Chapter 37: Teach Me How To Chase A Jian!
“Mio, do you like A Jian?”
The store manager’s words left Natsume Mio standing stunned in place, she opened and closed her mouth, wanting to speak but stopping herself.
“S-store… Store Manager, what… what are you saying, no way…”
“Hehehe.” Store Manager Grandma chuckled and said, “Having lived this many years, of course I can tell. When you talk to A Jian, your tone is different.”
As she turned and walked behind the cash register, she continued, “Actually, Mio came to work part-time at our store for A Jian, right? I’ve seen it.”
Natsume Mio had wanted to deny it, but hearing the store manager say this with such a confident tone, she swallowed her earlier words grudgingly.
Silently holding the basket and organizing the shelves, but her mind was completely messed up.
She thought for a moment and came to the front of the counter.
“Um… Store Manager.” Natsume Mio said very embarrassedly, “Actually, you’re right, I… I… l-like… l-like…”
She couldn’t say the next syllable no matter what, her little face already clearly red all the way to her ears.
“A Jian is a good kid, and he’s handsome too.” The store manager looked at Natsume Mio with a beaming smile and said, “If you want to pursue him, Mio-chan, you need to take the initiative.”
“R-really…?”
“You’re both about to start school, right? Once you’re at university, there will probably be lots of girls pursuing A Jian.”
“Start school…” Natsume Mio thought about the date; there was a little over a month left.
Mom said my biggest high school regret was never having a romance, so if I could win A Jian over before university starts, that should fill that high school regret, right?
Natsume Mio was pondering this in her mind, but for “winning over A Jian,” she had zero ideas.
Store Manager Grandma carefully looked over Natsume Mio and asked, “Mio, what do your parents do for work?”
“My parents?” Natsume Mio was a bit surprised the store manager would ask such a question.
After all, family matters are personal privacy; even in a job interview, the interviewer would never ask that, or the company would be seen as invading the job seeker’s privacy and face backlash.
But the store manager’s gaze…
Natsume Mio didn’t think too much and said, “My dad works at a trading company, Mom is a housewife.”
“Trading company? That’s pretty good, but do you know about A Jian’s family situation?”
“Yeah, I know…”
“Don’t think just because A Jian’s family conditions aren’t great that he won’t make something of himself later.”
“Huh? Store Manager, what do you mean…”
The store manager looked at Natsume Mio with a beaming smile, the meaning in that smile self-evident.
Absolutely the tone of a matchmaker introducing someone!
So how about letting Store Manager help…?!
Thinking of this, Natsume Mio’s gaze immediately became resolute: “Store Manager! Then, can you help me…”
“Mio-chan has no romance experience?” the store manager asked.
Natsume Mio shook her head.
“I see…” The store manager thought for a moment and said, “Though my experience is definitely outdated now, there’s one thing that’s certainly right.”
“What!” Natsume Mio asked immediately.
The store manager smiled with narrowed eyes and said, “Meet often, exchange more, then find chances for physical contact with him.”
“Physical contact?”
What came to Natsume Mio’s mind was her and A Jian pressed tightly together, drenched in sweat.
“You’re both working part-time at our store, right? Tonight when he comes, I’ll arrange for you two to organize the bookshelf together. You find chances to get close to him, casually bump your arm or hand against his.” The store manager raised her two hands and bumped them together, saying, “As long as he’s not a blockhead, contact like this will definitely be remembered.”
“R-really…?”
“Definitely not.” The store manager shook her head and said, “A Jian is absolutely not a blockhead in emotions.”
“Ah, I didn’t mean A Jian…” Natsume Mio said somewhat awkwardly.
The store manager burst out laughing; she had thought Natsume Mio was asking if A Jian was a blockhead.
Store Manager Grandma asked, “Mio-chan, you haven’t even tried holding hands with a boy, have you?”
“Yeah…” Natsume Mio pursed her lips and shyly lowered her head.
Someone like her who graduated high school without ever having a romance really was an outlier.
The store manager continued, “Don’t ask too much, just do as I say.”
“Then… is A Jian a blockhead? Like emotionally clueless?” Natsume Mio asked again.
“You, I think you’re the blockhead.” Store Manager Grandma said, “I’ve seen plenty of men; A Jian is very mature emotionally. When did it start… He was always more sensible than his peers before, but the real change was after high school graduation.”
Natsume Mio silently noted the store manager’s words.
As for whether A Jian had become more mature mentally…
Recalling that day at the convenience store, when she wanted to confess to A Jian, he took her to his rented apartment and said those words.
Something about how before he purely just liked her body, that it was vulgar, and he talked about his family, saying he had no conditions to be with her or whatever.
Yeah, Store Manager is right; A Jian doesn’t know from when, but his whole state is different from before.
After high school graduation, it’s entering society; she still has her parents to help, both financially and mentally.
But A Jian only has himself.
So after high school graduation, he suddenly matured inwardly?
Natsume Mio said very seriously, “Store Manager! Can you teach me!”
“Teach you what?” The store manager’s corner of the mouth curved up slightly as she said.
“Teach me…” Natsume Mio swallowed, took a deep breath, finally mustered her courage and said it, “Teach me to pursue A Jian!”
……
“Sakamoto Sensei, I’ll head back then.”
“Yeah, Editor, take care.”
Seeing Kaji Keiko pick up that thick stack of manuscript paper, Sakamoto Ken also stood up.
“By the way, Sakamoto Sensei, does your home… not have a restroom?” Kaji Keiko looked around and asked.
Sakamoto Ken nodded and said, “It’s a shared bathroom per floor.”
“Oh, I see…” Kaji Keiko said, “Then I’ll go on the way, um… use the restroom.”
“I’ll hold the manuscript paper for you.” Sakamoto Ken said, “There’s no place inside to put manuscript paper.”
Kaji Keiko slightly bowed to Sakamoto Ken embarrassedly and said, “Sure, it’s pretty heavy, thanks Sakamoto Sensei.”
Sakamoto Ken took the thick stack, over two hundred pages of B4 manuscript paper, each chapter packed in the large file bag brought by Editor Kaji, totaling about the weight of eight bottles of mineral water.
Watching Editor Kaji change shoes at the doorway, she lifted her foot to slip her toes in, arched her foot flexibly at the shoe opening, then turned sideways and squatted down, using her finger to pull the back tab of the shoe.
That cute blue Doraemon slipped into the shoe, covered by her pant leg, and disappeared from view.
