Episode 2: A meeting on the way back from a part-time job
—Beep beep beep
beep beep beep beep
The smartphone
alarm rings.
Time for my
part-time job. I change, grab a quick breakfast, and head to work by train.
My part-time job is
at a café not far from the high school station. The pay is decent, and the
benefits are good.
Since I use a
commuter pass, transportation costs are saved, and since I can shop here before
going home, it is convenient in various ways.
I get off the train
and head toward the ticket gate. Maybe I’m a bit early.
After leaving the
ticket gate, on the way to the part-time job, I happened to see a familiar face
on a bench in front of the station.
It’s Himekawa.
Along with the usual school bag, there’s also a large Boston bag.
What’s she doing in
this hour and that load. Is she going somewhere?
Glancing at
Himekawa, I quickly head to my part-time job.
The part-time job
is usually from 11 AM to 6 PM, lunch provided.
It’s surprisingly
good. You can freely make the meals and coffee served in the shop and eat them
yourself.
And just like that,
my part-time shift was over, past six o’clock.
After clocking out,
I head to the arcade on the opposite direction from the station.
The arcade has
variety of shops, such as pharmacy, grocery, game center, karaoke, basically
everything you might need.
I usually stop by
the arcade after my shift before heading home.
I, who not
following fashion or trends and wearing casual clothes, probably look like a
lame guy.
I didn’t even take
care of my hair.
Today, I just buy
one newly released book and head back toward the station.
Glancing at the
clock, it’s nearly nine. well, I should head home soon.
I start walking
toward the station, and spontaniously my eyes turn to a bench in front of the
station.
There sat Himekawa,
in the same spot as this morning.
Huh? Why is she
still here?
She’s exactly in
the same spot as this morning, before I headed to my part-time job.
Nothing’s changed.
Outfit, belongings, everything… could it be she’s been here the whole time?
Should i called
out, or pretend not to have seen anything?
What a pain. If I
get dragged into some incident because of this, I’ll end up being the one
blamed.
I approach Himekawa
and call out.
“What are you doing
at this hour? Hurry up and go home.”
Turning her eyes
toward me, she answers while biting her lips.
“Tendou-san? It is
none of your concern.”
“Alright then. Be
careful on your way back.”
At the very least,
I called out and warned her.
I’m not going to be
held responsible.
Glancing at
Himekawa from the side, I try to head toward the station gate when a voice
comes from behind.
“Ah, miss, wh-what
are you doing alone at this hour? Did you run away from home?”
When I turn around,
salary-man looking person with a flushed face calling out to Himekawa.
“That's not it. Can
you just leave me alone?”
Himekawa refused
with a somewhat strong tone, but that probably irritated the man instead.
“Even though, I
went through the trouble of calling out to you. Come on, let’s just go to
karaoke together, alright?”
He forcibly grabbed
Himekawa’s arm, and she was visibly displeased.
It would be easy to
pretend not to see and walk away.
But I ended up
seeing it. Then, my eyes met Himekawa’s.
What a pain. That’s
why I told you…
I was walking
toward the ticket gate, but I changed direction and came back right in front of
Himekawa.
I grabbed the arm
of the man who was holding Himekawa and looked at him.
“Sorry. She’s with
me. Just late for our meetup.”
The man, with an
awkward expression, promptly walked away from us.
Himekawa sat down
on the bench, just like before, without saying a word to me.
“That’s why I told
you. Go home quickly. What will you do if something happens again?”
Himekawa clutched
her bag, looking at the ground, and began speaking to me in a barely audible
voice.
“I can’t return
home. So, leave me alone.”
It’s not that she
doesn’t want to go home, but that she can’t. Could something have happened at
her place?
“This is such a
pain. Just go home. There’s someone at your house, right?”
I sat down next to
Himekawa and spoke to her while looking at her.
Himekawa held her
bag tightly, staring at the ground. On the ground, there were marks as if water
had fallen.
And those marks
gradually increased, changing the color of the ground.
“I have nowhere to
go back to. So please, leave me alone.”
“How does it come
to that? Why not just return home?”
Himekawa’s cheeks
turned red, and her voice become hoarse.
With tearful eyes,
she stared at me with a piercing gaze.
“I don’t even have
a home to return to anymore. That’s why I’m here.”
What on earth is
she talking about? I couldn’t grasp the meaning of what Himekawa was saying.
At that moment, I
saw a police officer walking toward us from afar.
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