"Mr. Praline, do you have any special skills? Like… have you ever used a coffee machine?"
"I can do it all," I said, puffing up just a little.
"All?" the kid blinked.
"You can also do laundry and cooking," I added with a flourish.
"We're not hiring housekeepers… we need counter and serving staff…"
"Both are possible!" I grinned.
The store manager squinted at my resume, adjusting his glasses.
"Um… are you… 19 years old?"
I fished my student ID from my wallet and handed it over.
"I'm sorry. You're really 19… Gehenna Academy… I see you repeated a year."
Ah… Gehenna affiliation, huh? I glanced at the ID he politely handed back—sure enough, it said Gehenna.
"Oh, yes. I paid it."
"Education doesn't matter here, so that's fine. We'll hire you as counter staff. Serving, I suppose…"
"Yes. I will," I replied confidently.
"Okay, Ms. Praline. You can start in two days, at 2 PM," he said.
I walked back to the chalet under the dark night sky, thinking about the strange little world I'd just entered.
When I got back to Shiratori Ward, I checked my student ID again. The Gehenna affiliation had disappeared, leaving a colorless ID. Was this some boundary effect between academies? I'd have to check next time.
And… ah, my shrunken body. That explained why the store manager had sent me to the counter instead of letting me serve the students directly. Cute, but a little disappointing.
"Nothing I can do," I muttered, shrugging.
I wandered a bit, and soon the Schale's lights shone in the distance. The teacher was still hard at work, illuminating the office floor.
I popped into the convenience store, still lit up. Sora, fiddling with her phone, spotted me and squeaked, flustered.
"Hey! Welcome!? This is Angel 24!"
"Hello," I said, trying to stay casual.
She blinked, quickly grabbed her uniform, and muttered something about eating her sword… er, I mean, preparing for work.
"Why did you come again?" she stammered.
"Can't… I come again?" I teased lightly.
"That… that's not it…" she muttered, her ears pinking under her little cap.
I peeked around the stalls a bit before returning to the counter.
"Do they sell… tents and sleeping bags here?" I asked casually.
"Uh… four, yes? Why those…?" Sora tilted her head, blinking.
"Because… I don't have a home," I said, shrugging.
"Y-you don't?!" Her eyes went wide, practically shaking.
Hehe… yeah, you can't buy a house in a day, silly Sora. I hadn't had time to hunt for one today anyway, and there were way too many things to think about before just… giving up.
I had marked Kousagi Park as a backup—it should be empty since the SRT Academy kids wouldn't have arrived yet. Sure, the tower had bedrooms and all, but that was supposed to be for the Schale Sensei! Ugh… Ms. Praline, you really should've found somewhere else…
"You don't have a home…? Then… where did you sleep last night?" Sora asked, voice shaking.
"Subway," I said matter-of-factly.
"The train?!" she squeaked.
"So tonight… I need a proper place to sleep," I added.
"Well… the proper place would be… a tent, a sleeping bag…" Her hands flailed a little.
Heehee… it's cute watching her panic.
"Um… I… don't sell tents or sleeping bags, but… I can lend you my bedroom. In exchange… could you… stand at the counter a little at night?"
"Is that okay?" I asked, eyebrows raised.
"It's not exactly a part-time job, but… yes," Sora nodded eagerly.
"And you can use the bathroom in the president's office inside the Schale building… towels—"
"I'll buy what I need here. You just pay for it," I interrupted, already grabbing towels and cleaning supplies from the convenience store basket.
I plopped them down on the counter.
"Payment's done," I said, trying to sound casual.
Sora handed me a basket with the items.
"Write it like this!" she said, but I waved it off.
"Can I just use convenience store stuff as I like?"
"One or two… yeah, sure," she relented.
Then she led me to the bedroom—big enough for two king-size beds, with an old, slightly sunken ceiling. There was a navy-blue bed, moderately firm, neat, and not squeaky. Perfect.
"I'm smart, so when I knock, you switch beds. Then you can rest comfortably," she explained.
After a quick shower in the bathroom, I flopped onto the bed. Ohhh, I must've been super tired… I fell asleep immediately.
Thanks to that, I actually had a proper, comfortable night. And, of course… I cleaned the bedroom thoroughly before leaving, because, as the saying goes in public restrooms, "A beautiful person leaves a beautiful place to stay."
…heehee, I'm not saying I'm beautiful, okay. Just… tidy. Yeah, tidy.
Around 3 a.m., I switched shifts with Sora, put on the uniform she'd given me… and wow. The size fit perfectly! Just a little taller than before, but my body… exactly the same. Cute little adult Praline reporting for duty!
I stood there, a strange sense of defeat tugging at me. Nights like this always make me think… about the old days.
The places have changed, the faces have changed, but… what I do hasn't really changed at all. I'm still helping students, still doing part-time work I'm good at. It's something I never even imagined I'd be doing back then.
"Hwaam." I yawned, though I wasn't tired… just a little… bored.
The Schale wasn't famous yet, so overnight guests were rare. The only regulars were a few tired Suin citizens popping in for canned coffee.
Still… it's kinda fun! I even found another part-time job on my phone—security work, of all things, for someone strong like me. Heehee… seems like I'm collecting experience points in the real world now.
Around 10 a.m., I switched shifts with Sora again.
"If you don't have a place to stay today, you can come with me," she said gently.
"No," I replied, shaking my head. Her kindness… it hit me deeper than I expected.
I couldn't just accept that favor.
"I'll try to find a proper place today," I promised.
"Never sleep out!" she exclaimed.
"And the park?" I asked hesitantly.
"Even the park is homeless!?" she gasped.
"Is that so…?" I murmured.
"Yes it is!" she protested.
"Okay… I'll come back again tonight," I said with a small bow.
I left the convenience store, feeling a little lighter. Today, the adventure begins in a place where the story hasn't even started yet… because the teacher hasn't checked the documents yet.
"Welcome…?" I mumbled, a tiny bit embarrassed.
"Water… I need to buy water," I said, trying not to trip over my own words. I didn't want to get lost again and collapse like the sensei—no way!
"This much…?" I asked, holding up the bottles.
"Please put it in an envelope," came the suggestion.
"Yes, yes!" I hurriedly nodded, trying to be serious but my cheeks felt all warm. Heehee… even buying water can feel like a big adventure sometimes~