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Main Story 47 - The Girl Who Dropped Her Smartphone

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Wednesday, May 12th.

After school today too, I have a study session with Hiori and the others... not, I have my part-time job. Hazuki-san too, she has her part-time job at the bookstore.

Today's study session consists of four people: Hiori, Himura-san, Kazuo, and Shimizu-san. It seems Kazuo and Shimizu-san are interested in how Hiori's house is like, so they are doing the study session at Hiori's house.

Yesterday's study session was very productive, and I also learnt a lot from Hiori. That's why I feel a little lonely when I'm working part-time like this. There is Tsukushi-senpai at the counter next to me though. And it seems that Hiori and the others will be sending messages to me, so I do my part-time job while looking forward to seeing them during my breaks.

“Kamitou-kun. The people from the later shift have arrived, so shall we take a break?”

“Yes.”

About an hour after my shift started. I leave the counter with Tsukushi-senpai and go to the staff room for a break.

I make iced coffee for myself and for Tsukushi-senpai, and sit down in a chair facing him.

“You were serving customers with a nice smile today too, but there was a moment when you suddenly felt gloomy. By any chance, did you get into a fight with Aoyama-san?”

“No. Actually, a regular exam is coming up, so we started doing study sessions yesterday. We did it at my house yesterday. And it was really fun. That's why I feel lonely spending time apart.”

“I see. So that’s how it is.”

As Tsukushi-senpai says that with a refreshing smile, he takes a sip of his iced coffee.

“It can't be helped that you feel lonely. But please be careful not to show your feelings so much that the customers get worried. For now, it looks like it’s fine though.”

“Yes, I’ll be careful.”

Tsukushi-senpai is right. Even if I feel lonely, I shouldn't let it affect my part-time job. I have to be careful.

I drink my iced coffee and calm my mind.

“Anyway... study session, huh? When I was in middle school and high school, I also often had study sessions at someone's house before regular exams. We were all into the same anime, so sometimes it turned into an anime viewing party.”

“It happened to me too when I was in middle school. Sometimes we would quickly finish our assignments and then spend the rest of the day watching the anime we recorded late at night the day before.”

“There was that pattern, too.”

Is he remembering that time? Tsukushi-senpai's smile becomes gentle.

It may be a common occurrence that when anime lovers get together for a study session, the main focus becomes watching anime rather than studying.

I turn on my smartphone, and I see that I have received messages from Hiori, Himura-san, and Hazuki-san in the group chat of six study session members. Let's take a look right away.

[It's a little lonely with just the four of us, but the study session is making progress. Akito-san and Saaya-san, please do your best at your part-time jobs.]

[Being able to study at Hiori's house is the best! I'm nervous, but I'm making progress! Both of you, do your best at your part-time jobs!]

[I'm on a break now-ssu. I'll do my best at my part-time job-ssu!]

Hiori, Himura-san, and Hazuki-san each sent such messages.

To think that Hiori also feels lonely. I’m kinda happy. Although I’m sure the reason is because it’s not just me who isn’t there, but also her best friend Hazuki-san, who also has a part-time job.

Also, for her studies to make progress even though she's nervous, how very Himura-san-like. In her case, I feel like she’ll take a nap in Hiori's bed when she takes a break.

[I’m on my first break. Thank you for the message. I'm lonely too, but I'm working hard on my part-time job. Do your best, Hiori and the others, at your studies, and Hazuki-san, at your part-time job.]

I also send such a message to the group chat.

When I do, the four people participating in the study group send messages saying things like [Thank you] and [Do your best with your part-time job]. Seeing those makes me feel warm and fluffy inside.

“That's a nice smile. Did you get a message from Aoyama-san?”

“Yes. Hiori and my friends told me to work hard at my part-time job. That alone gives me energy.”

“That's good to hear. Now then, shall we go back to the counter.”

“Before that, I'm going to sweep in front of the entrance.”

“I got it.”

I drink the rest of my iced coffee and leave the staff room. I then go outside through the employee entrance with a broom and dustpan.

It's evening, so it's cooler than when I came to work. Although the wind is weak, I feel chilly when it hits my face.

When I step out onto the sidewalk in front of the entrance,

“Kya-.”

I bumped into a woman wearing a different uniform from Kasagaya High School. I didn't fall down, but the woman fell on her butt on the spot.

“Are you okay? I'm sorry.”

I just hope she’s not injured. I hold out my right hand to the woman who has fallen on her butt.

“No, it's my fault. It’s because I keep looking downwards... ah.”

The woman slowly raises her face, and when her eyes meet mine, her eyes widen. And I open my eyes wide at about the same time.

Bright, large eyes and wavy black hair. There’s no doubt about it. This is the woman who dropped her money in front of the counter during my part-time job during Golden Week.

The woman smiles and bows lightly to me. Then, she gently grabs the right hand I hold out to her and slowly stands up.

“Thank you very much.”

“No, no. By the way, you said you keep looking downwards, but... is something wrong?”

“...Actually, I dropped my smartphone.”

As she says this without any energy, the woman gives me a bitter smile.

“After school, I went around shops around the north exit with my friends, and then went to my friend's house. That's when I realized I didn't have my smartphone. I’m trying to find the road I walked down relying on my memory. Once in a while, I looked at my smartphone while walking. So I think I dropped it on the road when I thought I put it in my bag. I also passed by the road in front of Zosol, so.”

“I see. By the way, have you gone to the police box? There's a police box near the north exit of Hagikubo Station.”

“I have. But they haven’t received my lost smartphone...”

“I see.”

And so, you are still looking for it while thinking you might have dropped it on the path that you left behind, huh? That's why you’ve been looking downwards all this time. Well, dropping your smartphone is a big deal. There are even some people who think, “My smartphone is the next most important thing after my life!”

I take out my smartphone from my slacks pocket. Turn on the power and go to the dial input screen.

“Please try calling your smartphone from my smartphone. If it's near here, I'm sure you'll hear its ringing sound.”

When I say that, the woman's expression seems to brighten a little.

“Thank you very much. I'll borrow it then.”

“It's already in the dial input screen, so all you have to do is enter the phone number and tap the call button.”

“Yes.”

I hand my smartphone to the woman.

The woman taps the smartphone several times.

“And call...”

The woman whispers. I just hope she can find her phone with this.

──Prrrr. Prrrr.

Immediately, I hear such a ringing sound from nearby. It's a cute ringtone. Judging from the timing, the probability that it's this woman's smartphone is high.

Perhaps because she hears the ringing sound, the woman looks startled.

“This sound, it’s my smartphone ringtone!”

“Judging from the direction... it looks like it’s in roadside shrubbery. It might be in front of the shop. I'll take a look, so please keep ringing it.”

“I understand.”

I put down the broom and dustpan near the wall of the shop and head towards roadside shrubbery. I look for the woman's smartphone by relying on the ringing sound.

“Found it.”

A smartphone in a pink case is ringing. Looking at the screen, I see my smartphone number displayed there.

“This is it.”

I reach out with my right hand and pick up the smartphone inside the shrubbery. I return to the woman.

“This is it. My smartphone number is displayed here.”

As I say that, I show her the smartphone I’ve found, and the woman's expression instantly brightens. She looks into my eyes and laughs in happiness.

“This is it! Thank you very much!”

“I'm glad you found it.”

Dropping your smartphone can cause a lot of trouble after all. Around last year or the year before last, wasn’t there a suspense movie released that revolved around someone dropping their smartphone?

The woman ends the call and returns my smartphone. As she does, I also hand her her smartphone. At that moment, the woman pats her chest in relief.

“It had fallen inside the roadside shrubbery. It was hard to notice since it’s hidden by the shrubbery, so it probably wouldn’t reach the police box.”

“Might be. It seems it’s like I said earlier, when I thought I'd put it back in my bag, I actually dropped it in the shrubbery.”

“I see. Please be careful not to drop your smartphone.”

“Yes. To think you’re the one who saved me again. Such coincidences do happen, don't they?.”

“I see. ...By the way, is that uniform the Hagikubo Academy uniform?”

“You understand very well. By the way, clerk-san, are you a high school student? Or a college student?”

“I'm in my second year of high school. I go to Kasagaya High School.”

“So you’re a second year! Then we’re the same age! Also, since you go to Kasagaya, you must be pretty smart huh?!”

Perhaps because she found out we were the same age, she suddenly started talking in casual speech. She seems very friendly now, partly because she’s been using polite language until now.

I wonder if Kasagaya seems smart from the perspective of the students who attend Hagikubo Academy. I guess I also took the entrance exam for Hagikubo Academy for my back-up choice.

“I'm not smart enough to go to Kasagaya. My first choice was Musashi Sakae High School, but I failed that. So now I go to Hagikubo Academy that I passed for my back-up choice.”

“I see. I too... applied to Hagikubo Academy and was accepted. It’s the next station over, and it's a private high school with a decent deviation score.”

“So that’s how it was. That's why you knew I was from Hagikubo Academy when you saw my uniform.”

“Yes. Also, my older sister's friend from college was also a student of Hagikubo Academy.”

“I see. You’re smart, and you’ve helped me many times, so you look more reliable than any of my male classmates. I wonder if it's because you’re wearing a part-time uniform?”

“Thank you very much.”

No matter the reason, being seen as reliable is a happy thing.

The woman tucks her smartphone into her skirt pocket.

“Thank you so much for finding my smartphone! I was so anxious when I found out I lost it.”

“No, no.”

“Then, since I'm keeping my friend waiting, I'll be going now.”

The woman gives a small wave and walks toward the direction of my house. Maybe her friend went to the same middle school as I did.

Time sure pass while I was looking for the woman's smartphone. I quickly clean up the front of the shop, and head back inside.

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