Day 10 of the part-time job.
Kamishiro and the others had completely adapted to their work lives.
Today, they even held a BBQ party in the shop with some familiar regulars.
At the entrance, the shift manager and Maki were seeing off Iori and the others alongside the customers.
Customers: "You guys really hold your liquor!"
Customer: "Thanks for everything today, Aina."
Customer: "Thanks for grilling the meat."
Customer: "Let's grab drinks again when we're back in Japan."
The guests warmly bid farewell. They were old friends who had come to support the new shop's grand opening.
Iori's group: "Take care~" ×3
The trio waved and smiled. They were the main drinkers today and had really gone all out with the guests.
Shift Manager: "Looks like everyone really likes Aina."
Maki: "You drank so much with them—are you sure you're okay?"
The shift manager, not familiar with PAB's drinking culture, was worried about Aina's condition.
Aina: "Yeah, no problem."
She waved off the concern. After six months at PAB, her alcohol tolerance had skyrocketed.
This amount? Barely an appetizer!
Iori: "We'll go clean up the grill."
Iori and Kohei volunteered to clean up the mess. They were fully accustomed to part-time life now.
No more of that day-one misery.
Shift Manager: "Thanks~"
She smiled, then sighed.
Shift Manager: "They've really gotten the hang of things."
Maki: "Yeah, it's already been ten days since they started."
Maki also felt a little nostalgic. She remembered thinking, "These three are gonna be trouble," when they first arrived.
But now, ten days later, they'd become reliable teammates.
Maki (teasing): "Three boys and girls living together for ten days... I wonder how far they've gotten!"
She grinned mischievously, gesturing suggestively.
Poke poke~
Of course, she was referring to the Kamishiro trio.
As a hardcore fujoshi, Maki's imagination ran wild.
Not just Iori and Kohei—even the playboy Kamishiro had been shipped in her mind.
She was living proof that with enough imagination, there's nothing you can't ship.
Shift Manager: "You…"
The manager's lips twitched. She knew about Maki's little obsession, but chose not to say anything.
No boyfriend, but plenty of fantasy ships.
Maki (cheeky): "Hehe~ I heard that if boys don't do it for two weeks, they'll die~"
Shift Manager: "Yeah, yeah—they'll die of explosion."
The supervisor followed up on Maki's words indulgently. Of course, both of them knew it was nonsense—just idle chatter to kill time.
It was like reminiscing with a friend in adulthood about things your mom used to say when you were a kid—like "If you open an umbrella indoors, you won't grow tall."
"Hehe, what if those three boys were stuck together 24 hours a day? How would that even work?"
Just imagining the scene of three boys together made the experienced Maki blush slightly.
Too thrilling!
"Yeah, young people are full of energy,"
The older and more experienced supervisor understood boys of that age very well.
Two weeks of abstinence… could be unbearable for some boys.
Casual words spoken without much thought—
But overheard with full impact.
Neither of them realized that their playful conversation had been overheard word-for-word by Aina, who was tidying up nearby!
Even worse…
Aina had virtually zero knowledge about the male body!
At this moment—
Aina was in shock!
No way?! Is that for real?!
Aunt Kotegawa's Office
Both Kamishiro and Chisa were here, having not gone out to see off the guests earlier.
The difference was:
Kamishiro had been left behind because they were afraid he might accidentally escort a guest to a love hotel again, so he was made to help Aunt Kotegawa organize some files.
Chisa… was brought in for a reprimand.
With a pen in his mouth, Kamishiro seriously played the role of the sole audience to this mother-daughter talk.
Logically, he should've left, but…
It seemed Aunt Kotegawa had forgotten he was even there.
With no choice, he was forced to sit through the drama~
And besides, he had been present when the incident occurred.
So let's talk about what happened…
It really was Chisa's fault.
Aunt Kotegawa was now dissecting the morning's events in detail.
"The supervisor told me everything that happened this morning."
"..."
"She said you noticed a male guest's belt was loose and tried to tighten it for him.
And then… accidentally pinched that part."
Hearing Aunt Kotegawa say this, Kamishiro couldn't help but recall the scene and instinctively clenched his legs. Just hearing it made him feel the pain.
That poor guy must have felt utterly hopeless…
"I wasn't paying attention…"
Chisa lowered her head and admitted her mistake, her expression slightly embarrassed. She hadn't expected this outcome at all. She had simply wanted to fix the guest's inappropriate attire.
Otherwise, diving could be dangerous.
"But I didn't even use that much force!"
Even now, Chisa didn't really understand—
Was the guy really that hurt?
"A man's weakness is just that fragile."
"..."
Seeing Chisa fall silent, Aunt Kotegawa let out a sigh. "Sigh, you really are so hopeless, this child."
"…I'm sorry."
Chisa kept her head down, her expression hidden—but even Kamishiro could see that she was filled with self-blame and sadness.
Sadness at being called "hopeless"… by her own mother.
"And yet Nakanaka, who isn't even interested in men, is—"
"Manager! The TV producer called earlier!"
Before Aunt Kotegawa could finish her sentence, Kamishiro—who'd been ignored the entire time—suddenly interrupted.
Feeling the chilly glare directed his way, Kamishiro shivered and awkwardly pointed to his phone, gesturing that someone had called.
Aunt Kotegawa didn't say anything further. She grabbed Kamishiro by the collar and pulled him out of the room.
Just before stepping outside, she paused, turned her head toward Chisa, and said,
"Anyway, you should study more about the physical differences between men and women—the kind of stuff they don't teach in health class."
Then she closed the door behind her and left, unconcerned with how Chisa was feeling.
Click.
As the door shut, Chisa still had her head bowed, her eyes glistening with tears.
Chisa knew she was at fault—there was no need to feel so wronged, but she couldn't help it.
She just wanted her mother's approval. She wanted her mother to believe she could be an excellent diving instructor, just like her.
But the praise and encouragement she longed for never came…
The moment her mom mentioned her older sister's name, Chisa knew—
She was going to be compared again.
She admitted her sister was amazing, but she had worked so hard, desperately trying to follow in both their footsteps…
Slap slap slap!
She didn't dwell in sadness for long. Chisa slapped her cheeks, snapping herself out of it.
She had made a mistake!
There was still time—
She would make her mother acknowledge her!
Even just once!
Gender knowledge, huh? She could study that too!
With her mindset adjusted, just as she was about to leave—
Aina's panicked voice rang out behind her.
"Chisa, Chisa! Something's wrong!"
By the Sea
The slightly salty sea breeze blew through Kamishiro's freshly styled hair—
Revealing a forehead covered in nervous sweat.
In front of him stood Aunt Kotegawa, arms crossed and a lollipop in her mouth, looking cool and stern.
"So… didn't you say the TV station producer called?"
(;?＿?)
"Ahem, well… I guess the call dropped after ringing too long. Maybe he'll call back later?"
"You could just call him back."
"Wouldn't that be a bit… rude?"
Aunt Kotegawa didn't answer, only stared coldly at Kamishiro.
Seeing the guilt written all over the kid's face, she sighed.
Of course she knew he was lying.
If it had really been the producer, no way would he have called his phone.
She didn't say anything, just sat down on the bench outside the shop and patted the seat beside her.
"Sit."
{{(°△°; "}}!
Because of Aunt Kotegawa's usual deadpan expression, Kamishiro wasn't sure how to read the situation.
On top of that, he had just interrupted a private mother-daughter conversation, so he was understandably nervous.
Eavesdropping was bad enough—interrupting it too? Yeah, not great. So he awkwardly said, "Maybe I'll just keep standing…"
Seeing this, Aunt Kotegawa didn't insist. Instead, she pulled another lollipop from her pocket and tossed it to Kamishiro.
"Just a casual chat."
At her words—
Kamishiro realized she wasn't angry and finally relaxed.
He happily unwrapped the lollipop and started eating.
Mmm, strawberry flavor~
Aunt Kotegawa really was something. Most people handed out cigarettes; she handed out candy.
Apparently, heart-to-hearts just went better with something in your mouth.
"You ask me, Aunt Kotegawa—you're being way too hard on Chisa."
The sweetness calmed Kamishiro, and he sat on the ground, looking out at the sea as he tried to mediate.
Too bad there was no beach lighting—otherwise, this atmosphere would've been perfect!
Aunt Kotegawa didn't reply. Instead, she looked down at the bench under her.
…Was the ground really more comfortable than the bench?
Unaware of her odd expression, Kamishiro continued coolly, "That kid just wants to earn your approval."
Whack!
"Ow~"
No sooner had he finished than a familiar force struck the top of his head.
A hand chop!
Damn it!
He was just trying to help patch things up—why'd he get hit?
Ignoring Kamishiro's wounded puppy look, Aunt Kotegawa leaned back against the bench.
"Don't act so mature—you're still just a kid yourself."
"Come on, it adds depth to the moment…"
Kamishiro rubbed his head. He was older than Chisa—what was wrong with calling him a kid?
"You really care about Chisa, huh?"
"Of course! She's my future sister-in-law!"
At that, Aunt Kotegawa nearly bit through her lollipop.
Shameless. He looked like his mother, but talked like Kenjiro!
She didn't continue the topic. If Nanaka really agreed, she wouldn't oppose it.
"If she really wants my approval, then she should work harder. At the very least, she should know some basic anatomy."
You know, in Japan, they start introducing this kind of knowledge as early as kindergarten.
And as a diving instructor, it's even more important to be familiar with this sort of thing!
"Ahem, Chisa's already working hard enough. As for biological knowledge… there's no need for her to learn it, right?"
Not knowing this kind of thing should be considered a good thing, right?
At the same time, Kamishiro suddenly realized that Aunt Kotegawa had deliberately left him behind earlier.
Her intention was actually to have him teach Chisa the kind of knowledge that's not found in textbooks.
She knew that if left to her own devices, Chisa would never actively seek out this kind of information.
Even if she came across it, she wouldn't ask anyone about it.
All he could say was…
Aunt Kotegawa really had a sharp eye—she could see right through him as a man of integrity!
Otherwise, she wouldn't have trusted him to teach Chisa!
(〃￣ω￣〃）
Still, talking with someone else's mom about how to teach their daughter about biology… it just felt weird somehow.
At that thought, Kamishiro quickly tried to change the subject. "Maybe you could try praising her a little. Even if you can't praise her, there's no need to compare her…"
Kamishiro didn't finish the sentence, but he believed Aunt Kotegawa would understand what he meant.
Even if it's true, what hurts a child the most is when their mother constantly compares them to others.
Even if that "other" person is their beloved older sister…
Upon hearing this, Aunt Kotegawa didn't say a word.
She just quietly looked out toward the ocean not far away. The sea, now dark, had lost its daytime splendor.
Even the sound of the waves—exactly the same as during the day—sounded completely different at night.
Lonely, oppressive?
Crunch, crunch…
Eventually, she bit down on the lollipop in her mouth, but the sweetness couldn't soothe her current mood.
She was grateful that the kid had interrupted her earlier—if she had finished saying what she was about to say, she would probably be full of regret right now.
Maybe… maybe she really should try praising Chisa?
But… she absentmindedly touched her ear.
Diving should never be seen only as something glamorous; its beauty mustn't blind one to the fact that it's a dangerous sport.
And she knew just how obsessed Chisa was with diving and the sea.
All she could do… was be strict with her.
Of course—
There was actually one more important reason...
"How about I give you an idea? Then, Aunt, you just follow my instructions when the time comes."
Kamishiro blinked. Since Aunt Kotegawa hadn't said anything for a while, it reminded him of something important.
Aunt Kotegawa—
She was even worse than Chisa when it came to communication, especially when it came to expressing her feelings.
Normally, she just used lollipops to replace her emotions~
He suddenly became very curious—how in the world did Uncle Kosugawa manage to win her over?
Did he give her a whole crate of lollipops?
He should ask Nanaka about that later!
In response to Kamishiro's suggestion, Aunt Kotegawa merely glanced at him, then yanked him up from the ground.
"You brat, go clean up now—don't get in the way while I'm closing up shop!"
"..."
Evil capitalist!
Feeling wronged, Kamishiro made a funny face at Aunt Kotegawa's back as she walked away.
Two tsunderes!
No wonder their misunderstandings kept getting worse!
Guess it's easier if he handles Chisa's mental block instead.
Once Kamishiro left, the area sank into silence.
Only the lonely sound of the waves remained.
Aunt Kotegawa once again pulled out a lollipop from her pocket.
She slowly peeled off the wrapper.
Looking at the pink candy, she murmured, "Praise her, huh… I guess it has been a long time since I praised her…"
"The sea really is irresistible… both dangerous and impossible to stay away from…"