I really don't want to be reborn.

The twilight on the horizon is layered with yellow and red. The spring sunset is like a pretty fruit grown in a greenhouse, but it is not very practical and does not give people much warmth.

As the sun set, the buildings in the distance appeared dark, and Kyosuke Kosaka also felt that the guy in front of him was dark as well.

Just as he and Kasumigaoka discussed in the clubroom, they used the analogy of a young girl's skin, saying that it could be made with milk, or even porcelain, because the skin of girls at this age is firm, delicate, and very white.

The girl collecting money in the bookstore was also very young, probably a junior high school student. Her skin was very fair, almost unhealthy.

There are many kinds of women: gentle, lovely, feisty, bold, and unreasonable. He felt that, based on his experience, he had seen far more girls than he had ever seen.

But he had never seen a young, inexperienced girl like her in the bookstore before.

She was so quiet and reserved that she resembled a beautiful doll.

Her long, black hair shimmered with a captivating luster, and her features were perfectly proportioned. Her neatly styled bangs were almost obsessive-compulsive. The sleeves of her work clothes were as white as snow, but not as white as her hands.

However, the girl was somewhat reserved and nervous, her hands clasped together in front of her clothes, as if she were using her posture to demonstrate what it means to be coy.

Are you sure you want me to help?

He listened in astonishment to the other party's stammering request, then looked down and met the eyes of a young girl and a little girl...

"Your sisters... ah, so cute."

It's a bit of a dilemma.

The girl who was asking him for a favor in a very awkward manner was a cashier at the bookstore. He often bought books there and was somewhat familiar with her. He knew that this cute guy was a gloomy character, so he was only familiar with her face and not really familiar with her in other aspects.

Her two younger sisters came for a surprise work visit, and she couldn't do anything about it. She wanted to take them out for a bite to eat, so she asked Kyosuke to help her out.

"Should I take over your work, or take care of your cute little sisters?"

The girl lowered her head, her voice low: "And what do you think?"

"I don't think you would entrust your young sister to someone you don't know very well."

"That's good."

The girl looked up cutely, her eyes sparkling with an intoxicating light: "Please, Mr. Kousaka."

"...Sir is alright."

"That... classmate?"

Kyosuke casually accepted the uniform and apron offered to him: "Whatever. But let me be clear, if I mess this up and get docked pay or even fired, you'll forgive me, right?"

The gentle, weak expression vanished in an instant, and the captivating light in those large eyes disappeared, replaced by a cold: "I'll kill you."

He waved his hand with a smile: "Hurry up, it'll be an hour and a half at most. Besides, don't worry about me messing it up. I've done similar jobs before, to be frank..."

Kyosuke skillfully put on an apron and checked the items in his pocket, such as tape, multi-colored pens, a craft knife, and a notebook. He was clearly an experienced worker: "...I've been working longer than you've been alive."

…………

Japan is a "labor-intensive country".

The Labor Standards Act stipulates that one can start working after the first March 31st of turning 15.

What foreigners have always criticized is that the work style here is even more meticulous than that of Germans, with detailed timetables and efficient use of time...

The Japanese work style of "exploiting every second that pays you" is enough to turn any lazy person into someone who "can't stop".

Yes, a phrase often seen in notebooks is "so comfortable that you can't stop." This is extremely unfriendly to newcomers, who often have to work at the checkout counter when they start working in bookstores.

The newer the employee, the more time they spend at the checkout counter, so that guy must be a fresh-faced newbie.

"The fifth watch... Liuli?"

Picking up the clerk's name tag, which had her name and photo on it, Kyosuke knew at a glance what he needed to do next. He would not only be in charge of cashiering, but also help cover books, wrap gifts, help issue library cards, and handle magazine subscriptions and mail delivery services, among other things.

So it's normal to find so many small tools inside the apron.

He watched the three sisters from the Gokou family leave, vaguely hearing something like, "Sister Ruri, is that your boyfriend?" He smiled knowingly at the child's innocence, then put on his professional smile for work.

The upward curve of his lips extended to his eyes, radiating sincerity and confidence.

In Japan's service industry, the attitude, language, and demeanor of employees must be impeccable when dealing with customers.

"Hello."

"Novels? The arts section is in area A, just a couple of steps away."

"Practical books are in D; the medical and STEM books you need are all there..."

"Eh, a magazine? A lewd magazine? I really don't have one..."

"Madam, there is a coffee area next to Section F, and there are also benches between the bookshelves where you can take a break. Please don't be shy."

This bookstore is neither a large bookstore like Yaguchi Bookstore, nor is it a bookstore that "only sells one book" and will probably only appear in Tokyo in about ten years.

There are many books here, with major categories and subcategories. If you are not familiar with the categories, the task of exchanging old books can take more than three hours.

Even if it were Goke himself, he would think for a while before answering, instead of blurting it out like he did. Of course, she would never show that confident and enthusiastic smile.

At least once, Kyosuke Kosaka had never seen this fifth-grade girl smile. Every time he came here, he was amazed—it was a miracle that this girl hadn't been fired yet.

While busy, he reminisced about something from what felt like his past life, when he and Kasumigaoka had interned at the editorial department of a bookstore during their university years.

Because it was a school support policy, the atmosphere was relatively relaxed and leisurely. The beautiful editor often brought some delicious desserts, and it was during that time that he learned to drink black coffee.

That memory slowly spread to the surroundings. Back then, Shiyu taught him how to make udon, or rather, she often made beef udon noodles for him. The two of them also learned some handicrafts.

"Hey, you seem to be spacing out!"

Kyosuke's gaze suddenly sharpened, and the unintentional sharpness he exuded startled the small-time thug in front of him.

"What service would you like, sir/madam?"

"Um... Miss Gokou, who works here, didn't come today?"

------

The thought of the book's poor performance fills me with sadness.

Chapter Twenty-One: Ghostly Rain in March, Chests and Boxes Turned Upside Down

A purple hoodie; it looks like it hasn't been washed in about two weeks.

His extensive experience allowed him to roughly understand what type of person someone was at first glance.

Because he often stays up all night playing games, this person's eyes are very prominent, and he has a not-so-slight nearsightedness. Up close, his two big white eyes look like peeled hard-boiled eggs.

Somewhat sluggish, somewhat murky.

If you look further down, you can see that this person also has a large, orange-peel-like nose; to be precise, it should be said that a face is attached to the nose.

When this person began asking about Gokou-san's whereabouts, Kousaka Kyosuke narrowed his eyes, glanced at the slippers the person was wearing, and smiled warmly and sincerely: "Her? I just saw her here—may I ask if you are her?"

Her hair was a mess of dyed yellow, unkempt and shiny with oil. Her face looked like it hadn't been washed in ages. This is what they mean by "oily hair and slick face".

"Me? I'm her...her boyfriend!"

Kyosuke remained unmoved: "I see, I see. You really are a man of few words."

The other person scratched the back of their head and smiled smugly.

Kyosuke Kosaka glanced at the bookstore staff around him and noticed that they were deliberately indifferent to what was happening here. Thinking about Ruri Gokou's attitude towards people, he gradually understood.

He started talking to the man who claimed to be her boyfriend and quickly figured out his background within minutes.

Boy friend?

Is this how you are?

Loquat pits soaked in oil?

You don't even know if Miss Gokatsu has a younger sister, yet you claim to be her boyfriend?

Kyosuke narrowed his eyes even more. Just then, it was time for the cashiers to change shifts. He started taking charge of sorting and organizing the arts and crafts section, quietly asking the cashier who came to take over about this person, and then continued to smile.

"Miss Gokou is probably over there in the science section. Don't you need to wait outside for a bit?"

"Um, no need, no need, I still need to buy some books..."

"Hey, what an artsy young man! He's a perfect match for Miss Gokou. Shall I recommend some things to you?"

His enthusiasm was like the lingering, anonymous warmth of a toilet seat, making one instinctively uncomfortable. The other person declined his book recommendation and walked straight to the science book section. Kyosuke Kosaka smiled at his retreating figure.

kind.

Just as he had guessed, this person was indeed a thug who frequently came to harass people at dawn, and the cold-tempered girl working there was indeed not well received.

Because she wasn't good at communicating with others, she had to ask him, a customer she barely knew, for a substitute shift. He figured that probably no one would stand up for her when she was harassed.

Poor thing, Gokou Ruri.

He remained there, calmly tidying up the books with remarkable skill and delicacy, gently smoothing the curled corners of the pages, his fingertips touching the smooth paper, his gaze as tender as if he were looking at a girl in the clubroom.

The slight noise gradually grew louder.

"It's raining."

It's late March now, and the spring rain is clean and gentle.

"Huh, didn't you find them?"

"what……"

The thug walked back dejectedly: "Couldn't find her, probably went home early."

"You can contact her by phone."

"Yes, that's right..."

The other person chuckled dryly as they walked out of the bookstore. Looking at the marks left by the person's slippers on the floor, Kyosuke Kosaka felt a bit annoyed.

He watched the other person walk to the bookstore entrance, and as expected, he heard an extremely piercing alarm. He smiled, happily picked up a mop and started mopping the floor, listening as the arguing gradually drowned out the spring rain.

A common item found in supermarkets.

EAS, also known as Electronic Article Surveillance, is one of the most widely used product security measures in the large retail industry.

In the early 21st century, a system that covered Asia ended the "person-to-person" anti-theft model in supermarkets. It was simple, crude, efficient, and fast, but it could also become very inconvenient if malicious intent was involved.

"I've already said I didn't steal anything! What do you want from me?"

"Sir, if you didn't take anything, why did the alarm go off? Is it an alarm clock?"