"…Brat, you don't want to lose this job, do you?"
Under the influence of alcohol, Seika was exceptionally bold, blurting out provocative words that made one's heart race and cheeks flush.
Kitahara: "..."
Why does this sentence sound so familiar?
Ah, remembered.
In certain trashy manga, a pot-bellied, balding middle-aged boss often uses this exact line to threaten his subordinate's newlywed wife!
"I'm actually being threatened by a 29-year-old beautiful store manager?"
Kitahara felt immensely conflicted, with only one thought in his mind.
This is completely turning the world upside down!
A female boss threatening a newly hired male employee in the restroom—even Korean webtoons wouldn't have such an exaggerated plot development!
"Don't worry, I will take responsibility..."
Seika's eyes burned brightly, her charming voice carrying a hint of raspy sweetness as the light in her eyes grew brighter and brighter.
I read a manga before called The Story of an Onee-san Who Wants to Keep a High School Boy. If others can do it, why can't I?
(Danshi Koukousei wo Yashinaitai Onee-san no Hanashi)
I am a mature adult. Am I supposed to slowly win him over bit by bit like Nijika and the others?
Of course not.
An adult should use adult methods; when dealing with a high schooler, one must take the initiative!
That's right.
Exactly like this.
I'm going to keep this brat!
The more Seika thought, the more impulsive she became. Spreading her arms to block the doorway, she gave Kitahara no chance to leave the restroom:
"Brat, entrust your life to me."
Kitahara: "..."
What do you mean by entrusting my life to you?
Are you trying to keep me as a sugar baby?
You're a 29-year-old adult, how can you have the nerve to say that to a high school student!
"Sorry, I refuse." Kitahara shook his head flatly. His stomach was completely fine and he had no interest in living off a woman. "Manager, you're drunk."
Seika denied: "I am not drunk."
Kitahara raised an eyebrow: "If you're not drunk, why are you talking nonsense?"
"Brat!" Seika tilted her pretty face up. "Can a drunk person talk this articulately?"
"...Actually, no."
Although Seika's face was bright red and she smelled strongly of alcohol, judging by both her gaze and her speech, she indeed seemed to have sobered up.
"Since the manager is sober now, let's leave it at that." Kitahara raised a hand to wipe the corner of his mouth, calming down. "An impulsive act while drunk—I won't pursue it."
"No way." Seika shook her head in refusal. "I said it just now, I will definitely take responsibility."
Take responsibility for what?
It was just a kiss, you're not planning to pay compensation for mental distress, are you!
Seika's heart pounded rapidly, equal parts nervous and excited. Though the effect of the alcohol had largely faded, the arrow was already on the string and had to be shot. She cornered Kitahara against the wall once more:
"Brat, from now on you are mine!"
"..."
Kitahara was utterly speechless. After thinking it over, he finally came up with a possibility:
"Could it be that manager was dumped by an ex-boyfriend, which is why you're acting so recklessly..."
Before he could finish his sentence.
An elbow strike slammed right toward him.
Bang!
"Bastard!" Seika glared at him with murder in her eyes. "I've never had a boyfriend before, you're the first one!"
Pausing, Seika gritted her teeth and added:
"And you're going to be the last one, too!"
"Manager doesn't need to lie to me..."
"Lie my ass! A simple check would expose something like that!"
"..."
Kitahara couldn't help but feel conflicted.
When Manager Seika spoke, she was clearly blushing with embarrassment to her ears; it really seemed like the truth.
But if she wasn't lying... why would she want to keep him?
Barging into the restroom, cornering him against the wall, and force-kissing him could be explained by being drunk, but now that she's clearly sober, why is she still talking about responsibility and dating?
According to standard tropes, once Seika sobered up, she should have pulled out a stack of Fukuzawa Yukichi bills as hush money, declaring the matter settled and never to be mentioned again by anyone...
Kitahara thought left and right, and suddenly realized a possibility.
Could it be... the manager likes him?
Impossible.
He only came for the job interview yesterday. For the manager to fall in love with him today—something like that is definitely impossible, right?
He wasn't some kind of human succubus, how could he have such immense attraction.
"If you don't speak, I'll take it as a yes." Seika's pretty face flushed crimson. "What happened just now stays between you and me. You're not allowed to tell anyone else."
Kitahara was speechless: "Remaining silent can also mean refusal."
"Refusal denied." Seika's heart pounded wildly, feeling both intense anxiety and thrill. "We've already kissed, I will definitely take responsibility."
"There's no need for manager to take responsibility..."
"Shut up!"
"..."
Kitahara had no choice but to shut his mouth helplessly, already planning his escape in his mind.
A store manager who usually seemed laid-back and lazy turned out to be this scary when drunk; as expected, he should stay far away from this trouble spot.
Losing a job paying 5,000 yen an hour was a shame, but jobs could always be found again. If he got locked in a basement by a yandere store manager, what he'd lose would be his freedom.
"Don't even think about running away, work hard for me." As if reading the look in Kitahara's eyes, Seika warned in a low voice, "If you dare to suddenly flee, I'll track down your house and break your third leg."
Kitahara: "..."
A wise man submits to circumstance.
If he didn't agree today, he probably wouldn't be able to leave. Kitahara could only temporarily agree:
"Manager, I'm going out to work now."
Though Manager Seika belonged to the flat-chested tribe, her charm stat was very high. He didn't seem to be... losing out at all?
"Wait a moment." Seika reached out to stop him, her face flushed red. "Wipe off the lipstick first so the others don't get suspicious."
You even do things like taking advantage of high schoolers, yet you can still feel embarrassed?
However, the lipstick indeed needed to be washed clean. Kitahara turned the tap back on and rinsed it with water.
"No traces left." Kitahara wiped his face and looked at Seika. "Manager, can I head out now?"
Seika crossed her arms over her chest and instructed in a low voice:
"Don't tell anyone about today."
"Understood."
"Also... if you date Nijika and the others, don't mind me. Go ahead and date them."
Kitahara: "..."
Although he didn't understand why Manager Seika's train of thought was so strange, Kitahara still agreed, finally leaving the trouble spot.
"Kitahara-san, have you seen my sister?"
Just as Kitahara reached the counter, Nijika with her golden side-tail came over looking for her.
"I saw her." Kitahara coughed twice. Not having reached the level where he remains unbothered even if Mount Tai collapses before him, his gaze wavered slightly. "A bottle of alcohol cracked. To avoid wasting it, the manager drank it all in one gulp. I just saw her head to the restroom."
"Eh, I'll go check on my sister..."
Nijika blinked. Though she noticed Kitahara's unnatural expression just now, she didn't overthink it and hurriedly turned to leave.
9:30 PM.
After cleaning the shop, it was time to close up.
"Manager, we're heading back!"
Kita said in a clear, bright voice, waving goodbye.
"Get home safely."
Seika nodded slightly, her eyes briefly meeting Kitahara's, her pretty face uncontrollably flushing slightly red.
Now completely sobered up with not a trace of alcohol affecting her mind, remembering her provocative words in the restroom made her feel so embarrassed she almost dug a trench into the floor with her toes.
"Eh, why did the manager suddenly blush?"
Kita tilted her head in confusion.
"You misremembered." Seika quickly turned her head away, hiding her expression from Kita. "Hurry, hurry, it's late today. Don't forget to send me a message when you get home."
After a brief chat, Kitahara, Kita, and Hitori left the venue together.
Upon reaching the train station, Kita waved goodbye and boarded first, while Kitahara and Hitori took the train together.
Due to the embarrassing incident earlier, Hitori didn't sleep on the train today, nor did she sit right next to Kitahara, but she would secretly glance at him from time to time.
Silent the whole way.
The two quickly arrived at their stop.
Once the train came to a smooth stop, Kitahara stood up and looked toward Hitori.
"Hitori-chan, it's time to get off."
"Mm, mm."
Hitori hurriedly got up, following closely behind like a little tail.
Night had fallen deep.
Pedestrians on the road were few and far between.
Kitahara and Hitori walked together for a stretch, soon reaching the intersection where they parted ways.
"Hitori-chan, I'm heading back first."
Kitahara bade farewell softly.
They were just ordinary friends, and since it wasn't raining today, there was naturally no need to walk her home.
Hitori parted her lips, able only to lower her small head gloomily:
"Okay... see you tomorrow."
"See you tomorrow."
Just as Kitahara was about to turn and leave, he suddenly saw two stray dogs sprinting out from a dark alley nearby, chasing each other and rushing straight toward the two of them.
"Ah..."
Hitori was startled, and in her panic, she hurriedly grabbed Kitahara's right hand tightly.
Kitahara didn't mind it much; the two stray dogs were clearly just chasing each other for fun, not displaying a vicious attitude to attack people.
Besides, even if he did encounter a fierce dog, Kitahara wouldn't feel the slightest fear and could resolve it easily.
The two stray dogs passed one after the other right beside Kitahara and Hitori, quickly disappearing around the street corner.
"Don't worry." Kitahara lowered his head and looked at Hitori, whose small face had turned pale, comforting her gently. "The stray dogs have already run far away."
"Th-that's the direction to my home, maybe I'll run into them again on the way..." Hitori's face was pale as she looked over pitifully. "Could I trouble Kitahara-san to walk me back?"
If it were anyone else, no matter how scared Hitori was, she wouldn't trouble them.
But Kitahara was different.
During the end of the world, the two had already taken the final step and become the most intimate people in the world. In Hitori's heart, Kitahara existed on the same level as her parents and Futari. Facing danger now, she naturally couldn't help but rely on him.
As for Kitahara not having recovered his memories yet... that kind of thing wasn't important; it was enough that she remembered everything.
Kitahara hesitated for two seconds before nodding in agreement:
"Let's go, I'll walk Hitori-chan back."
First, the distance wasn't far, just a few extra steps.
Second, poor, weak, and helpless Hitori was looking up pitifully asking for help; there was simply no way to heartlessly refuse.
"Hitori-chan, you can let go now."
Kitahara reminded her softly.
The girl's small hand was soft and delicate, skin smooth and warm, feeling exceptionally comfortable to hold, but they were just ordinary friends after all, and there was no reason to keep holding hands.
"Ah..."
Hitori let out a soft exclamation, her small face rapidly flushing red as she just remembered that in her panic earlier, she had tightly grabbed Kitahara's right hand.
"S-sorry..."
However, when Hitori wanted to release her hand, she found that no matter what, she couldn't let go.
That familiar warmth seemed to possess a magical power, leaving Hitori filled with inner struggle.
(I-if I let go now, I don't know when the next time I get to hold hands will be...)
So Hitori gathered her courage, lowered her head to look at her toes, and stuttered in a small voice:
"Sorry... I can't walk anymore..."
Scared to the point of being unable to walk?
Isn't your courage a bit too small!
Kitahara said empathetically:
"If you can't walk, we can rest for a bit."
"N-no..." Hitori stuttered a soft refusal. "It's already very late, if I don't go back mom will definitely be worried..."
"Then let's head home."
Kitahara wasn't a fool; he quickly understood Hitori's little thoughts. He didn't forcefully pull his hand back, but instead held Hitori's small hand gently as they crossed the road.
For some reason, he felt a strange sense of fondness and closeness toward Hitori.
Silent the whole way.
They soon arrived at the front of the Gotoh residence.
Only then did Hitori secretly release her hand, bowing with a red face to thank him:
"Thank you for going out of your way for me, Kitahara-san... See you tomorrow."
"See you tomorrow."
Kitahara nodded gently and turned to go home.
Upon arriving home, Kitahara took a comfortable shower, tossed his dirty clothes into the washing machine, and sat on the sofa preparing to play some games.
Buzz buzz.
His phone suddenly vibrated.
Kitahara picked up his phone and saw a message from an unknown number:
"Brat, haven't you made it home yet?"
Kitahara pondered for two seconds: "...Manager?"
Seika: "Of course it's me."
Kitahara: "I'm home."
Seika: "Why didn't you send me a message when you got home?"
Kitahara: "I showered right when I got home and forgot."
Seika: "Remember for next time, message me immediately as soon as you get home."
Kitahara: "..."
Wait, what's with this girlfriend-checking-in tone?
We're not even dating, okay!
Kitahara just wanted to play games right now and didn't want to chat: "It's getting late, goodnight manager."
Seika: "...Goodnight."
"..."
Looking at the message on her phone, Seika picked up the plushie on her bed and rolled around happily.
Having been taken advantage of in various ways by that brat before, she could finally pay him back now; the feeling of picking on someone was truly this satisfying.
Decided: tomorrow she'll drink a bit more alcohol, and then continue 'unspoken-rule-ing' that brat!
Silent through the night.
The next day.
Kitahara came to school as usual.
"Kitahara-san, good morning."
At the school gate, a pink-haired girl greeted him happily—it was Anon.
Entering the school building, a gentle, water-like voice sounded:
"Kitahara-kun, good morning."
The girl speaking was Soyo.
Kitahara changed into his indoor shoes and came to the classroom. The girl sitting behind his desk looked up, her voice clear, cold, and pleasant:
"Kitahara-san, good morning."
Just as Kitahara sat down, the doll-like girl walked into the classroom from outside:
"Makoto-kun, do you want some bread?"
Kitahara: "..."
I really just want to attend school peacefully!
The class bell finally rang.
Just as Kitahara breathed a sigh of relief, the teacher walked up to the podium and announced once again:
"Before class starts, let us first welcome a new classmate..."