Trial Lover 29 (Patreon)

Main Story 28 - As a Customer

RAW

“Aneki. Do your best with your part-time job.”

“Please do your best, Akemi-san. Please excuse us.”

“Yeah! I'm happy you two came. Thank you for coming to our store! Enjoy your date after this too!”

Waving hands with my sister who shows a bright smile, Hiori and I leave G and L.

Is it because she was able to buy a one piece dress that she liked? Hiori seems to be in a good mood. She keeps glancing at the G and L paper bag I'm holding. Cute.

“I was able to see Akemi-san working part-time, and I got to buy a wonderful one piece dress, so I'm very satisfied.”

“That’s good.”

I was able to see the wonderful Hiori wearing that wonderful one piece dress, so I’m also satisfied. I'm starting to get excited thinking that I'll be able to see that figure a lot the day after tomorrow.

“Akemi-san is also cheerful and easy to talk to when she's working part-time. She seems to be very popular with customers.”

“I guess so. Right before she met us too, she was serving a group of girls with a smile. She seems to be seen as a reliable onee-san by the student customers."

“That's how I felt. It's a lot more persuasive when her own brother says it.”

“I had to ask my sister a lot when I was studying. Well, I guess she’s the sister I can rely on.”

“That's nice. When I was little, there was a time when I wished I had a kind older sister...”

“I see.”

Hiori is the eldest daughter with a younger sister by three years after all. She may have thought of wanting to be pampered by an older sister too.

By the way, if you marry me, my sister will become your sister-in-law, you know. Judging by what I see at the store, I think they'll make great sisters. But, I'm anxious about how Hiori will respond if I say that. Let's keep it close to my heart.

“Akito-san, where should we go next?”

She asks me.

“I want to go to the places that Hiori wants to go to.”

“Places that I want to go to, is it?”

“Yeah.”

We already went to Animake together, and we ate lunch at a pasta restaurant that I recommended. Then, I want to go to the places that Hiori wants to go to next.

“Then, shall we go to Zosol?”

“Zo-Zosol?”

It was a place I didn’t even expect, so I accidentally let out a strange voice.

“Yes. Until now, at Zosol, I've been served as a customer by the clerk Akito-san. That’s why, I want to go there with you as customers.”

“Certainly, at Zosol I have been interacting with Hiori as a clerk up until now .”

“Yes. Besides, I'd like to talk a lot about books and anime while drinking coffee or tea.”

“I see. I got it. Then, shall we go to Zosol?”

“Yes.”

We decided to head to Zosol Hagikubo North Exit branch.

We take the escalator down to the 1st floor and go out through the doorway that leads toward the north exit of the station.

The last time I walked towards the north exit was this morning, when I walked from the meeting place with Hiori to the cat cafe. Compared to that time, there are more people and it's bustling here. I feel a strong yet comfortable warmth from the sunlight and people's smiles. Of course, from Hiori too, as I am holding her hand.

As I look around, I see the sexy onee-san who reverse picked me up earlier walking happily with a man who seems to be in his 30s or 40s. Apparently, she succeeded in her reverse pick-up. Or maybe this is the compensated dating that's been a hot topic these days? The two of them seem to be having fun, so let's not bother them.

“Akito-san, have you ever come to Zosol as a customer?”

“I have. Once in a while, I buy coffee or tea there on my way home from school or my part-time job. But, I don't really spend time relaxing there. If it’s after high school... about 2 or 3 times with my friends in my first year. This is the first time since I became a 2nd year.”

“I see. The first time... is it?”

Hiori smiling as she says that is so cute.

Since it’s close to Hagikubo Station, we quickly arrived at Zosol Hagikubo North Exit branch soon after that.

When I enter the shop, the atmosphere is a bit calm, probably because it is after lunch time. I can see many customers sitting at tables and counter seats. At first glance, many are women. But, there are some empty tables, so it seems like I can relax with Hiori here.

“Oh, if it isn’t Kamitou-kun and Aoyama-san.”

I see Tsukushi-senpai at the counter. When our eyes meet, Senpai gives me a refreshing smile and waves a little. Senpai, so you had a shift today.

“Thank you for your hard work, Tsukushi-senpai.”

“Hello, Tsukushi-san.”

“Hello, both of you. Also, welcome. If I remember correctly, you're having a date around Hagikubo Station today, right?”

“Yes. We're having a great time. At Hiori's request, we came here together as a customer.”

“I've never been here with Akito-san before. Also, I wanted to take our time talking about books and anime.”

“So that’s how it is. I'm happy you came to our shop.”

Tsukushi-senpai's smile turns into a happy one like he said, showing off his white teeth. Perhaps the other customers saw Senpai’s smile, they squealed, “Kyaaa!” The reason why there are so many women here might be because Tsukushi-senpai is standing at the counter.

I order an M size iced coffee with chocolate mousse cake, and Hiori orders an M size iced tea and baked cheesecake. I'm a part-time clerk here, so we get a discount. Hiori looks happy at that.

“Both of you, take your time.”

“Yes. Senpai, please do your best in your part-time job.”

“Please do your best.”

“Thank you.”

Hiori and I go to an empty two-person table.

I put my bags and belongings under the chair and sit down facing Hiori. This is the first time this year that I sit down like this, and it's also my first time coming here with Hiori. Perhaps because of that, even the shop where I usually work part-time feels fresh.

Hori takes a photo of what she ordered with her smartphone. I too, take a photo of what I ordered with my smartphone as a commemoration for today. Looking at the photos like this, it seems like I ordered something extremely expensive. I guess it's because I have a bias since I’m on a date with Hiori.

“Well then, shall we get right to it?”

“That's true. Itadakimasu.”

“Itadakimasu.”

I take a sip of my iced coffee, cut a bite-sized piece of the chocolate mousse cake with a fork, and eat it. It has an exquisite balance of sweetness and bitterness and is very delicious.

* (T/N: ショコラムース -  ‘chocolate mousse’, but that seems wrong so I choose ‘chocolate mousse cake’.)

“The baked cheesecake is very delicious.”

Seeming to be pleased by it, Hiori smiles cutely. The power of sweets is amazing.

“That’s good. Also, I feel happy hearing that. I wonder if this is an occupational disease.”

“Might be. Back then, when I drank a drink at the tapioca drink shop where Kyoko-san works part-time, Kyoko-san was happy when I said it was delicious.”

“I see.”

This might be something that happens to all restaurant clerks.

Also, someday I'd like to have a tapioca drink with Hiori at the tapioca drink shop where Himura-san works part-time. I’m curious about what kind of drinks they sell.

“The chocolate mousse cake I ordered is also delicious.”

“That's great. If you don't mind, would you like to exchange a bite? I'm interested in the mousse cake.”

“With pleasure.”

“Thank you very much... W-Would you like us to feed each other at the same time?”

Hiori makes such a suggestion.

I never had the experience of feeding each other with Hiori at the same time. I feel like it’s not much different from feeding each other normally, but I haven't experienced it before, so I’m interested. I wonder if Hiori made such a suggestion to me because she felt the same way.

“I got it. Let's try doing it at the same time.”

“I understand.”

I drink my iced coffee to refresh my palate.

I use the fork to cut a bite-sized piece of the chocolate mousse cake, stab it, and bring it to Hiori's mouth. Immediately after that, Hiori also brings a bite-sized piece of baked cheesecake to my mouth. I can faintly smell the sweet smell of the cheesecake.

Also, we’re getting a lot of attention from the customers around us. Let's not mind them.

“Hiori. Aa─n”

“Akito-san too, Aa─n.”

And then, we feed each other's sweets to each other.

The moment the baked cheesecake enters my mouth, a sweet aroma spreads through my mouth. I've eaten it many times before, but I don't remember it being this sweet.

When I look at Hiori, her cheeks are red, but she is still chewing on it with a smile. It seems like the chocolate mousse cake suits her palate as well..

“The chocolate mousse cake is also delicious, isn’t it? Very much so.”

“The cheesecake is also very delicious. Thank you for giving me a bite.”

“No, no, me too, thank you very much.”

As she says that, Hiori slightly bows her head.

After that, we talk about the book we bought at Animake today, about the time we were at the cat cafe while looking at the photos, and about the anime we have watched together, [Miyabi-sama wants to be confessed to] and [Akime Chijincho].

Perhaps because it's a topic she likes, Hiori is constantly smiling, and sometimes she laughs aloud elegantly. Such moments are enjoyable and endearing.

“We've been talking for over two hours, haven’t we?” (Hiori)

“That’s true.”

By the time I realize it, the time is almost 5pm.

When we leave Zosol, the sky is still bright but the air has become cooler. We start walking toward the place where we met up this morning.

“We talked about various things, and we had another helping of drinks. Time sure flies when you're having fun.” (Hiori)

“Yeah. We got quite excited talking, and the time really flew by. Also, this might be the first time I've seen that many customers.”

“I see. How does it feel coming to your part-time job as a customer?”

“Until now, I feel indescribable, but I was able to relax today. I think that's because the person I came with was Hiori.”

“...I see. I'm happy to hear that.”

As she says that while looking into my eyes, the corners of Hiori's mouth turn up the most today.

After walking for about 2-3 minutes, I can see the meeting place from this morning. At that moment, loneliness and sadness wells up within me. That's probably how much I enjoyed today's date and the time I spent with Hiori. My grip on Hiori's hand naturally becomes stronger.

“I’ll be fine around here, Akito-san.”

“Yeah.”

We arrive at the meeting place from this morning and stop. I let go of Hiori's hand and hand her the paper bag containing the one piece dress that Hiori bought.

“Today was a lot of fun. Thank you very much.”

Hiori smiles slightly and says her thanks, then she slightly bows her head.

“Me too, thank you very much. Thanks to Hiori, I had a great day.”

“Me too. Akito-san has a part-time job tomorrow, right? Please do your best.”

“Thank you. Hiori has a memorial service tomorrow... so I guess we'll meet the day after tomorrow.”

“That's right. We depart from our house in the morning tomorrow, and come back around sunset. I think I’ll send messages to Akito-san in the meantime.”

“I got it. I'll do my best and look forward to those messages and the amusement park the day after tomorrow.”

“I'm also looking forward to the day after tomorrow. Today's date has made me look forward to it even more.”

“Me too. Then, see you the day after tomorrow.”

“Yes. See you the day after tomorrow.”

Hiori waves at me and starts walking towards her home. Just like that time when we had an at-home date at my house, I stand there until I can no longer see Hiori's back.

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