53. Weekend, ex-girlfriends, battle ensues.

“Sigh~”

“Sigh~~”

“Sigh~~~”

“Sigh—ah, ouch!”

The boy sitting behind the register rubbed his head and looked up at the grown woman beside him, who somehow made the part-time apron look as sultry as a skintight swimsuit.

To be fair, her exaggerated curves were far beyond what any teenage girl could hope for—perhaps Hoshino Morino, ten years from now, might have a chance.

“Miss Nagumo, please don’t hit me on the head with ‘No Longer Human,’” the boy complained, still massaging his scalp.

“I just can’t stand seeing you like this. What kind of sixteen- or seventeen-year-old high schooler sighs all day long?”

“Please call it ‘melancholy.’ Kids my age are easily led astray in their thoughts. Who knows, maybe I’ll run away from home and wander the streets of New York for three days and nights.”

“And yet, you’d still end up back at school in the end.”

“That’s not a given. I’m an only child, ah—ouch…”

He received another smack and couldn’t help but think of that junior in the student council room—when he’d knocked her on the head, had it hurt like this too?

Perhaps he should be gentler with her in the future.

“If you keep showing off this useless knowledge at school, you’ll end up with no friends at all.”

Ah… as expected of Miss Nagumo, she saw straight through to my friendless essence in an instant.

And really, is ‘The Catcher in the Rye’ useless knowledge?

“So? Why all the sighing?”

Miss Nagumo leaned her elbow on his shoulder, putting on the act of a caring big sister—though in truth, she was just looking for some amusement.

“Well… there’s a very profound reason for that,” the boy replied.

He certainly couldn’t say that his childhood friend had walked in on him masturbating and now his mother knew. Nagatsuki would definitely laugh herself to the floor if she ever found out.

“Ah, don’t tell me you got your heart broken?” Miss Nagumo’s expression lit up, as if she’d just discovered some delicious gossip.

“How about your big sis comforts you tonight? Come over to my place.”

Jinguji Tsukito shot her a resigned glance, well aware she was only teasing him.

“I’m underage, you know. I’ll have to call the police.”

“Tsk! You really can’t take a joke. Like I’d ever go for a scrawny brat like you.”

“Yes, yes, of course.”

“But I haven’t asked you yet—why can you only work on weekends now? We haven’t hired anyone new, so I’ve had to cover all your old shifts myself.”

“Well… I need to spend some time at school.”

“Oh? Finally joined a club, did you? I told you, kids your age should just join a club, fall head over heels into some wild love triangles. Back when I was your age—”

“Yes, yes, I’ve heard your stories at least eight hundred times.”

“Boring,” she sniffed.

The truth was, he hadn’t joined a club, but the student council. Still, Jinguji Tsukito wasn’t the type to explain every detail of his life to anyone.

At any rate, best to forget yesterday’s incident for now. Honestly, what boy in junior high hasn’t done that? As long as he kept his composure, he was clearly in the right—nothing to feel guilty about.

Having forced himself to move on, Jinguji Tsukito turned his thoughts to the day ahead.

“Hey, Tsukito-chan.”

“I told you not to add ‘-chan.’ What is it?”

“You’re going on a date later, aren’t you? I see you brought your bag.”

“Well… can you really call it a date?” he muttered to himself.

“Come on, who with? Oh, it must be those two girls who came to the shop last time. Which one? The one with white hair? Or the one with the ponytail?”

“Both.”

“Eh?”

Jinguji Tsukito glanced at her and replied in his usual flat tone, “I’m going out with both of them. Whether it counts as a date…”

Miss Nagumo’s interest piqued instantly, and she even stammered a little, “A… a threesome…?”

She bent down, her excited breath warm by his ear. “…a P?”

Jinguji Tsukito: “……”

“Would you please stop saying such things to a high schooler? I really will call the police on you.”

……

……

At 1:05 in the afternoon, the boy stepped out of the station into the weekend crowd, where couples were everywhere.

He took up a spot beside the Hachiko statue, slipped on his over-ear headphones, tucked his hands into his hoodie pockets, and stared absentmindedly at the cylindrical 109 department store in the distance, waiting quietly for the people he was supposed to meet.

Headphones were a good thing—they kept away a fair number of women who might otherwise try to strike up a conversation. Jinguji Tsukito, who used to scout for targets around Shibuya, had discovered this trick.

The agreed meeting time was 1:20. When meeting girls, you should always arrive fifteen minutes early—this was Jinguji Tsukito’s habit, a little trick of the trade for a so-called bad boy.

Of course, depending on the situation, he’d sometimes do the opposite—deliberately show up fifteen minutes late, hand over a pre-bought gift with an apologetic smile, and say, “I won this somewhere, that’s why I’m late,” when in reality he’d just picked it up at the 100-yen shop.

It wasn’t a surefire trick for everyone, but there were always a few who fell for it.

Of course, looks were what really mattered in the end.

He politely turned down a girl who tried to chat him up—she looked no older than a middle schooler. After being rejected, she left with a disappointed look.

Jinguji Tsukito checked the time—1:15.

Not long after, a stylishly dressed girl emerged from the station, glanced around, spotted the boy by the Hachiko statue, and broke into a smile, waving at him.

Today, she wore a white sweatshirt and jeans—a simple, casual look. Her hair, however, seemed specially styled.

Two braided strands framed her face, joining at the back into a small bun.

Her distinctive hair color drew attention, and as she made her way toward him, the boy felt a wave of nostalgia threaten to overwhelm him.

She stopped before him, gazing up with a bright, crescent-moon smile.

…Hoshino.

He nearly blurted out her name, but caught himself just in time and took a step back.

“Good afternoon, President Hoshino Morino,” he managed awkwardly.

“Good afternoon, Jinguji,” she replied.

A few girls nearby, who’d been watching Jinguji Tsukito with interest, saw Hoshino Morino talking to him and, disappointed, drifted away.

The girl’s beautiful eyes curved into crescent moons as she stared at him. “Hey, Jinguji, calling me ‘President’ outside of school feels a bit off, don’t you think? You’re being awfully dense.”

“So…?”

“I am your senior, aren’t I?”

Jinguji Tsukito nodded slightly. “Then… Hoshino-senpai.”

“Hmm… Not quite what I’d imagined, but it’ll do for now. Where’s Sakurakoji?”

……

Outside the station, Sakurakoji Sakura had just stepped out when she spotted the pair by Hachiko. Hoshino Morino noticed her at once and waved amicably.

Taking a deep breath, Sakura steadied her gaze.

I, Sakurakoji Sakura, am going to show this ex-girlfriend today!

I’ll show her what it means to be… a childhood friend!

Let’s go!