working in a scary shop

bab 2 Automatic Door part 1

Is it welcoming, or is it newcomer bullying?

　On the day of my first day at work, late at night the day after my interview, I got a glimpse of such a phenomenon for the first time in my life.

◆◆◆

"I'm 25, hey, that's annoying."

　The first person I met on my first day at work was Mr. Aoyama, the most veteran of the late-night group.

　I'm shy, but I'm thankful for him.

　I was a newcomer, and he carefully taught me about work.

"If there's anything you don't understand, don't hesitate to ask me. I'm a newcomer with high expectations."

"Expectations?"

“No, the store manager said that this child will last a long time!”

"Oh, yeah"

"It's not only late at night, but because this place is a place, there are times when people don't come in until morning.

　Saying that, he tapped me on the shoulder.

　I had a strong image of being idle rather than busy when I heard that it was late at night, so I'm quite happy to be able to buy time by talking.

　I feel like I'm stealing my salary, but when I said that, Mr. Aoyama burst out laughing, "It's true."

　I was able to open up to Aoyama-san in about an hour. After entering, I was a little relieved that I didn't have to worry about human relationships.

　Well, this person is a man.

　The so-called Onee guy.

　He has a stout physique and a skinhead. He's a huge guy with the height and shoulder width of a foreigner, but his tone is that of a woman.

　In fact, it seems that he is doing a part-time job here to earn money for the rush construction of the lower body.

　Breakthrough work....

　I'm going to come out with something amazing when I meet someone for the first time... and I'll blame myself for the many useless body touches.

　He's quirky, but he's a good person.

“Is it an hourly wage, Aoyama-san?”

"Hakamada-kun too, right?"

"Well, well... 1300 yen is dizzying."

"Nfufu, that's right, it's fine to open up more, right? The store manager knows it too."

　Aoyama-san raises and lowers his shoulders with a fearless smile.

"But everyone quit right away after saying that."

　The amiable laugh I had been making until now vanished in an instant, like a candle blowing out.

"Isn't there a lot of people who quit?"

"Yes, there are dozens of them every year. The only ones left are me, Takenaka-kun, and Hirai-san. Those two are special, though."

"Huh..."

“For most people, it takes about a week.

“Sent to hospital!?”

　Surprised, my voice turned inside out.

　What the hell happened?

"About a few months ago, a girl called Kawachi-san was in the house. I couldn't get in touch with her for about ten days, and when the store manager got worried and called her parents... she cut her wrists in the apartment and committed suicide. It's an attempt."

　suicide--.

　The vivid story sent shivers down my spine.

"Wow... But did that have something to do with this part-time job?"

“Well, young girls have a lot of worries about their private lives.

　At that time, Mr. Aoyama was about to say. The automatic door opened, and a melody without tension resounded in the store, and a middle-aged man wearing a suit entered through the automatic door.

"Oh my God, a customer has come."

　Hey. Isn't that the most bad thing when a guest comes and opens the door?

　As if drowning out Mr. Aoyama's words, I hurriedly raised my voice and skipped the greeting.

　A man who must have been passing by on his way home from work, quickly came to the cash register with a plastic bottle of tea and a bento in his basket.

　It's a common sight.

　It's not my first time working at a cash register, but since it's the first day, I'll take a look at Mr. Aoyama's customer service. Even so, convenience stores are almost the same as supermarkets, and it's almost an assembly line. Just hit the basic cash register and return the change. Ordering, cleaning, inspection, and so on, but once you get used to it, it's not difficult at all.

"Thank you"

　After receiving the change, the man left in a car parked in the parking lot. After the man left, there were no more customers for about an hour.

　Aoyama-san and I resumed our conversation.

　The cleaning, the rice terraces, and the product inspection are all done, and to be honest, there's not much else to do, so it can't be helped.

　Even if you occasionally hear the sound of a motorcycle engine outside, it just goes by without stopping, and there is almost no pedestrian traffic.

　It was pitch black everywhere.

　It would be strange if people were wandering around in a place like this at a time like this.

　It really seems like this place is a rare place for customers to visit.

"So, was that a continuation of that story you were about to say earlier?"