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Back in school, Shino Asada actually had a few really close girlfriends she could talk to about anything.
But after the news got out that she had killed someone, those so-called besties slowly drifted away.
Eventually, they started giving her the cold shoulder just like everyone else.
Because of that, Shino completely shut herself off emotionally. She stopped trusting people altogether.
She figured as long as she didn't open up or get too close to anyone, she wouldn't feel that gut-wrenching emotional gap again.
No feelings, no pain.
But humans are social creatures—who can really stay shut in forever and never deal with others?
With money tight, Shino had no choice but to go out and find a part-time job. Quietly surviving in a corner of the world, clinging on.
And yet, even while trying her best just to live, people still found ways to pick on her.
Just the other night, someone almost stole her hard-earned wages right after work.
Even at her job, she was always the one getting pushed around.
Humans really are complicated.
Sometimes, even if you could just ignore someone, you'd still choose to bully someone weaker or lower than you just to feel a tiny bit better about yourself.
"Shino, I'm so exhausted right now. Since you're late anyway, why don't you take over all this work for me? I'll treat you to some pineapple bread when it's done,"
One of the male part-timers with long hair barked orders at her like he owned the place.
His sneaky eyes kept wandering over to Shino's cute face, though his real attention was on Mahiru Shiina, who looked more like a rich young lady slumming it for fun.
Even though she didn't want to help out, Shino stayed quiet. This guy was technically her senior at work.
Following the "less trouble is better" rule, she put down her rag and quietly walked over to help another awkward-looking coworker move boxes.
Seeing Shino looking like a bullied doormat, Kurata Masahiro—the so-called senior—grinned smugly.
Mahiru Shiina, who had been watching this whole time, couldn't stand it anymore and marched over to stop her.
"Quit it, Shino. We're only supposed to be handling the register and stocking shelves. Moving inventory isn't part of our job."
Then she shot Kurata a cold glare and said sharply,
"Do your own damn job. Bullying a girl doesn't make you more of a man."
Before Shino could say anything, that smug long-haired idiot Kurata jumped in to defend himself.
"Whoa whoa, Miss Shiina, you've got it all wrong! I asked her to help for her own good!"
"Huh? For her good? What the hell are you even talking about?"
Mahiru stared at him like he was nuts.
You shove your own responsibilities onto a girl and try to act like you're doing her a favor?
The audacity.
Kurata smirked and glanced at the now-stiff Shino, before shamelessly blurting out her secret.
"Miss Shiina, the reason I'm making her help is 'cause she's gotta make up for what she did. You didn't know, did you? This Shino girl—she's a murderer. She killed someone with her own hands!"
Shino closed her eyes. She knew it would come to this.
Now that Mahiru knew, she'd probably walk away like everyone else.
There was no place in this world for a so-called killer like her.
Even her mother, even her teachers—everyone looked at her like she was a monster. Who would willingly accept someone who took another person's life?
Mahiru's eyes widened in shock. She couldn't believe what she'd just heard.
She was always a model student. The idea of murder was totally foreign to her.
Still… even if Shino had killed someone, how did that justify making her do all of Kurata's work?
How the hell was helping him part of some redemption?
"So? Miss Shiina, now that you know, don't stop me. I'm doing this for her own good," Kurata said self-righteously, shooting Shino a mocking glance while sneaking pervy looks at Mahiru's pretty face.
He actually thought this would bring him closer to Mahiru—bullying Shino together would somehow make him more attractive.
What a joke.
"Shino's a murderer, Shiina. Are you really gonna stand up for someone like her? Aren't you scared she'll hurt you or someone you care about?"
Mahiru's eyes turned icy at that gross look Kurata gave her. She was just about to snap back when—
A familiar voice cut in from the side.
"Do you even know who the person Shino accidentally killed was? That guy had already taken several lives—he was a wanted bank robber."
Both Mahiru and Shino turned around in shock.
"Andrew?!"
"Andrew? What are you doing here?!"
"Huh? You two know each other?" the girls asked in unison, equally surprised.
Andrew strolled over, smiling, and ruffled Mahiru's hair before saying,
"Oh please, you have the nerve to ask me that? You went out to work part-time and didn't even tell me. Do you know how long I was waiting outside your place? I rang the doorbell so many times I nearly broke it."
"If Aoyama hadn't come home and told me you were working here, I'd still be in the dark."
Mahiru blushed and lowered her head, letting him keep patting her hair.
Hearing that he almost broke her doorbell, she puffed her cheeks a little.
This guy… he totally came over planning to mess with her again. Why else would he ring the bell that many times?
What a jerk.
Andrew turned to look at Shino with a gentle smile.
"Hey there, Shino. We meet again. But why is it that every time I see you, someone's bullying you?"
Shino turned bright red and looked down, too embarrassed to meet his eyes.
"Hey, hey, who the hell are you?! I didn't bully Shino or anything! I just asked her to help carry some stuff, alright? I'm her senior! We're both staff here—it's normal for a junior to help out!"
Kurata was furious seeing the girl he liked letting some random pretty boy pat her head like it was nothing.
He immediately jumped in to interrupt.
Mahiru looked down on him with clear disgust.
"Senior, my ass. You're a part-timer like the rest of us. Why are you making life harder for another part-timer?"
Plus, what Andrew said made it clear—Shino's story wasn't as simple as Kurata made it out to be.
Mahiru's instincts were right.
Shino was actually a good girl. Not the monster Kurata made her out to be.
Kurata, humiliated, got pissed off.
"What the hell?! You damn brat, don't you know how to respect your sen—OW!"
Before he could finish, Andrew slapped him across the face.
Everyone gasped as Kurata flew through the air, spun twice, and crashed to the floor.
He groaned and got up, only to spit out two bloody teeth.
Andrew sneered coldly. "Who gave you permission to yell at my Mahiru like that? What if you scared her?"
Another male coworker nearby flinched.
Dude, you're the scary one here! he thought. Just slapped a guy into orbit without even blinking…
"Calling yourself a senior? You're just a part-timer who got hired a bit earlier. Where do you get off acting all superior?"
"And saying some girl's a murderer when you don't know jack? Your face is way too thick."
Andrew grabbed Kurata by the scruff of his neck like a stray dog, then turned to the two girls with a soft smile.
"Sorry, did I scare you? I just really can't stand people like him. Don't worry, I'll handle it. You two get back to work."
He looked at Shino and added kindly, "Also, Shino—if it's not your job, don't do it. You work hard enough as it is."
With that, he dragged the whining Kurata out of the shop like he was tossing out the trash.
"..."
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