Episode 164: A Gift to Remember

「I’m looking forward to working with you!」

「Me too. If there’s anything you don’t understand, feel free to ask.」

Todo-san’s grandfather was exactly as he looked: a kind-hearted man.

I felt like I could work here with peace of mind.

And so, my part-time job officially began today. Although, calling it a job might be a stretch since it’s only two hours a day.

When I’d stopped by for an interview… or rather, a formal greeting… it had caused a bit of a scene.

「To think Marina-chan would bring a boyfriend over. I suppose you’ll be the one to inherit the shop someday…」

「G, Grandpa, Takanashi-kun isn’t my boyfriend!! He has a wonderful girlfriend who I can’t even compare to!」

Todo-san denied it in a total panic.

From my perspective, Sara-san is obviously the absolute best, but I didn’t think she needed to put herself down like that.

Todo-san is plenty cute herself. When I think about how she looks after Mio-chan, she’s caring and definitely has that high-tier ‘healing’ vibe.

In fact, the guy who could have anyone he wanted, Hayato, had fallen for her instantly. I hate to put it this way, but her specs are definitely high; she just has a bad person to be compared against.

「No, Todo-san is also quite…」

「Takanashi-kun, don’t say another word, okay?」

「Y, Yes.」

The pressure behind Todo-san’s smile wasn’t quite on Sara-san’s level, but it was still something else.

「Wait, is he Marina-chan’s boyfriend!?」

「Good for you, Manager! Your son was a bust, but looks like you might have a successor after all.」

Since we were talking inside the shop, some people who seemed like neighbors or regular customers ended up joining the conversation.

「I said he’s not!!」

「Um, really, I’m not… Todo-san and I are just friends, and I already have a girlfriend.」

I felt bad for the desperate Todo-san, so I jumped in to help and finally managed to get them to back off…

Regaining my focus, I got straight to work.

The main task was preparing items for the next day’s deliveries and loading up the truck based on the instructions.

It wasn’t complicated work, which was a relief, but in exchange… it was heavy. There were tons of massive items like beer crates and kegs, so even for a short time, it was pretty exhausting. Plus, the handles bit into my hands, making them hurt… I’ll probably get used to it, though… maybe.

But when I imagine Sara-san’s happy face, this is nothing.

While I was silently grinding through the tasks, I finished the loading and prep, and just as I was tidying up, the Manager showed up.

Apparently, time had flown by.

「Good work today. That was tough, wasn’t it?」

「It was a bit heavier than I expected, but I’m fine. I’ll do my best.」

「I see, I see. Well, I’ll be counting on you for a while.」

The Manager (he told me to just call him Manager) brought me a juice along with some words of appreciation.

Just as I was about to head home after a quick break, Todo-san came over.

「Takanashi-kun, good work! I came to check on you… how was it?」

「I’m fine. Thanks, Todo-san.」

I thought it would take ages to find a job that fit my conditions, so this was a literal lifesaver… I’m nothing but grateful to Todo-san.

And the fact that she came all the way to check on me, she really is a good person.

「No problem! Let’s do our best to make Satsukawa-senpai happy!」

「Yeah, I’ll work hard!!」

And so, my first day at my first-ever part-time job ended. By the time I got home, took a bath, and did a few other things, I ended up going to bed way later than usual.

「Kazunari-san… please wake up.」

I heard Sara-san’s gentle voice trying to wake me. That meant it was already time to get up.

I’ve stayed up late before, and compared to those times, I should have gotten a decent amount of sleep… but I’d never felt this normally tired before.

However, if I just stayed in bed, she’d think it was weird, so I forced myself up with more energy than usual.

「…Good morning.」

「Yes, good morning. You shouldn’t do that, springing up like that isn’t good for your body.」

Lately, whenever I wake up in the morning, Sara-san is always right by my bed. Today was no different.

Because I’d bolted upright, Sara-san hurriedly reached out to support me.

While she greeted me, she looked into my eyes as if something caught her attention. She stared for a while, a look of mystery appearing on her face.

「…? Kazunari-san, did you stay up late or something?」

「Eh?」

「I wouldn’t say they’re dark circles, but… are you a bit sleep-deprived?」

Sh, sharp.

As expected of Sara-san…

「Sorry, I just stayed up a little later than usual last night, so I shouldn’t be that sleep-deprived. Does it show?」

「No, you really have to look closely to even tell. If you’re okay, Kazunari-san, then it’s no problem. Now, go wash your face.」

I need to wash my face and wake up quickly.

As for my body, it’s not like the work is extreme, so I should get used to it soon.

「Kazunari, sorry to keep you waiting.」

After school, Hayato came to the classroom.

Hayato stops by all the time whether there’s something to talk about or not, but this time he was early since I’d messaged him on RAIN.

He probably came over the second HR ended.

「Yeah. Well, shall we go pick up Todo-san?」

「Got it.」

Hayato followed me naturally, while that same group of girls stared at us with intense gazes as we left the room.

When we headed to Todo-san’s classroom, it looked like she was just coming out. Noticing us, she gave a smile and a small wave as she approached.

「Sorry, did I keep you waiting?」

「No, we’re fine. Shall we go?」

「Yeah, let’s.」

After exchanging a few words with Todo-san, she moved behind me to follow, which naturally put her side-by-side with Hayato.

「Hello, Yokogawa-kun.」

「Ah, hello, Todo-san.」

With the two of them following behind me while greeting each other, I decided to head to the usual shopping mall.

By the way, Sara-san is fine because Natsumi-senpai is taking her out somewhere.

「So, about Sara-san’s birthday present…」

「In the end, you’re the one who should decide, Kazunari, so I’ll just give you some advice… for a gift for a lover that stays as a physical object, the standard is jewelry or something to decorate their room. But if you want it to be more of a memory, maybe you should be a bit more particular… like a photo of you two, or your names, something that shows it was made just for you guys.」

I see… something just for us…

「I see! It’s true that if you want a memory, something unique or something you can recognize at a glance would be best. As expected of Yokogawa-kun!」

「N, No, this is nothing special…」

Todo-san’s natural smile and praise were apparently a critical hit for Hayato.

It’s rare to see him looking so obviously flustered.

But thanks to Hayato, something had popped into my mind.

So, let’s go check that out.

Since this is the first gift I’ll be giving Sara-san since we became a couple, I really want to put my back into finding something good.

「Do you have something in mind now?」

Hayato, who had been watching me, asked with a happy nod.

「Yeah, I kind of have an idea, so I’m gonna go check it out. What about you, Todo-san?」

「Hmm, I want to look at a general store while I’m at it, so I’ll check for a present around there too.」

Alright, everything is going according to plan.

「In that case, take Hayato with you as a bug repellent. I want to think about this carefully by myself, so let’s meet up later.」

「Eh? But won’t that be a nuisance for Yokogawa-kun…?」

Todo-san looked a bit hesitant, so I gave Hayato a signal with my eyes.

Hayato nodded back and turned toward Todo-san with a smile.

「I’m fine with it. Besides, I talked big, but I’ve never given a gift to a friend before, so I’d actually like it if you’d look with me?」

「Eh, really? Well, in that case, let’s go look together. Takanashi-kun probably wants to think carefully, after all.」

Following Hayato’s words, Todo-san agreed to the company.

With this, I managed to create a chance for them to act as a pair, even if only for a short time. After that, it’s all up to Hayato.

While we were making these arrangements, we arrived at the shopping mall. We decided on a meeting spot and immediately went our separate ways.

Good luck, Hayato…

Sending a mental cheer to my best friend as I watched the two of them walking off together, I started looking for my target store.

Since I can’t trust the internet where I can’t see the actual thing, I’d like to decide right here if I can…