CH 8

I was resting in the staff's room during my break, but the manager told me, "Since your friend is here, you should take a break there." Even if I refused, he only said, "It's fine, it's fine!" And of course, he forced me out from the staff's room.

The manager's grin was weird. I'm sure that he was reading too much into things again.

I sighed and headed to Wakamiya's seat as he instructed. She was sitting in her usual seat, stuffing her cheeks with the donut.

She ate so happily...

"Huh? Are you on a break, Tokiwagi-san?"

"Yeah."

"Then you can sit next to me if you want to. Ah, I'm sorry. I'll take away my textbooks."

Wakamiya put her study tool in her bag and pat the empty seat next to her. It's like she was urging me to just take a seat already.

The line of sight of the customers towards me became sharper. Some guys even crushed the cup in their hands.

...Haa.

"I... I might get killed today."

"Umm, should I call the police?"

"I'm going to get killed by all kinds of hatred...."

"Did something happen...?"

"Yeah, well... you can say that. But it's still happening right now..."

Wakamiya tilted her head. She didn't seem to realize that she was in the whirlpool of trouble.

"Hey, when you said 'as usual' just now, why did you word it like that?"

"There's a possibility that it will make misunderstandings if I say it straightforwardly. That's why I thought I should sugarcoat it... was it bad?"

"Yeah, you're pouring oil to the fire. It backfired."

"Then I should straightforwardly say that our relationship had been approved by my parents?"

"Why did it become like that!?"

Approved by her parents!? This was the first time I heard that...

Also, I wasn't familiar with Wakamiya's parents. I had never met or talked to them.

If anything, I only ever saw Wakamiya talking with her parents using her phone out of the corner of my eye.

"That's also bad? You're surprisingly selfish."

"Of course that's bad. First, that's entirely contrary to the fact, right... Just what has been approved?"

"Hmm, well. My parents recognized you as a harmless person who regularly sends me home. In other words, they have approved you."

"Ah, so that's what you mean..."

I didn't know whether I should laugh or cry... Anyway, no one would understand it like that!

"They can just think of me as a normal acquaintance who lives nearby, right?"

"I'm not good at lying."

"Considering that, you're really good at making misunderstandings, huh."

"Tokiwagi-san, did you say something?

"No, it's nothing."

I turned away from her and took a sip of the juice.

Apparently, the part-time workers were looking at us. The moment their eyes met mine, they immediately retreated.

...Jeez, do your work.

"There's something I have been curious about."

"Hm?"

"You work part-time every weekday, right? Are you also working on weekends?"

"Yeah, since I have nothing to do. So don't worry, I'm not only working on the day Wakamiya-san comes here."

Wakamiya sighed. She then said with slight amazement. "I'm not worried about that at all."

Even so, I think girls have to be careful with boys' behaviour. Some of them are pretty cunning. There are also some guys who are very persistent... To be honest, I don't think she can't be too careful about this matter.

"It's just that... Um, are you alright?"

"Alright with working part-time all the time? I'm fine, you see. I think I'm pretty resilient."

"No, I'm not worried about that."

Be a bit more worried about me, can't you!

I commented so inwardly.

"What I'm worried about is the regular tests. Since you are working so much, when are you studying?"

"Study? Even if I do that, it's useless for my future. I don't need to do that."

"I'm just checking, but how is your last test...?"

"They are all red marks."

Suddenly, I felt something cold running in my back, making me shiver. Wakamiya was looking at me with freezingly cold eyes.

...Did I do something? She looked angry...

"I will talk with the manager."

"Huh? Eh, wait, hey!"

After Wakamiya declared that, she stood up from her seat and went somewhere at a very fast pace.

——After a few minutes.

"Tokiwagi-san, I asked the person in charge of the permission to change your shifts."

"What are you doing!?"

"This will give you some time to study."

"No, it doesn't mean that I can good marks in the test just because I have enough time to study! Rather, I haven't listened to the lesson since I entered school."

"No problem."

"I have many problems with this, okay."

I didn't even remember what the lesson started from. Saying this myself was pathetic, but... my studies were already hopeless.

"Don't worry. I'll take care of you."

"It's fine, you don't have to do that..."

"I understand. Then let's give it our all."

"Don't you think the direction of our conversation is  too strange!?"

"It's not strange at all. Tokiwagi-san, you definitely said 'it's fine' just now."

"I was refusing you..."

"I can't accept that."

Wakamiya wrote "study" in her planner and made a long arrow from today's date to the day of the test. I could feel my face and the corner of my mouth twitch.

"Hey... You're not telling me to study every day, right..."

"Of course we're studying every day."

"I'm allergic to studying. I'll die if I do it that much."

"That kind of allergy doesn't exist. You're going to be fine."

"Before that, your grades will drop if you spend your time to teach someone like me..."

"That's also not a problem. I'm confident in my studies."

That line... One day, I'd like to say it once. But I wouldn't be able to no matter what. It's just impossible.

"Then, you're going to study with me for a while. I'll make sure you will get good marks, so please look forward to it."

"You don't have to bother... why me?"

"Since I already find out that you're not taking your studies seriously, I can't overlook it. Also... this is entirely just me 'being nosy'."

"Being nosy, huh...? I'll ask again, but can I refuse?"

"Of course you can't. If I remember right, your shift ends at six o'clock today, right? Let's not delay this and start studying today."

"Today!? At least give me time until the holiday break..."

"I don't accept any objections."

"Seriously..."

Once she had decided, she would persist. When I saw that side of the Goddess, I could only make a bitter smile.