Episode 183: Two People Who Can’t Wait

「Well then, I’ll see you tomorrow.」

「Yes. Good work today.」

I finished the dinner Mayumi-san prepared, and Masaomi-san drove me home afterward.

After I said my goodbyes and stepped out, the car started off with a short honk of the horn, vanishing from sight in an instant.

Since tomorrow isn’t for actual work but just for keeping him company for a chat, things feel a bit vague. It’s obviously because I was the one who pushed for more work, so I feel pretty guilty, but honestly, I’m just grateful.

I wanted to say I could finally take a breather at home… but I had to get ready for my next shift before Sara-san called.

But before that, I figured it was better than nothing, so I grabbed a Band-Aid from the first-aid kit and covered the blister on my right hand.

Looking closely, it’s clearly gotten worse… but I only have a few more days at the liquor store. It’ll heal eventually once that’s finished. I just have to endure it until then.

I put the kit away and thought back on today while getting ready for the next job.

I really put Mayumi-san out. I can’t believe I actually let Sara-san’s mother give me a lap pillow…

But maybe because I got that nap, I’m feeling better than I was yesterday. I don’t feel that weird drowsiness today, so I should be able to make it through.

Pi-roro, pi-roro

The RAIN ringtone echoed through the quiet room.

It was Sara-san, of course, and it looked like another video call.

Before hitting accept, I took a deep breath so I wouldn’t look tired… alright.

「Good evening, Sara-san.」

「Good evening, Kazunari-san.」

This video call routine has hit its sixth day, and this’ll be the last one.

Thanks to the part-time jobs, the week felt both long and short at the same time, but the feeling of being lonely never changed.

Just thinking about Sara-san coming home tomorrow makes me feel like I truly can’t wait.

「Fufu… is something wrong? You look very happy.」

「Nothing, I’m just happy because you’re coming home tomorrow…」

My true feelings just slipped out.

But I can’t help it, right? It’s the truth.

「…Me too. I want to hurry back to your side, Kazunari-san.」

Sara-san stared at me through the screen with a longing look. There’s only one day left, but that one day feels like forever.

「Sara-san, what’s the plan for tomorrow?」

「We’ll arrive at school in the evening. My parents said they’d pick me up by car, so I’ll probably head home first.」

「I see…」

Her saying「first」obviously meant she planned on coming over here afterward.

I really want to see her tomorrow too, but I don’t want to push her too hard. It’s a real dilemma…

「Kazunari-san, would it be alright if I stayed over tomorrow?」

(!!!!!!)

?

I felt like I heard some noise again.

Is everyone making a fuss because it’s the last night?

No, more importantly, about tomorrow.

To be honest, I want Sara-san to stay over too. Actually, I’m the one who wants to beg her to stay.

But…

「…Sara-san, I really want you to stay over too. But if you come home from a school trip and immediately spend the night out, I think Mayumi-san and the others will feel lonely.」

「That is…」

「I’m not the only one waiting to hear your stories from the trip. Please put your parents first for this one.」

I tried to act cool saying that, but it actually hurt to say it.

However, after spending time with both Masaomi-san and Mayumi-san, I feel even more strongly that she should value her time with her parents.

Sara-san has been looking after me from morning to night almost every day, but thinking about it, that means she’s been cutting into her time with her parents.

So I think she should have some family time at a time like this.

Unlike last time, I’m not the only one who hasn’t seen her for a week…

「……I understand. I think you’re right, Kazunari-san. It’s a shame, but I’ll make sure we just see each other tomorrow.」

Sara-san seemed convinced and honestly listened to what I had to say.

Good… it’s not good, but it’s good.

「You’re really so kind, Kazunari-san. To even think about my parents like that.」

「…No, honestly, I…」

「Yes, I know. I feel the same way. I know you’re swallowing those feelings to say that for me.」

Please don’t say the rest…

I could tell from Sara-san’s expression that she knew exactly what I was thinking.

I’m not going to say it’s telepathy or anything, but it makes me happy to feel like we understand each other’s hearts. The way Sara-san is smiling, maybe she feels the same.

「Luckily, we have Monday and Tuesday off, so Monday night is when I’ll stay ov…」

「I’d like to be the one to ask for that. Sara-san, please stay at my place on Monday.」

(Oooooh!!!!)

「Yes!! I’ve been away for a whole week, so there are so many things I want to do for you, Kazunari-san.」

Maybe because I was the one to ask, a dazzling smile like a blooming flower appeared on my screen.

I could feel my own cheeks getting hot.

「Let’s talk a lot when I get back. I’ll make lots of your favorite foods, and we’ll sleep together at night… please let me hold you, okay?」

(Gwah!!!)

「Y-yes. Um, I’d like that too…」

Hearing her say it explicitly like that makes me feel pretty bashful.

In the end, we spent the whole time talking about what we would do after she got back and didn’t even give our daily reports.

That’s just how much we want to see each other…

One thing that bothered me was that while we were talking, Sara-san seemed to be looking at my face as if she noticed something.

Maybe she realized something was up… but as long as the important part stays a secret, it should be fine.

About one week until Sara-san’s birthday.

My part-time life was reaching its final stage…

「He-hey, Sara, you’re really just staying over, right?」

Having unintentionally learned what their daily life is like during this trip, hearing talk like this makes me incredibly restless.

I know Mayumi-san’s given her approval, and since it’s about the two of them, I know logically I shouldn’t butt in.

But Sara’s my best friend, and I think of Takanashi-kun as a precious friend too, so when I think about those two… please forgive me for having complicated feelings about it.

「Of course, but is something bothering you?」

「No, that’s fine then. I’m just happy you two have gotten that close.」

That was my honest feeling, of course.

As someone who’s been worrying about them for a long time, I’m genuinely happy if their relationship is going well.

「Natsumi… thank you. You’ve looked after me so much regarding Kazunari-san, so if anything happens with Tachibana-san, please talk to me. Kazunari-san will help out too.」

「No, I told you, my situation is…」

The talk’s turning back to me and people are going to make a scene… wait, I just realized those three have been quiet for a while.

I looked around and saw all three of them collapsed face-down on the floor.

Wait, did they just lose their souls again from the previous conversation?

「Sl-sleeping while holding him…」

「I can’t imagine it… I seriously can’t imagine it.」

「Satsukawa-san must be a twin… the one at school has to be a different person…」

「What kind of life are they living at Takanashi-kun’s house? My image of Satsukawa-san has been completely obliterated by this trip…」

「But when guys talk to her, she’s the same Satsukawa-san as always.」

It looked like the damage hadn’t worn off yet, as they were whispering to each other while supporting one another.

Looks like they didn’t hear the last part… that was a lifesaver.

「Takanashi-kun, good work.」

I had just loaded the last box into the car and let out a long breath when someone called out from behind.

I didn’t even have to turn around to know it was Todo-san.

「Good work. What are you doing here, Todo-san?」

Ever since I started working at this shop, Todo-san has always come by to check on me.

Apparently, her house is close by so it’s an easy trip for her. If it weren’t, I wouldn’t just let a girl walk around alone at night.

I’ve told her it’s a lot of trouble and she doesn’t have to, but she just says「It’s fine, don’t worry about it,」and I couldn’t exactly keep turning her down…

「Here, a little something!」

Todo-san gave her usual healing smile and held something out from behind her back.

She’d brought a can of coffee… wait, a can of cafe au lait?

「Thanks… tch.」

I reached out with my right hand and grabbed the can. My grip was off, and the top rim of the can dug right into my blister. The pain made me let go.

Clatter!!

The can of cafe au lait hit the ground with a loud noise and rolled away.

「S-sorry!!」

I leaned forward quickly and picked up the can with my left hand. Todo-san had leaned down to grab it too, but I got there first. When I stood back up, our eyes met.

「I-I’m sorry, I didn’t hand it to you properly.」

「No, I just grabbed it weird.」

「Still. By the way, let me see your hand.」

Todo-san grabbed my right hand a bit forcefully and pulled off my work glove. There, of course, was the blister that had gotten worse since this morning, plus two new ones that had started forming…

「Eh!? What is this… Takanashi-kun, what happened?」

「Nothing, they were there from the start…」

「Lying is a no-no! How did they get this bad…」

It was a total split-second lie, but she saw right through it. I’ve been working at the flowerbed with Todo-san lately; there’s no way she’d believe I had blisters big enough to make me drop a can from the beginning…

「Ah, so that’s why you didn’t use your right hand at the flowerbed yesterday… Honestly, you have to tell me about these things!」

Looks like she’d already noticed something was off.

But man… I never thought the day would come where Todo-san would scold me.

Todo-san stared at my right hand, occasionally poking the blisters lightly with her finger to check them. When she looked up, she was staring at me with a worried face.

「Takanashi-kun, I really think you should stop working…」

「Sorry, I can’t do that. Besides, I’m almost done, so I’ll be fine…」

「But…」

「Thanks for worrying. I’m really okay.」

I forced the conversation to an end to show her I had no intention of stopping, then turned my back to start cleaning up.

「…Honestly, you’re hopeless…」

Leaving that behind, I heard Todo-san’s footsteps as she walked away. She probably went home. I felt bad for turning her down so bluntly when she was just worried about me.

I’ll have to apologize properly next time…

A little while after I resumed cleaning, I heard the sound of quick footsteps approaching again. I kept working without turning around, but the person came right up beside me and grabbed my free right hand.

「Takanashi-kun, stop working for a second.」

「Todo-san?」

The person who grabbed my hand was Todo-san, who I thought had gone home in frustration.

Looking closely, she was holding a first-aid kit.

Did she actually go get that?

「Here, sit down.」

She set an empty plastic crate down as a makeshift chair and told me to sit.

I sat down quietly, and she set the kit on the cargo space of the small truck I had been loading. She pulled out bandages and antiseptic.

「This’ll sting a bit, so be a good boy and bear with it~」

I felt like I was being treated like a total kid, but maybe this is how she treats Mio-chan.

She seemed used to it; she took my right hand, quickly disinfected it, and put on a large Band-Aid. Then she smoothly wrapped it in a bandage and fastened it.

「Alright, finished! At least keep it like this until tomorrow morning, okay?」

「Th-thanks.」

「I really want you to stop working, but…」

「…Sorry.」

「It’s fine. A friend is working hard for someone precious to them, so it’s only natural to support that!」

Todo-san really is a good person…

If she and Hayato end up happy together, that would be the best, but even if they don’t, I would be happy to help her.

That was a moment where I felt that from the bottom of my heart.