Volume 4 - CH 7

It’s mid-summer. Despite it being early morning, the cicadas were chirping strongly, emphasizing this sensation that summer had truly arrived now. Their voices were ringing in my ears to make me feel anger from the pit of my stomach, urging me to scream at them at close range. If police and public security didn’t exist in this world, I would have definitely done that.

However, despite this seething heat, my body felt oddly light. Yesterday, I felt how exhausted I was, so I fell asleep early at like 10pm in the evening…and got some good sleep as well. Now I’m feeling better.

Leaving that side, it’s part-time job time. I didn’t think that Natsukawa’s punishment would be used in regards to the incident with Ichinose-san. This is an irregularity that hasn’t happened yet, as I had given up on really dealing with Ichinose-san since this was only limited to summer break, but having my back pushed like that is pretty big. I don’t know why Natsukawa would use her punishment for me to actually help me, but I guess it’s alright in the end? Yep.

…No, isn’t that actually pretty bad? If Natsukawa hadn’t said that, I’d probably be at a loss by now, and it feels like I am directly receiving Natsukawa Aika-sama’s blessing. Thank you, Goddess, I’ll throw a 500 yen coin in the post box of the Natsukawa Residence when I stop by again (Court case inbound).

Walking the path beneath the elevated structure up above me, it was still pretty hot, but it’s not as bad as walking directly underneath the scorching sun. Since I don’t exercise too much as of late, I need to be careful of getting a heat stroke.

“…I really don’t wanna go inside.”

I arrived at the deserted second-hand bookshop. I’m sure that Ichinose-san must already be present. It was the same yesterday, and when I arrive at school, there’s a good chance she’s already sitting at her seat.

‘Tomorrow, you will ask about that girl’s circumstances. That is your punishment.’

“…Haaaaa.”

Ahh, Goddess.

*

After entering the bookshop and moving to the back, Ichinose-san was already present. Since the scenery perfectly overlapped with the one yesterday, I thought that she was some NPC of an open-world game at first. If there was one difference, then it’d be that she was already showing her forehead. Once she realized my presence, Ichinose-san froze up like she was hit by lightning, and stopped moving all-together. What? Did she fall for me at first glance? Haha, she must be nervous.

“…Good morning, Ichinose-san.”

“Y-Yes…! Good morning!”

“Um…you don’t need to be so wary of me. I’m really sorry about yesterday.”

“O-Okay…”

This one’s not good. Even if I apologized, I’m pretty much a day late, so talking normally is probably impossible. For now, the best I can do is act cheerful, and try not to hurt Ichinose-san more than I already did…can I? Please, no weird customers walk in…!

“The store manager wasn’t in the front, do you know where he is…?”

“Ah…Um, he should be up on the second floor.”

“Okay. Thanks.”

Alright, that should be enough for now. Let me take a quick break. If I try to close the distance between us too much, it’ll just backfire. If I just slowly work on it, things will end up fine. First, I need to fix her Sajou allergy. Maybe that can’t be fixed.

Arriving at the stairs that lead up to the residential space on the second floor, I couldn’t exactly go up just like that, so I called out first with a loud ‘Good morning!’. Shortly after, I received a quick ‘Oh, good morning, Sajou-san!’ from the back.

Leaving aside Gramps, his wife is often up already at a time like this, showing her face. Since she only greeted me with her voice alone, she must be busy putting on makeup. I’m sorry for arriving at such a bad time.

I took out the same usual working apron from the shelf, already in perfect condition to interact with customers. Looking at my side, Ichinose-san had nothing to do either, just awkwardly fidgeting.

“Since we’re not open yet, we should organize some of the books in the front.”

“Ah…Y-Yes…!”

O-Ohh…? It was rather awkward, but she gave a better response compared to yesterday. I can feel like she’s actually trying. Maybe she was really serious when she was prostrating herself in front of me…Ahh, I didn’t want to remember that. Let me just not think about it.

Just, seeing the current Ichinose-san, I was reminded of what Ashida told me. ‘She could have just quit if she wanted to’. And, I agree. However, since she’s still here, working with clear motivation, she must have a reason to not back down from this. Despite the store not even open yet, Ichinose-san is moving carefully through the rows of bookshelves…Well, um, it was honestly cute to look at, like I was hearing manga sound effects around me.

Looking ahead of me, on the top row of the shelf stood a book. It was clearly a weird location to be at, probably left there by a customer who kept it as a possible purchase, but forgot about it there. I moved over in order to organize it properly, when Ichinose-san raised a surprised ‘Ah’ voice, as she headed over there herself. She got ahead of me for a split second, but—she had no hope of reaching that. That’s just way too high up for her.

“Ah?!”

“Wah—”

Ichinose-san jumped up, trying to reach the book. She did put her hand on the books on the row below, but because of the impact, they fell to the side, which made Ichinose-san lose balance. In a panic, I ran over there, and supported her body.

“A-Are you okay, Ichinose-san!?”

“—!?”

I somehow managed to catch her before she fell onto the hard floor. So light…How can one girl be this light! She’s the enemy of all women! Probably the type that doesn’t get fat even after eating all sorts of sweets! Don’t think I would forgive you for that, okay!?

…But seriously, she is so light. Are all girls like this? Pretty sure she’s lighter than my student bag back when I was studying for high school entrance exams.

“U-Um…! I’m fine, so…!”

“Ah, yeah.”

Ichinose-san panicked, and moved away from me. I wonder…despite being so close to Ichinose-san, I don’t get any wicked thoughts or desires. Maybe because of the guilt, but I just want to protect her instead.

“I’ll take care of the high places, so you can do the ones you can reach easily.”

“Y-Yesh…” She returned a meek response.

Hmm…we’re back to yesterday, huh. Well, besides dealing with customers, she’s doing just fine, so let’s just do our best…Not really, I need to be aware of her circumstances as well.

“……”

“……”

After that, we continued working in silence. Since not every shelf was in disarray, it wasn’t that much work. It really depends on the customers in the end. Then again, most customers come by at the end of the week to buy books for the weekend. Still, it’s pretty quiet in here. Maybe we really should add some BGM here.

“Time to open up. I’ll go turn over the sign at the front.

“…Ah! I’ll…”

“Alright, then please do.”

Receiving my permission, Ichinose-san headed outside the bookshop. I wonder, her small steps still reminded me of a cute animal…What is this feeling I have? Fatherly love…? I got back in the groove, because the shop opened now. Of course, Ichinose-san will try her best, but if some weird customer came by, I needed to take over right away. If things went south again, it’d probably make her emotions explode to the fullest.

As I was thinking about the difficulty of dealing with customers, Gramps came over from the register.

“You doing fine?”

“Store manager. Well…yes, I think it’s going well. We just opened after all.”

“As long as nothing happens…” Gramps said with a worried voice.

Normally, he’d always speak with vigor in his voice, but now he’s being careful, I see. Well, Ichinose-san went outside, so it should be fine.

“I-I did it…”

“Well done.”

“Eh?”

Ah. I treated Ichinose-san like a small child who just came back from her errand. I just skillfully ignored my blunder. Once she can properly deal with customers, she should be fine at everything else this job requires. This might actually be perfect for someone who isn’t experienced at working part-time.

“Welcome~”

I greeted customer number one with a loud but adequate voice. It looks to be your average book reader man. From a bit further away, I could see Ichinose-san’s expression freeze up. With what happened yesterday, I decided to head over to the register myself.

However, Ichinose-san suddenly moved in front of me. Wuh? Why do you look like a sulking child now? Are you trying to win me over?

“I-I’ll do it…”

“Eh?”

Hold on, I think I’m going to cry. What kind of growth is this? Did she practice that much? I feel like no time in this world would have been enough. Ichinose-san moved towards the register, and stood behind it. I could see how nervous she was just from her expression alone. Dear customer, could you maybe finish your purchase quickly? You’ll only ruin Ichinose-san’s determination…Oh, he’s heading over.

“……”

“…Ah…”

Damn it…! It’s the type who silently puts down their purchase on the cash register! At least he didn’t just throw it down. But, this kind of strength might be too much for Ichinose-san.

“W-Welcome…That will be…130 yen, please…!”

Oh.

“I-I’ve received 500 yen. Your return will be, um…ah, 370 yen!”

Eh, I’m actually gonna cry. What kind of growth is this (Second time). Did she go on a training trip after all? Can you teach me? I’ll invite you to some karaoke!

“Ah…um…”

“Hello, we offer a book cover for free as a service, would you like that?”

“Yeah.”

“Understood!”

At the stage of the book cover, Ichinose-san froze up, so I jumped in to help. Since the customer’s response was short but sharp, I just proceeded with my work so that he wouldn’t complain. I gave a brief ‘Thank you for your purchase’, and Ichinose-san didn’t lag behind to join in. Hey now, what happened!? What kind of awakening is this!?

After the customer left, Ichinose-san showed me a sharp glare.

“…W-Why did you help me.”

“!”

S-Seriously? Are you saying that you don’t need me anymore? Hi and goodbye, or what? Watching her like that, I can definitely quit without a worry in the world. So much that I want to go down on my knees to apologize. People sure change quickly, huh…! No can do, I can’t hold back my excitement.

“What happened to you, Ichinose-san! You’re completely different compared to yesterday! It’s amazing!”

“Hawa…!?”

I almost lost to the momentum pushing me, and was about to tap her on the shoulder. I definitely cannot risk going behind bars for sexual harassment. I am a gentleman. However, because I was screaming so loudly, I must have scared Ichinose-san, who staggered backwards.

“Just what did you do!?”

“Ah…um…well, I was watching…videos on customer service…”

“That exists!?”

“Yessssss…!”

That’s amazing. Like, totally amazing. She’s the perfect example of a newcomer. Not on the level of Airi-chan, but I want to praise her and give her some sweets. I want my past self to receive a rolling thunder from Big Sis.

“How nice. Deal with customers like that! Getting used to it is most important after all!”

“Y-Yes!”

When I praised Ichinose-san a bit too much, she moved away from me, returning to organizing the books. Looking over, I could see her forming a fist, like she was celebrating. Seems like she’s happy that she could use everything she learned in a real situation…Great, that makes me happy as well. Nothing bad at all. I think it’s great for Ichinose-san to gain some more confidence, as she moves forward. I just hope that my encouragement helped in some way.

Ichinose-san returned to her work. She really made it far in a short amount of time, I can’t help but be impressed. It’d be troublesome if a customer like yesterday appeared, but that’s an extreme case, and everything should be fine as long as she can deal with customers normally. I had to start somewhere myself. I personally just got a lot of earfuls from Gramps with the attitude of ‘You shouldn’t say that to a customer’, so I’m not really one to talk.

“Sajou-kun, Mina-chan, you can take a break now.”

“Understood.”

We took the break, and headed to the back of the bookshop. On the way to the residential space, we ran into Gramps’ wife, who was walking towards the toilet. Since she had another PC class, she had properly styled herself up.

“Ah, Mrs. I forgot to tell you yesterday.”

I had Ichinose-san move on ahead, and talked to her about the small stepladder. Since Gramps would just be Gramps and argue that he doesn’t need it, I brought it directly to his wife. Heading over to the residential space, I spotted Ichinose-san opening up a small book. At least some things haven’t changed compared to yesterday, huh.

…No, wait? I only have time right now, so shouldn’t I be using this time to talk about Ichinose-san? Once work is over, she’ll probably head home right away, so at this rate, I won’t be able to fulfill Natsukawa’s punishment. Crap, she’ll definitely ask me after this, right. I need to do something! Um…Ehm…

“Ichinose-san, I really thought you’d quit.”

“Eh?”

Ahhhhhhhhh, what am I asking!? Those words for a girl who worked really hard!? I’m only digging myself a deeper grave now! Well, I do really feel that way! Can’t believe I just ran my mouth like that…Terrified of her reaction, I carefully looked at Ichinose-san, who seemed annoyed. Sorry, this is all my fault. I just have no decency.

“…I couldn’t afford to quit, that’s all.”

When our eyes met, Ichinose-san gave me a response with a moment’s delay, as she averted her eyes. Seems like her determination really was set in stone. Then again, I shouldn’t have seen that coming since her heart didn’t break after everything that happened yesterday…Hmm? ‘Couldn’t afford to quit’? That sounds a bit roundabout. Maybe she wanted to quit, but had a reason that she couldn’t quit?

Then again, even if I asked her ‘Why couldn’t you quit?’, she might just give me a cold ‘What right do you have to ask that?’…Is there no better way of asking that?

“So…why did you think of working part-time anyway?”

“……”

Is this it? Asking for her motives? Seems like a Senpai at work might ask? It’d be something Gramps would ask during a job interview, so I feel like this is something I’d get an answer for. Ichinose-san put the book to the place before, and turned her body towards me.

“—I want to be independent…”

“Eh?”

Hold on, what did she just say? To be independent? Isn’t that hella amazing? I didn’t even think about that. Why was I working part-time? To get money and play around…Damn, I’m actually trash.

“Eh? B-Be independent?”

“Y-Yes…To be independent.”

When I asked her for confirmation, the same response came. I see…so that’s why she didn’t quit after yesterday. I feel like her outlook on work like this is completely different. It’s more like Ichinose-san is working in a more grown-up way, like a member of society. That makes sense.

Become independent—That’s pretty much wanting to be able to stand on your own two feet, without the help of someone else. It’s not something like doing the work at school alone, or doing your duties, but rather that you take care of your own food, laundry, and carry the living expenses weighing you down, right?

“That’s pretty amazing, but…isn’t that kind of fast?”

“……”

“…?”

With her small body, I couldn’t see her as reliable and able to do that. If this was Natsukawa, then I might somewhat agree, but when thinking of Ichinose-san, I could only see that happening far into the future. Then again, pulling that off in high school, let alone the first year, is just ridiculous.

However, Ichinose-san nodded in silence. I can see her reasoning in this case, but I feel like there’s something else driving her. Maybe some worries at school? To be perfectly honest, I can see that. It’s probably some territory I shouldn’t set foot into.

“—I wanted to be independent from my older brother.”

“Eh?”

Hold on, she’s willing to tell me? Not to mention that the reason I was told seemed pretty sad. Become independent from her older brother? That is a reason…that would probably hurt said older brother a lot. Hearing it right now just has me feeling ‘Ah, I see’, like it’s not related to me, but if she was my actual little sister, I’d probably end up depressed. Somehow, I feel glad to not have a little sister. Huh? Wait, Ichinose-san’s older brother…

“Ah, sorry…Is your older brother a third-year Senpai in the public morals committee?”

“Ah…”

When I asked, Ichinose-san calmly nodded. I knew it! It’s the bear Senpai I met at the school visit! He was pretty tall, but also gave off a gentle impression, which is why I remember him. If anything, he and Ichinose-san don’t seem related at all, but their personality has some overlapping attributes.

“But, why would you want to stay away from your older brother? He felt like a reliable Senpai, so you can just rely on him to be kind, right?”

“……”

“Ahhh…So, even if you want to, you can’t?”

Yet again, Ichinose-san nodded. What a difficult story. This is pretty much related to her family at this point, huh. If so, then I wouldn’t want to poke in her private affairs…I guess this should be enough for the punishment I got. The gist of it is basically that she wants to rely on her older brother, but ultimately can’t, so she’s trying to live independently. That’s why she can’t simply give up on her work. Something like that.

“…I see. I understand the reason you’re working so hard, Ichinose-san.”

Hearing her wanting to be ‘independent’, I assumed that it would be something depressing…but it’s pretty cute. I can’t really tell how heavy this topic is though, since I’ve never gone through such a feeling. If anything, my general image of little sisters is that they don’t really get along with their older brothers…Well, I guess this is just something I can’t hope to comprehend.

“—I…really loved Onii-chan.”

“Eh?”

“Well…I still do, but…”

Eh, um, eh? Are we still not done? I don’t need to hear about your love for your big brother, you know? Especially not so unvarnished…Ah, that sounds kind of lewd directed at a girl—Wait, this isn’t the time to have lewd thoughts, we’re having a serious discussion right now. Get your head in the game, me.

Ichinose-san slightly cast her face down, which created a shadow on her face. Ah, I get it, she’s not talking to me, but just muttering to herself. If you want to do that, you can use a convenient app for that…!

“Um, Ichinose-san?”

“When I was reading books at home, I would always sit between Onii-chan’s legs…Resting my back against his stomach. It was farm, felt comfortable, and just became normal for me…”

What’s up with that, I can totally see that. You’re like the ideal siblings. Now I kind of want a younger sister myself—But, why are you telling me? Don’t you hate me? Would you really tell someone you have 0 trust and faith in? I mean, it’s a cute story.

“Ichinose-san, um…”

“One day, Onii-chan brought a female classmate of his over…I think her name was Yuri-san. Eventually, we’d see each other more often, and my time to talk with Onii-chan went down…”

Ahhh…Yuri-san, huh. I remember. She’s that girl Bear-senpai called ‘Yuri-chan’, right. That Senpai who ordered the carrying group as the head of the army. Of course I remember. She had the nerves to broadly flirt around with Bear-sansenpai. I still remember how my exhaustion went up by 40% because I was forced to watch that. Even the people around them took a weird distance. But, they probably couldn’t say anything exactly because they know them.

Hold on, since we’ve come this far…Is Ichinose-san lonely because Bear-sansenpai is constantly flirting with Yuri-chansenpai?

“Even so, I wanted to be with Onii-chan more…So one day, I decided to tell him of my feelings after coming home from school.” Ichinose-san lowered her head.

Seems like she’s not planning on stopping unless I forcefully intervene…H-Hold on, isn’t that pretty bad? I got a really bad feeling about this. Will my mind even put up with that? Am I even allowed to hear that?

“When I came home, I spotted shoes different from my family…and, I realized right away that they belong to Yuri-san. However, I couldn’t just bear with it, so…”

“Ichinose-san stop, calm down.”

“Ah…”

Please, just stop. I get what you’re talking about. That’s why, you don’t need to say it. It’s like she’s diving into a carpet of thorns, pulling me down into it as well.

“……”

Ah, stop with that face like you’re about to cry. Eh? Don’t, please. Am I the weird one right now? You don’t need to say what’s hurting you. Come on, I don’t want a two-days consecutive trauma.

“Cough…Mm, sorry, got something stuck in my throat.”

“……” Ichinose-san nodded yet again.

So she nodded, huh…I just hope she’s done for good now. Ichinose-san still looked like she was about to cry, but at least she’s calmed down. However, she still seems adamant on telling me the rest. Alright, I’ll hear you out then! I don’t care what the content is about! I’ll put up with it!

“…When I went up the stairs, I headed to Onii-chan’s room…I subconsciously opened the door without knocking.”

Ichinose-san lost all restraint, and openly explained what she had seen. It might have been happening subconsciously, but all light in her eyes vanished. I actually want to interrupt her again, my heart is racing dangerously fast. I’m going to die.

“A-And then…Um…”

“……”

“A-And then…!”

Ichinose-san spoke like she was trying to hold back what was overflowing inside of her. How can she openly talk about this? But, there’s probably no stopping her. That’s why, let me at least pray. Please, let my assumption be off…! Otherwise, I will actually die! Please, let my heart rest easy…!

“O-Onii-chan was…on top of Yuri-san…and…they k-k-k-kissed…!”

W-Waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!!