Chastity Reversed: Part-Time Life by the All-Girls High School - Chapter 77: The End of Summer, the Beginning of Autumn

“Doesn’t this feel a bit half-hearted?”  

“It needs more passion! Like how you were when talking to Kumagawa!”  

“Yeah, bring the heat!”  

“Hey, stop ganging up on me, guys!”  

“Haha, sorry. I guess I’m the ‘first’ for the ‘new’ Sato-kun, after all…”

“What’s with that line?!”  

“That’s so frustrating!”  

“I feel like something just awakened inside me…”  

“…Alright, how about we settle this with a basketball match—us versus you!”  

One of them was clearly a little “off”.  

And then there was Natsuki, giving off a mysterious, almost ominous aura. That was terrifying!  

“Y-yeah. I don’t mind… (haha).”  

“Me neither. A 2-on-4 match sounds just right.”  

“What’d you just say?!”

“We’re not forgetting those words!”  

And so, time passed as they bickered and played.

☆  

“Alright, see you tomorrow, Kumagawa. Natsuki.”  

“B-bye!”  

“Yeah, later!”  

Natsuki’s lively group headed off to the bus, while Kumagawa and Natsuki walked to the station to catch their trains.  

Unfortunately, their routes went in completely opposite directions.  

On the station platform, I watched the two of them on the opposite side, chatting and laughing together.  

“Looks like they’re getting along fine.”  

Those two might never have interacted before today.  

But after everything that happened, they seemed to have grown much closer.  

If the old Sora Sato could see this, he’d probably foam at the mouth and pass out!  

[The train is approaching. Please stand behind the yellow line.]

Boarding the train that arrived shortly after, I let my mind wander back to everything that had happened today.  

It had been a lot.  

The academic tests.  

The heartfelt confession during homeroom.  

And then the trip to Spoca.  

I was drained, both mentally and physically.  

Sinking into a train seat, I fell asleep like a light had been switched off, only waking up at my stop.  

“…Should I stop by?”  

My body instinctively headed toward that familiar convenience store.  

My next shift wasn’t until this weekend since my schedule had been adjusted to accommodate school.  

It wasn’t like I needed such a light workload, though. I could handle more.  

“…It’s weird how comforting it feels to just see the store. Saying that out loud would sound kind of creepy.”  

It was now 8 PM, a quiet time with few customers.  

The flickering streetlights illuminated the area faintly, while the convenience store’s glowing sign stood bright and inviting amidst the dim surroundings.  

Glancing at the sign, I made my way through the automatic doors.  

“Hey there, Hokuto-senpai.”  

“Oh, Sato! Good work today~”  

As always, the store was devoid of customers.  

I wasn’t worried, though, since I’d heard it got pretty busy during midday and early evening.  

“Where’s the manager?”  

“She’s in the back office.”  

“Thanks. I’ll just stop by to ‘report’ something.”  

“Hey, you can lean on me too, you know~”  

“Oh? Then, how about a hug?”  

“What the—! …You know what, I can see why that old hag likes you.”  

“Haha. Well, excuse me.”  

She gave me an exasperated look for some reason.  

Then again, in this world, saying things like that probably made me seem like an oddball.  

Shaking it off, I headed past the counter and toward the office.  

“—Ah!!”  

Pushing aside the light curtain, I immediately saw her face.  

In the cramped office, she was typing away at her tiny desk, surrounded by mountains of papers and an assortment of energy drinks and anti-energy drinks.  

“Good work today.”  

“How was school?!”  

“Haha, it went great.”  

“…Are you sure?”  

“I made five new friends. The academic test? Well, that’s another story.”  

“That’s amazing! You’ve already made more friends than I had in my entire high school life…”  

“…”  

Okay, that was kind of a sad thing to admit.  

But hey, it wasn’t about the number of friends—it was about how close they were!  

“Still, that’s great. I guess I don’t have any regrets now.”  

“Are you planning to pass on or something? Please don’t.”  

“Haha… oh!”

Suddenly, she seemed to remember something and stood up.  

“Oh, right! The ‘promise’!”  

“Ah… you mean the ‘anything you want’ reward?”  

“Yeah, come on! The most expensive thing here is probably one of those app store gift cards…”  

She smiled brightly, almost like she was having more fun than I was.  

“What I want, unfortunately, isn’t something this store sells.”  

“Huh?! Wait—are you asking for a game console or something?”  

“Haha, no, sorry. It’s not an item, either.”  

“Then… what? My position as manager?”  

“Please, don’t leave! We need you!”  

“Hmm… what else could I do…?”  

While she pondered, I opened my mouth—  

“The one thing I want you to do for me is—”  

“???”  

—but immediately shut it again.  

My face felt hot. What was I even trying to say?  

“…Oh, uh, just raise my hourly wage by 100 yen.”  

“Oh, that? Sure, only I can approve that!”  

“No, I was joking. I’ve only worked one shift so far!”  

“Aw…”  

She looked genuinely disappointed, as if she’d been ready to fulfill the request.  

Honestly, I’d work here even without the pay.  

“Anyway, school’s settled now, so I’m good to take more shifts.”  

“Got it! The ‘anything’ reward stays on hold for now!”  

“…Understood.”  

“Be careful on your way home!”  

“Will do. See you.”  

Turning my flushed face away, I quickly left the office.  

“Hokuto-senpai, I’m heading out.”  

“Alright—wait. The manager didn’t do anything weird, did she?”  

“Haha. No, if anything, I’m the weird one.”  

“?”  

“Later.”  

Beep-beep-beep

“…Haa.”  

The automatic doors closed behind me as I headed home.  

Breathing in the cool, late-summer night air, I looked up at the sky.  

In this reversed world, the moon shone as brightly as ever.  

“…There’s no way I could say it.”  

[The one thing I want you to do for me is…]

It wasn’t something tangible.  

Not money, either.  

What I really wanted from her was—  

“…to hold me,” I muttered under my breath, ashamed of myself.  

Under the clear, sparkling night sky, I cursed my own cowardice.  

First year of high school. The start of autumn.  

And that “anything you want” reward remained on hold—  

☆  

“I can’t drink anymore~”

“Uh, manager? This is a taxi. Oh, we’re at that apartment complex up ahead.”  

“Understood.” 

Spring of my second year of high school.  

And still, I hadn’t used it.