258: Chisato’s Crisis

Chisato picked up the call immediately.

"Store manager," he said, deliberately using the polite address he had used when he first started working there instead of the familiar "Sister Seika" he had used in her message.

The reason for this formality was to avoid making Kazusa, who was nearby, feel uneasy.

Though the long-haired, cold beauty usually ignored everyone and appeared indifferent to everything, she was actually quite sensitive, and this trait evolved into something else when it came to communication—a behavior that was both amusing and frustrating.

This was jealousy.

She was particularly prone to it. 

For instance, earlier that morning, when the Arts Committee distributed the school festival expectation forms during break, she had lingered near Chisato's desk for a few seconds, talking to him about a few insignificant things.

This caused the jealous girl to wear a gloomy expression until lunch break, during which she would occasionally shoot daggers at him with her eyes.

Chisato was quite puzzled at the time. It wasn't until they were alone in the First Music Room during lunch that such an episode was revealed without a trace.

All in all, you will gain wisdom if you learn from it.

Miss Jealousy's character probably won't change in a short time, so Chisato can only restrain himself and avoid making any more mistakes regarding such issues.

"Ah, Suzumiya, I'm outside right now. I'll probably be there later today. Is that okay with you?"

The voice on the other end of the phone was a bit noisy. 

She could hear the clinking of glasses and the chatter of patrons. Chisato speculated that Seika must be in a place similar to an izakaya at that moment.

It was somewhat outrageous to start drinking at six o'clock in the afternoon.

But considering her store manager, this was considered normal.

"No problem, I can handle it."

Chisato was not panicked. After all, he was not the only employee in the store. The PA lady responsible for the stage sound would also arrive later. 

At that time, she could also help maintain order in the front. Moreover, today was Monday, so as expected, business wouldn't be too busy tonight.

"Thank you for your hard work. I'll bring you a midnight snack later. How about pork chop rice and tempura fried shrimp?"

"That kind of thing doesn't matter. Store manager, you'd better drink less."

I'm a bit tongue-tied now, and it's hard to predict how drunk I will be later.

"You underestimate my drinking capacity. Okay, that's it."

Just before the other party hung up the phone, Chisato clearly heard other women talking and laughing, asking her to clink glasses quickly.

It seems she went to have dinner with friends; no wonder she was so excited today.

After hanging up the phone, Chisato walked out of the bar, picked up the broom again, and greeted Kazusa.

"I'll probably be a little busy this evening, and I might not be able to take care of you."

Kazusa nodded to show she understood. She took out her earphones and signaled,

"You can go about your business then. I'll pass the time here and won't disturb you."

"If you're really bored, it's fine if you wait for me."

"No, I will wait for you."

"Okay, I'll try to finish up early tonight."

He failed to persuade Kazusa to leave voluntarily, but that was still an achievement. 

He received assurance that she wouldn't easily disturb him. The only thing he had to worry about was Seika, who would arrive very late, so there was no problem.

Chisato's mentality became more peaceful and relaxed.

The preparations in the store were almost complete, and customers gradually began to enter. 

Chisato turned on the music and also invited the band performing that night to go backstage to rest.

The atmosphere in the store gradually became lively. Kazusa sat inconspicuously in the shadow of a corner. 

She followed her earlier words and chose not to disturb Chisato's work, but her eyes kept silently tracking him.

During this time, there were two people who were quite attracted to her, but when they approached her, they were frightened off by her cold and stern gaze before they could even speak.

The time reached half past six.

Just as everything was getting better, Chisato's cell phone rang again.

It was a call from Eriri.

Chisato looked at the incoming call displayed on her phone screen. He felt a moment of panic but soon regained his composure.

He glanced secretly at where Kazusa was sitting. It was still some distance from the bar, and with the loud music playing, she wouldn't be able to hear the content of the call.

He answered the phone confidently, "Eriri."

"I'm sorry to call you at this time, Chisato. You must be very busy right now."

"It's okay, what's the matter?"

Chisato held the phone to his ear and cradled it with his shoulder while attending to a customer waiting for change.

"Actually, Utaha and I were shopping on the street after school and happened to wander into the area where you work. We thought we would drop by to see you. We bought milk tea and the egg waffle cake you like."

Eriri's voice was quite excited, as if she was happy about being able to see him.

But when these words reached Chisato's ears, a thunderclap erupted in his heart.

After giving the change to the guest, he held the phone in his hand, took a deep breath, and asked, "Where are you now? Do you need me to pick you up?"

"No, we just got off the tram, have already bought our things, and are heading towards you. We can just go in then, right?"

"Well, just come in."

Chisato turned around and looked at the time, silently predicting the walking speed of the two of them and how long it would take to get there.

They would need about ten to fifteen minutes to arrive here.

"Chisato... your tone doesn't sound right. Are we suddenly disturbing you? If that's the case, we can just go back without interrupting your work."

Eriri's cautious voice came through, tinged with fear.

The more she expressed her concern so thoughtfully, the harder it became for Chisato to reject them and tell them not to come.

Sooner or later, they would meet one day in the future, but no matter how he thought about it, now was not the best time.

If Kazusa, who was completely unprepared, suddenly learned about the existence of Utaha and Eriri, and found out about their relationship, her reaction would definitely not be as cute as it was now.

In the direction Chisato was looking, he saw Kazusa clenching her left hand into a fist, the back of her hand facing her, slowly raising it and then quickly putting it down. Coupled with the serious expression on her face, it was clearly meant to cheer on her boyfriend at work.

But this seemed to be the first time she had done such an action, making it appear a bit awkward. 

After the gesture was complete, she turned her head away in embarrassment, and Chisato could see the blush spreading across her face from a distance.

If he waits a while and lets her meet Utaha and Eriri face-to-face, the consequences...

Chisato thought of something his friend Fukube sitting in the front row had told him.

Kazusa once kicked a pursuer whom she disliked in the crotch when he kept pestering her. 

The male student couldn't walk normally afterward and was rushed to the health room.

He didn't know if there would be any repercussions from that in the future.

"Gulu..."

Chisato began to sweat involuntarily on his forehead.

I've got to find a way.

Not being able to make Eriri feel aggrieved, he had already compromised too much on her side.

But he couldn't let Kazusa know about Eriri and Utaha, absolutely not.

Absolutely!

They needed to think of a way to accommodate both sides, a way to get the best of both worlds.

However, the incident happened so suddenly. Even with Chisato's brain running at full speed, he couldn't come up with a solution to the current crisis.

At that moment, the dark wings that had been nestled on the top beam of the ceiling poked out their heads.

They quickly glanced around at the crowd below, especially at Kazusa.

After she finished her encouraging gesture, she turned her head away in embarrassment and stopped focusing on Chisato.

The wings spread straight, and under the cover of the noisy and changing lights in the store, they landed quietly at the bar, appearing in front of Chisato.

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(21/22)

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