Chapter 157

“Sure, I’ll ask my manager. She’s been saying she wants more help, so I think it’ll probably be okay!” The next day, taking advantage of the fact it was also a holiday, Amane tried calling the number Ayaka had given him during the culture festival. A very nonchalant voice answered the call. After he’d decided to get a part-time job, Amane had mulled over where he should work. When he’d remembered getting that invitation from Ayaka, he had decided to go there for work experience and to improve his poor social skills. He wanted it to be a surprise for Mahiru and didn’t want her to overhear them talking, so just to be safe, he had the conversation near the entrance to their apartment building. In Amane’s mind, suddenly asking for the job when he had previously turned down the initial invitation might lead to disapproval even from the generous Ayaka. But contrary to his expectations, she readily agreed, which baffled him. “Ah, what about an interview?” “I think they’ll probably do one, but that’ll be a breeze. You’ll get a referral from me, so there’ll be no question about your character. No matter how I might seem, I act very serious and goody-goody at work, so the manager trusts me.” It was not surprising. Even at work, people seemed to trust Ayaka because of her excellent character. Even Amane, who hadn’t known her for long, could tell she was dependable, friendly, good-humored, and cheerful, so of course people liked her. He heard Ayaka clear her throat on the other end of the line in a tone that made him imagine she was puffed up with pride, and he couldn’t help but smile. “I don’t mind giving you an introduction, but are you sure you want to do this job, Fujimiya?” “Well, I think it’ll get me used to dealing with customers and stuff.” “Mm, that’s not really what I’m asking. Did Miss Shiina agree to this? I mean, did you explain it to her?” “N-no, I haven’t talked to her about it yet.” “Then don’t you think it’s a no-go until you have a serious talk with her? We make good money here, but I wonder if Miss Shiina might get jealous.” “Uh, that’s…” The part-time job Amane was so earnestly seeking was, in fact, the same job Ayaka did. It was the place that had lent them the costumes for the culture festival—in other words, it was a café where the staff wore those costumes while they served customers. If he worked at that café, Amane would also serve customers while wearing that costume, just like he had during the culture festival. If he had started working at a place like that without saying anything about it, it was obvious Mahiru would have felt a storm of emotions when she’d found out. Mahiru had gotten sulky at the culture festival whenever female customers had spoken to Amane or asked for his number, so he didn’t want to do anything that would make her feel insecure. Of course, cheating on her would be unthinkable, and he was sure she trusted him not to do that, but that was a separate issue from these emotional matters. “Why do you suddenly want to get a part-time job anyway?” Ayaka phrased it as a simple question, but Amane held his tongue. He didn’t think Ayaka would out him to Mahiru if he asked her to keep it a secret, but saying he wanted to save money for a ring would be a little embarrassing. It was probably well-known among their acquaintances that Amane was infatuated with Mahiru, and he himself was perfectly aware of that fact. However, he was still hesitant to explain he wanted to give her a ring. At the same time, he didn’t think Ayaka would understand unless he told her. Besides, he figured hiding something from the person helping him get the job wasn’t good. “…So…can I ask you not to tell anyone, especially not Mahiru?” “Ah, I know. You want to get some kind of present for Miss Shiina. Maybe a Christmas present?” “Ch-Christmas, huh…? That’s…something to think about for next year, but…well, I kinda want to give her a ring…,” he answered, letting his words taper off questionably at the end, and he got silence in return. While waiting to hear Ayaka’s voice, Amane started inwardly panicking, worrying that maybe he was rushing things too much, considering he was still just a student. But after ten long seconds of silence, he heard her mumble quietly, “Oh, I knew it, even through the phone.” Then, louder, she said, “I see. I understand and am satisfied with your plan, Fujimiya.” “…Great. I guess I really want to pay for it myself.” “Right, right. Then you’d better give up on the idea of working here, okay? Even though you’d be working hard for Miss Shiina’s sake, Fujimiya, I don’t think even she would like the idea of her boyfriend working at a place where it’s easy to get involved with other women.” She was exactly right. “Yeah, that’s true,” he answered. “Sorry, I didn’t think that through.” He was already mentally preparing a new plan to go back home and look at job-recruiting sites when he heard Ayaka’s voice again. “Instead,” she continued, “if another café would be all right, I can give you a referral there. It’s the café my aunt runs, but it’s a quiet place, and the customers are in a higher age bracket, so I think it might be a good match for you personality-wise, Fujimiya.” “That would be awesome, but…don’t you want to work there, Kido?” Since she had a connection and was a family member, he figured there was no reason she shouldn’t work there. But on the other end of the phone line, Ayaka mumbled, “Ah, yeah…,” and seemed to struggle to put something into words. “Mm, well, I…sort of don’t get along with my aunt…” “But you’d still introduce me? Wow, thank you.” “Ah, no, it’s not that bad, okay? My aunt is, how do I say this? …She’s really…doting, I guess you would say?” “Doting?” “Yeah. My aunt is super close to my mom and dotes on her sister’s daughter, meaning me, but…she spoils me too much. Like, bad enough where I don’t feel independent anymore. If I work for her and her attitude toward me and my working conditions is different from everybody else, then my coworkers will get the wrong idea about her.” She seemed more uncomfortable than displeased when she described it, so Amane figured it was probably something like how his mother treated Mahiru. However, Shihoko expected a lot from Mahiru and still went out of her way to spoil her, so it seemed like Ayaka’s situation was different. “So anyway, that’s why I don’t work at my aunt’s place but at one of her friends’ places instead. Even so, she’s still kind of taking care of me, in a way, but I pride myself on getting people to like me for my personality, so it all works out.” “I’m sure. Watching you work, I thought you were incredibly friendly. It was amazing how you pulled people in.” “Take it easy. Miss Shiina will get jealous if you say things like that too casually. Anyway, if you’re good with it, Fujimiya, I’ll check in with my aunt, and once I confirm things with her, you can go in for a trial run. How’s that? That way, you can take a look at the café and decide for yourself. But I think it’ll be an easy place for you to work.” “That’s a huge help, but…are you sure it’s okay to ask you to do so much?” “It’s fine, it’s fine. Look, I know how much you love Miss Shiina, so let me help you out, okay? If you want, you can even ask me my opinion on rings!” “…Well, you know, when it comes time for that, I might ask you and Chitose both.” “Heh-heh, you can count on us.” Regarding rings and such, Amane thought it’d be best to take in opinions from other girls, especially Chitose. Since she had been keeping an eye on Amane and Mahiru the whole time, there was no way he could not ask her. If possible, he wanted both girls to help him. But at the present moment, that conversation was a long way off, so he made a vague agreement, and after Ayaka said, “I’ll call you later, or maybe give you a report at school,” they hung up. “…A part-time job?” When he returned to his apartment and spoke to Mahiru, who had been relaxing in the living room, she looked at him in surprise. “Why now, all of a sudden? Next year, we’ll be getting ready for exams, and actually, it’s about time to start studying for exams anyway.” Naturally, there was no way he could hide something as big as a part-time job, so he talked to her honestly about it. But Mahiru hit him with some very sensible questions. If he could, he wanted to keep his plans as secret as possible from Mahiru until he handed her the ring, but he was well aware starting a new part-time job right when they were supposed to begin preparing for exams was somewhat unusual. “Ah, well, there’s something I kind of want to buy, no matter what it takes.” “Something you want?” “Also, I want to do it to acquire some work experience. Of course, I don’t intend to take on so many shifts that it’ll get in the way of school. I think I’ll have finished saving what I need around the time the other people in our class start retiring from club activities, so I should be able to focus on studying before the exams really get going. Even thinking about grades, it probably won’t be too different from people participating in clubs. My grades depend on my effort, so I don’t plan on letting them drop, but even if they do, I don’t think it’ll be because of the job.” Amane had always been able to focus on his studies because he had more time to spare than other students who belonged to different school clubs. But once he started working, he would no longer be an unemployed member of the go-home club, which would require him to put in a lot more effort. If he had to say, Amane considered himself rather good at studying. But he knew once he devoted some time to a job, it would be difficult to maintain his grades with the same amount of effort he had been making. But Amane had absolutely no desire to give up on his education or his future with Mahiru, so he planned to study harder than he had ever done before and hoped paying more attention in class would help him learn the material. Even if it meant dramatically increasing his responsibilities, Amane didn’t intend to yield or quit. He was determined to make it work. Amane looked at Mahiru with a serious face, and Mahiru frowned, looking troubled. “Well, it’s not for me to interfere, and if you’ve thought it through, then I will respect your decision, Amane. Though I am sad we’ll have less time to spend together…” She gave him a slightly lonely-looking smile, and he feared he would lose his resolve, but he couldn’t surrender just for that, so he smiled back a little. “Sorry. To make up for it, I’ll prioritize spending time with you on my days off work.” “You always put me above everything else, so it’s all right if you prioritize yourself, too, you know?” “Listening to my heart is what makes me put you first, Mahiru, so that all works out.” He would never be satisfied by putting himself first. Being with Mahiru was his deepest desire, and making Mahiru happy made Amane happy, too. Amane was entirely aware he was so in love with Mahiru that her happiness directly equaled his own, and even though it made him feel a little uneasy, seeing the person he loved look pleased was the most satisfying feeling for him. That’s how he so confidently reassured Mahiru he didn’t intend to abandon or neglect her. Mahiru understood Amane’s words came straight from his heart, and she pressed her lips tightly together and ground her forehead against his upper arm.