10 nen goshi no HikiNiito o Yamete Gaishutsushitara Jitaku goto Isekai ni Ten'ishiteta

Volume 11, Idle talk of an idle talk – Tale of a certain girl

“Senpai, I got a little nervous. I wonder if It’ll be fine…”

The junior, who was standing beside me at the store entrance, talked to me.

This girl, she got some bit of a nervous temperament, doesn’t she?

“It’ll be fine, look, I think you’ll be keeping company with a quiet child!”

I said and pat her back.

I mean I’m worried, but I can’t help but say something like that.

It was a month ago that I got a call from Emi.

She would be bringing along two acquaintances to the shop I’m working at, so she wanted me to recommend them clothes. After I casually gave her the okay, Emi continued to talk. “They’re men who have been staying indoors, good luck.”

I somewhat regretted that I casually accepted it.

But.

When I heard they hesitated in going out because they had no clothes, I was ignited.

I like clothes. I like dressing up.

With just those feelings, I went to Tokyo and worked at a clothing store once I was out of high school.

Seeing the people being happy with the clothes I recommended made me happy and even now, after I went back to my hometown, I am working at a clothing store in the end.

Unlike those days, it is a large-scale chain store selling clothes for Men, ladies and children.

I dressed myself up and went out.

I hope they would somewhat understand the fun of it.

“Look, they’re there. Let’s do our best, softly with a smile!”

I whispered to my junior and went out to welcome Emi and her company.

“He said you can fully pick what you recommend if it suits him, and he said anything’s fine if it doesn’t have any unusual design or color. The two of them each have a budget of twenty thousand yen(+-2k dollars) for two or more sets!”

Emi greeted hurriedly and informed us.

I looked at the boy who I had become responsible for. No, he may not be at the age to be called a boy though.

Unkempt hair, baggy jeans, worn out sweatshirt, generic sneakers.

He’s either nervous or shy; he won’t look at me in the eyes.

… He may be a bit of a formidable opponent.

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A slim fit jeans, a black jersey jacket, a grey hoodie and two cutsew V-necks. Then several underwear, socks and undershirts.

For spring and autumn the jacket with hoodie under it, for summer it’s a jacket over a V-neck. Yup, this should work somehow except for winter!

If it’s twenty thousand yen then there’s some margin. He didn’t put on weight so I can choose.

He could at least answer yes or now by moving his head too.

Now, what’s the result?

“Dear customer, what do you think of it?”

I called out in front of the curtains of the dressing room.

Suddenly the curtain opened.

Yup, isn’t it nice!? Perfect for his physique!

Instead of a smile for serving customers, I showed a genuine smile.

The boy looked at me in the eyes for the first time and made a faint smile.

It surprised me a little.

“It suits you! Ah, I’ll take up a hem, so please excuse me~”

What am I trembling for, I retorted in my mind, lifting up the hem of the jeans while doing so.

I’m bothered with his shoes and bag, but… No, but we sell them too, but to be honest that’s a little…

When I was thinking while hemming up the jeans, I was spoken to by the boy for the first time.

“U-uhm… Thank you very much”

A very small voice.

But for some reason, it felt like it reached my heart.

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“Se- senpai, hey!”

“Eh? What’s wrong? Look, there are customers here so don’t run!”

My junior came up to me in a hurry while I was folding the disordered clothes. She grabbed my arm as is and brought me to the store entrance in a trot.

“Lo- look, please look at that!”

Drawn in by the words of my junior, I looked at the pathway ahead.

There was Emi and her friend Sakura-san, and also the two boys who were wearing the clothes that I finished hemming up.

“Ah, they cut their hair…”

“That’s right! That and please look there, their posture changed a little!”

They must have gotten a haircut at the beauty salon in the shopping center. The boy I looked after sure did cut his hair and straightened his back.

When he came to this store he was walking while facing downwards, but now he’s facing forward.

His line of sight went downwards like usual though.

“Senpai, I’m glad we did this job”

“That’s right…”

My junior said with a somewhat tearful voice.

I wonder if I was able to hide the trembling of my voice.

I like clothes. I like dressing up.

The clothing job I began with just that.

I wonder if those boys over there experienced the fun of buying clothes, cutting their hair, dressing up and going out.

By the time I noticed it, the other staffs in the store came to see them.

Our work was helpful to somebody.

Probably because this is a run-of-the-mill chain store with a reasonable price.

I don’t think that it was not much of a coincidence that the store’s turnover had gone up since this day.

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“Ah, Emi? Long time no see! Aren’t you a little early this year? Aah, yup I remember. It’s the boy from two years ago right?”

“Mama, what’s wrong? A friend?”

“Yup, it’s a call from a friend. Hinako, wait for a bit, okay?”

The telephone call from Emi was about her bringing “acquaintances” that became a yearly custom since two years ago.

In the first year it was two people, but last year it was five.

By the time I noticed it, it became a welcome turnover on weekdays.

But rather than sales, the men, who became a little positive about wearing staff recommended clothes, became a good opportunity to raise the motivation of the staff.

“E-mail? Okay, sure~. I could also give advice on clothes if he’s fine with me. If it’s just from my store as expected, you know”

I think the chain store I worked at is a good store to go buy for people who usually don’t go out.

It’s basic and cheap.

But as I knew, there’s a limit with just our store if you enjoy dressing up.

I’m happy he has an interest in it, even if a little.

Thinking like that, I gave the okay so readily that even I was surprised.

That, without being aware that it would turn like that.

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“Long time no see! I think I got here early, but… Could I have made you wait?”

“No- no, I just got here…”

Utsunomiya station pedestrian deck.

I called out to the boy who was there first.

I only met him once two years ago, but I knew immediately.

I mean, he was wearing the clothes I recommended that time.

He was normal on the mail, so called out to him as is, but Fumiya-kun properly replied.

“Now, today it’s going to be bags and shoes in addition to clothes isn’t it? Will you be alright with the time?”

“Ah, yes, that’s right. Yes, I’m camping during the night at a place called Utsunomiya forest park, but I’m planning on joining them in the evening…”

“That’s plenty of time! Okay then, this young lady’s getting pumped up

He was able to talk with me more naturally than I expected.

Compared to two years ago, I think he made amazing progress.

He was a little anxious, but it looks like the tension is about fine.

Even this young lady is having a problem with it herself though!

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Where I brought Fumiya-kun, was a large outlet mall in Sano.

I hesitated with Nasu, but if he’s living in Saitama along the Utsunomiya line then it should be over here after all,

It’s a little over thirty minutes by car from Fumiya-kun’s house, and he should be able to come on his own even without me if he went here once.

For shoes we chose desert boots that suit both casual and close-fitting style, and next we headed to a specialty store.

Fumiya-kun was still twenty five years old, so this place should suit him.

Choosing a bag and taking the clothes I recommended, Fumiya-kun went to the dressing room.

It seems like Fumiya-kun started work in these two years.

He dropped out of school and shut himself in. And since he was able to go out, he began working in two years.

I honestly respect him.

Because it took me much more time to get back to my feet from rock bottom.

No, I could possibly just be pretending even now though.

As I thought of such things, I could no longer hear any sound from the dressing room.

“Fumiya-kun, how is it? Can I open it?”

“Ah, Kaneko-san. Yes, it’s fine now”

Come to think of it, two years ago he was silent even when I asked if I could open it, wasn’t he? While I thought something like that, I opened the curtains.

“Intruding~”

Fumiya-kun, after coming out of the dressing room, looked at me with a bashful smile.

Two years ago, when he came to the store for the first time.

Fumiya-kun faced downwards and acted without confidence in himself.

Even when I talked to him in order to hear his tastes for clothes, he nodded and shook his head in silence.

I remembered him wearing the clothes I recommended and smiling to me just a little bit.

Two years have passed since then.

Fumiya-kun, could now mail me and converse with me.

It seems he went out and began work since then.

The clothes we picked at the specialty store suits him well.

Puffed with pride, he looked at me, looking embarrassed and shy.

It was very cute.

It made me very happy.

“Yup, just like I thought! It suits you well, Fumiya-kun!”

I praised him as if to gloss over it.

It’s fine, I’m sure I wasn’t noticed.

‘Dear customer, how is it?”

I noticed I was saved by the voice of the shop assistant.

Yup, it’s all fine.

I’m sure this isn’t love.

Fumiya-kun is seven years younger than me.

A twenty five year old still has a long future.

Going with the thirty two year old and divorced parent me is a little, you know…

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“Ah, mama, you’re home. Why didn’t you turn on the light? I’m home!”

“Welcome home, Hinako. Hey, go wash your hands”

“Okaay” Hinako answered and headed to the bathroom with her backpack on.

I raised the now nine years old Hinako into a reasonable and good child. I thought I have to do my best for this girl, but it feels like I was the one encouraged by Hinako.

“So mama, what’s wrong? You went out with a man, right?”

“Ye- yeah…”

“Mama, it’s not good to keep secret! You always say that to Hinako!”

“Geez, Hinako”

The time for idle talk until the preparation of dinner after Hinako came home.

We continued this from when she was still small, and recently it completely turned into a time for girls’ talk.

I heard girls grow up quickly, but not this quickly.

I regret revealing I was going out together with a man after being questioned in yesterday’s talk.

“Hinako, you know mama… probably fell in love…”

“Eeh!? What kind of person? Is he cool?”

“Nuh-uh, I don’t think he’s cool. Not to mention he’s younger, so I’m not going to go out with him”

“Really—–!?”

With her cheeks puffed up and swollen, Hinako showed off her dissatisfaction.

Hehe, this part still makes her a child.

“Mama, Next time Hinako will go together! Hinako will check him out for you!”

“Eeh~?”

Copying Hinako from back then, this time I let my cheeks swell. It’ll be too embarrassing I’m seen by other people at a place like this though.

“Uhm, you know, it doesn’t matter if he’s not cool! Hinako is going to check if he’s a kind person who won’t make mama cry!”

I was startled.

I formed a smile to hide my turmoil, and continued the talking with Hinako.

“But he’s seven years younger than Mama, you know?”

“Uhm… he’s twenty five! It’s okay, mama is young and cute!”

Hinako suddenly hugged me.

Hugging Hinako tightly, I felt Hinako’s temperature.

Fufu, I got encouraged by Hinako, telling me it will be okay.

Next time.

Next time I’ll try bringing Hinako with me I guess.

Seeing that my smartphone on the table let me know that I received a mail, I got a little enthusiastic.