Chastity Reversed: Part-Time Life by the All-Girls High School

Older

Second year of high school. Early summer.

Apparently something called the “May blues” hit around this time, and sure enough, I had them too.

Because I couldn’t keep taking full shifts at the convenience store anymore.

Give me work.

Give me labor.

“Did you hear about Murata-kun from Class 3?”

“Yeah. I used to have a thing for him, so…”

I slumped into my seat. Takahashi and Tanaka, my female friends, were talking nearby without even noticing me.

That was unusual. They were whispering like it was some state secret.

“What are you talking about?”

“! Sato… uh, well, this is kind of…”

“Hard to talk about…”

“Oh. Got it. Sorry, I didn’t mean to…”

“Apparently that black-haired, refined beauty Murata-kun had a love ho–“

“Hey!”

“Mmph!”

So that was it. Takahashi clamped a hand over Tanaka’s mouth.

My chastity might’ve already been beyond saving, but apparently not Murata-kun’s.

The boys around us were glaring coldly in our direction. Why were some of those looks aimed at me too?

“Well, I guess you just have to accept that looks and personality are two different things.”

“…”

“…Sato, you’re kind of mature sometimes.”

“No way. I’m still a kid.”

That’s what the two of them said. And I was a kid. Otherwise Manager-san would’ve become an absurdly huge adult by comparison.

“What is it? Is it older women after all? Is that what you’re into?”

“Ugh. Just because they were born earlier… so unfair.”

The two of them drooped dramatically. Older, huh.

I’m an adult. You’re still a kid.

The face that surfaced instantly was hers. That warmth that wrapped all around me.

She had given me everything I wanted…

“…Sato’s making a face we’ve never seen before…”

“Huh? Ah, no. Whether someone’s older doesn’t have anything to do with whether I like them.”

“…………”

They stared at me flatly. Yeah, no recovering from that.

“Terrible weather today, huh?”

“It’s over…”

“Even Sato’s like that…”

“I’m going to sleep…”

They collapsed onto their desks.

“Look at it the other way. To the first-years, you’re the older ones.”

“That’s true…”

“See? It’s all about perspective. Sure, from this side it feels unfair, but…”

Even as I said it, the memory surged back. The lid I’d kept shut came off.

First-year summer. Back in my old world, the girl I fell for had been older too. She had looked blindingly radiant. But she’d already had a boyfriend before I ever met her.

That kind of unfairness. The kind you could do nothing about.

Think she’ll ever come out of the screen? Hey, Sora, you think so too, right? Right? You better!

The one who had helped me forget that had been the guy next to me. The idiot conversations. The arcade corner we kept throwing money at together.

And even to him… I never got to thank him in the end.

“…S-Sato?”

“What’s wrong with you today?”

“…Sorry. I’m gonna go buy a drink.”

Don’t think about it. Don’t.

“Older” was a banned word for me.

Think about something fun. Like work. I had a shift today. Hell yes. And Manager-san would be there too. Double hell yes.

☆

“Welcome.”

And so, I was at the convenience store. The place felt as comforting as home. Not that I really had one.

The evening shift meant regular customer service.

Hang in there, office ladies. Looks like you got off on time today. Your eyes still had life in them.

“Paying with IKUCA. Thanks.”

After buying a bottle of vegetable juice and a salted rice ball, they marched off toward tomorrow’s battlefield. If they’d asked, I would’ve treated them to salad chicken.

“Suits are great, aren’t they, Manager-san?”

“Huh!?”

“They’re cool. They make you look like a real adult.”

“…M-maybe I should start wearing one in the office.”

“Please don’t. The pressure would kill me.”

“I guess that’s true…”

While chatting like always, I restocked the area around the register. Hot snacks.

The fried chicken looked amazing. Now I wanted to go to an izakaya again.

Come to think of it, Yuuka said her mixer was at Bird Marquis or something. Lucky.

“A mixer, huh…”

“!?!?”

“Oh. Not me. Just someone I know.”

“R-right. A high schooler going to a mixer would be way too early.”

“…”

“What?”

Couldn’t tell her I’d been to a few already. Only as a body count filler, though.

Usually because my college-age sex friend called for backup. I did think inviting a guy to a mixer was questionable, but maybe just knowing a high school boy was there stroked their egos.

I got it.

“Yeah, I guess.”

“That pause was scary!”

“You seem like you’d have plenty of experience, Manager-san.”

“Eh… my ex was my first…”

“Rough weather today, huh?”

“It sure is!”

I switched topics while looking out at the cloudy sky. Bad communication. I didn’t want her to dislike me, but I couldn’t think of a better subject.

Nothing good came to mind. Other than the parody adult video Yuuka and I had watched yesterday being hilarious. Just the title, I mean.

Did people seriously sit around a conference table to come up with names like that? Could I apply?

The entrance chime rang.

“Welcome.”

“Welcome in!”

Obviously I couldn’t talk about any of that. All I could do for Manager-san was work as hard as I could.

Let’s go.

☆

“Sato-kun, you can clock out now!”

“Oh. It’s already that late?”

“Yep. Thanks for everything today!”

“For your sake, I’d raid a rival store anytime.”

“What!?”

“Haha. Kidding…”

“Not entirely.”

“What?”

“Good work today.”

The sun still had not set. At school, it’d be the time right after club activities ended.

It was a pleasant kind of exhaustion. Maybe I’d go home, watch a movie, and toast with a cola. I should’ve had frozen fried chicken in the freezer too–

My phone started ringing.

“Huh? Yuuka?”

That was odd. She was supposed to be at a mixer.

“Hello.”

“Ah, Sora-san! Sorry for calling out of nowhere.”

“Hey. What’s up?”

“Well… today’s mixer…”

“Huh?”

“One of the boys from the other side couldn’t make it.”

“I see.”

They said it was three-on-three. And now I could already see where this was going.

“So they asked if I knew any boys I could invite, and I thought of you…”