Chapter 32: First Salary
#22MotoKanoFirst Salary
A night so cold it made me shrink. The daylight hours had grown noticeably shorter, and the night stretched longer. As I rode the train to my part-time job as usual, the crowd seemed denser than normal for some reason.
After getting off at the station near my workplace, I passed the usual nursery school, then the Tachibana family’s house, and when I reached the cluster of office buildings, I noticed a tree standing in the middle of a commercial complex, adorned with countless lights.
Seeing that tree, illuminated in more than just seven colors, and the many couples gathered to admire it, I finally realized—it was Christmas.
Back when I was a working adult, Christmas had been just another workday.
I never really had the chance to meet someone I could call a lover, so this day never held any special meaning for me. As a result, unlike those reveling in the holiday spirit, I spent yet another lonely evening heading to work on this holy night.
Well, by the time I started feeling like it was too late to be lamenting something like that, I had already arrived at my familiar part-time job—Takayama-san’s antiquarian bookstore.
“Good work.”
“Ah, good work.”
Just the other day, I had learned the reason Takayama-san hired me. As part of her efforts to cut company expenses, she had tasked me with strictly reducing electricity costs and other expenditures.
However, since it was already night, Takayama-san was, as usual, in the tatami backroom of the empty bookstore, occupied with work.
Until recently, the room had a low tea table, but just the day before yesterday, she had received an old kotatsu from the Tachibana family.
Now, with her legs tucked under the kotatsu, lying on her side while fiddling with her laptop, she hardly looked like someone in the middle of work.
“Kyaa! This cat is adorable! I want one too!”
…She was not, in fact, working.
Watching cat videos on a certain streaming site, Takayama-san basked in the warmth of the kotatsu.
“Shouldn’t you be working?”
“It’s fine~. I’m closing up shop for today.”
Lounging in the kotatsu, she literally rolled around as she spoke. Occasionally, when she lay on her back, two prominently emphasized hills would peek out from her gray hoodie, making it honestly difficult to know where to look.
“If the shop is closing, then why did I even come here?”
She had told me to come in for work today, so I showed up, only to find it completely pointless. A waste of both my time and her labor costs.
“Ahh, well then, just read a book or something until Mirei finishes making dinner.”
“That doesn’t count as work.”
“I’m the owner, so I say it’s fine. It’s an end-of-year party, an end-of-year party!”
Holding an end-of-year party for a part-timer—this bookstore sure had great employee benefits.
Well, if she was telling me to take it easy, there was no reason to force myself to work. I headed to the front bookshelves to browse for something interesting to read.
When I first started working here, Tachibana-san had suggested that I use the bookstore to search for information that might help me regain my lost memories. However, up until today, I hadn’t found a single book here that mentioned anything about a boy named Iori or anything related to my own safety.
It wasn’t that I wasn’t searching. But honestly, I had no idea where to even begin or what approach to take when investigating either my own past or Iori’s story. That uncertainty was the biggest reason my search hadn’t made much progress.
Still, that didn’t mean I had given up. If anything, my impatience was growing. But… I supposed I didn’t have to be on edge even on Christmas.
Just as I was browsing the shelves, thinking I might read a mystery novel…
“Saito-kun? How long are you going to keep looking for a book?”
“Eh? It’s fine, isn’t it? Today’s my day off, right?”
“Just hurry up.”
Urged on in a somewhat absentminded manner, I grabbed the first book that caught my eye and returned to the tatami room.
At some point, Takayama-san had sat up from under the kotatsu, tucking both hands behind her back as if hiding something.
“Come here.”
“Why?”
“Just do it.”
Reluctantly, I took off my shoes and walked over to stand in front of Takayama-san.
“Here. This is your Christmas present.”
A brown envelope was placed on the kotatsu table.
Now that I thought about it, since today was Christmas, that meant it was December 25th.
“So, the salary is paid at the end of the month, huh?”
“Merry Christmas!”
“Thank you.”
My first paycheck from this part-time job.
Gripping the brown envelope, I felt a slight sense of sentimentality.
“I added a little extra.”
“Huh? You really didn’t have to. Just the agreed-upon amount is fine.”
“But someone keeps working overtime without permission and even comes in on their days off.”
“Mmph…”
Since this job had such a relaxed atmosphere, I had shown up to work whenever I felt motivated. But knowing she had added extra pay because of that made me feel a little guilty.
“Come on, just think of it as an early New Year’s gift.”
“…Thank you.”
“So, Saito-kun, what are you going to spend your first paycheck on?”
“Let’s see… I guess I’ll save it for now.”
My completely uninteresting answer made Takayama-san grumble in dissatisfaction.
Saving. Though I already had a rough estimate of how long I’d need to save.
…Using the budgeting app someone had installed for me the other day and checking information online, I had calculated the round-trip transportation costs to and from my hometown.
Because of that, I had made plans to visit my hometown for a day trip during spring break.
The reason for making it a day trip wasn’t financial. Rather, it was to avoid causing unnecessary worry for Kaori by going without telling her.
“Well, it’s your money now, so you’re free to use it however you want.”
“That’s true.”
I stretched my legs under the kotatsu, settling in across from Takayama-san.
Maybe because I had brushed her off, she gave me a light kick.
“Honestly. The only reason you don’t have anything to spend it on is because you’re working on Christmas.”
“Could you not throw out insults so casually?”
If anything, her situation was more concerning than mine. But before I could say that, I bit my tongue. A moment later, she kicked me again—this time, a little harder.
Both Tachibana-san and Takayama-san were strangely perceptive about things like this.
“Ow.”
“…Mirei should be here soon, so get ready.”
I had only been here for about thirty minutes. Wasn’t that a bit soon?
“I told you, right? We’re having an end-of-year party today.”
“Are you planning to go wild at Tachibana-san’s place? Even if you’re relatives, that’s a bit much…”
“I’ll stay here until closing. …Spending any more of your Christmas with me might get me in trouble.”
“With who?”
“…You thick-headed idiot.”
With a sigh, Takayama-san exhaled deeply.
“Well, this year’s almost over.”
After a brief silence, she rested her chin on her hand, speaking wistfully.
“This year flew by. The older I get, the faster time seems to pass.”
“I get that.”
“A high schooler with his whole future ahead of him shouldn’t be saying that.”
She gave me another light kick, but this time, she looked amused. I wondered how she’d react if I told her that, on the inside, I was older than she was.
“…I haven’t achieved much as an accountant yet, so next year, I’ll prove myself.”
“You’re so serious. …But you’ve already done plenty.”
As if watching a child grow, Takayama-san murmured with a gentle smile.
It made me slightly uncomfortable. It was true that I hadn’t accomplished much yet, so being sincerely thanked like this felt undeserved.
Maybe she hadn’t expected much from a high schooler handling bookkeeping in the first place. Perhaps that’s why she appreciated my efforts despite my fumbling attempts.
“Thank you.”
Being recognized for my effort didn’t feel bad.
And now that I’d been praised, I wanted to prove myself even more. My resolve only grew stronger.
“…You really are serious.”
Takayama-san let out a wry chuckle.
“Then today, use that serious energy for her.”
“Good evening.”
Right on cue, a visitor arrived.
It was a familiar face.
“Go on, go meet her.”
“…I’ll put this book away first.”
Closing the book I had barely skimmed, I got out from under the kotatsu.
The cold air prickled my skin as I stepped forward, locking eyes with Tachibana-san as she approached the tatami room.
“Good evening.”
“…Hey.”
Slipping the brown envelope into my shoulder bag, I gave Takayama-san a slight nod, then left the antiquarian bookstore with Tachibana-san.