“Alright, let’s take a break.”
With those words, everyone took a break at the same time.
“Towa, I’m going to buy some drinks. What would you like?”
“Dad, you don’t have to. I’ll go buy them.”
“Is that so… Sorry about that. Well, I’ll give you the money.”
“It’s fine. I’ll buy yours too.”
“Sorry, Towa…”
I headed to the vending machine to buy drinks.
I am Towa Hayami. I am 17 years old and I work in construction. I just started this job not too long ago, about two months at most.
Normally, I should still be a high school student, but I am no longer one. I dropped out two months ago.
I got this current job because my dad’s friend is the president of this company, so I begged him to let me join.
My dad used to run a company. It was a so-called self-employed business. But business got worse and the company went bankrupt. Only debts were left. My dad looked for a new workplace.
And that became his current job.
His income decreased compared to before, but it’s not like he has no work. So, he didn’t end up on the streets.
Naturally, I gave up on higher education. I could have gone to high school until graduation, but I dropped out for financial reasons.
Currently, I work with my dad at his friend’s company.
“Is coffee fine for Dad? I wonder what I should…”
While buying drinks at the vending machine, my smartphone rang.
“What the heck?! What is this?”
When I answered the phone, the person on the other end was Iori Toyama.
“Hello?”
“Ah, Towa. Are you on a break right now?”
“Yeah, that’s right. Wait, you called me on purpose because you knew it was my break, didn’t you?!”
“Haha… Did you figure it out?”
Iori Toyama. She is a classmate from the high school I used to attend. Blonde hair and flashy nails.
With the appearance of a gyaru, Iori could not be called a model student by any stretch of the imagination.
The reason why I am good friends with this gyaru is because she is my accomplice.
“Iori, what on earth do you want?!”
“Well, I was just wondering how Towa is doing lately.”
“I’m doing nothing special. It’s no different from when we talked last time.”
“I see… Hey Towa, do you have time this coming weekend?”
Iori asked about my schedule. I haven’t seen Iori since the time I dropped out, except for once. We only exchange messages occasionally.
“I’m free on Sunday.”
“Aren’t you off on Saturday?”
“I work on Saturdays.”
“That’s rough, working on Saturdays too.”
“Not really… I’m used to it by now.”
“I see… Then let’s meet on Sunday. I’ll contact you later about the place and time.”
“Got it.”
With that, Iori hung up the phone.
Meeting Iori after such a long time got my spirits up a bit.
Then I took my dad’s coffee and headed back to him.
The weekend Sunday arrived.
I was getting ready to go out to meet Iori.
This is a single room in a small apartment.
My family used to live in a condominium. Now we have moved to an apartment far from the old condominium. Naturally, we had to move out because we couldn’t even pay the home loan.
My parents got a divorce, and my mom went back to her parents’ house. My mom took my younger sister, who is two years younger.
I stayed with my dad. I might have had the option to go with my mom, but realistically, it would probably be hard for her to earn living expenses for two people, even if she stays at her parents’ house.
Her parents are also getting up there in age. The burden would be too big.
“Dad, I’m heading out.”
I said that to my dad, but he probably didn’t hear me. I’ll just send him a message later.
I styled my hair, fixed my clothes, grabbed my bag, and left the house.
Sunday morning feels great. There are few people and cars, and the air is fresh.
I am walking to the meeting place with Iori.
The meeting place is a coffee shop in front of the station. It takes 20 minutes on foot from my house.
The bus timings don’t match up and it costs money. In that case, choosing to walk for about 20 minutes is a no-brainer.
The meeting time is 10:00. I left at 9:30, so I should arrive right on time.
Even so, since I’m meeting a friend for the first time in a while, I’m looking forward to it a bit. Most people at work are older. And quite a bit older at that.
There are no people my age at our company, nor at other companies.
That’s why I am happy to meet someone my own age. Though Iori is the only friend I have left anyway.
“It’s been a while since I last saw Iori.”
My spirits were high as I went to meet my only friend.
I arrived at the coffee shop, which was the meeting place.
Coming in front of the station might be a rare thing for me. Whenever I work, I usually go to the company with my dad and then travel by car, so I rarely use the train.
This was the station I used to use when I went to school in the past.
Originally, I might still have been using it. But that’s a thing of the past now.
Thinking about such things, I walked into the shop.
The air conditioning inside the shop was working and it felt just right.
It is now the middle of November, and it’s getting a bit cold outside. Still, recent seasons aren’t that cold even in November.
It’s starting to feel like the seasons only consist of summer and winter.
I looked for Iori, whom I was supposed to meet.
“Hey, Towa. Over here.”
She called out to me in a loud voice from a seat far away. She was waving her hand like a child.
My face felt a little smug, and I silently headed towards Iori.
“Iori, you’re not a child, so stop waving your hands.”
Iori laughed and replied to my words.
“Eh, aren’t I still a child? Besides, I just did it to make it easy for Towa to spot me.”
“Wouldn’t it be fine to just call me without doing all that?”
Iori laughed and muttered, “True.” I smiled, caught up in her mood.
Then I took off my jacket and sat across from Iori.
“It’s been a while, Towa.”
“Speaking of Iori, have you become a bit more lady-like?”
Annoyed by my sarcastic remark, Iori got mad.
“Huh? No way. There’s no way I can become something like that?!”
I agreed with Iori’s self-deprecating comment.
“Well, that’s true…”
Even though I had only exchanged a few words with Iori, it felt like things had gone back to the old days. Back to those days in high school.
Iori and I were originally in the same class and our desks were next to each other. Iori lacked femininity, so she wasn’t popular with the boys. Her appearance is that of a blonde gyaru, but she has a pretty face.
However, because her personality felt boyish, Iori had no friends and was always by herself.
She didn’t talk to anyone and was always looking at magazines. I watched that scene from the seat next to hers.
I remember things like that.
“Iori, how is school?”
As soon as I brought up school, Iori’s expression clouded over.
“…Just the same as always. Nothing has changed.”
I see…
Hearing about Iori’s unchanged school life made me feel guilty.
“It’s all because I dragged you into that kind of thing…”
“It’s fine. I got involved of my own free will. Besides, I think nothing would have changed in the end anyway.”
“Sorry… Iori.”
A brief silence filled the room with no words spoken. Neither Iori nor I could say anything more.
“Hey, Towa. Go buy some drinks or something.”
Iori said that to me. It was probably thoughtfulness on her part to get rid of this awkward atmosphere.
I did as Iori said and went to line up to buy drinks.
I bought some coffee and sat back down across from Iori.
“Iori, how are your school grades?”
When I asked that, Iori answered with a slight smile.
“Ah, I didn’t fail any subjects on the recent test either. So, if I keep doing my best like this, I can graduate.”
“That’s good. You’re going to a vocational school after you graduate, right?”
“Yeah, to get my hairdressing license, which has been my dream.”
Iori has a dream of becoming a hairdresser. I thought she was enviable. Even now, I don’t have such a dream; I was just doing my best to make a living.
“Is Towa going to keep doing his current job forever?”
I was confused by Iori’s sudden question. Right now, I am working for a living. I haven’t thought about what comes after that.
“I wonder… I’m not thinking about the future right now.”
“…Sorry, that was a weird thing to ask.”
“No, it’s fine. You don’t have to walk on eggshells around me.”
An awkward atmosphere hung in the air.
But I also have something I want to ask Iori. It’s about that girl.
“Hey, Iori. What is Yumi doing?”
Hearing those words, Iori looked even more reluctant to speak.
“Towa. Are you worried about Sakura?”
“Well, yeah. She’s my childhood friend, after all…”
Yumi Sakura. My childhood friend and former girlfriend…
And I cheated on her and broke up with her.