A random teaser thing cause I’m not in the mood to finish up the uchimusume chapter.
My favourite song from the movie
Also this story is just a teaser, and although there’s only another 6 chapters, I’m not thaaat interested in continuing it.
Crying in the night, unseen.
A story between a middle-aged woman and a hot young man.
Author: Nakame
I wonder if I missed the timing to get married.
Or maybe, that sort of timing didn’t exist in the first place.
I moved in with Satoshi once we started dating.
“If we live together, you’d come to think that you’d be able to have sex whenever you want, which leads to none.”
Maybe it was someone on TV, or a magazine, but someone said that once.
Living together for 3 years.
No sex for a year and a half.
Satoshi wouldn’t come touch me, and I, for fear of getting rejected, wouldn’t even invite him myself.
I was 28 years old this year as well.
It wasn’t like I wasn’t rushing to get married.
But, there’s probably no way the two of us will marry given the lack of sex.
And even though we’re not getting any, I still like Satoshi.
And even then, I think that Satoshi is the only one I’ll marry.
I’m working as sales for a jewelry shop.
Because of that, I usually rest on weekdays
Satoshi is a salaryman. He rests on the weekends.
Today is Saturday.
Today Satoshi isn’t working.
“Kiuchi-san, go and post the daily mail~”
“Ah, okay. I’m off then~”
Having been requested by my manager, I was heading over to the nearest post office when I saw it.
“….Satoshi??”
Satoshi was on a date with a cute, young girl.
That was definitely Satoshi.
We’ve been living together for three years. There’s no way I would be wrong.
And that was definitely a date.
I mean, the two of them were holding their hands tightly, with their fingers intertwined as if they’ve been doing it for a while already.
If they were just normal friends, they wouldn’t hold their hands like that.
Satoshi was smiling like he was having fun.
I felt sad, vexed, bitter, like I couldn’t forgive him.
In my eyes, tears started to form.
The only one thinking about “Marriage” and rushing was me.
Maybe, Satoshi only thought of me as someone he was living with.
Once the tears welled up, they started forming like they wanted to burst out.
But I didn’t want to cry right now.
It’s not like I was at an age where I would look cute if I cried at the shock of falling out of love, nor was I an adult who lacked common sense. I wouldn’t go back to work teary eyed.
Trying my best to not cry, I made my mouth into one straight line and bit down, with enough strength to stop my tears.
You can do it, me.
My endurance paid off, and I returned back to the shop, having not cried.
I smiled happily, more than normal.
This was a jewelry store.
Right now, I’m thinking “Why did I pick out this line of work!” and regretting it.
It’s not like I hate the job itself. Actually, I love it.
However, most of the customers who come to buy jewelry, are couples.
I have to recommend jewelry to those happy couples with nothing less than a perfect smile.
It was quite tough for the current me.
But, smile. You can do it, me.
“Kiuchi-san. How long do you think you can stay for tonight’s inventory count? When’s the last train?”
As I was wiping off the fingerprints stuck to the showcase, the manager walked towards me holding my shift sheet.
That’s right…. Today is the inventory count.
The last train is at 24:05.
But…..
I don’t want to go back to a home where Satoshi is.
Maybe, while I’m not around, Satoshi would bring that girl into our apartment.
And in our bed….
If they did then, since when….
I would throw myself down on that bed every day without knowing anything.
I bet I looked stupid.
“….I’m ok tonight. I can stay until the end.”
If I walk slowly then, I would reach my apartment in two hours.
I want to go home as late as possible.
“That’s right… I wonder if Satoshi will come get you??”
The one who came talking to me with a smile, was Momoka, an employee who had joined at the same time as me.
Momoka was married, and was a pregnant woman just on the verge of taking her maternity leave.
I loved Momoka who was kind and always gentle, but those innocent words delivered at the height of her happiness hurt, like they were stabbing me in the chest, constantly pricking me.
I didn’t reply, and merely smiled back at her.
“It seems the only ones who can stay back are the two of you, Kiuchi-san and Tachibana-san. I’m sorry, but can I ask the two of you to finish counting the rest when the other’s head for their last train?”
The manager puts both his hands together in front of him apologetically.
“Yes. Please leave it to us.”
I smiled at the manager.
“That’s a bunch, Kiuchi-san.”
The manager pats my shoulder with a “pon” then went back to the station that Momoka and him was in charge of.
“Tachibana-san huh….”
Tachibana-san was the son of the CEO’s younger brother it seems.
The CEO’s only son didn’t continue the business and instead went off to work as a lawyer.
As a result, it seems Tachibana-san is going to be the next CEO.
And yet Tachibana-san was a new recruit who just joined us.
Even though he was new, since he was going to be their superior later on, everyone adds a “san” to his name.
Although they all sarcastically say, “getting in through connections” behind his back.
After normal work hours, all the workers apart from the pregnant Momoka stayed back, and started to count inventory.
It was a large jewelry store in the city with five levels.
We cross-matched with the data, between the number of items out front and the ones in stock.
Since every single one of them were expensive, it was a very big deal if the numbers don’t match.
However, there are always reasons as to why the numbers don’t match.
All the employees kept counting, disregarding the ones that don’t match for the moment.
It seems everyone wants to go home, even if it’s just a little earlier.
In contrast to everyone working at a quick pace, I, who didn’t want to go home was much slower.
Maybe it was because he couldn’t tolerate me,
“I’m also going to be staying back so can’t you work any faster?”
Tachibana-san looked annoyed as he walked up to me.
“Ah….sorry.”
This was completely my fault.
But, I really didn’t like this person.
I don’t talk with him very much so I don’t know, but I don’t think he is a very kind person.
….I don’t like the thought of working with him, just the two of us.
I would prefer it if I worked on it by myself.
I would much prefer it if Tachibana-san went home as well.
Just as planned, we couldn’t finish taking stock by the time the last train came.
I was quietly counting the inventory together with Tachibana-san.
We didn’t speak with each other.
It wasn’t like I wanted to improve our relationship with each other by having some idle talk anyway, and it felt like Tachibana-san wanted to go home as soon as possible as well.
If that was the case, then you could’ve just said “My last train is coming as well”.
As we continued to work quietly, he excused himself.
“I’m going to the toilet.”
“Phew….”
There was no more energy in the shoulders.
To be honest, it was tough.
I felt like the heavy atmosphere had become easier to breathe in at that moment.
I took a deep breath and continued to take count.
….He’s late.
Tachibana-san isn’t coming back.
I think over 30 minutes has passed since he said “I’m going to the toilet.”
….I wonder if it’s a big one.
I wonder if his stomach is bad.
He wouldn’t have collapsed before reaching the toilet because he couldn’t stand the pain anymore right?
…Maybe I should go look for him.
I mean, he really is late.
It was when I was about to stand up.
“Here.”
Some gnocchi and a bottle of tea appeared in front of me.
Looking up, Tachibana-san was there looking down at me, having just said “Hurry up, and take it”
“Ah….thanks. Um, is this really ok?”
For now, I’ll take the tea though.
“What is?”
Tachibana-san didn’t look like he was sick at all, opened his canned coffee and gulped it down.
“No…. it’s just that you took so long, I thought you had a stomachache….”
“Look here, didn’t I just go to buy that tea and stuff?”
Tachibana-san looked at me as if he was saying “Are you stupid?”.
…Sorry for worrying about you.
“I bought a bunch of bread and stuff so, you should eat some if you like. You’re hungry right?”
Tachibana-san casually put down a convenience store bag with onigiri, and snacks, and started to count the inventory again as he chewed on some bread.
….My share is probably around 1000yen.
I quickly went to my locker, take out my wallet from my bad and ran over to Tachibana-san.
I take out 1000yen from my wallet and,
“Um, thank you for buying this for me. Here, this is for my share. Is it enough?”
Handed it over to Tachibana-san, but he didn’t take it.
“…..Is it not enough?”
I wonder how much this guy bought.
“Aren’t you honest, no, serious, no, maybe just poor.”
He laughs, as if he was making fun of me “I don’t need it”, and pushed it back towards me.
Poor…. Maybe it’s true that I’m poorer than Tachibana-san when we compare our families, but in my very normal household where both my parents were working, while we weren’t very rich, I don’t ever remember being hungry.
This guy…. So rude. Actually, I hate him.
“I was raised being told by my parents that ‘You should treat money preciously.’”
I understood that he wouldn’t take the money, but I still left the 1000yen note next to Tachibana-san, and leaving him behind, I once again started to work.
“….Serious woman, honestly they might be more annoying than selfish ones.”
Saying so, Tachibana-san stuffed the 1000yen note into his pocket.
Such an annoying man.
“Isn’t it better to be serious than not.”
Even though it would be so much better to just ignore this guy. Even though it would be so much better to just not reply back.
“I’m just talking to myself. I never said I was talking about you right, Kiuchi-san?”
In the eyes of Tachibana-san were written, “Fucking pain in the ass”.
“…..right.”
I’m not talking to him anymore.
I am never talking to this man ever again.
Blandly working our way forward without a single word passing the two of us, all we had left to do was to find the reasons for why some of the numbers didn’t match up.
“Tachibana-san, I can finish off the rest. Please leave first.”
Please just leave already.
I urged him to go.
“Ah, I did that one just then. It was just a mistake in counting. Then, that’s all for the inventory counting right? Thank you, we’re done.”
Takahashi-san rotates his head around as he says ‘I’m beat.’
….I didn’t notice. When did he recount them I wonder?
Tachibana-san had a foul mouth but he gets his work done.
“Kiuchi-san, wasn’t your boyfriend coming to get you? But, I would feel sorry for your boyfriend if you told him to come get you at this hour so let’s share a taxi. Where do you live?”
Looking at his watch as he says “It’s already 2, damn.”. Tachibana-san frowns.
Satoshi won’t come get me. I don’t want to call him. However, I also don’t want to share a cab with Tachibana-san.
And if I take the taxi, I would end up back at my apartment in a blink of an eye.
Satoshi isn’t working tomorrow either. He definitely woke up early today.
I don’t have the courage to talk with Satoshi.
“…Where do you live Tachibana-san?”
“B city.”
The B city that Tachibana-said was in the complete opposite direction from where I live.
“Since we live in different directions, please leave on your own. I’ll close up so, please leave first.”
I tried to take the key to the shop, and opened up the key box,
“Well I was raised by my parents to “Not let a woman go home by herself at night”.”
Tachibana-san used my own words against me, and extended his hand towards me, taking the key out from the key box.
This person has a foul mouth, but he was raised well as expected.
To treat a mature woman like me, who can’t even be polite to him, as a lady.
However, I’m still not very good at dealing with this person.
Unable to find an excuse to not go home together with him, I lock up the shop for now and go out into the main street where the taxies should be.
Tachibana-san managed to grab a taxi after a minute.
He opens the door to the taxi,
“Here, get on.”
And pushed me forward saying “Get on already”.
…I don’t want to get on. I don’t want to go on.
“…Um, I like the seat behind the passenger seat so, won’t you get on first Tachibana-san?”
At my strange ambiguous words, Tachibana-san made a clearly annoyed face, sending an uncomfortable gaze towards me that said, “Weird woman.” and got in the taxi first, sliding into the position behind the driver’s seat.
“Excuse me, B city please!!”
After telling the driver, I made up my mind to not get in the taxi and shut the door. I started to walk in the opposite direction of where the taxi was heading.
Just before the door closed, Tachibana-san yelled out “Oii!!”, but I pretended not to hear it.
He’s sure to complain tomorrow.
However, let tomorrow’s worries come after today’s are dealt with.