The next morning, Kazuo originally planned to get up early to buy breakfast for everyone, but what he didn't expect was that when he went downstairs at six o'clock, there was already a slight noise coming from the store on the first floor.
At first, Kazuo thought he was having auditory hallucinations early in the morning, but when he saw a faint light downstairs, he couldn't help but lighten his steps and slowly walked over.
Peeking quietly in the direction of the store, a scene that surprised him appeared.
A slender and petite figure appeared in the store, holding cleaning tools, doing hygiene cleaning in the store alone.
...! ?
Rice Shower-classmate, why did she get up so early?
It's only a little after six o'clock now, it's hard to imagine she would be cleaning here... and looking at it, Kazuo didn't dare to say how long she had been doing it.
You should know that the entire store is very spacious, and it actually takes a lot of time to clean it all up.
Previously, Aoi would clean it together with someone every day... "Why..."
"Seems like she's doing what she thinks is right, right?"
A slightly tired voice rang in Kazuo's ear, which almost made Kazuo jump directly from the ground.
Turning his head, he realized that Manager Kiryu-in was right next to his ear, murmuring softly. Being caught off guard like that could sometimes even lead to a heart attack.
"Senior Kiryuuin... you, why are your dark circles so heavy? Did you stay up all night?"
Kazuo had wanted to retort, but when he carefully examined Kiryuuin's face, he swallowed his words.
His skin was sallow, visibly greasy, and his dark circles were heavy. His hair was a mess, and his eyes were red and swollen, making him look lifeless.
He looked like he could collapse at any moment.
Seeing him like this, Kazuo seemed to understand something. However, before Kazuo could say anything more,
Kiryuuin muttered in a low voice, "Never seen someone stay up all night before?"
Even after staying up all night, Kiryuuin still had the energy to retort, which was really something... But Kazuo probably understood why he had stayed up all night, and it seemed like he had already noticed Rice Shower secretly getting up early to clean the store... "Did you notice it early on?"
Kazuo asked in a low voice.
Two grown men were peeking at a little girl by the doorframe. If it weren't his own store, and someone saw them outside, they would definitely be taken away by the police.
"She secretly got up half an hour ago. But since she wants to do it herself, there's no need to stop her."
Perhaps Kazuo wouldn't have understood the meaning of these words before, but now, after talking with Grandpa Yoshida, his state of mind had changed. Looking at the slightly strained but persistent figure, he seemed to understand the "advice" that Kiryuuin had given him before.
At least in her eyes, this was a trivial compensation that could only put her mind at ease.
However—
"Alright, I need to rest. I'll leave this to you, after all, you're the teacher—"
Kiryuuin said, placing his hand on Kazuo's shoulder.
"Eh?"
Before he could react, he felt an external force, and Kazuo was directly pushed out by Kiryuuin.
The commotion was quite loud, scaring Rice Shower.
"Ah... Asama Teacher? Why...?"
Being caught was still very embarrassing. Kazuo couldn't help but curse Manager Kiryu-in in his heart for always acting on a whim.
But at this time, he had already scurried back to his studio. So Kazuo had to cover up his embarrassment with a smile and said:
"Ah, good morning... Rice Shower, you're up so early?"
"Ah... yes... I couldn't sleep, so I got up... I wanted to do something I could... And today should be the last day of my part-time job... If possible, I want to make up for it as much as possible..."
After today, she would have to start preparing to go back to school after the holiday. Kazuo naturally understood what Rice Shower meant by these words.
Perhaps it wasn't that she couldn't sleep, but that she had already decided to do something during this time... He couldn't help but recall what Kiryuuin had said to him before: "For them, excessive protection will only harm them."
And it seemed that Rice Shower had also thought a lot. If he had helped her bear all the burdens before, would she be able to grow, or take the crucial step out of the shadows—
"Asama... Teacher?"
"Asama Teacher?"
She tilted her head slightly, looking a little uneasy.
However, things must be developing in a good direction.
Especially after learning about Rice Shower's family background and life experience, he understood that she had also thought a lot to make such a decision.
"..."
Kazuo opened his mouth, then paused.
Perhaps before, he would have said, "Why don't I do it..."
But now—
"Rice Shower, if you don't mind, could you mop the floor over there too?"
No matter the dirty or tiring work, Rice Shower would gladly accept it at this time.
For you and her, all you need to do is let her face these problems, don't avoid them, don't use misfortune and pessimism to escape.
Do this.
That is to let her make her own choices, that is enough.
And for the rest, if she has the corresponding awareness, then even without help, the problem will be solved.
This is what Grandpa Yoshida said. As expected of someone who has lived for most of his life, his words always carry the experience and principles of dealing with people accumulated over time.
And looking at Rice Shower now, the uneasiness in his heart dissipated. It wasn't that he was overthinking, but that Rice Shower was trying to change, even if it was small, but through this incident, it was slowly changing her.
Kazuo's request, or rather, request, made the girl's body tremble slightly. Even if it was an inconspicuous thing, since she was asked, it was entrusting trust and responsibility to her.
Rice Shower nodded lightly, her expression even more serious.
Whether it was compensation or reducing guilt, this was the method she had come up with based on her own will, and the actions and examples she had made.
Kiryuuin and he saw it. The longer they spent with her, the more they could find that although Rice Shower looked weak and even a little pessimistic.
But at certain times, she also had her own perseverance and faith. Even if it was small, it was her own decision as herself.
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