Chapter 29
The Moonlit Night and the Kindergarten (Part 1)
Summer classes had finally ended, and it was now the last week of summer vacation.
Aside from one all-school attendance day before the opening ceremony of the second term, we had the rest of the week off. Thanks to Seiya-sama’s mercilessly thorough tutoring, I’d already finished all my summer homework. All that was left to do was relax—yet for some reason, I couldn’t calm down.
…She really was cute.
After transferring the photos from my camera to my phone, I’d been looking at that picture of Tsukiyo under the moonlight twenty, maybe thirty times a day.
It wasn’t like that. I just thought she was beautiful as a subject—objectively speaking. Appreciating beauty is only natural. It’s not like I have any impure motives. None at all… none…
“Whoa!”
My phone suddenly rang, making me jump.
And when I saw the caller ID—Kaminagi Tsukiyo, the very person who’d been on my mind nonstop—I nearly dropped the phone. I answered in a hurry.
“Hello?”
『Ah, it’s Tsukiyo. Is now a good time?』
Her voice really is so clear and soothing. Every time I hear my actual sister’s awful, raspy tone, I’m reminded how blessed Tsukiyo’s vocal cords are.
Of course, I told her I was free.
“We’re short on hands right now,” she said. “If you don’t mind… would you like to help out part-time?”
――――――――――――――――
I arrived at the designated spot—the front gate of Himawari Prefectural Kindergarten.
From inside the gate, Tsukiyo appeared. She wasn’t wearing her school uniform or casual clothes; instead, she had on loose sweatpants and an apron—an outfit I wasn’t used to seeing on her, and somehow that made her look fresh and new.
Apparently, she worked here as a kind of assistant helper. It wasn’t a regular job; a family acquaintance had introduced her, and she only came when they needed extra help.
“Thank you so much for coming, Taiyo-san,” she said.
“My allowance was running low anyway, so it worked out perfectly. So, what exactly—”
Before I could finish, another woman in a similar outfit appeared from behind Tsukiyo.
“Ms. Marina, this is my acquaintance, Yamada-san,” Tsukiyo said.
“Ah, so you’re the one I’ve heard about… well, that’s fine. Tsukiyo-chan, I’ll leave the children to you.”
“Understood!”
Tsukiyo headed toward the main building.
Heard about? I wondered. Hopefully it wasn’t anything bad.
So this is Ms. Marina. Long black hair, refined face—probably in her twenties. Definitely gives off that calm, mature vibe.
“All right, Yamada-kun,” she said. “Let me explain what you’ll be doing. Come with me.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
The job was, in short, organizing storage. There were tons of cardboard boxes piled up in a large warehouse. I had to open each one, sort its contents according to a prepared list, and repack them neatly.
In this blazing summer heat, that was going to be tough—but I’d brought a change of clothes, so sweat wasn’t a problem.
“Sorry about this,” Ms. Marina said. “We have a janitor, but he hurt his back and had to take time off. And since both Tsukiyo and I have to look after the children in daycare, we’re really short-handed.”
Apparently, it all had to be done before September.
Well, judging from the amount, I could probably manage alone. Still, these boxes stacked all the way up to the ceiling didn’t look too safe.
Anyway, I changed into my gym clothes and got started. Gym wear really is great for sweaty jobs like this.
As I worked steadily, Tsukiyo came by.
“I have a bit of free time now, so I’ll help you,” she said.
“That’s a big help. I’ll handle taking the boxes down, so you can sort what’s inside.”
With two people working instead of one, things went much faster.
We even had enough breathing room to chat while we worked.
“You’ve been working here two or three months now, right?”
“Yes. The days I come vary depending on the month, but I’ve finally gotten used to it.”
Apparently, becoming a kindergarten teacher requires certification, so she mostly helped with small tasks. Still, as high school students, we both valued the work experience as much as the pay.
Especially Tsukiyo—her looks were too striking for a normal part-time job. Modeling would suit her best, but Seiya doesn’t allow it. Probably because if she did, handsome guys would swarm around her and cause chaos. I remember Seiya complaining that she even gets scouted by idol agencies all the time.
I can’t blame him.
“Are you thinking about becoming a kindergarten teacher or childcare worker someday?” I asked.
“I’m not sure yet,” she admitted. “The children are so adorable and precious, but when I see how hard the teachers work, it makes me hesitate.”
“Yeah, teaching jobs look tough anywhere.”
All right, time to tackle those boxes stacked on the upper shelves.
Just as I reached for them—
“Is it shaking?”
“An earthquake? Doesn’t seem that strong, though.”
The whole kindergarten—and the warehouse—began to tremble.
It wasn’t violent enough to knock us over, but still…
Just to be safe, I glanced around—and froze. The boxes on the top shelf were starting to tip over. And right beneath them—was Tsukiyo.
“Tsukiyo!!”
“Huh?”
I bolted toward her and threw myself over her, wrapping her body with mine.
A split second later, a mountain of cardboard boxes came crashing down on us from above.
