“Ryou-kun, look.”
“Ou, what’s up?”
It’s the morning of the next day.
After watching her for dozens of minutes, Misaki holds out her notebook to me.
Bug, grass, heaven, sky, spirit, evening — They’re characters I’m not sure if I learned in the first grade of elementary school but they were cutely lined up.
“…good?”
How do I put it, it has a certain charm but I feel like I should immediately show her the right way to do it… **TL Note: He’s talking about stroke order. Japanese characters have very strict stroke order, they look super off if you don’t follow them.
“Misaki you’re a genius. When I was your age I couldn’t write any kanji, y’know.”
When I praised her she made a satisfied expression and puffed out her nose. **TL Note: I have no idea how to express this in english. Think about in anime when they’re all proud and they puff a little breath out their nose in satisfaction.
“…cool?”
“……”
“Hm? What’s wrong?”
For some reason I’m being looked at so I ask again but Misaki turns her face away with a pui.
…Why? Why is she mad?
She hurriedly leaves me behind and once again picks up her notebook and runs away.
I tilt my head while looking at her, and in a forced voice I say,
“Hmm~, as I thought the characters in the book are the coolest~.”
“…”
Oh, she took the bait.
“I heard that you can get really good if you trace the characters in the book…”
After I mumbled that I secretly peek in Misaki’s direction.
She’s diligently tracing the kanji in the drill book.
…This kid is really straightforward and cute, huh.
“…n?”
Oh, crap. She’s looking at me as if asking ‘what’s so funny’. No wait that’s wrong, Misaki doesn’t have such a rude way of thinking. It’s definitely something more cute like “…D-don’t look!”.
Uhyo! So cute! What the hell is wrong with me!
“…nn?”
“My bad Misaki, gonna go cool off my head a bit.”
I cooled off.
“…Haa, haa… I’m back.”
“…welcome back.”
After running with all my strength for about a kilometer I return to the room and see Misaki still tracing the kanji in the notebook just like a few minutes before. She sure is enthusiastic… hm? Her hand stopped?
“…hungry.”
Woops, that’s right we still haven’t had breakfast, huh.
“What do you wanna eat?”
“Yosh, then gyuudon.”
“…n. like, gyuudon.
With that we went to the gyuudon shop and like always got the mini and medium.
Personally I’d like to eat a plateful but since Misaki will have left overs it will come out to about a plateful anyway. Then it’d be cheaper if I ordered a large and split it with Misaki but she doesn’t like that so it’s a no go.
Misaki who secretly doesn’t like to tries to leave nothing behind.
In the end she only ate about 40% before she gave up.
“…”
Misaki puffs her cheeks out in regret.
“Well at the start you could only eat about 10% so you did your best right?”
“…n.”
She can’t accept it.
I take the gyuudon and resume eating.
Misaki looks at me in wonder.
“What’s up?”
“‘Cause guys eat ’bout this much.”
“Means boys.”
“Ryou-kun, knows lots.”
Between morning and noon, and on top of that a weekday.
In such a comfortable atmosphere, I make agreeable responses.
Just a little bit but Misaki has been using more words.
“Can write, kanji too.”
“‘Course I can.”
If I see it once I won’t forget so even now the kanji I’ve memorized til the 2nd year of middle school I should be able to write without a problem… is what I think but when Misaki learns kanji from 3rd year and above I’ll be in a bit of a pinch. Well, that’s for later.
“…ka.”
“…choked.”
“What’s with that.”
I laughed without thinking and Misaki hangs her head in embarassment.
When she gets like this she won’t talk to me unless I call out to her first but… today let’s just leave it at that.
By the way, was the gyuudon here always this tasty? If it’s like this I could eat 2 more cups easily. I won’t though.
Just like that after eating we went back home and I watched over Misaki practicing her kanji, went to the bathhouse a little early, and returned home again—it became 7 pm.
“…Yosh, time to go.”
When I got up Misaki looked at me with eyes that said “don’t go”.
That was a lie. She just followed me with her eyes.
“Gonna go to work for a bit.”
“…n.”
Misaki’s sees me off as I leave.
The destination is the special of the day store run by the ossan I met yesterday—KOY.
Having KO in the name, must be a a grim kind of store.
While thinking that I walk through the street at night.
After all, I have some short term work there.
Working part time at a restaurant, even a kid should be able to do it.
At any rate.
That’s plenty.
Forward, always forward.
The downtown business district. There are a lot of restaurants lined up and it’s the peak night business hours there is a crazy amount of people but there’s only one store that doesn’t seem to have anyone in it.
Under the worn out sign with KOY written on it is the address on the paper I prepared beforehand.
Unconcerned I opened the door, it wasn’t locked.
“Ou, I was waitin’.”
The moment I opened the door I heard a voice from inside the store. Without answering I walked down a narrow hallway and arrived in a slightly open room.
I figured a daily special shop would’ve had some tables lined up but all there was was a counter with some seats. Talking about the spacing, it’s narrow to the degree of someone having difficulty passing by each other. And yet behind the counter there was a elegant kitchen. Rather than a tattered impression it looked like they make decent food.
“What should I do?”
When I called out to the ossan working behind the counter, his white apron shook as he looked over.
“Well take a seat. For now it’s the interview.”
…Huh, you’re gonna interview me? I didn’t hear anything about this, y’know?
I tilt my head as I find a suitable seat to sit in. Ossan stops his works and with a scary face glares at me. He drew close enough for our noses to almost touch and with a voice like a yakuza sword he says,
“You, why don’t you have a job?”
“Then, why’d you take me up on my offer?”
“Who’s Misaki?”
“You pass.”
…
“That’s it?”
“If I say you pass then you passed.”
Ossan faces his back towards me and returns to his work. While maintaining a bit of tension I throw out my question. But without looking back Ossan easily answered.
“So it’s like that, huh.”
“Perfect. What should I do?”
“…I don’t have to wash the dishes?”
“Ou, got it.”
Sure enough after 30 minutes KOY opened up.
Then another 30 minutes passed and I called out to Ossan.
“Tenchou” **Shop manager title.
“There’s no customers.”
“…I see.”
Strange.
“Tenchou.”
“My wages, could you tell me again?”
“…I see.”
What the hell, even though I haven’t done anything?
…This is bad, I gotta do something.
“Tenchou.”
“I’ll massage your shoulders.”
“Just be quiet, shitty brat.”
…Waiting is also work, huh.
Fine by me, then no matter how long I’ll just shut up and wait!
“Heey! Long time no see!”
Immediately after I prepared myself, a single high tension customer came in.
Wearing a coat over his suit, if I were to guess he’s just coming back from work.
“Welcome~ it’s been a long time~. Now now, come sit over here, please.”
…What the hell, that guy.
He looks like Tenchou, rather it is him… but somehow that Ossan is really creepy.
“Huh. Who’s this guy?”
“Got it!”
The Ossan returned to being Tenchou and glared at me until I lowered my head.
While looking down I thought about Ossan’s eccentricities.
…Is that what serving customers is like? In that case is Ossan showing me how to do it?
“Hee… Nii-chan you got a cute face.”
Oi Tenchou, this customer just plunged into a minefield.
Or should I force a smile?
“…Ha, hahaha, I’m often told that~.”
Well, a forced smile should be safe.
I at least have that much common sense. Don’t look down on me.
“And, what does nii-chan do? Ah, Occhan, the usual.”
“Coming up~☆.”
Occhan makes a strange response and then immediately takes some food out of the fridge, uses some nearby tools and machines and starts cooking.
Putting that aside.
I’m working here part time.
“…I work part-time.”
Crap, my voice already wavered.
“Hee, a student?”
“Which university?”
“…My hometown, you wouldn’t know it.”
Fuu, I managed to instantly think of a safe answer.
“I see… I went that one. T University, y’know it?”
That was definitely not something he just came up with.
It seemed like he said it at least 100 times before.
As a result—I was made to listen to him endlessly boast about his academic background.
“Laater~ till next time~”
“”Thank you very much.””
…What’s this tired feeling?
The time was… not even 30 minutes? I got this tired for 500 yen?
Dammit, I’m in over my head… serving customers is this hard, huh.
“Oi, we just started, y’know? You tired already?”
“…Shut up.”
Closing hours is 5 am?
“That was easy, I can do it.”
“Heh, you got guts.”
The Ossan laughed boldly.
This Ossan,
Welcome~
Now now, come sit over here, please.
Coming up~☆.
cause he had to say those things, serving customers is seriously hard work. This is Ossan’s, no, Tenchou’s true ability, huh. My god, I don’t think I can win against that. It’s not like I want to win though… just if you say that that’s a skill a working adult needs to have, I gotta do it.
… Shit, I want to hit the me who thought this was some light work where I’d just deliver food.
“Oo~u, finally got here~.”
Without delay another customer. And without delay I want to hit this dirty Ossan.
Why’s this guy smoking right under a no smoking sign, can’t he read dammit. I mean, smoking wherever you please right in front of me who’s desperately enduring… you’ve got guts. But this is work. Use your words not your fists.
“Oi Ossan, no smoking here.”
Right after saying it, Ossan’s hand moved before his mouth.
From such a sudden movement I momentarily blanked out.
I try to hold onto my composure, I know the blood is rising to my head.
My fist starts shaking. The place I should point my anger at is right in front of me.
“A shot for a shot…”
…I’m not mistaken right?
That hand, let go.
“I’m never coming back to this store again!”
While glaring at Tenchou he lets out an angry voice and throws the cigarette at us.
The dirty Ossan I hit leaves the store enraged.
“…Why’d you stop me.”
“‘Cause that was your fault. That’s why I stopped you.”
What did he just say?
“Is your head on right? No matter how you think about it I didn’t do anything wrong.”
“Then he shoulda just said that! What’s the reason for hitting the table?!”
“Then isn’t it still that brat’s fault!?”
“Yeah it is. So what?”
While looking amazed, that’s what he said.
“You’re raising a kid, right? What’re you doing making noise like a kid?”
“How to scold a child is also the adults responsibility. A guy who doesn’t know that should be raisin’ kid.”
“…….You piece of shit-!”
I slammed my fist on a nearby table. That fist held my anger but, as if that amount was nothing the rest of my body grew hot.
“That reaction means you can’t accept it, huh.”
“Then why are you holding it in. Don’t you wanna keep kicking up a fuss?”
“Says the brat.”
Tenchou makes an annoying face and laughs, then he grabs the cigarette butt and throws it in the trash. While glaring at his back I bite my lips.
“…You, why’d you hire me?”
“Hmm. Probably cause I’ve seen a kid like you somewhere, and I ended up worrying about it.”
Somewhere, huh. He’s probably talking about himself. Then I resemble him when he was younger? And after all those years passed, he came to realize hitting someone for such a stupid reason is bad. If that’s the case, is that what it means to be an adult?
I can’t accept that.
But I can understand it.
This is just a ‘what if’ but, if I didn’t say anything and fed that dirty ossan some good food, he’d probably come back without smoking. The me who ruined that is then the brat… such an absurd theory, I can’t accept it. But, I can understand it.
“… Bullshit, I won’t do it.”
“It’s still just the first day, y’know.”
The hell is his hearing?
“I never said I was quittin’.”
“I see… Anyway, 1 week. Keep it up for a week. Don’t forget that you were hired.”
Watch my words, huh?
“Understood, Tenchou-san.”
Giving an empty answer I turn away from Tenchou and look at the entrance.
There’s a lot to think about but I’m not good at that kind of stuff.
So let’s just think about it simply.
For the sake of Misaki, I’ll continue working here for 1 week.
1 week. No matter what happens I’ll show that I can keep going.
Yosh, I’ve made my preparations.
I’ll show you some polite service!