Volume 2 - CH 2.1

Hinagata seemed to remember what happened.

Plus, I’ve always been interested in motorcycles. My dad’s fading memories may have had something to do with it.

But it was expensive  to ride a motorcycle.

Licences and vehicle inspections. The cost to be able to ride properly is huge.

The next day, I was working on some bike-related research.

Just then, I received a message from Sugiuchi. Apparently, he has a lot of free time on his hands.

“Ucchi… I heard her birthday is coming up, but what should I give her?”

From the mood at the BBQ, I didn’t feel like he had a connection, but I also didn’t feel like he didn’t have one at all.

I’m not that interested in Sugiuchi’s love life…

“Well, good luck with that,”  I replied. It was read immediately. And then a reply came soon afterwards.

“Waiiiit!”

The tension is high …..I can already tell from the text that this is going to be a  pain in the a*s.

“Do you know anything that Ucchi might like?”

“Ask her.”

“You’ve got to be kidding me! I’m in trouble because I can’t ask! “

“Don’t snap at me out of the blue. How the h**l am I supposed  to know?”

“If it continues like this….. You… I’m losing my senses!?”

That’s a good line to use.

“If you work part-time, you will make money and will have more choices. I’m thinking about doing it too.”

If you don’t have money, you have to earn it. That’s what I thought, so I invited him.

“Part-time? That’s a pain in the a*s.”

….Is that so? I thought it was a pretty good idea.

I always waited till Hinagata’s club activity ended …. In the meantime, I always had too much time on my hands.

I’m very good at keeping myself busy since I just play games and read manga and novels in moderation.

Sometimes, Sugiuchi is there to talk to me but not always.

“It’s hard for me to watch you work so hard, Tommura.”

“The h**l you mean by that?”

“I feel inferior, and I wonder what I’m doing while you are working so hard.”

“So, let’s do it together.”

“I told ya, I just wanna slack off, man.”

Damn… this guy, well, he’s the type who drags others down to his level without trying himself, isn’t he?

“What are you going to do about Uchinokura-san’s present?”

“I’ll buy what I can with my allowance. If it’s not enough, I’ll borrow some money.”

“WAAA?!  That’s lame! What are you, an elementary student?”

“Shut up man! Just like me! There are people who can’t work hard!”

“Those are  some strong words in your reply, you know that?” I mumbled to myself. I could feel Sugiuchi’s spirit in me.

“Let’s go to lunch for a strategy meeting.”

When I checked my cell phone, the time was already past noon.

“I’m running low on cash, so I’ll pass.”

“Riding is bad.”

“Riding is impossible without money.”

I had about a few hundred yen in my wallet.

I was able to accompany Sugiuchi, but suddenly the thought of the cost of the bike crossed my mind.

Next time, I’ll buy him a meal when I can afford it.

Forgetting to eat lunch, I was absorbed in searching for a part-time job on my cell phone.

I think I can do this one, though I won’t be able to save up in a month or two, so I need to find a part-time job that I can continue in the medium to long term…

I don’t know Uchinokura-san’s birthday, but Hinagata’s birthday is in July.

It would be nice to buy her something.

But I’ve never given her a birthday present before, so isn’t it strange to give her one now? I mean, what should I give her?

“Yeah, I can see now why Sugiuchi was struggling …”

So that’s how he felt.

I’d like to think that I’m better than Sugiuchi, who’s trying to save money with his pocket money.

The number of recruitments for ‘high school students allowed’ on job sites is unexpectedly limited.

Even more so when I’m trying to look for one close to home.

“Huh… I can’t stop thinking about it, I have no idea  what to do.”

I applied at random to places that seemed to have a good atmosphere and that I could do.

One of the places called me back that day and asked me when I wanted an interview.

I said, “Today is also alright too,” and it was decided today.

They told me to prepare my resume, and I hurried to do so.

Name, date of birth, address, and biography…

When I think of all the part-time workers in the world writing such tedious stuff, I feel a little respect for them.

With my resume finally ready, I went for an interview in the evening at a family restaurant in the next town over, one stop away.

A man in his thirties who claimed to be the store manager took me to a kind of common room in the back of the building, and I answered a few simple questions.

“You wrote your resume well. It must have been a pain to write.” The manager laughs with the corner of his mouth raised.

“No, not at all sir.”

My job was of kitchen staff that did not need to show up to the public.

Even though it was in a neighboring town, it was also within my living area. I didn’t want to be discovered by people I knew at school so being kitchen staff was convenient for me.

“So? What do you think, can you handle the work?”

“Yep… I mean, Yes sir, I can.”

you are able to start work? If I’m not too demanding, we are short staffed next week for Golden Week…”

Somehow, I knew that I didn’t dislike this manager, and I had no reason to refuse.

“Um, I can start from tomorrow.”

“Okay! That’s the spirit! Tomorrow’s Monday and I’m relatively free, so let’s do the training tomorrow.”

….Thus, in full turbulence, my first job and my first day of work were decided.