"Thank you for coming in today."
I was currently at a coffee shop for a part-time job interview.
After thinking about getting a steady part-time job to earn money regularly, I consulted Himeji-san about it. She immediately suggested this place.
"There's a coffee shop I really like. The owner is quiet and the atmosphere is nice, so it's easy for me to go there... I recently saw a help-wanted sign, so how about trying there?"
When I checked it out, the location was close to my dormitory, and the conditions weren't bad at all.
Above all, working at a coffee shop felt like the most "normal" student thing I could do. Perfect.
(This is my first real interview... I'm so nervous...)
"Let me take a look at your resume."
The girl sitting across from me looked about my age.
She had short hair in a gentle, warm orange shade like a sunset, and her well-shaped almond eyes were striking and very cute.
On top of that, the shirt she wore (apparently the cafe uniform) fit snugly, accentuating her figure—especially her generous chest and tightly cinched waist. It was honestly hard to know where to look.
Himeji-san had told me the owner was a quiet man, but... I guess she was mistaken.
The girl examining my resume suddenly stared at me in shock.
"Sakasegawa Go?! You're really Sakasegawa Go?!"
"Y-yes... that's me. Have we met somewhere before?"
Have I met someone this cute somewhere?
She was extremely pretty. Maybe I'd seen her in the entertainment industry?
"It's me, me! You really don't remember?"
The girl muttered with teary eyes.
(Akkun?)
Only one person ever called me that.
"Could it be... Atchan?"
"Yes! It's Atchan!"
(Whaaat?! This is Atchan?!)
Atchan was a girl I used to hang out with a lot back when I lived in that neighborhood for a short time.
Back then, she had the image of a tough, sporty, tanned tomboy...
I was the more delicate, girly one, so people used to tease us by calling me Atchan and her Akkun.
(And now she's this cute?!)
"Oh, that face... it really brings back memories. That's so mean, Akkun. You forget things so quickly. You even ditched our park plans once."
"That was you, Atchan! I waited for you all day!"
"Oh... really?"
Atchan had always been a little scatterbrained. It seemed that part of her hadn't changed at all.
This feeling was unmistakably the Atchan I remembered.
"Right! ...Wait, can we drop the formalities already?"
"Hmm? I'll hire you."
"Eh? That easily...?"
"Because it's Akkun, of course I'm hiring you right away!"
"Whaaat?! Th-thank you...?"
Is it really okay for Atchan to make that decision on her own?
Well... I'm just glad I got the job.
I had been so nervous for the interview, but it ended up being surprisingly easy.
"By the way, I heard this coffee shop had a quiet owner. Why is it Atchan?"
I voiced my confusion.
"My grandfather is the owner. He hurt his back recently, so it's hard for him to work long hours. Until he recovers, he only handles the lunch shift, and I'm in charge of weekday evenings and weekends. But I can't manage everything alone like he did, so we decided to hire a part-timer."
"I see. That makes sense."
If she was going to be working alongside the new hire, it was natural for Atchan to do the interview.
"I was wondering when a good person would show up, and then Akkun appeared! So I knew I had to hire you immediately!"
"Thank you. Honestly, having someone I already know makes my first part-time job feel a lot less scary."
"Hmm... you don't really know me, do you?"
"Oh, we're friends, aren't we?"
Atchan's face turned sulky again.
Why does everyone get annoyed when I call them a friend?
"You're still as insensitive as ever..."
"Huh?"
"Never mind! If you're working here, I won't tolerate any half-hearted effort. I'm going to train you properly!!"
She said this while slapping me on the shoulder.
"Ouch. Please go easy on me..."
Her appearance had changed, but this part of her was exactly the same.
She'd squeeze me hard, but she wouldn't actually hit or punch me... right?
I was a little worried.
◯ ●
"Akkun, please take this coffee to table number 9."
"Yes, understood."
Later, when there were no customers, Atchan gave me a thorough crash course on customer service and menu preparation.
Contrary to what I expected, her teaching was surprisingly detailed.
And now I was being thrown into real practice.
"Sorry to keep you waiting. Here's your hot blended coffee."
"Thank you. Oh, are you new here?"
"Yes, I just started today. My name is Go. Nice to meet you."
The elderly lady started chatting with me, so we talked for a bit.
She said that providing a relaxing experience is one of the services a coffee shop offers.
Conversations like this with regular customers were important.
"Nice to meet you. I'll do my best from now on."
"Yes, please do!"
"What a lively, cute boy. I wonder if spring has finally come for Akane-chan."
"Spring?"
It was already mid-May. The rainy season was about to start.
What did she mean?
"Hey, Oba-san, I can hear you. Don't tease the newbie. Akkun, come back and take the next order."
"Oh, scary. See you later, Go."
"Yes! Please enjoy your coffee."
That was how I handled tasks at the cafe: serving menus, chatting with regulars, and taking payments.
When things quieted down a little, Atchan spoke to me.
"Akkun, you have an amazing memory. I crammed so much information into you, but you absorbed it all so quickly. You're really helpful."
"That's not true. Atchan is just a good teacher."
"No, no. It's not that. I haven't even taught you about tone of voice or mannerisms yet, but you're already doing it perfectly. I can't believe you have zero part-time experience!"
"Maybe? But I'm glad you think so."
I wondered if my tone and mannerisms had been praised because I was used to greeting people in the entertainment industry and dealing with superiors.
"Customer service seems fine, so next time a customer comes in, why don't you try making coffee?"
"Yeah! I'll give it my best!"
I'm actually pretty confident about making coffee, so I was looking forward to it.
As I was thinking that, Atchan suddenly stared at me intently.
"Hm? Atchan, what's wrong?"
"You really do look better with your eyes visible, Akkun."
"Eh... it's embarrassing, so please don't stare..."
For work, I had pushed one side of my bangs behind my ear and lifted the roots of the other side slightly so it hung beside my face.
Atchan said that showing my face made a better impression for customer service, so I had no choice.
Still, I thought this hairstyle suited the cafe uniform quite well. It felt refreshing.
"You have such pretty eyes. It's a waste to hide them. You didn't used to cover them before, right?"
"Well... yeah..."
Up until elementary school, I had a normal hairstyle.
But when I entered middle school, Mutsuki told me my eyes looked "girly and gross."
After that, I started hiding them.
That's why... having people look directly at my eyes still makes me a little uncomfortable.
*Ding-dong*
The bell rang as the door opened.
"Ah, a customer. I'll go greet them."
"Ah, running away already."
The conversation was getting a little awkward, so I quickly cut it off and went to welcome the customer.
"Welcome—?"
My "welcome" turned into a question for a reason.
Because two people had walked in together.
Himeji-san... and Asuka-san.