SCPK 72

Chapter 72

 Part-Time Job ①:

It was a Friday in late November.

Tsukiyo and I were heading home after club activities.

“Still no good.”
“Urihara-san’s sick? That’s worrying.”

Tsukiyo’s best friend, Urihara-san, had called in sick with a cold today. Apparently, Tsukiyo had planned to stay over at her house.
It was unfortunate—not just for Urihara-san’s illness, but also for Tsukiyo’s plans. She said she would visit her tomorrow with Sera-san. Maybe I should send a short message too.

“So… what should I do about dinner tonight?”
“Is Seiya working late?”
“Yeah… he said I don’t need to eat tonight since it’s my late shift… and I was planning to stay over anyway, so the fridge at home is empty.”

She wanted to avoid buying groceries on the way home, preferring to stock up on Saturday instead. There was probably some stored food at home, so tonight would likely be fine.

“…Come to think of it, my parents aren’t home either.”
“Really?”
“My sister said she’d stay over at a friend’s place. Now I wonder what to do…”

Both Tsukiyo and I were facing the same problem: what to do for dinner. That left only one solution.

“Wanna go grab something to eat?”
“Huh? Sure, why not?”

Fastoria—a chain family restaurant.
It’s the type of place where friends could linger for hours at the drink bar. A bit far from school, but familiar enough for both Tsukiyo and me.
As we walked through the automatic doors, a ridiculously handsome staff member greeted us.

“Welcome!! Tch.”
“Hey, stop the tongue-clicking right away.”
“Oh, big brother!”

This was the restaurant where Seiya Kaminagi worked part-time.
He’d been working there since his first year of high school—probably over a year and a half by now. With his looks, he could probably earn more as a model, but for him, the job had good pay, was close to school, and the human relations were fine. Plus, the manager was apparently easy to deal with.

This was the only place where you could see Seiya’s perfectly professional, mask-like smile in action.

“What are you here for? Just killing time again?”
“Actually, we came for dinner tonight. Right, Tsukiyo?”
“Tsukiyo… you mean Kinori… oh, I get it.”

Seiya remembered that Urihara-san was absent today and understood the situation.
He handled both front-of-house and kitchen duties. Normally, men mainly work in the kitchen, but with that face, he’s more useful in front—drawing customers in.

Since it wasn’t too crowded yet, Seiya, dressed in his server uniform, guided us to a sofa seat. We took our places.

“Um… Tsukiyo-san?”
“Yes?”
“Why… are you sitting next to me?”

This was a six-person table. Normally, two people would sit opposite each other, yet Tsukiyo positioned herself right beside me.
I could understand if she sat at one end of the sofa, leaving space for three, but instead, she was in the middle while I squeezed into the far side. Honestly, it was cramped.

“Is it bad that I’m sitting next to you?”

She asked with a gentle smile. With a face that cute, how could I possibly say no?
I tried to move as far toward the end as I could, but Tsukiyo pressed closer, brushing against my arm.

“Taiyo-san, what will you have?”
“Uh… yeah, let’s see.”

Since that day of sketching, Tsukiyo seemed more proactive. She messaged me almost daily, even asking about my plans on holidays. And on school days, she was always at my side.
No one would say it, but… isn’t this basically dating!?
No, stop. I shouldn’t let my delusions as a virgin run wild. I am supposed to interact with her as her brother’s friend… nothing more.

“Here’s a complimentary tropical juice. For couples.”

What the hell is this brother bringing over?