Kawano-kun's Sex Friend - Chapter 3

The new recruit, Kawano Yuuri, who had only joined a month ago. I expected him to be flustered at work, but when I went to the sales floor.

“Yuuri~. Good morning.”

“Good morning, Natsu.”

“Good morning.”

“Rina, good morning.”

“Huh?”

Just to add, the last ‘Huh?’ is me. They called Nacchan and Rina by their first names, and to make matters worse, they used the ‘no-honorific’ form and even spoke casually.

“Oh, Ryo-chan! You’re all better now!”

“It’s all healed… I apologize for the trouble.”

Nacchan and Rina patted my back, and I glanced at the shift schedule. The final shift today is with me and… Kawano-kun.

“Yuuri! Can I talk to you for a sec?”

It was the manager who called out Kawano-kun’s name from the kitchen. He called him ‘Yuuri’… even though he’d only been here for about a month. As he quickly walked toward the manager without changing his expression, I silently pointed at his back, and Rina suddenly clapped her hands as if she had just remembered something.

“Oh, Ryouka, this was your first time seeing Yuuri, right?”

“What’s with that arrogant kid?”

“A kid, huh… Yuuri said he’s 26.”

“He’s four years younger than me! He’s a kid!”

“I heard it’s his first time in customer service~. Ryouka, a veteran in customer service, should teach him.”

“Why should I!”

“I’m about to take my break~ Customers are coming in~ Welcome~!”

“Wait… Rina!”

“Welcomeー”

Replacing Rina, Kawano-kun appeared on the sales floor. His flat, monotone ‘Welcome’ felt strangely cold.

“Kawano-kun, hold on a moment.”

“What is it?”

“Could you soften your tone a bit and raise the end of your sentences?”

“Welcome~?”

“Are you messing around?”

“Can I talk to you for a second?”

“Huh?”

I was beckoned from the bright, sweet-smelling sales floor to the cold, chilly kitchen. I exchanged eye contact with Nacchan and followed him into the kitchen.

“What?”

“I’ve learned quite a bit on the job, so I don’t need any guidance.”

“Huh?!”

“I’m a quick learner, you see.”

“But you can’t do customer service like that!”

“There are no problems so far.”

“Seriously?!”

“Anyway, Nacchan’s by herself, so I’m heading back. Please come quickly, Enka-san.”

“What the hell?!”

You’re the one who called me here, right? What’s with your attitude? Before I could even react, I ended up hitting the wall, and then Hikaru, the chef, came by to get ingredients and chuckled.

“Hikaru-chan! Did you get involved with Kawano-kun?”

“It looks like Enka-san is angry. Is he the type you don’t like?”

“Actually, I like his face and body type, but his attitude is unbearable!”

“Ahahaha! I’ll be heading back now!”

With some silver dragee in hand, Hikaru-chan returned to the kitchen with style. Her strong, yet refreshing personality earns high praise as she remains focused on her work, even when surrounded by male chefs. I watched her walk away and quickly headed back to the sales floor.

By the time I returned to the sales floor, there were no customers in sight, and Natsu and Kawano-kun were chatting happily. Even though I had only taken a month off, I felt like I no longer had a place here.

“Ryo, do you want to hear Yuuri’s stories about being popular~?”

“Huh? What kind of popularity stories?”

“It’s crazy, right? He used to have 10 girlfriends at once.”

“What a scumbag…”

I glared at Kawano-kun, who had a smug look on his face, and sighed. Well, with his looks and his ability to communicate well with women, it’s no wonder he had plenty of options. But still, I couldn’t believe there were guys who did things like have 10 girlfriends at once.

“Natsu, want to try going out with me?”

Even though the words weren’t directed at me, the seductive voice flowing from those alluring lips made my heart skip a beat. The words—his voice—were meant only for Natsu, but they completely captivated me, even though I was just standing nearby.

“Yuuri? No way, that’s impossible.”

“Eh~ why not?”

“Natsu~ wants to protect her virginity. I can’t have a playboy as my first.”

“To say it like that.”

“Isn’t that the truth?”

“I don’t show mercy even to virgins, you know?”

“That’s why it’s impossible.”

Laughing, Natsu turned her back and headed to the back. I was left in an uncomfortable silence.

“Do you have a boyfriend, Enka-san?”

“Huh?! Ah, uh…”

At that moment, the door to the store opened—someone had arrived. The awkward conversation that had been cut off halfway didn’t continue after the customer left, and all that remained was a lingering, unpleasant feeling in my chest as time just passed by.

＊

It was 6 PM. Closing time.

Fortunately, there were many customers in the evening today, so I didn’t have to endure any awkward moments with Kawano-kun. Truly a blessing in disguise. –But the real problem began now.

I locked the store, turned off the lights, and finished my work without any problems.

(…This is awkward.)

Inside the store, it was just the two of us. He had been silently working since then, without saying a word. The half-finished conversation never resumed…

(Could it be that I’m expecting something?)

I shook my head, thinking I was being foolish, and looked up to see him silently staring at me.

“What?”

“No, nothing. By the way, Enka-san, did you change your lipstick?”

“Lipstick? Yeah, I did, but…”

Now that he pointed it out, I realized I was wearing the new lipstick I got recently. It’s a cute terracotta pink.

“But why would you ask?”

Today was the first time I met him in this workplace, but while I recognized him as a customer, he…

“Well, it’s obvious, isn’t it?”

Chapter length 2349 characters.