Without Kurata—the lazy, domineering "senpai" who always bullied the girls into doing his work—both Shiina Mahiru and Asada Shino felt much more at ease.
The other male clerk, Takagi, had been a little intimidated by Hayashi Maki at first. But after working with him for a short while, Takagi started to warm up to him.
Unlike Kurata, who always flaunted his "seniority" and pushed his tasks onto newcomers, Hayashi Maki doubled the work efficiency the moment he joined. Tasks that usually took 30 minutes to finish were completed in just a few minutes.
Takagi ended up just standing to the side, scrolling through his phone while waiting for new assignments.
It was the first time he'd experienced the joy of "slacking off" at work, and it felt pretty great.
If only every day could be this easy…
Too bad Hayashi Maki said he was only filling in temporarily for Kurata and probably wouldn't be back the next day.
Still, Takagi couldn't quite believe that someone like Hayashi Maki—who had no hesitation beating Kurata until his teeth fell out—would be "helping out" out of goodwill.
And he wasn't the only one—Asada Shino and Shiina Mahiru also didn't buy that explanation.
In the afternoon, foot traffic at the store was light, which meant less pressure for the cashiers like Mahiru and Shino.
Since Hayashi Maki had dealt with Kurata outside in the storage area, none of the customers had noticed the violent scuffle.
However, the store owner had seen it on the security cameras—and quickly came out to mediate.
To Hayashi Maki's surprise, the owner turned out to be Saionji Youko—a mature, single mother character from a certain anime.
Her daughter was Saionji Sekai, the girl infamous for stabbing the cheating male protagonist in that story.
Saionji Youko had naturally come out wanting to resolve things when she saw her employee get attacked.
Hayashi Maki explained Kurata's history of laziness and bullying—how he exploited Shino to do his work.
Youko was furious and immediately fired Kurata on the spot.
She hated men who picked on women.
But with Kurata gone, that left her a little short-handed, especially since Takagi was the only guy left.
So Youko looked at the tall, handsome Hayashi Maki with sparkling eyes and asked if he'd be interested in a part-time job.
Hayashi Maki instantly agreed.
He didn't feel comfortable leaving Mahiru and Shino to work in the store alone.
Saionji Youko was kind and gentle—but being a character from that kind of anime, it was well-understood she had a thing for good-looking younger men.
Women like her also tended to attract unwanted attention.
So Hayashi Maki decided to stick around for a few days, observe the area, and see if any sketchy types showed up.
If he ran into any "Red Named" individuals (i.e., those with evil souls), it'd be the perfect chance to collect some sin and increase his magic power.
Consider it an outdoor farming mission.
…
9:00 PM.
Saionji Youko came out of the break room and announced that everyone could clock out.
She handed sealed envelopes with cash to Mahiru, Shino, and finally Hayashi Maki.
Convenience store wages in Japan are decent—about ¥1100 per hour. A few hours of work meant enough money for several meals.
For high school students, part-time jobs at convenience stores were the most accessible option.
Youko originally wanted to schedule night shifts too—but recent reports of a serial killer targeting women walking home alone at night changed her mind.
It wasn't worth risking her life—or her staff's—just for a bit more profit.
So the store closed right at 9, doors locked, and everyone went home safely.
When handing Shino her envelope, Youko gave her a sincere reminder:
"Asada-san, from now on, you only need to do the work assigned to you. There's no rule in my store that says kouhais have to serve seniors."
"You work so hard, but someone else was getting paid for your effort. Doesn't that feel unfair?"
"You're a good girl, and I've seen how hard you try. If something bothers you—speak up."
"As for Kurata, he's fired. I don't need lazy jerks who push their work onto girls in my store."
Hearing that, Shino's heart warmed. She nodded earnestly.
"Yes. I understand. Thank you, Manager."
Youko smiled and waved it off.
"You should be thanking Hayashi Maki. He's the one who told me what was going on."
Youko's store had a zero-tolerance policy toward workplace bullying.
Why should part-timers make life harder for each other?
And Kurata? Just because he heard some gossip, he used it to threaten Shino and force her to work for him?
Disgusting.
People like him didn't belong here.
Shino instinctively glanced at Hayashi Maki, her expression filled with gratitude.
He'd saved her again.
"Alright, it's getting late. You all head home."
"Oh, and one more thing—there's a serial killer on the loose, targeting girls walking home alone at night. Be careful out there!"
With one last reminder, Youko locked up and went home.
After she was gone, Hayashi Maki looked at the two girls.
"Asada-san, you heard the boss. How about Mahiru and I walk you home? It's dangerous out there."
Shino looked tempted but quickly hesitated.
"Wouldn't that be a bother for you both…?"
Mahiru smiled and gently took her hand.
"It's no trouble at all. Your safety comes first. If something happened to you after we parted, that would be the real problem."
"So let us make sure you get home safe, okay?"
"Alright then… thank you."
Shino thought about it and realized—there was no point in keeping her distance anymore.
They'd already helped her so much. There was no reason to keep pushing them away.
If someone wanted to stand up for her, be her friend… shouldn't she feel lucky?
"Let's go," Hayashi Maki said, shrugging as he took the lead.
Mahiru and Shino quickly followed behind him.
~~~
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