It's Hard for me, an Unremarkable Guy, to Believe that someone as Popular as Hirose-san would be Interested in me. - Chapter 4

The next day, when I arrived at work, the restaurant was already in the middle of its busiest rush. In the kitchen, Yoshizawa-kun was working tirelessly, handling orders with precision and calm efficiency.

Even amidst the chaos, he kept his composure and continued preparing dishes without missing a beat. Watching him like that, I couldn’t help but think, He’s so amazing. I resolved to do my best too.

But after a restless night of sleep, my mind was foggy, and I struggled to focus.

(No, I can’t let myself slack off! I need to stay sharp and work hard. If I can keep up like Yoshizawa-kun, maybe he’ll think, “Wow, Hirose-san is great,” even if it’s just a little.)

Despite my determination, I kept fumbling, unable to keep up with the rush.

As I struggled, Yoshizawa-kun called out to me from the kitchen.

“Hirose-san, is this order correct? Just the hamburger steak on its own?”
“Oh! Sorry, I forgot to add the C set!”

A rookie mistake.

“Got it. I’ll take care of the salad.”

Even in the middle of the busy rush, he noticed my mistake and corrected it without a single hint of irritation. He’s so impressive.

I have to follow his example and make sure I don’t mess up again! I thought as I renewed my focus.

But then—

“Hirose-san, this is for one of our regular customers, right? Should I include onions this time?”
“Oh no! No onions, I’m so sorry!”
“Got it.”

Another mistake.

The more I messed up, the harder it was to stay calm.

“Hirose-san, the number of dishes on this order doesn’t match the number of people. Is that correct?”
“Oh! I’m so sorry! It’s supposed to be two tarako pastas! I’m really, really sorry!”

I felt increasingly frustrated with myself. How could I keep making so many mistakes during such a busy time and inconvenience everyone else? But even then, Yoshizawa-kun—

“Understood. I’ll adjust the next order to make it work.”

He stayed calm and fixed everything, never showing a hint of frustration.

He’s incredible. He’s so cool. Meanwhile, I’m just…

How can I even think about wanting to talk to him casually or getting closer to him when I’m like this? It’s ridiculous.

In the end, all my mistakes were covered by Yoshizawa-kun, and the rush ended without inconveniencing any customers.

But no matter how composed he appeared, I couldn’t shake the thought that he must be annoyed with me. Maybe he even disliked me now.

His expression remained as stoic as ever, which only made me more anxious. I couldn’t tell what he was thinking at all.

Determined to at least apologize, I approached him.

“Um, Yoshizawa-kun… I’m really sorry for all the mistakes I made today.”

I braced myself for him to look annoyed, but instead—

“It’s fine. Mistakes happen to everyone. But Hirose-san, you’ve looked a little unwell since your shift started. Are you okay?”

Not only was he not annoyed, but he was worried about me. His unexpected kindness released all the tension I’d been holding inside, and before I knew it—

—I started crying.

“W-Whoa, Hirose-san, what’s wrong?”

Even someone as calm as Yoshizawa-kun seemed startled.

Unfortunately, our manager noticed at just the wrong moment.

“Wait, Hirose, are you crying? What’s going on? Did Yoshizawa say something to you?”

Overwhelmed, I couldn’t get any words out and shook my head frantically to deny it. But the tears wouldn’t stop.

“There’s no way you’d cry like this for no reason! Yoshizawa, what did you say to her!?”

The manager began scolding him, even though he’d done nothing wrong.

(This is all my fault! If I don’t say something, he’ll get blamed!)

Panicking, I blurted out the first excuse that came to mind.

“N-No! It’s not his fault! My… my stomach hurts! And… and Yoshizawa-kun noticed, and I just felt so relieved that I couldn’t hold it in!”

In truth, my stomach was completely fine. I couldn’t bring myself to admit I’d been scared he might dislike me or that his kind words had moved me so much.

So, I lied.

“Oh, stomach pain? Well, the rush has calmed down now, so why don’t you head home early today?”

The manager softened and offered me a way out.

“Y-Yes, thank you very much.”

With no way to take back my excuse, I ended up leaving work 15 minutes early that day.