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Chapter 20: Junior Encounter
Translator: Soafp
—-Wait for me.
I said so, but honestly, I don’t have the courage to face my mother.
I feel that if I meet her, I will not be able to hold myself back again.
But Sachi assured me that everything would be fine.
If that is the case, I would like to take advantage of it for a while.
Sachi taught me that there is no need to be in a hurry.
So, I will wait until I can sort out my feelings.
There must be something that time can solve.
“Yikes, I’d forgotten all about those guys.”
On Sunday, while I was shopping at the supermarket, I was remembering what Shinohara and the other had asked for.
To be honest, I had not had time to think about that since I came home the day before yesterday.
I didn’t even know either of their contact information to begin with.
Sonoda aside, I don’t even have Fukumura’s contact information.
I can’t apologize.
”
.I can’t make it today anyway.”
I forgot about it, and in any case, I can’t apologize today, and I never had any intention of apologizing in the first place.
Well, if someone asks me if I don’t care about Fukumura, it’s —–
“Are you perhaps
 senpai
? I knew it! It’s senpai, right!”
As I was thinking, a voice called out to me.
”Eh?
 Sakakibara?”
“That’s right! It’s Shion Sakakibara! Senpai, why did you suddenly stop coming to the part-time job?”
The person who approached me was another part-timer at the cafe where I worked. She was one year younger than me, though we went to different schools.
Her name is Shion Sakakibara.
”Since Senpai stopped coming, I’ve had to do a lot more work. The manager doesn’t seem to be interested in hiring new people.”
I was being taken by Sakakibara to a nearby family restaurant.
I tried to refuse, but she was so determined not to let me go.
“No new part-timer?”
“No. Well, as far as I’m concerned, it’s better than having Senpai to quit.”
No new part-timers
.. Eh? Better than I’m quitting?
”—-I’m supposed to have been fired.”
”
Wait a minute.”
She froze for a moment at my words and started to call somewhere.
“Hey, manager! Shuya-senpai, he believed you fired him! 
Misunderstanding!? As for “you don’t have to come,” what does
 haa, I get it. Anyway, please apologize to him directly
 Yes, yes. Excuse me. 

.manager you idiot!”
”W-what wrong?”
The person she is probably dealing with is the manager, but what the heck
.
“What did the manager say to you, senpai?”
“Eh
.? “You don’t have to come.” That’s what he said.”
It was after he saw me at that scene, and I thought he fired me.
”It was a misunderstanding.”
”Misunderstanding?”
“When he said you don’t have to come, he meant that you don’t have to come “until things have settle down”
. Haa. Really, he’s too short of words!”
”Then I wasn’t fired!”
It is a shocking fact.
“No, you’re not. I was very upset when I found out he was misleading you, just now.”
“Seriously?”
”I’m serious. Maybe you’ll get a letter of apology 
 in the evening, maybe? I think it will come. A very thoughtful one.”
”How to say
..I can’t imagine”
We looked at each other and giggled. The manager is a terrific clumsy guy.
“Well then! You’re coming back for another part-time job, right?!”
“That’s right. I’ll start showing up tomorrow.”
”Yeey! 
Hey, senpai? Shouldn’t we exchange contact information now?”
”Eh, ah, contacts.”
Until now, I had refused contact information for various reasons.
I gave reasons like “I don’t want to give out my contact information,” or some other unexplainable reason.
But she would still ask for my contact information from time to time.
She is very persistent. I would have given up after the first time.
“Fine. Here.”
”Eh, you don’t mind? Yay! At last, the isolation has been lifted!”
Isolation huh. You may be right.
But for now, I thought it was OK to be so isolated.
Maybe it’s because I’m sure

”Phew. Shall we go home then!”
”Hmmm. Right.”
We left the table together and split the bill.
”It was nice to meet you today! It’s a relief to have that misunderstanding cleared up.”
“Yeah, I’m glad it helped me out too. Bye.”
And here we were supposed to part without incident.
I wonder. Does the God of Fate not like me?
”Oh
 Kitami and
 uhm
”
”Fukumura
”
There was Fukumura, with a shopping bag dangling from one hand.
”””
”””
An awkward silence enveloped the three of us.
“Uhm
 Kitami, who’s that girl?”
As both parties were asking each other how to proceed, Fukumura cut in. For some reason, the tension that had been building between the three of us eased, and I could feel it on my skin.
”Ah, this girl is my junior at my part-time job
”
”Hi, I’m Shion Sakakibara. And who might you be?”
Bop. I think I heard something like that.
Was it my imagination that I felt Sakakibara’s words had a tinge to them?
”Fukumura. I’m a classmate of Kitami’s.”
They introduced themselves to each other, but they didn’t have to be so clear, did they?
”Heh, so you’re classmates. I see.”
”O-oi. You need to get a little further away from me
”
For some reason, Sakakibara leaned closer to me.
She is something of a distance girl. I’m having trouble reacting, so do that kind of thing with someone who’s used to that kind of thing.
”W-Why is Fukumura here?”
I wasn’t expecting to meet anyone, since the place is so far from the school.
No, that said, I met those guys the other day.
”My house is around here.”
”Is that so?”
I didn’t know. Come to think of it, maybe the reason she was able to visit my house before was because it was close.
“Are you trying to attract people who live close to your house?
.Let’s do it.”
”Eh? What did you say?”
“Nothing!”
Sakakibara, you’re a strange girl after all.
”Well, I’ll be on my way.”
“O-ou. —See you later”
I say this casually and regret it.
She is now

”Yeah. I’ll see you later.”
She also replied in the same way.
I guessed she was going in the direction of her house. We walked in the opposite direction.
“Well, I’m going home, too.”
”Yes! Well, see you
 tomorrow
!”
”Ou. Thanks for today.”
This is how I parted ways with Sakakibara.
Today was, no today too huh. A lot has happened.
However, I was able to talk with both of them in a surprisingly normal way.
I had expected things to get more awkward, but it seems my fears were unfounded.
“Let’s go home.”
Saying so, I walk alone.
”Ah, I completely forgot to apologize.”
I had not much intention of apologizing to begin with, but the fact that I had completely forgotten about the two idiots’ order made me a little crazy, and I let out a chuckle.