Chapter 1: Chapter 1
With the annoying buzz of the old fluorescent lights in your ears, you slowly walk to the back of the store for your long-awaited shift end. The smell of slowly cooking hot dogs and other food your store offers made your stomach rumble for the good part of the last hour while you were stocking shelves, making you want to get home and eat something as soon as possible. "This job isn't too bad," you think as you open the door to a little cubbyhole, also known as the personnel break room. Sure, the job is barely above minimum wage, but there aren't many jobs where you don't need any experience or skills and just get paid regardless of performance. Plus, the owner was nice enough to hire Hatsuko despite her disability after you talked to him about it.
Speaking of the devil, Hatsuko walks into the room, the characteristic clicking of her cane accompanying her. Her face is flushed and her hair is slightly disheveled from having to restock an entire shelf right before the end of the shift, but she looks as pretty as always besides that. You shoot her a look, and before you can say hello to her, she starts talking.
"What are you looking at me like that for, eh, Rin?” she taunts, a characteristic cheeky grin on her face.
"What? How would you even know, you knob?" you snap back at her with a small laugh.
"Damn, you got me right here," she says, crossing her arms and smiling widely. "So, ya bastard, are we still going to your apartment to listen to that new record?" she says, still keeping up the brash pretense.
"Yeah, why wouldn't we? I'm dying to see how it sounds," you reply, smiling back at her. "Do you want to get some snacks from the store before we leave?"
"Of course I do!" she replies, her voice becoming slightly cheerful. "I'm starving!" she adds, pointing to her stomach.
You both grab your jackets and leave the room with your belongings, walking to the front of the store to pick out some snacks. You get a frozen pizza, some chips, and a bunch of cold drinks, paying for them and leaving the store quickly.
As you exit the store, the chilly air hits your face, making you shiver a bit. It's a bit cold out today, but the warm feeling of Hatsuko walking by you, holding your arm makes it all better. The streetlamps light up the concrete sidewalk with a warm orange glow of light, making the surroundings look like something from an expressionist painting as the light mixes with the dark blue of the sky. The streets are pretty quiet tonight, the only noise coming from your footsteps and your breathing.
As you are slowly walking side by side, you look at Hatsuko and say, "