It was around mid-May, during lunch break on an ordinary day.
“Hey, Yuzurun—why do you work a part-time job again?”
The one who asked so abruptly was Yuzuru’s childhood friend—and female friend—
Tachibana Ayaka.
Since they’d ended up in the same class, he’d been having more chances lately to eat lunch with her—and of course, with Arisa as well.
“…Why? It’s a condition for living alone. They told me to at least earn my own spending money.”
Yuzuru’s house wasn’t particularly far from school.
If he used the train or a car, it was a perfectly commutable distance.
In fact, there were plenty of students who spent a fair amount of time getting to school.
And yet, he’d selfishly insisted on living alone…
So when they said, “Fine, you can live alone—but at least earn your own allowance,” he couldn’t exactly argue.
“Letting you live alone but making you work part-time… I can’t tell if Yuzuru-san’s parents are lenient or strict. The Takasegawa family really is a mystery.”
At those words from Chiharu—his classmate and fellow childhood friend—Yuzuru frowned.
“…And you? Why are you living alone just to attend this school?”
Chiharu’s family home was in Kansai.
It made sense she’d need to live alone to attend a school in Kanto—but still, there wasn’t really any benefit for a high school girl to go that far. There were plenty of good schools in Kansai.
“Ehh, do you even need to ask?”
“…No. Sorry.”
In other words, she’d wanted to attend the same school as Ayaka and Soichiro.
It was obvious. No need to ask.
And… there was actually one more person here who was also living alone despite having a family home in Kansai—
“…Well, you know. It’s unpleasant having a follower in your class.”
Tenka’s words landed a bit heavily.
The atmosphere dipped.
(Did I just make things awkward…?)
Just as Yuzuru began to feel slightly uncomfortable—
“By the way, Yuzuru-san, what kind of part-time jobs do you have again?”
The one who threw him a lifeline was Arisa—his fiancée and girlfriend.
He’d mentioned his jobs to her before, so it was obvious she was steering the conversation to help him.
“I work at a restaurant, do private tutoring, and handle odd jobs at a law office.”
“Come to think of it, what’s your hourly pay like?”
“In that order—1,050 yen, 2,000 yen, and 1,500 yen. …The restaurant has the longest hours, so that’s where I earn the most—as a waiter.”
Yuzuru answered Soichiro’s question plainly, while Hijiri gave a casual “Huh.”
“Those are pretty decent gigs.”
“…Well, they were introduced through my parents.”
“Figures.”
Yuzuru’s parents might seem hands-off, but in reality, they were the type to keep a firm leash.
It was for his safety—and also so they could quickly clean up any trouble he might cause.
“Law office odd jobs… what does that involve? 1,500 yen sounds pretty good for part-time work. Is it difficult?”
Hijiri leaned forward slightly as he asked, clearly interested.
“Nothing major. Running around government offices getting documents stamped, cleaning, carrying things. Stuff even high school or university students can handle.”
If anything, the only requirement was wearing a suit.
Fortunately, Yuzuru already owned several he could wear depending on the occasion, so it wasn’t an issue.
“Huh… busy?”
“Usually pretty quiet. I often kill time reading books or newspapers.”
“…Could I do it?”
“…As long as you can keep confidentiality. And have connections.”
“Connections, huh… I see…”
Hijiri wasn’t exactly the diligent type—he probably just wanted more spending money rather than work itself.
As he sank into thought, Ayaka and Chiharu spoke up.
“By the way, how many students do you tutor?”
“Yeah, how many?”
“Just one elementary schooler.”
The moment he answered, both Ayaka and Chiharu exclaimed in unison—
“An elementary schooler!?”
“That’s not okay, Yuzuru-san! You can’t make a move on them!”
“Your thoughts on your friend Kamishiro-san?”
“Well… I always knew he’d do something like this eventually. …And you, Tachibana-san?”
“I always said he would.”
The two of them launched into a ridiculous skit.
Just as Yuzuru opened his mouth to retort—
“…Is it a girl?”
Arisa, who had been silent until now, suddenly asked.
For some reason, a chill ran down Yuzuru’s spine.
“No, it’s a boy.”
“I see.”
Apparently satisfied, Arisa broke into a radiant smile.
Meanwhile, Ayaka and Chiharu seemed to feel a bit guilty and dropped their little act.
And so, lunchtime with friends passed by.
That night—
Do you know the restaurant where Yuzuru-san works?
Arisa sent a message to Ayaka.
It was read almost immediately, and a reply came back.
Yeah, I know it. You want to go?
Yes. I’m a bit curious.
She couldn’t visit his tutoring job or the law office.
But a restaurant was different.
She wanted to see Yuzuru working as a waiter—with her own eyes, as his fiancée, as his girlfriend.
More than anything, knowing there was a side of the person she loved that she hadn’t seen yet… didn’t sit well with her.
If it was within reach, she wanted to know him—completely.
You could just ask Yuzurun and he’d tell you normally… It’s not like he’s hiding it.
Of course, if she asked, Yuzuru would tell her.
Some people didn’t like others knowing where they worked or running into acquaintances—but Yuzuru wasn’t like that.
So there wasn’t much need to secretly ask a mutual friend, but—
I thought it might be nice to surprise him.
Part of her wanted to surprise Yuzuru.
And the other part—
Then want to go together?
Yes, I’d love to.
They’d invite Chiharu and Tenka too, and go eat at the restaurant where Yuzuru worked.
With that, the plan was set.
Placing her phone down, Arisa murmured to herself—
“It’s not like there’ll only be men there. And besides, Yuzuru-san is handsome…”
And so, Arisa’s visit to her fiancée’s workplace—dragging her friends along with her—was decided.
