Is There Such Thing as a Cute Little Stepsister? There is No Romance Between us~ - Chapter 33-34

Work Doesn’t Bring Us Closer…

Ruri’s POV

Sunday, the decisive battle has come.

“We’ve made it through the lunchtime rush! Tokigane-kun! Return to the sales floor while teaching Hachi, who will be starting her shift, how to restock the items. Maeda, handle the displays around the bento and sandwich section! Ichinose, take care of the cash register and fried items! You can take a break, Kato! I’ll go to the bank to get change for the register!”

Onii-sama wipes his sweat as he gives instructions…my attempt to close our distance at work doesn’t seem to be working…

Well, it’s still nice to see Onii-sama being so cool.

“Hachi-chan, nice to meet you.”

“Ah, yes. Nice to meet you too. Umm…”

“Haruka Tokigane. I’ll teach you various things from now on. Let’s do our best!”

She is one of the employees working here…she should be on my watchlist.

I can’t let my guard down, even if she’s engaged.

“Uh, we are going to restock, right?”

“Yes that’s right, we are going to restock food items. Check the expiration dates and place them on the shelves properly.”

“Okay.”

“For example, when you’re restocking cup ramen, it’s a good idea to arrange them so that the front is visible to customers like this…”

“Why is it better to arrange them like this instead of doing it quickly?”

“So that customers can immediately see what the product is, and also for neatness.”

“I see.”

Carefully checking the expiration dates one by one, we restock the cup noodles on the shelves.

“Tokigane-san, we’ve finished taking care of the bento display!”

“Then please take care of the cup soups for the front display!”

“Understood!”

“What is this ‘front display’?”

“It’s a place at the front that we put our best-selling products. Just by looking at them, it looks better when everything is neatly organized, right?”

“Indeed, it does.”

“So, while Maeda-chan is making the front display look nice, we restock other items like this.”

“Yes.”

“On the other hand, the Manager is taking care of the change for the cash register. Banks close at 3 PM, so we need to exchange the small change used during lunchtime rush before the banks close.”

“It sounds like he has a lot to manage.”

“It depends on the location of the convenience store. For a place like here, a convenience store inside a building, lunchtime rush can be a nightmare, but we close at midnight when the building closes. If it’s located near a high school, it also can get busy in the morning when students come to school, and evening when they go back from school.”

“I see.”

As I’m restocking the items, I continue to ask more about the store.

Even if there is no opportunity to interact with Onii-sama during work, information gathering is important.

On top of that, showing my capabilities as a girl is important as well.

“I’m going to the bank now. Umm…please take care of Hachi.”

“Take care, Manager.”

“Take care, Onii—Manager.”

“Y-Yeah.”

“…? Hachi-chan is there something going on with you and the Manager?”

“Eh, no, not really.”

I can’t let Onii-sama be labelled as a lolicon.

Our relationship is a secret.

“Is that so? You seem a bit more awkward than usual, Manager…did something happen?”

“W-Well…”

This person is sharp!

Also, her tone of voice sounds like she is quite close with Onii-sama.

I have to be cautious after all!

‘First Part Time Job’ Can be Tiring

When I get home, Ruri, who has finished her shift earlier, is lying face down on the desk.

“Sunday rush can be really tiring, huh?”

I feel sorry for Ruri working her first part-time job during such a busy time…

But I can’t have Ruri working at the store except when both Tokigane-kun and I are there so that we can train her.

“Ruri?”

“Suu~”

Ah, she asleep.

Her regular breathing and the continuous droll coming out of her mouth show that she’s not dead.

“Great job, Ruri.”

I gently stroke her hair while making sure that I don’t wake her up.

Her smooth hair feels really good.

Ruri is really smart at school, that’s why I want to help her to get some work experience so that she can reach her potential to the fullest.

“But…”

Maybe she will find someone better than me in the future.

That’s what I’m afraid of.

Things might be going great now, but what if, as she spreads her wings and moves forwards, she meets someone she considers better than me

“Since when did I become a person who is afraid of change?”

‘I’ve found someone better than Haru, someone cooler and stronger. Someone who is on a whole different level. Someone can I rely on…so, let’s break up, Haru.’

There is no way that Ruri will say the same thing as her.

I believe so and take a deep breath.

“What I should do right now is support her, both as her boyfriend and as an adult.”

If I can’t bring myself to do that, then I’d be a failure as both her boyfriend and an adult.

Well…dating a minor might already make me a failure as an adult in the first place.

But that’s exactly why, no matter how much it hurts, I have to support Ruri.

“I have to endure this pain, even if it’s possessiveness or jealousy. That is my responsibility.”

“Suu~”

“I’ll endure all of that for your sake.”

For the sake of the girl I love.

“But she sure sleeps a lot…”

She must be really tired.

I should wake her up soon if I want her to make dinner for us.

Get up for dinner…!

That doesn’t sound very mature, does it?

Or perhaps, I can make some onigiri for our dinner.

No, I should show off my skills here.

Why not try making fried rice?

I wonder if she’ll find it delicious.

While thinking so, I look at Ruri’s face.

That face…

“She’s drooling.”

It somehow excites me.

“……”

Before I knew it, my fingers are reaching out to her droll puddle.

I lick it, it tastes like sweet honey.

“…what am I doing!? Right, fried rice, fried rice!”