My Youth Romantic Comedy Is Wrong As Expected

Page 756

You should accept other people's kindness willingly. But you can't accept other people's good intentions willingly! You absolutely can't!

Besides, even though she meant no harm, she probably felt guilty for making things awkward earlier and incurring a loss. Since it was her gesture, accepting it would make things easier for both of them.

"Then I won't stand on ceremony... I'll have a mixed coffee. And these two want..."

I looked towards Yuihama and Yukinoshita.

"Th-thank you—!...You?"

Yuihama thanked him with strange words mixed with honorifics. Yukinoshita silently bowed her head.

"Uh... well—I want Mont Blanc, Corelreau, and..."

"Is it alright if I choose the black tea according to my preference?"

"Okay! It's up to you!"

The two leaned their faces together to look at the menu, and Zheben, standing next to the table, interjected:

"Our Sachertorte is also delicious!"

"Oh, I see. Well, another piece of Sachertorte... that would be troublesome."

"Okay~"

I was watching this interaction absentmindedly when I suddenly realized...

Yukino's attitude was just like her usual self, nothing strange. It's like she really is consistent all the time...

Orimoto's treatment of me was the same as in junior high. Her way of treating me, whom she hadn't seen in a long time, Hayama, whom she was meeting for the first time, Yukinoshita, who was clearly wary of her, and that classmate, Machi, who was probably her friend, was not much different.

However, Yuihama's attitude surprised me.

Yuihama was used to reading people's expressions, but she felt that Orimoto was overreacting.

Of course, they've only met a handful of times, and I know I'm still not quite sure how to maintain a proper distance. Even I can't seem to get the hang of things with her… It's strange, I'm the one who's been with her the longest… no, we weren't together! Because I was dumped before that. But let's not get into that.

However, Yuihama would probably be much more tactful with her normally. Besides, Orimoto has already tried her best to be friendly. No, part of it is her nature, and some of her behavior is simply Orimoto's mistake for being brazen, so it's hard to say...

However, I think that if it were Yuihama, she could get along very well with someone like Orimoto who would actively try to get closer to her.

That being said, whether people get along or not is not something that can be easily predicted. What circumstances might lead to a friendship or animosity is unknown.

It's not uncommon for even the most compatible people to fall out of touch if they get carried away and can't control their tongues, accidentally stepping on each other's landmines.

So, Yuihama and Orimoto might become good friends in the future. Or they might never see each other again.

While Yuihama's attitude was certainly unusual, it was still to a negligible degree.

I was halfway through my thought when Yuihama, who was looking at the menu, looked up and our eyes met.

"Hey, you autistic guy, would you like something else?"

"Ah—no need."

I gave a brief reply and slammed the order machine shut.

"Alright. Please wait a moment."

She stuffed the ordering machine into her apron pocket, took the menu, and then saw the job posting magazine underneath.

Zheben tilted his head in astonishment.

"Hachiman, are you looking for a part-time job? How about coming here to work? We're hiring for both the indoor and outdoor areas right now."

"don't want……"

"Huh—why aren't you coming?"

Upon hearing my response, Zheben slumped his shoulders.

Wait a minute, why does this person look so regretful? What, do you want to work at the same store as me? What do you mean?

How should I react...? I was speechless, and a soft laugh came from the sofa in front of me.

Turning my head, I saw Yukinoshita wearing a very gentle smile.

"Regardless of location, Hachiman has no desire to work."

Yukinoshita smiled and said, and Yui nodded repeatedly. "Yeah—that's true, but having someone voice my wish to be unemployed makes me realize how useless I am, it feels so complicated..."

So I turned to Hashimoto and told him I wouldn't be working here. Orimoto ran his fingers through his hair, sighed, and looked a little tired.

"I see—it would be so easy if someone could switch shifts with me. Finding someone to cover for me is really hard work—"

"Oh, really..."

That's exactly the reason...

Honestly, it's incredibly unreasonable that when an employee needs to take leave, they have to find a substitute themselves. Isn't that the store manager's or person in charge's job? If I say this, someone will immediately bring up work responsibility, but I'd like to ask, doesn't the store manager have any responsibility to manage and supervise the business?

"Then let me know when you want to work."

Zheben tapped her shoulder with the menu, and Yuihama answered with a smile.

"Ah—I hope the autistic guy doesn't go to work... This is something I brought to look at."

"I see. Oh, if you're interested in working here, you can let me know, and I'll help you find a job."

"No, who would want to work at this store after hearing what you just said..."

"Indeed! Really!"

My unexpected remark made Zheben burst into laughter. I think I had a similar conversation with Zheben back in junior high school.

This makes me inexplicably nostalgic, yet not melancholic.

Zheben turned back before heading to the kitchen.

"But to be honest, there are many days like today when you have nothing to do, so I would recommend it."

No wonder you've been chatting here... That's not important, could you please bring the coffee quickly?

I don't know what my colleague thinks, but as a customer, I hope she works diligently. Otherwise, I might be tempted to think that working in such a relaxed shop wouldn't be so bad.

× × ×

Not long after, coffee, black tea, and desserts such as canelés and Mont Blancs ordered by Yuihama arrived.

"Sorry to keep you waiting—"

Zheben skillfully served the meal, twirling the tray in the air before tucking it under his arm. Then, he gave a perfunctory bow, added "Please enjoy your meal," and left.

The table was laden with various exquisite desserts. As someone who loves desserts, it was a scene that made me excitedly shout for an encore [Note].

Note: This is from the song "Feeling Excited" by the Japanese band nobodyknows+.

I excitedly wondered, "Which one should I eat?" My eyes were drawn to the desserts, and Yuihama forcefully cut them with her fork.

"Here you go, you autistic guy."

She brought me several kinds of desserts cut into small pieces on a plate.

The molten chocolate cake's cross-section oozes chocolate sauce like blood, the crushed Mont Blanc bursts open, and the chiffon cake explodes as if struck by the Fist of the North Star...

Strange, weird—? How did these cute-looking desserts become a bit bizarre?

However, I knew she was helping to cut the food out of kindness; she handed me the plate with such a sweet smile, how could I possibly complain?

"Oh, oh... thank you..."

I thanked them profusely, then reluctantly accepted the food. Oh well, it won't make it taste worse. It's best not to mind. Sometimes, these thoughtful gestures actually enhance the flavor of the food. Hmm, I'm so optimistic.

"Here, this is Yukino's share!"

"Thank you. Here, this is for you too."

Yukinoshita placed the Sachertorte, cut into pieces with a fork, onto Yuihama's plate. The Sachertorte was perfectly shaped, and the cross-section was beautiful. Are you really using the same utensils?

"...Hachiman-kun also likes sweets, right?"

She let out a small breath and put some cake onto my plate.

"Oh—thanks."

"No. Well then, let's eat."

Yukinoshita picked up the teapot and poured the tea into her and Yuihama's cups. Taking this as a signal, I also picked up my fork.

I munched on the cake, occasionally sipping coffee to refresh my taste buds and savor the various flavors. Oh—the food at this shop is quite delicious.

Yukinoshita seemed quite satisfied with both the black tea and the dessert. She forked a piece of cake, put it in her mouth, and nodded silently.

Yuihama gazed intently at the snow, then suddenly flipped open a job posting magazine.

"Are you really looking for a part-time job?"

She was surprisingly focused on the book to pass the time. Out of curiosity, I asked her a question, and Yui covered her mouth with her fork, her gaze wandering.

"Um... I don't need to look for it now. I was thinking that I might need it later... December is almost over... I didn't do anything this summer."

"oh……"

What? This kid didn't have any money for summer vacation, so he didn't go out to play much? Yuigahama and Miura's group are good friends, so they must have all sorts of plans for winter. Like skiing, ice skating, and... hot springs or something? Wow, that sounds amazing. This kind of animation should be a bonus.

Chiba used to have an indoor ski resort called SSAWS, which was a popular spot for young people, but that was a long time ago. Going back to ancient times, it's said that this land once contained a giant labyrinth…

In short, young residents of Chiba Prefecture who want to ski now have to travel a long distance, and the cost won't be small.

Having many friends means spending money to go out and have fun, which is really tiring... No, even if you're alone, if you want to go all out and have a blast, it'll still cost you a fortune. Everyone needs to think this through: money is very important...

I thought to myself with a sigh, as I looked at the magazine next to Yuihama while I was eating cake.

Have you found a part-time job you like?

"Hmm—everything's fine..."

Yuihama sighed, resting her cheek on her hand.

"Looking at job magazines won't help you find a job. You have to find a job on your own two feet."

"I feel like the meaning is a bit different... but it's probably hard to figure out the actual situation just by looking at the text information."

"Yes, it's best to actually experience the workplace firsthand. In some places, the level of busyness is disproportionate to the hourly wage."

Upon hearing my and Yukinoshita's opinions, Yui looked over with a bright gaze that was half admiration and half respect.

"...I didn't expect autistic men to be so experienced!"

"Heh, it's alright. I've disappeared from the public eye many times, so I'm quite experienced and confident in my eye for finding part-time jobs."

"Just escaping from the workplace makes you seem like you have no taste at all... Where are your eyes even located?"

The sighs beneath the snow were tinged with helplessness and contempt.

That's rude. It's precisely because of my frequent absences from work that I've developed a keen eye for talent, leading me to the conclusion that I shouldn't work.

Humans will be repeatedly deceived by book titles, covers, and the announcement of an anime adaptation, stepping on landmines, buying rubbish, and slowly learning from this process.

Thanks to those lousy workers, I'm now an excellent landmine detector. It took me quite a while to climb to this level...

"No, I've recently started to understand what to pay attention to when looking for part-time work."

I recalled my past work experiences, and my tone was wistful. Yukinoshita seemed somewhat interested, and responded softly, urging me to continue.

"The first thing to be careful about is whether your colleagues chat during work hours."

Upon hearing this, Yukinoshita showed a slightly surprised expression.

"That's a perfectly normal opinion for you. Indeed, a workplace where people don't follow the rules and morale is low is prone to problems."

Yukinoshita nodded as she spoke. What kind of viewpoint is that? So you have disciplinary committee tendencies?

"Well, I don't know about morale or anything like that, but there is definitely a problem."

Yuihama looked puzzled.

"Really? I think it's nice that the staff get along so well..."

"No, that's the problem. Good relationships are ultimately limited to existing interpersonal relationships. Newcomers will definitely find it difficult to integrate... at least I definitely couldn't do it."

I asserted with absolute certainty that Yukinoshita placed her cup on the saucer, and after a long while, she looked up and nodded with an incredibly cool expression.

"I can't do it either."

"Even Yukino answered so firmly!?"

As expected of Yukinoshita!