Aoyama, Hirai, Takenaka II

NOVEMBER 25, 2022 / MAD HATTER

From what my sister told me, specters that dropped in or passed byiwereistillisafe, however, significantly stronger or hazardous specters would haunt customers or staff andicontinue to haunt them or cause adverse effects.

Even for those with supernatural ability, prolonged periods of time in an environment with a strong negative aura can be perilous, and if it were a normal person, outrageous things would ensue… apparently.

“What do you mean byioutrageous things?”

“Whoiknowsー”

Afterifinishingihericaramel pudding, my younger sister turned back to the PCiand continued her words.

“Even I don’t knowiwhat’s going to happen. Besides, for some reason a lot of accidents are reported every year near the sea of trees there, and the other day there was a motorcycle accident in which a motorcyclist jumped over the guardrail and crashed down a cliff.”

“isn’t that unrelated to the convenienceistore?”

“We’re talking about theidanger around that place, you know.”

“That’s just an accident, and shows about specters are made up.”

“Good grief… You still don’t buy that kind of story.”

“Oh, I don’t believe it. What’s the point of believing it? People who say suchithings are just trying to freak people out.”

And then the usual pattern was for them to become convinced and fuss over it.

“Misuzu have real supernaturalipowers, though!”

“Well, I don’t know about that. You can’t prove thatishe can see or not see the specters.”

“Tch, no good, I have to do somethingiabout you at once… Misuzu said to me. If you meddle excessively in those places, even those who can’t see will be able to see.”

“Iiwillinotibeiableitoiseeiit. Cough, oi, I have to work the night shift again today, so let me sleep again and don’t wake me up.”

Even before I could say so, myiyounger sister had slipped her headphones back on and was doing a somersault into the world of video websites again.

…I figured toigo to sleep but I was starving.

I should boil somen noodles.

After taking the somen noodles out of the cupboard, I putithem in a smallipot of water and boiled it.

“…”

While watching theirising air, I recalled the security camera monitor I observeditwo days earlier during my break.

At that time, the monitoricaught somethingiinexplicable, something mysterious but distinct, someikind of small, grayish shadow.

I wondered what thatiwas.

The grayish shadow was coming and going near the automatic door of the store.

The sightiwas so bizarre that I was so taken aback that I spilled my canned coffee all over it.

『A small boy is playing in front of the door.』

No way that shadow I couldn’t makeiout was the boy.

I had never glimpsed anything like that before.

Furthermore… I remembered theisensation of the boy’s foot slipping throughithe side of my leg. Even now, I remembered it vividly. That warm wind and the goosebumps that crept over my skin.

Honestly speaking, I have notishared that story with Aoyama.

Even thoughihe talked a lot, he was timid.

On my first day at work, I remembered himishouting all alone.

Despite his seniority and career, he was still extremely frightened. So Iiasked him why heididn’t pick another place to work and he replied, “It’s terrifying, but if I can accumulateia lot of money here it’s better to be patient…!”

He, no, she (?) apparently was quite zealous about re-constructing the lower half of his/her body.

The pot was spilling when I was spacing out, and I hurriedly turned off the stove.

“…” Gibberish words are everywhere but you can only see them when you highlight them.

Thatishadow…

…No.

I must have been sleepy and seen itiwrong.

No customers cameiat that time of the day, and I was too bored and sleepy.

That wasinot a specter.

In the first place, I couldn’t seeisuch a thing. I doubted that I could see it.

I mean, my conclusion was that no such thing as a specter existed.

Convinced in my mind, I putithe boiled somen noodles in the colander.

Speaking of which, it seemed like the person Iiwas working with on the night shift today was that rumored Takenaka…

“Thanks for your hardiwork.”

“Ya, I suppose it’s time for shift change.”

Just before 12:00, I entered the store anditook over with the evening shift worker.

Since we worked different hours, our relationship was not very close, though our greetings were exchanged repeatedly like this and we would talk for a while before the shift change.

While taking off my uniform from the hanger in the back room and changing, I cast a quick glance around the store.

At this hour, manyicustomers were still coming in and out of the store.

“How is it? Are you accustomed to working the night shift?”

The one who spoke to me was Nagase, the evening shift worker, whoiwasialready getting ready to go home. He was a university student with a long, waxed wolf hairstyle and mole under his left eye that exuded sex appeal.

All in all, he gaveioff the image ofisomeone who would look good in a band.

“…Even ifiyou asked me that… I’ve only worked a few days here.”

“I see, I have heard that the night shift is often too free, but it makes people feel sleepy, right?”

“Oh, that happens when there is too much free time. But lately, myidays and nights are reversed, so I don’t get that sleepy.”

“Right, I suppose that’s how it is. I heardifrom Aoyama the other day that something happened.”

“What?”

“That the door opened? About that.”

“Ah…”

I glanced at theiautomatic door from the side.

Whenever a customer entered or left, it would chime and open systematically. Otherithan that, of course, it never opened.

“Wasn’t that frightening?”

“Not really, I just found it strange.”

“Haha, you’ve got a lot of guts, don’t you? The last person who joined the night shift kicked up such a fuss that they quit within three days.”

“Heh, is that so?”

“The manager occasionallyiinspects it, but apparently it’s not malfunctioning, which is odd, isn’t it?”

“Isn’t it clogged with trash or something?”

When I said that, Nagaseilaughed.

“Hahaha! That’s the way to think of it, the night shift workers must be able to hold their positions.”

“I know, right? If someoneimakes a fuss about specters and such, there’s no end to it.”

I was caught in the moment and laughed back.

After exchanging small talk, Nagase got ready to go home and I went to the counter.

Even so, Takenaka was late…

Even though it was almost time for him to start his shift, he hadn’t arrived yet.

“Ah. I forgot to mention it.”

Before exiting the convenience store, Nagase paused as if reminded of something.

“Today, Hirai has replaced Takenaka. I heard they switched shifts at the last minute.”

So that meant Hirai would be with me today? fehujriipr

“She will be here soon, I guess. Hakamada, do your best on the night shift.”

With that, Nagase climbed on his large two-wheeled bike and left. biudw

After sending Nagase off from the store, I started to attend to the remaining three customers one after the other.

The old man with three beer cans, dried squid, and fried chicken sticks.

A young man who brought a plastic bottle and potato chips on top of a sexually explicit magazine.

A sweet bread and a pack of milk… And daily necessities for women only. bdwbiuqi

The office lady that brought it to the cashier made a very disgusted face. dbihw

Ah, yes, yes, youihated showing theseithings to men, right?

I can understand that. irebyebiyew

Without a trace of concern, I placed it in a transparent bag under the register and handed it back to her, along with the other items in the bag. wdheu8

“Thank you very much.”

I sent the three customers off with equally the same words, and in no time at all, silence descended upon the store.

I looked at my watch and noticed that it was past 22:00.

The night shift began at 22:00.

Hirai… Was she late…?

It did not really bother me thatimuch whether she was late or otherwise, since it was the night shift and I would not be so occupied that I would be overwhelmed…

That was my thought a few dozen minutesiago.

Standing alone at the counter was on the contrary too quiet and unnerving for me to relax.

Being alone wasitoo boring.

I wondered what happened to Hirai. Even if I wanted to contact her, I couldn’tie-mail or call her because I hadn’t met her yet.

Or rather, more importantly…

My gazeishifted from the clock to a diagonal angle.

Behind the shelvesilined with magazinesiandicomics, I looked toward the glazed casement.