Chapter 12: Becoming The Image Of Your Heroine
In the morning, Natsume Mio went out.
She arrived at her usual hair salon, and the familiar stylist happened to have no appointment.
“Hello, long time no see, Mio.” Yano Masaki waved to Natsume Mio and walked over with a smile.
“Yeah, my hair hasn’t been taken care of for a long time. Today I want to try a new hairstyle,” Natsume Mio said.
“Come, have a seat.” Yano Masaki led Natsume Mio to a barber chair inside.
She carefully examined Natsume Mio’s hairstyle and asked, “What kind of hairstyle does Mio want to change to?”
Natsume Mio picked up her mobile phone and opened two manga screenshots.
“How about a hairstyle like this? I want to try braids,” Natsume Mio said.
Yano Masaki carefully looked at the woman in the manga screenshots, chin in hand, pondering as she said, “Hmm… Is that a manga character? It feels like it would suit Mio well.”
“Really?” Natsume Mio raised an eyebrow, her eyes lighting up.
Yano Masaki had just complimented her out of professional habit, not expecting Natsume Mio to be so happy.
“Of course, I can style it for you first to see the effect. If it looks good, then we can trim it,” Yano Masaki said.
“Great, thanks～” Natsume Mio sat down properly, looking at herself in the mirror, while Yano Masaki styled her hair according to the image in the manga.
Since it hadn’t been trimmed yet, the bangs and the two long side strands on the forehead couldn’t be perfectly replicated, but after tying it into braids, the overall look was about eighty percent similar.
Natsume Mio stood up, leaned closer to the mirror, and examined her hairstyle from different angles, growing more satisfied the more she looked.
“It looks great, so please trim it for me. Make it exactly like in the image,” Natsume Mio said.
……
“Hm, hm hm hm～ Hm hm～”
Natsume Mio hummed a light tune, carrying her shoulder bag as she walked down the street.
Every time she passed a shop entrance with a glass curtain wall, she would turn her head to check her reflection.
After Yano Masaki’s trim, her hairstyle now perfectly matched the heroine’s from A Jian’s manga.
She felt like she had become A Jian’s heroine～
However, the heroine in the manga seemed a bit strong-willed. Did A Jian like that type?
She really wanted to meet A Jian and show him her new hairstyle.
Speaking of which, how could she make him see it deliberately but not too deliberately?
Natsume Mio pondered as she walked.
She boarded the train; this route home was the same as the one to A Jian’s place, and unknowingly, she passed her home’s train station.
Listening to the sound of the train running and watching the scenery outside the window, Natsume Mio’s thoughts gradually drifted.
So familiar, everything before her eyes was so familiar.
It was as if she had taken this train countless times before.
She got off at Take no Tsuka Station, then transferred to the bus and got off at the Tandi Entrance stop.
Watching the bus drive away, Natsume Mio strolled slowly along the quiet residential area path to the entrance of a FamilyMart convenience store.
“A Jian and I worked part-time here for a while. The store manager was an old lady, but I don’t remember her exact face or name.”
Natsume Mio recalled the experiences from her dream.
In the entire dream’s memory, only her own face and A Jian’s were clear.
All the experiences were only vividly remembered when she was with A Jian.
Everything else was just vague impressions.
A Jian said he had always been working part-time at a convenience store. Could it be this one?
The store seemed to be short-staffed, with a job posting on the glass door.
Natsume Mio stepped into the store.
She was certain she had never entered this convenience store before, but the layout inside felt so familiar.
Walking to the beverage area, she spotted the store manager coming toward her.
“Welcome.” The old lady smiled slightly at Natsume Mio.
Natsume Mio bowed slightly in return, stepping aside to let the old lady pass with her basket of goods for shelving.
After walking around the store, she came up with a solution to the question she had been thinking about.
So, Natsume Mio found a blank resume for part-time jobs on the shelf.
She had done part-time jobs before and was very familiar with these.
A set of blank resumes was 4 sheets for 110 yen, including a few envelopes and double-sided tape for attaching photos.
She filled in her name, address, education, work history, self-introduction, reasons for applying, and other information.
Then Natsume Mio used the store’s printer to print an ID photo; she had it saved on her mobile phone.
Natsume Mio filled it out right there at the table inside the store. After preparing it, she put the resume in an envelope, walked around the store again, and found the store manager once more.
“Store Manager!” Natsume Mio walked over briskly. “Sorry to bother you, Store Manager. I saw you’re hiring for part-time positions and want to apply. This is my resume. Can we talk?”
The old lady store manager always had a warm smile on her face. She glanced at Natsume Mio, took the resume, nodded, and said, “Sure, sure. Come inside with me to discuss?”
Natsume Mio quickly followed her to the office inside the convenience store.
Natsume Mio was very familiar with part-time interviews at convenience stores. She had relevant work experience, and the work itself wasn’t complicated, so she passed the interview easily.
However, the old lady raised a question.
“I see your home address is quite far from our store. Why consider part-time work here?”
Natsume Mio had already prepared her answer: “Mainly because I don’t want to be seen by acquaintances. My previous part-time jobs weren’t near home either. Today I happened to pass by, saw that the Store Manager seemed very kind, thought it would be easy to get along, so I decided to give it a try.”
The old lady chuckled at this, clearly pleased.
“Good, good. Then welcome Mio-chan to join our store. Now… to confirm the part-time schedule. You’re still in school, right? Just weekends normally?” the store manager said.
Natsume Mio nodded and said, “Just schedule me for weekends. I’m flexible with the times; whatever you arrange is fine.”
The store manager checked the schedule and said, “Then I’ll put you on the afternoon shift, from 2 p.m. to 8 p.m. That way you won’t get home too late. This time slot has more demand for clerical tasks, like paying utility bills, printing documents, and such operations. You’re familiar with them, right?”
“Yes, I did those at Lawson. No problem!”
“Good. As for salary, hourly wage of 1200 yen, plus 500 yen daily transportation subsidy, and we can provide a bento for dinner.”
“The treatment is great! Thank you, Store Manager～” Natsume Mio bowed slightly to the old lady store manager.
“See you Saturday afternoon, Mio-chan,” the store manager nodded and said.
Actually, the treatment wasn’t important.
She remembered A Jian’s living habits from that dream.
His rented apartment had no kitchen, at most he could make instant noodles, so his three meals a day were basically bought at this convenience store.
The 2 p.m. to 8 p.m. slot would definitely allow her to see him.
