Tachibana Rei sat on the wooden bench inside the small locker room of the convenience store, staring at the dull metal locker in front of her, her reflection faintly visible on its scratched surface.
The fluorescent lights above flickered every few seconds, humming with that low, monotonous buzz that filled the otherwise quiet space, and she let out a long sigh that seemed to carry the weight of everything she'd been holding back since last night.
She had been working here for only quite recently now, ever since her family's financial situation worsened after her father's company went under and her mother's health started declining, leaving Rei with little choice but to take a part-time job after school.
She didn't mind the work itself as it was easy enough, mostly standing behind the counter, restocking shelves, greeting customers.
