"All done. Let's go." Kiyono exhaled, taking off his apron.
Yanami Anna hummed in acknowledgment, then untied her hair tie. Her smooth blue hair cascaded down like silk, with a faint, oily scent of french fries lingering at the ends.
The two returned to the break room and gathered their belongings.
Kiyono pulled out the oversized raincoat the blue-haired girl had given him last time and zipped it up to his chin. The quality of this convenience-store raincoat wasn't great; it had a cheap plastic smell, but he liked it because it was large and very comfortable to move around in.
After tidying up, Kiyono turned off the lights, and the two walked out the front door.
The street was deserted, with only the dim glow of streetlights.
The cold wind outside made it a bit chilly.
Just then, Yanami suddenly let out a small gasp.
Kiyono turned sideways and looked at her, puzzled. "What's wrong?"
"I think I forgot my raincoat…" The blue-haired girl blinked, placing her fingertips behind her back.
Kiyono raised an eyebrow, speechless. It was the rainy season—the kind where it rained three out of five days. How could she forget her raincoat in this weather? She really was a silly glutton!
Wait a minute, in this situation, that meant…
Sudden rain, night, young man and woman, sharing an umbrella.
Clearly, this was a classic rainy-day "good impression" event!
—But Kiyono didn't think so.
Because the so-called "sharing a bicycle" event was already a daily occurrence for them. What difference would one more umbrella make? Not to mention there wasn't even an umbrella! So this girl had really just, genuinely, forgotten!
But how should he…
"Little junior, do you know—" Yanami giggled, tugging on his sleeve, her lake-blue eyes shining like searchlights. "Your raincoat is a parent-child style, you know? And it's the dad's extra-large type!"
Kiyono gradually realized something, took a sharp intake of breath, and stepped back half a pace—while Yanami had already stood on her tiptoes, lifted the back of his raincoat, and the citrus scent, warm with body heat, suddenly invaded the confined space.
It was a familiar scent.
"Just try it on."
Rustling sounds came as Yanami slipped into the raincoat as smoothly as if she were entering a sleeping bag.
Kiyono's body stiffened, and he suddenly felt the sound of rain disappear, leaving only the blue-haired girl's breathing and heartbeat in his ears. Their bodies inevitably made contact; the blue-haired girl's touch came from his back, inexplicably making him imagine her gentle gaze at that moment. The sound of fabric rubbing softly echoed.
Yanami, as if confirming the raincoat, pressed her cool hand against his waist.
At such close proximity, even Kiyono's heartbeat began to accelerate uncontrollably. He took a deep breath and quickly reached out to open the raincoat, wanting to push her out—but Yanami suddenly stumbled, causing him to take two steps forward as well.
"It's going to leak."
His ear was dampened by warm breath.
The overly large movement brought the two onto the street. The rain pattered loudly on the waterproof fabric, and the warm breath exhaled by the blue-haired girl condensed into misty circles on the plastic inner wall.
Kiyono's mouth twitched. Now, even if he didn't want to be conjoined, he couldn't help it; after all, he couldn't let the blue-haired girl get wet. And after confirming their bizarre posture, that hint of romance in his heart disappeared, leaving only a helpless amusement.
"I give up…"
The blue-haired girl's laughter sounded as if some scheme had succeeded. "Now it really has become a parent-child outfit!"
And then—
She clutched the young man's hem.
"Brother, take me home."
Her rising intonation was like a marshmallow melting in the rain.
"...So today you're not pretending to be Big Sister but Little Sister, huh." Kiyono inexplicably felt a shiver, but he still said it in a deep voice.
The two maintained this posture as they walked to the bicycle. Accidentally stepping into a puddle splashed small mud specks onto their shoes.
The bicycle's back seat was just covered by the raincoat's hem. Even the largest raincoat, when covering two people, would leave parts of their bodies exposed. This truly became a tribute to a certain legendary shōjo manga.
"Should I become a voice actress in the future?" The rain was drizzling, not too heavy. Yanami held onto his hem, cheerfully starting a conversation as usual.
"Why do you want to be a voice actress again?" Women's moods changed too quickly, Kiyono sighed.
"Because your future works are going to be animated, right? So I can use your connections to be the voice actress for the female lead!" The blue-haired girl seemed to have no dreams whatsoever.
"I don't even know where to begin to retort…"
Even if it got animated, the voice actress for the female lead definitely wouldn't be you! They were completely different characters, okay!
"Speaking of which, Kiyono, why did you put your home address as my house? My mother and I were both startled when the editor came to visit last time…"
In the misty rain, the sound of bicycle wheels was as regular as windshield wipers. Yanami brushed a strand of blue hair that had accidentally blown into her mouth, asking casually.
For a young high school girl, living in an internet café for a long time was practically an urban legend. Although she knew Kiyono's life was a bit difficult, he should at least have a stable place to live, right? His room should be able to fit six tatami mats, right? He should have an independent bathroom, right? This was the extent of her imagination regarding poverty.
"Because I live under a bridge," Kiyono answered calmly.
"Honestly, you're joking again." Yanami poked his waist with a finger.
That's not really a joke, is it…
Kiyono smiled and didn't explain. Under the dim streetlights, the puddles on the roadside were faintly illuminated, reflecting the overlapping silhouettes of the two.
Even in the rain, Yanami's personal driver still steadily drove Big Sister home.
The blue-haired girl, with a slightly damp back, jumped off the bike with a "heh," clutching her bag.
"See you tomorrow, little junior!"
She held her bag with one hand and waved vigorously with the other.
Kiyono nodded and hummed, but he wondered if it was his imagination…
He always felt that Yanami's bag seemed a bit more bulging than usual?
…
In the internet café, Kiyono slowly pressed the keyboard, a smile playing on his lips, as if he were sitting in the middle of a bamboo forest, holding a black chess piece, discussing philosophy.
"Yasuda-san, what do you think a light novel is?"
His editor, Yasuda-san, was in his thirties, with a cheerful personality and quite dedicated to his work. Even if he was asked for something, his attitude would be very enthusiastic—but for some reason, he was nicknamed the "Demon Editor."
"In a general sense, a light novel is a popular form of literature for young people. Its essence is a commodity, a spiritual consumer product designed to satisfy the fantasies of contemporary youth…"
The editor's reply was quite robotic.
Kiyono then said, "Put it in simpler terms."
"Illustrations, plots that appeal to young men, and a large number of beautiful girls."
Now he understood.
"Sure enough, illustrations come first, right? Illustrations directly affect the quality of the work, right? So—as a community of fate—can you find an experienced, beautifully styled, cute, and charming female artist who can fully understand the characters written by the author?" Kiyono got straight to the point.
"How could such a person exist?!" The editor couldn't quite maintain his composure. "I'll get the illustrations sorted out as soon as possible, but this isn't something I alone can decide. It also depends on the company and the artist's wishes and arrangements…"
"Please, if there isn't a good artist, I…" Kiyono sent a crying, pleading emoji.
Because of the recent rainy weather and the approaching summer vacation, the restaurant's business had somewhat declined. However, for the employees, it was actually a good thing, as it meant longer rest periods.
At 7:30 p.m., Kiyono, who was on rotation for a break, returned to the staff room, gulped down half a bottle of water, then sat in his spot and took a chocolate bar that Yanami had left over from lunch to replenish his energy.
Next to him, there were three other Big Sister seniors also on break. They were either lying on the small sofa or sprawled on the table, mostly without any regard for their image—oh, he almost overlooked Komari, a small animal huddled in the corner.
As for Yanami, it wasn't her turn for a break yet.
"It's so nice that there are fewer customers…" The woman sinking into the sofa seemed to have said something terrible.
"By the way, isn't it time for the Best Employee vote soon?"
Ono, with her hair tied in a ponytail, propped her chin on her hand and started the topic with interest—this was a fun little event set up by the Big Sister in charge, essentially equivalent to a "model student" in school, but the universally recognized top spot would be rewarded with a small cake from the store.
"Yes, yes, I was the last champion, but this time I might be surpassed by a junior." The woman on the sofa sprang up. She had short, neat hair, a small stature, but exuded a strange resentment. Her name was Yasuda.
As her words fell, the women unanimously turned their gaze to Kiyono's face.
Ono suddenly spoke. "Who do you think will be the Best Employee this time?"
"Hmm, it should be Kiyono, right…" Yasuda quickly replied.
"It depends on the situation… but it should be Kiyono, right?" another person joined in.
Kiyono, who had inexplicably received a title, felt his mouth twitch continuously. "Why me?"
"Because our standard for evaluation on the girls' side is attentiveness, and Kiyono is clearly the most attentive little boy among us! Big Sister likes him very much!" Yasuda looked at him with shining eyes.
"That's right, Kiyono saw a mother with twin little girls come to eat last time, and he even specially used ketchup to draw two cuddling bears on their children's meal, exactly like the pattern on their clothes. After that, I often saw that family come to eat."
Ono smiled and nodded, her gaze toward Kiyono filled with admiration. Clearly, women liked these subtle details.
Kiyono was a bit embarrassed by the praise. "Isn't that just a common way to attract customers? Besides, if we're talking about attentiveness, Yanami is the same, isn't she? I vote for her!"
"Little Anna?"
Yasuda was startled, her expression gradually becoming strange. "Anna… she should be a straightforward, generous, and uninhibited blue-haired girl, right?"
She used a very high-EQ way of speaking, as Yanami's impression was indeed like that: gluttonous, cheerful, innocent, a bit childish, and often making small, amusing mistakes.
Although the others didn't speak, they clearly shared her view.
Feeling the message conveyed by this silence, Kiyono frowned, a subtle unhappiness rising—he knew that thoughtful, gentle, and attentive side of the blue-haired girl.
"And Anna even took some children's dinosaur stickers and stuck them on the wall inside the seats last time—I was stunned when I saw it!"
Yasuda complained, but without any malice, just a teasing tone as if talking to a mischievous younger sister.
Hearing this, Kiyono was silent for two seconds, then spoke—
Yanami walked down the staff corridor, letting out a soft breath as she rubbed her face, stiff from smiling, preparing to rotate for a break with her seniors.
But just as she was about to knock, the conversation inside faintly drifted out.
"Who do you think will be the Best Employee this term…"
"Anna last time… I was stunned when I saw it!"
As if by a ghost, the blue-haired girl's footsteps paused, and she held her breath.
Honestly, is that how my seniors see me? She had heard such discussions about herself many times at school, mostly receiving the same evaluation as now—naive, a silly glutton. Since she truly was like that, she didn't mind it, but…
Then, she heard Kiyono's voice.
"That's not it."
Kiyono's tone seemed as gentle as usual, but it unconsciously carried a hint of seriousness. "That time, it was because the child a customer brought had scribbled all over the wall. By the time we saw it, it was too late. Yanami put up the dinosaur stickers to prevent later customers from being affected."
(Eh?)
(Outside the door, Yanami's expression froze, and a ripple stirred in her heart.)
Inside the room, the others were also startled. Yasuda's eyes widened in surprise. "Is that how it was? We misunderstood Little Anna?"
Not entirely a misunderstanding, though… she probably also liked those childish stickers for some reason.
Kiyono continued, "If it's just about being gentle, there are many other examples, right? For instance, one time a customer spilled soup, and after Yanami mopped the floor clean, she specifically put non-slip stickers in the accident area because there was an elderly person nearby, and she was afraid he might slip and fall…"
He didn't know why he was saying all this… although she was indeed a silly glutton, she also had a delicate side to her heart.
"Anything else?"
"She also likes to turn the condiment bottles to a fixed angle after wiping the tables—a pure waste of time…"
Kiyono suddenly stopped speaking. He saw his seniors all leaning in front of him, their faces full of curiosity and smiles, as if saying—tell us more, we love to hear it!
Are you all gossiping aunties!