Liar's Lips Fall Apart in Love - Volume 1 Chapter 4.3

The Winter When We Take a Step Forward 3

Haruko’s PoV

December 25th, Christmas night.

“Thank you very much!”

After seeing off the last customer, I let out a sigh. I changed the sign on the door to “Closed” and brought in the standing signboard that was placed outside.

On Christmas day, my part-time shift was from 19:00 to 23:00. The cafe closes at 22:00, so the remaining hour was spent cleaning the interior, washing the machines, and tidying up.

“The last couple really stuck around until closing, huh? They must’ve been reluctant to part ways.”

As I returned to the counter inside the cafe, my senior, Emi Shinozaki-san, chuckled wryly.

She was the beautiful elder sister I had secretly admired even before I started working here. The real Emi-san, whom I got to know, turned out to be a wonderful person who was not only competent at her job but also kind. I quickly grew to love her.

“Really. But man, it was busy today.”

“Yeah, well, it’s Christmas, so let’s forgive them.”

Near our cafe, there’s a headquarters of an electronics component manufacturer where a large-scale illumination event is held.

Many couples visited the cafe around 21:00. There must be a typical date routine of watching the illumination, having dinner, and then moving to a cafe.

Someday, I’d like to have such a wonderful date with someone I love.

…It would’ve been nice if that person were Sagara-kun.

If it were Sagara-kun, he might say, “Why bother going somewhere so crowded?” But I guess, one way or another, he’d go along with me.

Imagining this made me feel empty. I haven’t given up on him at all.

As I was feeling down secretly, Emi-san called out to me, “Haruko-chan.”

“Do you have plans after this? It’s late, but do you want to grab some food?”

“Eh, is that okay!?”

“It’s lonely to go home and drink alone. It’s late, but are you okay with that?”

“I’ll definitely go! Let’s hurry up and finish cleaning!”

Although Emi-san and I often have overlapping shifts, we’ve never gone out to eat or play together. Eager not to miss this opportunity, I enthusiastically started on the dishes.

“Emi-san and Nanase-chan, going for drinks? Can I join?”

Shibata-san, who had been listening from somewhere, barged into our conversation.

Emi-san glanced at me briefly and asked, “What do you think?” I really wanted it to be just the two of us, but I didn’t have the courage to outright refuse.

“…Yes.”

“Awesome! I know a great yakitori place. I’ll call to see if they’re open.”

Saying that, Shibata-san retreated to the back. Emi-san turned to me and playfully winked with one eye closed.

“Haruko-chan. We’ll have our alone time on another date, okay?”

Her wink hit me directly, and my heart was shot through. Emi-san is truly wonderful.

In the end, we stayed at the yakitori place eating until about 2 a.m. Shibata-san’s recommended restaurant had a great atmosphere and was delicious.

“Okay, I’ll leave here. Atsushi-kun, make sure you take Haruko-chan home safely.”

In front of the apartment building on Nishi-Oji Gojo, Emi-san said.

Emi-san had drunk quite a bit but didn’t look any different. Shibata-san, as usual, responded, “Yes.”

“Make sure not to do anything weird to our cute, cute Haruko-chan.”

“I won’t, don’t worry.”

Shibata-san laughed sheepishly. Emi-san then grabbed his collar and threatened him in an octave lower than usual.

“Just a warning… If you lay a hand on Haruko-chan, I’ll kill you.”

“I got it, I got it.”

Shibata-san’s face turned pale, and his voice was slightly trembling.

We walked side by side until we reached my apartment. Seeing the shabby exterior of the apartment, Shibata-san looked surprised.

“Huh. Didn’t expect you to live in a place like this. Doesn’t seem like you, Nanase-chan.”

“Thank you for walking me home. Good work today.”

I bowed slightly, and Shibata-san stared at me with heated eyes. After a moment of silence, he suddenly grabbed my arm.

I tried to shake him off in surprise, but he was too strong for me to move.

◆◆◆

Sagara’s PoV

Wearing a Santa Claus hat on my head, I served customers with dead eyes.

I operated the register with a dead heart and bowed with a blank face, saying, “Thank you very much! Merry Christmas!”

Next to me, working the register as well, Itogawa-san was in high spirits. Her bright and friendly nature made the bright red Santa Claus hat suit her perfectly.

Late at night on December 25th, I naturally had a shift at work.

There weren’t many people eager to work on Christmas, so the manager was particularly grateful to me.

I wanted the money, and I had no plans, so I had no complaints about working on Christmas.

However, being made to wear a Santa Claus hat was unexpected. It might suit Itogawa-san, but from the customers’ perspective, a sullen man wearing a Santa hat wouldn’t be amusing at all.

…It might be better than being forced to stand on a beauty pageant stage wearing a panda costume.

The evening was unusually busy for late night, possibly due to Christmas parties happening here and there. Chicken, sweets, alcohol, and snacks were selling like hotcakes. The cake sales were moderate.

As I watched a couple leave with two chickens, I thought about Nanase. Maybe she’s spending Christmas with a man I don’t know about.

Just the thought made me feel nauseous.

“Ah, I’m beat. Today’s super busy.”

When there was a break in the customers, Itogawa-san stretched and said next to me.

“We have quite a few cakes left over. Maybe we should mark them down a bit more.”

Christmas cakes are perishable, and their sales drop significantly after the 26th, so they end up being sold almost at throwaway prices. The manager had apparently instructed us to mark them down as much as possible to sell them off.

“Sagara-kun, you’re done, right? I’ll buy you a cake.”

“Thank you.”

I really think so, but Itogawa-san is incredibly considerate, even to someone as unsociable as me. Seeing me trying to get through December in just a hoodie, she couldn’t stand it and said,

“Here, my boyfriend got too fat to wear this, so I’m giving it to you,” giving me a black down jacket.

Maybe she’s too nice for her own good. Without Itogawa-san and Nanase, I feel like I would have been long dead.

“A whole one, can you eat it? Well, you’re young; I guess you’re still growing.”

I gave a wry smile at Itogawa-san’s words. Why do university students, only a few years my senior, treat younger students as if they’re much younger?

“I don’t eat that much sweet stuff. A small one is fine.”

“Really? Then, why don’t you eat it with your neighbor?”

I looked down silently. That’s impossible.

After receiving the cake from Itogawa-san, I said, “Thank you for your hard work,” and left the store.

The date had changed, and Christmas was long over. Couples could still be seen, but the festive atmosphere of the city seemed to have calmed down.

Even on Christmas, it’s just an ordinary weekday.