Chapter 27 Two or three things about convenience stores
Friday
After school, Kato Yusuke came to the convenience store as usual.
First, he replenished all the missing products, and then checked whether there was any oden that had been soaked for a long time in the cooking pot. Then he turned on the electric fryer, threw the chicken skewers, chicken steaks and other things in, and washed them while doing so.
While using the coffee machine, I was replenishing the fried food.
Takada Shiori was on the side responsible for the cashier work.
By the time Kato Yusuke finished all this, more than an hour had passed, and it was still some time before the white-collar workers nearby got off work.
So he also stood in front of the cashier and began to act as the mascot.
"Thank you~! This is for you!"
With a straightforward smile on his face, Takada Shiori handed him a cup of frozen milk tea and motioned for him to take it.
"Thank you." Kato Yusuke took it from his hand, took out his wallet from his pocket, and asked her, "How much is it?"
"No need, it's such a small thing."
Takada Shiori waved his hand, glanced around secretly, and whispered into Yusuke Kato's ear.
"Besides, Kato-kun has been having a hard time lately. It's really not good to encounter phone scams or something like that, so..."
Her expression became a little nervous, and the ten fingers placed in front of her lower abdomen were twisted together shyly, and her eyes wandered, not daring to look at Kato Yusuke.
"Well... don't look at me like this. I have saved a lot of money before. If Kato-kun has any difficulties... you can come to me at any time..."
By the time she finished speaking hesitantly, the girl's face had turned red to her neck and she looked very cute.
Kato Yusuke was stunned at first, and then he remembered the "gentleman's agreement" he had with Mr. Tanaka a few days ago, and his expression suddenly became extremely exciting.
(Speaking of which, Uncle Tanaka still owes me 2,000 yen.)
This was his first thought.
(Takada’s misunderstanding seems to be getting deeper and deeper.)
This was his second thought.
"Ahem, that, Takada..."
Kato Yusuke cleared his throat, then opened his mouth to speak, but was interrupted.
"栞..." Takada Takada whispered, his exposed skin stained with a layer of crimson: "栞... that's all."
"Aha?"
Kato Yusuke looked at her in confusion.
"...So!" Takada Shiori took a deep breath and stared at him with moist eyes, "Just call me Shiori! After all...that happened to us all..."
The sound gradually became quieter until it was inaudible.
Something like that? Which kind?
Kato Yusuke's thinking stagnated for three seconds, and various images kept flashing through his mind, like a wild horse running wild on the road to Akina Mountain, never to return.
"What——!" Takada Shiori's expression showed dissatisfaction, her violet eyes stared closely at Kato Yusuke's eyes: "You have already done that kind of thing to others... That was my first kiss."
The brain resumes thinking.
(It seems that I am the one who is being forced.)
Thinking of this, Kato Yusuke couldn't help but sigh inwardly, looked at Takada Shiori and said: "Takada, let's talk."
"I told you that you can just call me Zhi..."
"That won't work -" Kato Yusuke shook his head, his ink-like eyes looked at Takada Shiori without hesitation, and asked word by word: "Do you like me?"
"You, you, you, what are you talking about!?"
First, he subconsciously wanted to deny it, but Takada Shiori's face turned red quickly like a pot of hot water that had just been boiled.
"That, that kind of thing!" Her eyes fluctuated violently, then she lowered her head and murmured like a gnat: "Don't say it here..."
There was a silence between the two of them.
After a few seconds, a long sigh filled the air.
"sorry."
Kato Yusuke said.
"...Eh?" Takada Shiori trembled and raised his head involuntarily: "What...? Why do you need to apologize...?"
Another sigh.
"Do I have to make it clear?"
His dark eyes stared at her quietly, and Kato Yusuke's words were like a bucket of cold water poured on Takada Shiori's head.
Snap, snap, snap.
Water droplets began to hit the window little by little, and it started to rain again outside the window.
"……I'm going back."
After a long silence, Takada Shiori whispered.
Ignoring Kato Yusuke's reaction, she lowered her head and hurriedly walked out.
Kato Yusuke stretched out his hand to stop her.
"What does it mean……"
As if suppressing something, Takada Shiori's voice was trembling.
"At least bring this."
Kato Yusuke took an umbrella from the shelf nearby.
Cold tears fell from her eyes, hitting Yusuke Kato's arms with moisture. The girl slowly raised her head.
What caught his eye was a pair of red eyes.
"People like you...are the worst!!!"
Takada Shiori took the umbrella and at the same time reached out to grab the frozen milk tea on the table and threw it towards Kato Yusuke.
Crash--
The drink mixed with ice cubes was poured on Kato Yusuke's face, and then flowed down his face.
He stretched out his hand and wiped it on his face, looking at the girl disappearing in the rain curtain, with neither joy nor sadness in his eyes.
It will probably stop soon.
Kato Yusuke thought so, then picked up a rag and cleaned up the surrounding area.
At night.
"Ah? Why are you alone? Where is Kotakata?"
Mr. Tanaka, who was wearing a raincoat, walked into the store and looked at Kato Yusuke who was alone in the store and asked strangely.
"She wasn't feeling well, so she went back first."
Kato Yusuke explained.
"Yeah?"
Mr. Tanaka nodded, took off his raincoat, shook it vigorously on the ground in front of the door, and sighed to Kato Yusuke.
"It's raining really hard today!"
Kato Yusuke glanced out the window and saw that the drizzle that was still as light as cow hair in the afternoon had completely changed into something else. The heavy rain poured down as if it were falling, bouncing on the ground with a crackling sound.
the sound of.
Facts proved that he had miscalculated. Not only did the rain not stop, but it actually became more intense.
"It's a bit troublesome."
Kato Yusuke murmured, his eyes lingering for a moment on the sold-out shelf on the side, where the umbrellas were originally placed.
It seems we can only wait until the rain subsides before going back.
With this thought in mind, he looked up at the sky, his eyes slightly lost in thought, so that he didn't realize the person next to him.
Ta-ta-ta--
"This gentleman."
A brisk voice rang in my ears.
"You look troubled?"
Kato Yusuke turned around, and what appeared in his eyes was a cute girl in uniform.
"It's raining so hard."
The girl said with a smile, looking at the young man with uncontrollable joy in her eyes.
She walked up to Kato Yusuke holding an umbrella, raised the umbrella in her hand above their heads, put her other hand on Kato Yusuke's arm, looked at the boy with crooked eyebrows, and said softly.
"Go back, dinner is ready."
"good."
Looking at the girl leaning on him, Kato Yusuke responded to her with a faint smile on his lips.