Dullard Buddy-kun: Heading Reluctantly to School Again Today - Episode 12

It’s completely dark outside now.

“Thank you very much! Please come again!!”

Yeah. No matter how popular the place is, it can be quiet on weekday nights.

Yeah. Right now, in the store where I’m working part-time, there are only a few people who look like salarymen coming back from work and some high school students who seem to be coming back from club activities. Today, hardly any customers are coming in for takeout.

Moreover, today is a day when my senior, who is a year older and with whom I get along relatively well, is also on shift with me, so there’s no tension or anything. The manager is also absent.

For now, I don’t like being too busy, but I also think being too idle has its drawbacks as I space out.

“Eh? Ah, yes. Understood. Tomorrow at 6 PM. Yes.”

Thanks to that, I can clearly hear the voice of the senior accepting calls from outside behind me.

I feel like they sound surprised for some reason, but as long as I’m eavesdropping, it doesn’t matter either way. It will be tomorrow.

Then, I thought it had nothing to do with me… but I have a shift tomorrow too. Me.

It’s Friday, right?

While I was still absentmindedly thinking about such things, it seemed that the phone behind me had ended.

“Hey, Mamiya. We got a big order for tomorrow!!!”

Bulk order.

“Haha, it’s an order for 20 sets of 15-piece nuggets and 50 large fries.”

I don’t know. I braced myself for a moment when they said it was a large amount, but is this really a large amount…? It’s certainly not small. However, it’s less than I expected, so I’m honestly not that surprised. I’ve had much larger orders before.
Well, there’s also the theory that this person is always so high-energy that they were just exaggerating to find my reaction amusing.

In fact, it is probably correct to say that.

“Tomorrow’s shift is… oh. Mamiya, you’re on. Handle the delivery, okay?”

“Delivery…”

“Oh, so you’re quietly making your delivery debut. It’s worth the effort!”

And whether it’s worth delivering or not doesn’t really matter, but it definitely raises my spirits a bit. My first delivery on that hamburger bike…

“But, considering the location, delivering to a club again means going to a fancy place. Hey, Mamiya, have you ever been to a club or something?”

“Do you think I would be in a place like that…?”

“I think!”

“Yeah, there’s no way. It’s me. Me. Even if I wanted to join, I’m too gloomy and would get stopped at the entrance…”

“Hey, hey, you. I’ve been thinking this for a while, but why do you have such a low self-esteem? Have more confidence. You’re actually pretty cool!”

“Yes. Thank you…”

The senior in front of me is giving me blatant flattery again, but I’m not stupid enough to believe that. I’m not stupid, but this person’s kindness always somehow touches my heart…

Simply a good person…

With this person, I can be myself, and all things considered, working shifts together is just plain fun.

“But, what do clubs actually do? Events and parties, maybe? Do you know?”

“I don’t understand at all.”

I keep telling myself over and over, but I’m all alone with no friends…

“But, you know, the guy who called to place an order earlier had such a terrible attitude. He sounded really young, probably around our age, and it was just so annoying. I really can’t stand people who look down on workers like that.”

“I agree. It’s crap.”

Really crap.

“By the way, Mamiya, that kid from that time. When are they coming next?”

“That kid from back then?”

“Look, that cute girl who was asking you for a smile.”

Ah, you’re talking about Yamamoto.

Indeed, I haven’t watched it since that one time.

I mean, how much does this person like Yamamoto…?

“Yeah, I don’t think they’ll come anymore. We’re not really close or anything.”

For a moment, I was taken aback, but well, there was no real reason to come this far anyway.

It seems like no one around has found out either, so I’m relieved.

In the end, it was probably just a matter of bad luck that we happened to run into each other at that time.

And for now, please don’t make such a sad face so obviously next to me, senpai.

Even so, today is really unusually boring…

I don’t want to think about it, but at times like this, it’s usually…

It’s like the calm before the storm, or something like that.

It’s a sign that something bad or troublesome is about to happen…