My Childhood Friend And The Part-Time Job

According to my childhood friend,

“When you’re out shopping and, for some piddly little purchase, somebody pulls out a ten-thousand-yen bill while going, ‘Sorry, all I’ve got on me is big ones…’—that’s mostly people who’ve worked a register at some point, I’d bet.”

…apparently.

Now that she mentioned it, I’d never worked a register myself, so handing over a ten-thousand-yen bill had honestly never once made me think of it that way. Then again, as a mere first-year in high school, I’d hardly ever had occasion to break a ten-thousand-yen note on some tiny purchase in the first place.

At any rate, this childhood friend of mine, Sakura Ayuri, who by her own account had once worked a part-time job in a past life through an acquaintance’s referral… well, as for what she was up to this time…

◆◆◆

The lingering late-summer heat everyone kept griping about had, somehow or other, eased off as the days rolled on. That was about where things stood lately.

Today was a day off, and a little past noon I’d set out on my own initiative, which is rare for me, and alone at that. Not that I was drifting around aimlessly like a certain someone I won’t name; I was out with a proper purpose in mind.

(Is she gonna be okay… in all kinds of ways.)

My destination was a café called Refrain, the shop run by that relative of Hotaru’s and the very place the senior herself worked part-time. Not that I’d made the trip specifically to see her; whenever she had time on her hands, one call from Ayu and she’d be there in a flash anyway.

So why go, then…? Because just the other day, Ayu had started working part-time at that very shop. That idiot, of all people.

How it came to that was easy enough to follow. By her own account, it began with a bright “When you’re a high schooler, it’s all about the part-time job!” and Hotaru, catching wind of it from who knows where, roped her in. That’s how it went.

Naturally, once Ayu had landed herself in this, the three of us, meaning me and Hina and Sumire, had stormed the place as customers on her first day, but…

(She handled it more smoothly than I’d expected… but still, y’know, they do say it’s after you get comfortable that things get scary…)

I’d figured I’d get to watch Ayu flailing around in a panic, but as it turned out the customers that day were mostly kind regulars. She’d seemed a touch nervous, but the day ended without a single hitch.

And so today was the Saturday a few days on from that. Ayu’s third shift, apparently, and this time I’d figured I’d drop in without warning her, so here I was at the café again.

(Well now, let’s see what she can do.)

The door gave a little jingle as I pushed it open and stepped inside.

The early-afternoon café held all sorts: some still working through a meal, some savoring their coffee, some chatting over a drink in hand. And in the middle of it all…

“Welco— oh, it’s Gin.”
“…What’s with the getup.”

I felt like I’d watched this exact scene play out not long ago, or so I mused, as Ayu came over to greet me the moment I was through the door.

Strange… I could’ve sworn she’d worn a plain dress shirt and black slacks on her first day, but today Ayu was in a black one-piece with a white apron, a frilled headband perched on top… in short, a maid outfit.

“This? It’s cute, huh~ I was totally ‘ughh’ about it at first too, but y’know how they say ‘home is where you live’? For this it’s more like ‘home is where you wear’—you kinda grow into it once it’s on, y’know…”
“No… I mean, I did wanna comment on the outfit too, but… was this place a maid café?”

Though if it were Hotaru in one, the demand would be stupidly high, I’ll grant that.

“Is the manager in?”
“He is. …Maaanager, Ginko’s asking for you.”
“Huh, Ginko…? …Ah, Hotaru’s junior, right.”
“I’ve lost all respect for you. I’m fairly sure I could pin some kind of crime on this, so I’m calling the po—” “Wait, please!” “…”

I mean, come on… Ayu skews pretty young in appearance, loli territory even, and the manager, respectable as he looks, is kin to that Hotaru… so honestly, calling the cops might not be much of a stretch.

“Hear me out, Ginko—it’s Hotaru, I tell you!”
“Yeah, I figured it’d be something like that… What did that senior do this time? Or rather, where’d she even go?”
“Hotaru? She’s out on a supply run at the moment.”
“In the maid outfit?”
“Nope, she changed first, obviously.”

Which meant she’d had it on before the run, huh… In that case, Ayu’s getup was probably the fruit of some smooth talk too: a “Let’s match!” or an “I’ll treat you to something,” and she’d been roped right in.

“Dammit… I opened this place because I wanted a nice, quiet café with classy music playing…”
“Keep talking like that and Hotaru’ll get on your case again, y’know? ‘Just who do you think got you forgiven for being disowned, and got you your funding on top of it, hm?’—like that.”
“Ngh… when you put it like that, I’ve got nothing to say…!”

I’d been wondering about it for a while now.

(The pecking order’s kind of backwards for an uncle and niece, isn’t it…)

So that was the reason behind it, huh… Honestly, what even is that senior? Forget Ayu; isn’t she of all people the one secretly moonlighting as a reincarnator?

“Well then, right this way to your seat… oh, want me to do the thing?”
“The thing?”
“Welcome hooome~ Master~♡”
“Gross.”
“Yeah, I won’t do it again… Weird, though—Hina and Sumire both loved it.”
“Wait, they came by too?”
“Looks like they each came on their own and just happened to run into each other. They headed home before noon, though.”

In the end, the whole usual crew winds up converging on this café, don’t they.

◆◆◆

Led by Ayu in her maid outfit, I took my usual corner table.

When I asked whether a single person really warranted a whole table,

“Hotaru said the crowd tends to thin out around this time of day.”

…or so she said. Well, if it filled up I could always move to the counter or something.

“…”

“Welcooome— oh, it’s Ume. This? Cute, right~?”

I watched Ayu at work for a while. Most of the customers here were regulars whose faces she already knew. That was part of it, sure, but there was something oddly practiced about the way she waited on them; by any normal measure you’d never guess this was day three of her first-ever part-time job.

Actually, even allowing for the fact that she already knew their faces, it was impressive how well she kept the customers’ names straight… No way I could manage that.

◆◆◆

…Right, she had a free moment now, by the look of it. Time to order.

“Ayuuu, order.”
“Yes, yes, what’ll it be?”
“A cola and a slice of cheesecake.”
“Riiight, one cheesecake and one fizzy coffee, comin’ right up!”
“Bring that for real and I’ll k*ll you.”
“K*ll?!”

You knew full well I can’t drink coffee and said it anyway, didn’t you, you little brat… and quit inventing menu items that don’t exist.

After that exchange, I settled in to watch Ayu get back to work. Ringing up departing customers, wiping down cleared tables, taking orders. I couldn’t help catching a glimpse of the reincarnator in her, in that quickness to adapt, the kind that usually stays buried under all the goofing around she does with us, save for the odd bit of clumsiness.

“Heere you go, cola and cheesecake.”
“Mm. It pleases me.”
“That’s less ‘Master’ and more some feudal lord, huh.”

“I’m baaack.”
“Oh, Hotaru’s back.”

It seemed the senior was back from her supply run. She was handing a big bag over to the manager.

“You’re not gonna do the earlier bit for her?”
“The earlier bit?”
“The ‘welcome home’ one.”
“She looks like she’d have her phone at the ready, so no thanks.”

Yeah, she probably would.

I saw Ayu off as she headed back to her post and dug into my cake. A bit late to be realizing it, but this was a combo I could just as easily have eaten at home… still, I’d gotten to see something entertaining, so I’d call it a win.

◆◆◆

As I whiled away the time here and there, Ayu’s shift seemed to come to an end.

I settled my bill in advance and waited for her to come back changed; we’d figured we might as well head home together.

“Sorry to keep you~”
“Right, let’s head out.”
“Hotaru, Manager, thanks for everything today!”

“Oh, hold on, Ayu.”

Had Ayu forgotten something? I turned around to find a microphone in the senior’s hand… wait, why? True, I’d had a feeling this place did karaoke.

“How about one song before you head home?”
“Wh—are you serious right now? …There are other customers here, aren’t there.”
“It’s only regulars, so it’s fine… What do you say? It’s Ume’s request.”

Ume… that’d be the old lady Ayu greeted earlier, huh… I mean, request from a regular or not, actually singing in a place like this…

“Ehh… hmm…”

…Huh, she’s not answering right away?

I’d been so sure she’d refuse on the spot that seeing Ayu actually mull it over genuinely threw me.

When I glanced at the manager, he had that sour look again; or rather, he’d buried his face in one hand and let out a small sigh… Not the first time, clearly.

“Ume says that next time she comes in, if you’re here, she’ll treat you to a juice.”
“Ehh… guess I’ll do it, then… what’s the song?”
“She said anything’s fine… but something on the older side would probably go over well.”
“Then… ‘Cotton Handkerchief,’ I guess.”

She’s actually doing it?! And what era is that song even from.

“Hang on just a sec,” she told me, and headed back into the shop. She took the mic, planted herself where she could see the monitor, and started fiddling with the machine’s settings.

The whole while, the manager kept up that conflicted expression.

“All right, everyone—Sakura Ayuri here, singing one number before I head home!”

— Clap, clap, clap.

“Thank you! Thank you!”

This Ume person might be fine with it, but what about the rest of the customers…? Or so I thought; yet for all the suddenness, every one of them met her with warm applause.

Was this maybe just a regular thing at this café?

“…~♪”

“…Manager.”
“…What.”
“I’m calling the cops.”
“Why?!”

This has got to be breaking some law or another.

◆◆◆

This is something I heard afterward.

As it turned out, by the time Ayu started singing the only people left in the shop were ones she knew, and on top of that, whenever the senior springs a request like that, she’s apparently already made the rounds and cleared it with the customers beforehand. In short, it was the same deal as the bus ride home from the field trip: an “everyone here counts as family, so who cares” situation.

She even went so far as to say, “If anything, it’s all grandpas and grannies in here, so there’s zero risk of it winding up online—totally safe!”

And from a bit of light digging on my part… apparently an employee singing does require some sort of permit or whatnot, but at that moment Ayu counted as a customer who’d already clocked out, so it was fine, by the look of it.

Good for you, Manager… Though since it’s really the senior and her family’s shop, odds are they’d already sorted out the permit-ish thing anyway.

Now then, with one thing and another, Ayu had started her part-time job, which meant…

◆◆◆

“All right then, Fujino, we’ll be glad to have you starting today. First, let’s get you familiar with the store…”
“Yes.”

I’d decided to give a part-time job a try myself, too. Not at the same Refrain as Ayu and the others, mind.

I did ask, but the manager told me, “We’re already over capacity just with Sakura—no room for any more!” and flatly turned me down.

So I settled on a shelf-stocking job at a supermarket, not the one near my house but a different branch a little ways off. I’d gone a bit farther out because if it were too close to home, family or kids from my school might turn up.

At first I’d figured I’d just grab some convenience-store gig or whatever, but between the senior’s,

“You’re better off steering clear of a convenience store,”

and Ayu’s,

“At a supermarket you just do normal customer service and stay mindful of efficiency, so it’s supposedly easier than a convenience store,”

it was on that advice that I settled on this job.

“Got it… understood.”

— Glance.

In the gaps between the training, I stole glances at my friends, who were watching me from a distance. I couldn’t make out what they were saying, but probably…

“Think Gin’ll be okay…?”
“She’ll be fine~ it’s Gin we’re talking about?”
“Maybe I should get a part-time job too…”

…they’ve gotta be saying something along those lines.

Because that’s exactly how we were on Ayu’s first day; swap Ayu and me around, shuffle who’s saying what, and this is probably about what you’d get.

“Fujino?”
“…Ah, yes! Sorry…”

Honestly, I was a little nervous, and I’d already flubbed it right off the bat, but I could just make up for it from here on out. Even someone like me, no reincarnator, working her first-ever job, could pull off a shift properly from day one. That’s what I wanted to show them, and above all to set that worrywart of a childhood friend at ease.