Chapter 15: A Jian, I’m Sorry
Sakamoto Ken never intended to conceal the matter of the manga.
In the previous life, he had customized three different stories for the three people respectively, and he didn’t want to go through that painstaking effort again.
Up to now, the only one he has contacted in reality is Natsume Mio.
Actually, if following the plan that minimizes risk the most, he should be with her now and cut off the possibility of meeting the other two again.
Sakamoto Ken has of course considered this, but upon serious thought, he feels he can’t do it…
It’s fine if they don’t remember the things from the previous life; in that case, everyone is just strangers.
But if they all have that memory…
It’s hard to say if they would take the initiative to come knocking.
Just like Natsume Mio in front of him right now.
……
Inside the store.
After seven o’clock in the evening, the customers at the convenience store gradually decrease.
At eight o’clock, it’s already Natsume Mio’s off-duty time.
Sakamoto Ken’s working hours are from 7 p.m. to 1 a.m., Natsume Mio’s are from 2 p.m. to 8 p.m., each six hours, with one hour of overlap.
This one hour is specially arranged by the store manager for handover, and also to let Sakamoto Ken guide the newcomer who just started the part-time job.
Natsume Mio has changed back into her casual clothes, sitting at the dining spot inside the store, holding a triangle rice ball in her hand, taking a small bite, chewing it, licking her lips, silently staring at Sakamoto Ken.
Sakamoto Ken tidies up the things on the cash register and walks straight over, sitting down across from her.
Natsume Mio’s small mouth has just bitten into the rice ball, and seeing Sakamoto Ken come over, the movement on her mouth pauses.
She doesn’t continue biting down, but releases her mouth, lowering the rice ball slightly, bringing up a strand of glistening droplet.
Sakamoto Ken stares into Natsume Mio’s eyes and directly asks: “The reason you gave earlier when I asked why you came here to work part-time, that’s actually fake, right?”
Natsume Mio’s expression stiffens slightly, her corner of the mouth barely maintaining a smile, she laughs awkwardly and says: “Ha… what are you talking about, of course it’s true… I just thought working part-time near home would let me run into acquaintances…”
“How do you know I live around here?” Sakamoto Ken directly ignores her explanation and continues to press.
Natsume Mio feels extremely uncomfortable being stared at so directly by Sakamoto Ken, as if her whole person has been seen through by him.
She shifts her butt back a bit, nervously squeezing the rice ball in her hand out of shape.
Natsume Mio takes a deep breath and says softly: “A Jian, if I say… it’s from a dream, would you believe me?”
“A dream?” Sakamoto Ken immediately follows up, “What did you dream about?”
Natsume Mio organizes her thoughts and continues: “It’s a dream about you and me, dreaming that we, we… live together…”
“Living together?” Sakamoto Ken states it directly.
“Ah?” Natsume Mio slightly lowers her head, timidly lifting her eyelids to glance at Sakamoto Ken, softly humming “mm.”
“Just living together? Anything else?” Sakamoto Ken continues to ask.
“Anything else?” Natsume Mio is a bit dazed by Sakamoto Ken’s rapid-fire questions, completely unprepared on how to answer.
“Like the causes and effects, when did we get together, what experiences did we have, do you remember that dream clearly?” Sakamoto Ken asks in succession.
Natsume Mio sits on the hard stool, feeling her whole body somewhat stiff.
That dream… except for things related to A Jian, everything else is blurry.
“Hm?” Sakamoto Ken looks at Natsume Mio with a questioning tone.
Sakamoto Ken’s voice is like a hemp rope, binding her tightly, unable to move at all.
Natsume Mio feels a bit aggrieved, her eyes welling up with a pool of tears, but this sensation turns into some strange… sensation.
She subconsciously leans her body forward a bit, her hips grinding on the bench, clamping her legs together, a subtle tingling sensation faintly appearing in her lower abdomen.
Thinking of that dream lingering in her mind, thinking of her various fantasies about A Jian.
Thinking of the experiences with A Jian in that dream.
Thinking of her hands bound behind her back, kneeling on the ground, wagging her tail and begging him.
Thinking of stalking A Jian out of inexplicable jealousy, then discovering A Jian with another woman, and then…
She actually swung a knife at him.
The key is she can’t remember their faces clearly; except for A Jian, all other people’s faces are indistinct, which probably means it’s all her wild imaginings, right?
Although it’s all a dream, all fictional, the reason for having such a dream must be because she has so many dark thoughts inside.
“A Jian… yes… sorry… it’s me, I unilaterally toward you…”
Natsume Mio’s emotions reach the edge of release, she bites her teeth tightly, hands pressing on the table, suddenly bowing deeply toward Sakamoto Ken, her braids swinging high as a result.
Emotions completely released, Natsume Mio no longer suppresses her voice, almost shouting loudly: “I really dreamed of this convenience store, dreamed of us working here together, so, so I came on my own!”
It seems Mio’s emotions have been triggered.
Sakamoto Ken maintains a calm expression and says: “Actually, I’ve known your feelings since junior high school.”
Natsume Mio is slightly startled, her lips trembling as she says: “So A Jian knew all along…”
“Let me ask you a question first.” Sakamoto Ken says word by word, “Why do you like me?”
“Ah?” Natsume Mio feels her heart skip a beat, not expecting Sakamoto Ken to be so direct.
She bites her moist lips, ponders for a while, then mutters: “Liking someone… doesn’t need a reason, right?”
“How could there be no reason?” Sakamoto Ken says, “Maybe liking someone’s talent, maybe liking their appearance, maybe liking their money, of course it could also just be purely wanting to have sex with them, these are all reasons.”
“For me… mainly…” Natsume Mio frowns in thought, trying to find the right answer, after a while she says, “It’s talent, I like A Jian’s talent.”
“That’s superficial.” Sakamoto Ken shakes his head and says, “Liking someone’s talent is like watching a great movie, you admire the director’s talent, but would you want to date the director?”
“No…” Natsume Mio changes her answer, “A Jian, actually everyone says you’re quite handsome…”
“That’s also superficial, for example, you see a handsome star in a magazine, would you want to date him?”
“No…”
“So, neither of these is a reason for romance.” Sakamoto Ken says.
“Then what about the last one… the most… final one…” Natsume Mio mumbles softly.
“Having sex?” Sakamoto Ken gently shakes his head, staring at Natsume Mio, saying in a very serious tone: “What do you think the essence of that kind of thing is?”
“It’s… what?”
“That kind of thing is just peripheral nerves under pressure, transmitting some electrical signals, which causes glands to secrete, making the brain produce illusions of pleasure, happiness, and ecstasy; in fact, nothing happens, it’s just two pieces of protein in close-distance high-frequency displacement.” Sakamoto Ken says.
“A Jian, what are you saying?” Natsume Mio feels her thoughts dizzy from the roundabout logic.
Sakamoto Ken continues: “The three situations I mentioned earlier don’t count as true emotions; if emotions are built on these things, they’re completely a castle in the air, like a writer running out of inspiration, a handsome guy aging, even sexual ability gradually declining with age.”
“But I don’t care about those!” Natsume Mio shakes her head vigorously and says.
“Because you’re thinking emotionally, not rationally.” Sakamoto Ken sighs as if moved, then continues, “Natsume classmate, do you know about my family situation?”
Natsume Mio directly lowers her head to avoid Sakamoto Ken’s gaze, silent for a moment, then shakes her head with a very small amplitude.
Everything she knows comes from that dream.
Although she actually visited the places she saw in the dream, proving that the dream is indeed some kind of “omen.”
But she also knows there are fictional elements in the dream.
Like A Jian turning into a scumbag later, and her and the other two women killing A Jian together…
Or that manga titled 《Young Lady, Sniper Rifle, and Pantyhose!》, which is clearly drawn by a female writer.
“I don’t know… A Jian, you’ve never talked about family matters…” Natsume Mio says softly.
As the two are talking, the sound of a customer entering comes from the main entrance of the convenience store.
Sakamoto Ken turns to look and sees that the store manager who went out in the afternoon has returned.
He quickly stands up, walks to the store manager: “Store Manager, can I take a short leave? Just going out for a bit, ten minutes, back right away.”
The store manager grandma doesn’t think much and nods in agreement immediately: “Mm, no problem, just don’t be too long.”
Sakamoto Ken nods, looks back at Natsume Mio: “Come with me for a bit.”
With that, he strides out of the convenience store.
