai, you know?”

Yeah, right. She definitely came to watch the show.

“I can’t believe Senpai had such a beautiful girlfriend! I’m shocked!”

“No, she’s not my girlfriend!” I quickly denied it to the new girl, but the junior immediately protested.

“That looked like a countdown to girlfriend status! Don’t be so secretive! You totally got closer to her after meeting her at the net cafe, didn’t you!”

“Ugh, w-well...”

“But seriously, Atsuto-san. I guess you grabbed her heart as well as her boobs, huh!”

“Hey, you!”

What unnecessary thing did she just say?!

The junior grinned, while the new girl’s cheeks flushed pink.

“H-He grabbed a non-girlfriend’s chest?!”

“Yup. Senpai’s surprisingly a playboy!”

“Don’t just make stuff up!”

Char must have heard that, right?!

I cautiously checked, and Char was silently focused on her work PC. Phew. She had earbuds in, so she probably couldn’t hear!

“You’ve been on break too long! We have a mobile order!”

“Oh, whoops!” The junior winked mischievously and dashed back to the kitchen.

I had planned to keep my relationship with Char a total secret—but the road ahead looked difficult...

＊＊＊＊＊

After being teased by the junior for the rest of my shift, 10:00 PM arrived.

After finishing the closing procedures, I left the cafe. As I stepped out the back door,

“Atsuto-kun!” Char stood up from a bench in the park across the street and came running toward me, waving enthusiastically.

And then—

“Atsuto-kun! Good work!”

“Gah!” The moment she reached me, she slammed into me with a passionate hug.

“W-Wait, Sensei...?”

When I spoke, she slowly broke the hug and gave me a huge smile.

“It’s a ‘gyu’ for good work! How is it? Did your tiredness fly away?”

“Haha, y-yeah, thanks to you...” I replied awkwardly, and Char smiled softly. “I’m so glad.”

My self-control is about to fly away more than my tiredness...

“Umm... Did you get a lot of work done?”

“Yeah! I really liked the cafe’s atmosphere! I might come again!”

“Yes, please do!”

It would be a little embarrassing if she came on my work day, but I think she really did get a lot done.

Watching Char focus silently on her laptop made me feel like I should work harder, too. ...Even though almost no customers came today.

“Let’s head out, then!”

“Yeah! Good idea!”

The station was about a ten-minute walk from here. It wasn’t far, but—

“Hmm. The weather looks bad.” Char looked up at the thick, cloudy night sky with a worried expression.

I vaguely remembered the forecast saying it would rain tonight and tomorrow night.

“It looks like it’s about to pour...”

“Yeah. Oh! Speaking of which!” Char hit her fist against her palm and looked at me with sparkling eyes.

“I heard all about it! Atsuto-kun, you’re the reliable older brother figure at the cafe, aren’t you!”

“No, I wouldn’t say that... Wait, ‘I heard all about it’...” I asked, and Char smiled happily.

“While I was waiting in the park, I talked to that short part-timer for a bit!”

“Buh?!” The short part-timer was the junior, right? She was skipping work to mess with Char?!

“What exactly did you hear?”

“Umm, for example... about how you’re weak right here!”

“Bwah!” She poked my side, and all the air flew out of my lungs.

“Ahahaha! It’s true! It really tickles here, doesn’t it?” I gave her a protesting look, but Char just giggled happily, completely unconcerned.

I’m going to complain to that junior next time I see her.

“And also, that Atsuto-kun is bad at English and gets flustered when foreign customers come! And that you can’t drink coffee without two sugars! I asked her a bunch of stuff, and she told me everything! ...Ah, but—” Char’s happy expression suddenly clouded over.

“But?”

“I thought it was kind of nice that your junior knew so much about you.”

My heart gave a huge thump at Char’s wistful whisper.

“W-What do you mean by that...?”

“Oh, no, it’s nothing deep! Just, like, a random thought? I just thought it was nice!” I asked cautiously, and Char’s cheeks flushed slightly as she waved her hands in front of her chest.

Just then—

—Flash!

“Hyaah?!” Lightning suddenly streaked across the sky, and Char, startled, clutched tightly onto my right arm.

“S-Sensei?!”

“Ugh...”

“Are you okay?” Char nodded repeatedly, but her arm was tightly wrapped around mine.

“L-Lightning is scary...” she whispered, pressing her trembling body close to mine.

I could feel Char’s body heat and heartbeat directly.

“Atsuto-kun is nervous, too... Are you scared of lightning?”

“I-I’m, uh, used to lightning.” What does that even mean?

I was nervous because Char was pressing her body so close to mine, not because of the lightning...

—Rumble, rumble, rumble.

“Kyaaah!” A low thunderclap followed soon after, and Char hugged me even tighter.

“Let’s hurry to the station!”

“I-I’m scared, but I don’t want to!”

“Ehh?! Why not?!” Char shook her head like a stubborn child, still pressed against me.

“Because I want to be with Atsuto-kun for a little longer!”

Even in this situation, Char casually said something that made my heart jump.

My self-control was in danger if we walked this close together...

But Char clung to me tightly, as if she wouldn’t let go no matter what.

“...Alright. Then let’s walk slowly.”

“Ugh... Thank you, Atsuto-kun...” In the end, we ended up walking at her pace.

“A-Atsuto-kun.”

“Yes?”

“W-What if lightning strikes...? Should we crouch down and walk...?”

—Flash!

“Hyaaaah?!”

“By the way, Sensei, what’s your favorite food!”

“H-Hamburger!”

—And so.

I kept bringing up completely unrelated topics to distract Char, who was genuinely terrified, as we walked toward the station.

We safely reached the station concourse without getting caught in the rain.

(Trembling...)

“Sensei, we’re here!” I patted Char’s back with my free hand.

Char took a deep breath, then cautiously let go of my arm.

“We’re already here...”

“...Yeah.” It was strange.

I was so distracted when Char was clinging to me, but now that she was gone, I felt a little lonely.

“Are you okay?”

“Atsuto-kun talked to me a lot, so I wasn’t scared!” Char’s anxious expression instantly changed into a bright smile.

I was still a little worried, but I couldn’t exactly walk her all the way home.

“...Can you get home by yourself?”

“Ugh... I-I’m a little scared, but I’ll try my best!” Char gave me a determined fist pump, and just then, the announcement for a train arriving was heard from the platform.

“Ah, your train is coming!” I said.

Char gasped, her eyebrows furrowing slightly in sadness. “Well, I guess I’ll go now!”

“Yes! Please be careful on your way home!” Char waved and headed toward the stairs to the platform.

But halfway there, she stopped dead and turned back toward me.

【I wish this station was a little further away.】

“—Eh.”

“B-Bye-bye!” Char turned her back to me and dashed down the stairs.

...What did she say? I didn’t catch any of that.

“Station... the station, huh.” I tried to recall the only word I caught, but of course, I couldn’t figure out what she said, and I was left completely bewildered.