Our Life That Begins with a Convenient Relationship - Chapter 15

Around 9:00 PM, the peak of the night shift passed, and I could finally take a breath.

A few groups of customers remained, but this was the time I liked—when the frantic rush ended and the tension began to unwind.

However, tonight I felt a little restless. As I kept my hands busy with cleaning, I found myself glancing toward the entrance of the shop over and over again.

The clock hands passed nine, and the shop curtain fluttered in the breeze.

(…She should be here soon.)

As if my intuition was spot on, the door opened shortly after, and a cheerful voice echoed through the shop.

“Good evening! The usual, please!”

I looked up to see her in her suit—Sakura-san had arrived with a beaming smile.

Even though she was coming straight from work, her step was light, showing no signs of the day’s exhaustion. In fact, she looked so happy I wondered if something incredibly good had happened at her company.

“Welcome! My, aren’t you in a great mood today?”

“Ehehe, well, a lot of things happened!”

Greeted by the manager, Sakura-san gave a proud smile and took her usual seat at the counter. Watching her, I couldn’t help but smile too.

—It might be nice to have a night without listening to complaints for once. …Actually, thinking back, I don’t think we’ve ever had a day like that.

As I picked up her prepared dish, the manager gave me a light poke in the back.

“Go on, go keep her company. That face of hers is the face of someone who is dying to tell you something.”

“You think so? She looks the same as always to me.”

Doing as I was told, I carried the food over and placed it in front of Sakura-san.

“Here you go, thanks for waiting.”

“Wow, thank you again today! Yes, this is it, the usual!”

Her eyes sparkled at the food. I thought perhaps we would just have some small talk today without the venting.

But as soon as she picked up her chopsticks, she leaned in and said, “Sakurai-san, listen to this!”

(Ah, I knew it. More venting today…)

Laughing a little inside, I sat down next to her.

“—So, anyway? I went to greet a client with the new person I’m training, and what do you think they said to me!?”

“Hmm… let me guess, something bordering on sexual harassment?”

“Close! The answer was: ‘Gee, work would really fly by if I had such a cute girl in charge of my account!'”

“That’s not just close, it’s a bullseye! Ah, I guess I said ‘bordering on,’ but that just is sexual harassment.”

I let out an involuntary sigh.

Still, seeing Sakura-san so indignant actually made me feel a bit relieved. Even as she complained, her eyes were full of life.

She probably deals with a lot of pressure at the office, so having a place where she can talk and laugh like this might be a small salvation for her.

(…I wonder if I would have faced the same things if I worked at a company.)

The thought crossed my mind. But here at the izakaya, the manager keeps a sharp eye on things.

A long time ago, when I had just started working here, a customer got drunk and started making comments to me.

“You’re cute. Where do you live? Give me your number.”

At that time, the manager jumped in, saying, “Oh, did you call for me? Did you say I’m cute!?” The man panicked, left his money, and ran away. I remember desperately trying to swallow my laughter while watching him go.

Just remembering it made my heart feel lighter.

That kind of atmosphere has always been in this shop. It’s a place where I can work with peace of mind, and it’s a place where she found a reason to keep coming back.

She is smiling properly again today. Just seeing that made me feel like the day was worth it.

“And then! In the end, the rest of the meeting went normally, but the new kid next to me was so incredibly nervous—”

“I see, I see.”

With her chopsticks in one hand, Sakura-san talked with lots of gestures, like she was giving a play-by-play.

Her expressions changed constantly; it was busy just watching her. One moment she was frowning and saying “Can you believe it?”, and the next she was laughing at her own punchline.

The conversation moved on to office politics, her boss’s catchphrases, and even the building’s air conditioning settings.

I nodded along and took a sip of water to clear my throat.

The woman in front of me was glowing again today.

(…Seriously, she talks a lot.)

Though I was halfway exasperated, it felt comfortable for some reason. She probably didn’t even need to complain; she just wanted someone to listen. If that person could be me, well, that wasn’t so bad.

While I was thinking that, time flew by.

“Oh, by the way, Sakurai-san, when do you finish work?”

“Let’s see, in about twenty minutes, I think.”

“Then, if I’m not in the way, I’ll wait for you here!”

She gave a bright smile, and I blinked in surprise. Did she mean she wanted to go home together?

“Um… you’re going to stay here while I do the closing work?”

While confused, I glanced at the manager, who gave me a massive thumbs-up from behind the counter. She even added a wink.

(Wait, she could hear our conversation from that far away…?)

Either her hearing is too good, or she’s just a total meddler.

But then again, being able to naturally pick up on customers’ voices is probably an essential skill for a manager. She’s someone who can use that to keep a conversation going, which is why the regulars trust her so much.

…Honestly, she might be better suited for a hostess bar than an izakaya.

“You’re in a really good mood today. Did something even better than your complaining happen?”

When I asked that, she puffed out her cheeks and pointedly looked away.

(…Is she sulking rather than being angry?)

The gesture was strangely cute, and I let out a small laugh.

She clearly had something she wanted to say but couldn’t. Or maybe she wanted me to tease her. Either way, she was like a child.

In that atmosphere, I heard the manager mutter softly from the back.

“Man, she’s gonna have a tough time having a crush on someone this oblivious.”

“Manager, did you say something just now?”

“No? Nooo-thing at all. Come on, let’s start getting ready to close up!”

I barely heard her, but the words stuck in my mind for some reason. …Maybe I really should make an appointment with an ear doctor soon.

The moment I decided that, Sakura-san happily tugged on my sleeve. Her smile was as innocent as a student waiting for a friend at the school gate after class.

“Hey, Sakurai-san, let’s go home together when you’re done!”

“…Alright, alright, I get it, so don’t get in the way of my work. It’ll just make us get home later.”

When I replied, she gave an energetic “Okay!” and started drinking the rest of her sake. Looking at her profile, for some reason, I felt a slight warmth deep in my chest.

Outside the shop, the wind whistled softly. The sound swayed as if melting into the night air—

And somewhere in my heart, I felt my world beginning to change once again.