Chapter 14
After class with Koiumi ended.
Today wasn't Friday, the day I usually worked part-time at the bar.
Normally, I'd play a little basketball or kill time somewhere before heading home, but Aika-san messaged me, "Sorry, we're short one person today. Any chance you can come in on short notice?" So I headed to work.
If I can get a shift, I might as well take it! I need the money. I've got student loans to pay back, too.
Since it's Wednesday, my regular, Seira-san, probably won't come in, so I'll likely be doing things like reception, mixing drinks, or other behind-the-scenes work.
If I won't be serving customers, I can wear the staff uniform for the back room, so there shouldn't be any problem.
"Thanks for your hard work~"
It was a little after six.
The bar was already open, and there was only one person in the break room. A senior colleague was styling his hair in front of the mirror when he noticed me.
"Oh! Masato, long time no see! Thanks for coming in today. I heard you've got a regular now. Look at you!"
"Yusuke-san, thanks for your hard work. Ahaha... It was just a coincidence, honestly..."
"You're a different type from the rest of us, but I bet you'd be popular! Can't be helped, though, since Aika-san locked you in for Fridays!"
Yusuke-senpai was the one who'd helped me out with all sorts of things when I first started... I felt like he was the person in this shop whose way of thinking was closest to the world I'd come from. Even if he was a playboy.
He wasn't at all arrogant toward women, and he had a good personality... I really respected him.
For some reason, he had a little bandage wrapped around his right arm.
"...Hey, what happened to your arm?"
"Oh, this? My girlfriend did this to me the other day... You'd better watch out too, HAHA."
Of course, that was setting aside his being such a womanizer that he'd taken this job and had a string of outrageous romantic exploits...
"By the way, I've been meaning to ask you something. Come over here, Masato."
"Huh? What is it?"
Yusuke-san beckoned me over and sat me down in a chair.
Yusuke-san picked up the hair wax he'd just been using.
"I think a slicked-back style would really suit you, Masato. How about letting me style your hair just for today? Trust me, even if you think I'm messing with you."
"Ehh..."
"Come on, come on! I'm going to beauty school, so trust me!"
Well, Seira-san wasn't coming in today, so I guess it was fine.
If Seira-san, who came in every week, saw me with a slicked-back hairstyle that didn't suit me, she might say, "Seriously, Masato-kun, that really doesn't work for you..."
It'd really hurt to hear that from a customer who even requested me by name.
"Just for today, okay?"
"You got it. Leave it to me!"
Yusuke-san took a gel-type wax and a hair iron out of his bag.
I really don't think it'll suit me...
"Masato! Two gin highballs for Table Three!"
"Coming!"
I knew it, but even on a Wednesday, it was pretty busy.
There were even customers who came in every single day.
I made the drinks as ordered and carried them to the table.
"Sorry to keep you waiting..."
"Be my man!"
"Oh, stop joking around~"
...Yeah. Well, she didn't seem to have noticed me at all.
That was probably for the best.
I collected the glasses and headed back.
Things like this happened all the time.
While I was washing glasses at the sink...
"Masato! Sorry, but could you run to the drugstore by the station and buy some toilet paper?! Looks like we're out!"
Yusuke-san, apparently busy, poked just his head into the dishwashing area and hurriedly asked me to go shopping.
Running out of toilet paper was bad. Hadn't they checked the restroom properly when they closed yesterday?
"Got it! I'll go!"
"Sorry! Everyone's serving customers right now... The card's over there! Get a receipt, too!"
"Sure!"
I dried my hands and left the shop.
It was a little embarrassing going outside dressed like this, but whatever.
It was already dark out.
The area in front of the station was packed with office workers and students heading home from work and school.
It wasn't as crowded as a huge city station, but there were still enough people that I had to watch where I was going to avoid bumping into anyone.
"I'd better hurry up and buy this..."
I wasn't crazy enough to walk through such a huge crowd dressed like this.
I decided to hurry through the shopping and get back to the shop.
That's what I thought, but...
"Excuse me...! I dropped my contact lens...! I'm so sorry...!"
A young woman was crouching down and looking around frantically, in tears.
She'd dropped her contact lens... I didn't know whether it had fallen out because she was crying or for some other reason, but...
Seeing the people around her pass by without giving it a second thought...
I couldn't bring myself to ignore her.
"Are you okay? You dropped a contact lens, right? I'll help you look."
"Huh...? ...Thank you. I'm sorry..."
With one contact lens missing, I didn't know what her eyesight had been like to begin with, but it must have been incredibly difficult for her to search like that.
Fortunately, my eyesight was pretty good, so I should be able to find it faster than she could...
"Excuse me! We're looking for a contact lens!"
I called out to the people around us, too, and got down on the ground to search.
This was nothing. Luckily, I was wearing the shop uniform today, so I could just wash it later.
About a minute after I started looking...
I spotted a little contact lens glinting on the ground pretty quickly.
"I found it...! I found it!"
"...!"
I carefully picked it up, took a handkerchief from my pocket, and placed the lens on it.
Then I walked over to her.
"Here you go. Be careful."
"Thank you... so much."
"Oh, you don't have to return the handkerchief. See you!"
"...Huh? W-wait a minute, please!"
...Ehh, wouldn't I have looked pretty cool for once if I'd just walked away all smoothly?
I turned toward the young woman again.
...
A pause.
...??? Wait, she did call me back, right?
"...Um... Sorry, I'm in a hurry!"
"...Ah."
I felt bad, but the mission came first.
Well, she could see again now, so she'd be fine! Yeah, yeah! It feels good to do something nice!
I quickly bought the toilet paper and headed back to the shop.
"I'm back!"
"Oh! Took you long enough. Was it crowded?"
"Yeah... It was a little crowded!"
I headed straight to the restroom and restocked the toilet paper.
While I was at it, I cleaned the restroom and went to write my name in the inspection log...
"Huh? Where'd my pen go?"
It should've been there last week, but the ballpoint pen I'd kept in my breast pocket was gone.
Oh, well. There should be another ballpoint pen around.
Without giving it much thought, I decided to borrow a new one from the back.
Then...
"Hey, Masato! Go change right now!"
"...Huh?"
"You've got a request! A regular of yours or something is here, and she asked for you."
...I told them I was usually only here on Fridays, didn't I? Oh, I see. Maybe she requested me and planned to ask for another staff member if she found out I wasn't here?
"O-okay!"
"I'll show her to a seat! Table Two!"
"Got it!"
I shoved my uniform into the locker and changed into my suit for serving customers.
I changed faster than some idol group could manage... and headed for Table Two with a glass in hand.
There sat a woman in a suit, still stiff as a board as always.
"Good evening, Seira-san. You've come again."
"...Yes."
Huh? She seemed down. Even her ponytail seemed to hang limply, and her cheeks looked a little gaunt... Though she was still beautiful.
Maybe work had worn her out. If so, my job was to cheer her up, so I'd have to do my best today...
"I was surprised, though. You said you only came in on Fridays, Seira-san."
"...I saw you going into this shop from outside..."
"Ah, I see! I was doing a little shopping. I wasn't scheduled to serve customers today, so I'm in my uniform! It's surprisingly embarrassing..."
Normally, when I talked, she was busy looking at me and looking away, but today she kept her head bowed.
Oh dear, she was really down.
"...It's okay. You can say anything you want here without holding back. I don't know what happened to you, Seira-san, but... I actually like listening to you, just like always."
"...!"
Seira-san clenched the hand resting on her lap.
Something really sad must have happened...
"I'm... sorry..."
"...Huh?"
I noticed drops falling onto the back of her hand.
Seira-san was crying.
"I'm sorry... I'm really sorry...! I...!"
Seeing her like that made me hurt, too...
Before I knew it, I'd reached out toward her back.
I gently rubbed her back.
"It's okay. I don't know what happened... but I'm sure you haven't done anything wrong, Seira-san. You're a good person."
Even as I said it, I thought what empty words they were.
We'd only known each other for a little over a month. We only saw each other about once a week.
Most of the time, she got drunk and vented by complaining about her company or her ex-boyfriend.
Even so, I couldn't bring myself to dislike the unguarded side of her I'd seen when we spent time together here.
Though her words could be harsh, she was a kind person at heart.
So even if my words were empty, if they could help her...
I couldn't help but strongly want to be there for her.
As we stayed like that, Seira-san leaned toward me. Our shoulders touched.
Oof. Would it be bad if someone saw us like this...? Well, I could probably explain it. I hoped.
Besides, in a situation like this, I couldn't just turn Seira-san away.
"It's okay, Seira-san. I know you're a kind person."
"...I'm sorry...! I'm the worst woman!"
As I rubbed Seira-san's back, I found myself wondering about something.
Every time I was kind to her... every time we got closer like this...
For some reason, I felt like Seira-san only cried even more.