“. . .”
I open my eyes. I sit up on the bed and rub my eyes a few times to be completely awake.
“Si-chan. . .?”
I turn my head towards her.
*?*
She is not in bed anymore.
“Si-chan?”
I call out her name with such a sleepy tone. I get out of my bed slowly and open the bedroom door.
“Ah! Good morning, Mari-chan!”
“. . .”
I see that Si-chan is cooking and preparing some food.
“What are you doing, Si-chan?”
“Preparing us breakfast! I’m not staying in your house for free. I am not a freeloader.”
“You don’t have to, Si-chan!”
“Mari-chan, what have you been eating for breakfast every day?”
“Huh? Uuuhhh. . . A cup of instant ramen.”
“WHAT? FOR EVERYDAY??”
“Uum, sometimes I also eat onigiri that I bought the night before, which I put inside the refrigerator.”
*BRAK*
*!!!*
Si-chan slams the kitchen counter, and it startled me.
“THAT IS SO NOT HEALTHY YOU BRAT!! YOU SHOULD BE CAREFUL ABOUT WHAT YOU EAT!!”
“I-I-I-I am sorry. . .”
I bow my head down as I apologize to her. I feel warmth seeing how she cares about my well-being, and that makes me feel guilty for not eating healthy.
*tlak tlak*
Si-chan puts down two plates on the dining table.
“Come! Let’s have breakfast!”
I see two plates of rice smothered in curry sauce with chunks of meat, carrots, and potatoes.
“C-CURRY!?”
“I kinda sneak around and look up stuff about you, and I find out you really love curry.”
“EH? What did you do?”
“Yeah, so I find this photo of you holding a plate of curry with your mouth still covered in its sauce.”
Si-chan pulls out a photo of me when I was four years old, depicted exactly as she told me.
“T-T-T-THAT’S MINEEEEEEE!!”
I frantically tried to take the photo away, but Si-chan moved it out of my way before I could grab it.
“Also, I apologize that I found this in your parents’ room.”
“Eh? You entered my parents’ bedroom?”
“Y-Yeah, I apologize.”
“Hmm, it’s alright. There’s no one else here but me anyway.”
“Alright, let’s eat!”
We sit down and eat breakfast as we chatter about some minor and casual stuff.
“By the way, Si-chan, are you going to go to school?”
“. . . Hmm, great question. I honestly don’t know. What do you think, Mari-chan?”
“You should at least finish school, I think! If you’re worried about the tuition, I can help you out! I have some money from my inheritance.”
“. . . Then I’d rather not!”
“Eh? Why?”
“I really dislike being a burden to someone, especially to the point of feeling indebted.”
“Then, what are you going to do?”
“I’m going to start looking for a job in the meantime. I wanted to restore the wealth that I lost. I can’t stop thinking about it. I’m not gonna let this be the end of the Pendrago family!”
“Wow, that’s quite a goal, Si-chan! Especially, starting from the bottom.”
“Don’t worry! I’ll learn things here and there about businesses! Eventually, I am gonna start my own company! After all, about five hundred years ago, the Pendrago family was merely a family of farmers, but eventually, they started to figure something out and we became the wealthy family that you know, today! . . . Well, yesterday at least.”
“Woooowww! Then, I am rooting for you, Si-chan! Please ask for my help with anything! I’ll do anything to help!”
“I’ll appreciate that, Mari-chan, but I doubt a mere high school student can help with anything regarding businesses.”
“Hmm, that’s true. Then, I am gonna help you out in other areas! Like hospitality and minor stuff!”
“Ahahaha! That I will appreciate greatly, Mari-chan!”
.
.
.
I open the door to my classroom.
“MARI-CHAAAAAAAAAAAAAANNNNN!!!”
“EEEEEHHHHHHHHH??”
All of a sudden, I was surrounded by all of my friends at the door. They all surround me, and they all have the same worried face.
“W-What’s up, everyone?”
“WHAT DO YOU MEAN, ‘what’s up?’, IS SIERRA-CHAN OKAY?” shouts Honda.
“H-Huh? She’s fine, but why do you ask?”
Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation.
“MARI-CHAN!! WHAT ARE YOU SAYING? DIDN’T YOU SEE THE NEWS THIS MORNING?” said Nobisuke.
“Huh? No.”
“THERE WAS A BOMB THAT EXPLODED IN THE HOSPITAL WHERE WE VISITED HER AND HER FATHER, LAST NIGHT!!” shouts Ryuji.
“Huh? Ah! Oh, right! I forgot about that part. . .”
“Huh? What do you mean? You said you didn’t watch the news?” asks Sakura.
“Yeah, I didn’t. I was there last night when the bomb exploded.”
“WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAATTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT???”
All six of them shouted right in my face that I have to cover my ears from their extreme volume.
Now that I realize, everyone else in the class also listened to our conversation from the start. I quickly drag all of them out of the classroom.
“I’ll tell you everything. Please come to the rooftop!”
All six of them nodded without asking any further questions and followed me to the rooftop.
I started telling them about last night, but I altered the detail about that man from the underworld and about Si-chan being a Believer. I told them that I sneaked up on the man and hit him in the head with a rock, and we dug a hole with our hands, and buried the man alive, leaving only his head above the ground.
I was so afraid that they didn’t buy my story, but because I was so nervous about altering the story, they saw it as evidence of me going through something horrific.
“So, what is she doing now, Mari-chan?” asks Sumire.
“She said that she’s going to look for some small jobs at either the supermarket or the convenience stores in the city. She’s going to rebuild her empire from scratch.”
“Wow, what a strong girl she is.” said Hibiki.
“Hmmm. . .”
“What’s up, Sakura-chan?”
“I’m sorry if I heard this wrong, but did you really say that Sierra-chan doesn’t shed any tears for her father’s passing?”
“Y-yeah! That’s correct.”
“Hmm, it’s just either she’s so strong and stoic or something happened between her and her father before this incident. . .”
Hearing her opinion, I immediately lost my composure and raised my voice.
“WHAT ARE YOU SAYING, SAKURA-CHAN? ARE YOU IMPLYING THAT SI-CHAN PLANNED ALL OF THIS FOR HER FATHER? THAT IT WAS ALL SOME KIND OF SETUP?”
All six of them were shocked and taken aback, seeing me being this genuinely angry for the first time.
“Eh? N-No, I was about to suggest that maybe her father, who just passed away, was just a stepfather and that her real one had already passed away a long time ago, so she never really felt connected to him. But we have no way of knowing since we all met her in high school.”
I was a fool. My face immediately shows regret and frustration. I immediately bowed my head against the floor.
“I apologize, Sakura-chan! I was a fool! I wasn’t thinking clearly! I’m sorry for accusing you! I’m sorry once again! I’m sorry!”
I started crying as I apologized to her for my baseless accusation. But all of them gathered around me and crouched. They all rub my back with their hands.
“It’s okay, Mari-chan! You were just worried about Sierra-chan, weren’t you?” said Nobisuke.
“Yeah, you had to knock someone out with a rock, not knowing if he survives or not! I’m sure you feel very anxious!” said Honda.
“It’s okay, Mari-chan. It’s not your fault!” said Sumire.
“We’re not gonna hurt you, Mari-chan!” said Ryuji.
“If someone has hurt you because of your antiques in the past, please throw those thoughts away, regarding us! We will never betray you!” said Hibiki.
“Yeah! As a matter of fact, we’ll beat up everyone who badmouthed you behind your back!” said Sakura.
All six of them reassure me of our friendship instead of getting angry at me for being grumpy all of a sudden. I cried even harder after the fact. I hugged them all back, and I was bawling loudly for quite a few minutes.
But then the school bell rings, and I quickly wipe my tears away and regain my composure. All of my friends patted me on the back, and then we walked back together to the classroom.
.
.
.
After school 16:00. . .
*BEEP*
I was walking through the school gate together with all six of my friends, and then my phone got a message.
*BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP*
As a matter of fact, all of us got the same message on our smartphones.
“IT’S SI-CHAN!!”
“YO, SHE FINALLY CONTACTED US!!”
“She just said, ‘Please come here, everyone!’, and she gave us a link.”
“Let’s go there right away, then!”
“Yeah, Mari-chan isn’t the only one worried about her. Us too!”
“Alright, then let’s go!”
“Yeah, it’s not that far! Only 20 minutes on foot.”
“LET’S GOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!”
“OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!”
.
.
.
20 minutes later at a certain convenience store. . .
*BEEP BEEP*
“Welcome, dear customers!”
We entered the store, and the first thing that greeted us was Si-chan, and she was wearing that iconic blue store outfit.
“SIERRA-CHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAN!!”
All six of my friends have finally seen Sierra since last night’s visit. They all suddenly run towards her and hug her at the same time.
“O-OI, YOU GUYS!! IT’S SUFFOCATING!! PLEASE RELEASE ME!!! STOOOOPPP!!”
“HUEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!” cries Honda.
“SIERA-CHAN!!! WE’RE SO WORRIED ABOUT YOUUUUUUUUUUUUU!!!” cries Sakura.
“YEAH!! WE DIDN’T KNOW THAT WHOLE THING HAPPENED LAST NIGHT!!” said Ryuji.
“WE SHOULD’VE BEEN WITH YOU ALL THE TIME!! WE SHOULDN’T HAVE COME HOME SO EARLY!!” said Hibiki.
“WE’RE SORRY!! WE WEREN’T THERE FOR YOU WHEN YOU’RE GOING THROUGH SOMETHING LIKE THAT!!!” said Sumire.
“HUUUUUEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!! I’M SO GLAD, YOU’RE OKAAAAAAAAAAYYYYYYYYY!!!!” said Nobisuke.
“E-Everyone!”
I see everyone hugging Si-chan, and my heart feels so warm and fuzzy. I started saying things in my own head, stuff like, ‘So, this is what true happiness is.’ and ‘So, this is what true friendship is like.’ I subconsciously smile, looking at everyone.
“Sierra-chan! Mari-chan told us everything! We’re so glad that both of you are okay!”
“Yeah!! Especially, your encounter with that man in the woods!”
“Thanks to Mari-chan, you two subdued him, and none of you were harmed!”
*???*
Si-chan was a bit confused about what everyone was saying. She takes a glance at me, and I signal her with my eyebrows by raising them up and down in turns.
. . . .
It took a few seconds until she finally understood.
“AHH!!! Y-YEAH!! Thank you for all of your concerns, everyone!”
After a few minutes, they all let go of the hug. Si-chan prepares some chairs behind the counter to let all of us sit quite tightly to each other.
“Is it alright if we’re here, Sierra-chan?”
“It should be fine, since there are no customers at all currently. And I am alone at my shift anyway!”
“Huh? You have no coworkers?”
“Nope! They specifically hired me to work at these hours when customers rarely come! Nobody else wanted to work on this shift since the pay is the cheapest, but for me, I have to start somewhere, you know?”
“How long is your shift, Si-chan?”
“I started at 15:00 and I am done at 21:00.”
“EH? You’ve only just started?”
“Yup!”
“So, what have you been doing before that?”
“Well, looking for jobs, of course!! And let me tell you!”
Si-chan suddenly drops her head down as she frowns in frustration.
“Looking for a job was absolutely horrific! THEY ALL REQUIRED SOME TYPE OF EDUCATION OF SOME SORT, EVEN FOR THE MOST BORING AND MUNDANE POSITION!!”
Si-chan’s sudden rise in voice kinda surprised all of us.
“FOR EXAMPLE, I APPLIED FOR A POSITION FOR DATA INPUTS!! I ALREADY TOLD THEM I HAVE SOME EXPERIENCE FROM WHEN I USED TO HELP WITH MY FATHER’S WORK. I EVEN DEMONSTRATED MY SKILLS DIRECTLY IN FRONT OF THEIR EYES, BUT THEY TOLD ME EXPERIENCE DOESN’T MEAN ANYTHING!! I NEED A CERTIFICATE FROM COLLEGE LEVEL EDUCATION!!!”
We were all sort of terrified, given that all of us are third years who will graduate next semester.
“WHAT THE HELL DO YOU MEAN EXPERIENCE DOESN’T MEAN ANYTHING? I THOUGHT YOU NEEDED EXPERIENCE TO FIND A JOB!! WHY ARE COMPANIES NOWADAYS CARE MORE ABOUT CERTIFICATES AND WHATNOT THAN ACTUAL EXPERIENCES?? WHAT THE HELL HAPPENED TO THIS WORLD??? AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!”
Seeing how Si-chan describes her experiences, the three of us, Ryuji, Sakura, and me, who’re planning to go straight to look for a job right after school, since we can’t afford college anyway, were absolutely terrified. Our faces went cold, and fear quickly filled our heads.
“I-i-i-i-i-i-i-I was planning to get a job as soon as school finished.” said Ryuji while trembling.
“I-i-i-I-I think I’m gonna become a V-tuber instead now. . .” said Sakura.
“I’m just gonna become a shut-in otaku at this point! I can’t face this world. I don’t have the courage.”
“G-GUYS!! PLEASE, SNAP OUT OF IT!!” said Honda.
“Y-YEAH!! IT CAN’T BE THAT BAD!! NOT ALL COMPANIES ARE THE SAME AFTER ALL!!” said Nobisuke.
“T-THAT’S RIGHT!!! YOU TOO, SIERRA-CHAN! YOU PROBABLY JUST MET A REALLY BAD APPLE!! MY FATHER WORKED FOR A COMPANY THAT HAS BEEN NICE TO HIM FOR TENS OF YEARS!!” said Sumire.
*!!!*
All of a sudden, Si-chan stands up and grabs Sumire’s hands. Her face is full of hope, and I feel like I just see stars in her pupils.
“SUMIRE-CHAN!! CAN I COME AND TALK TO YOUR PARENTS AFTER MY SHIFT? I ALSO WANTED TO STAY THE NIGHT IF IT’S POSSIBLE!!”
*!!*
“EEEEEEHHHHHHHH???”
“Ah! Don’t worry, Mari-chan! I am not moving away! I just wanna get as much information as I can about the world of occupations!!”
“I-I never thought of it that way, but alright, Si-chan!”
“YEEAAAYY!!! SO, HOW ABOUT IT, SUMIRE-CHAN?”
“EEEHHH?? I mean, that’s alright, I guess!!”
“YIPIEEEEEEEE!!!! THANK YOUUUUUUUUUUUU!!! NOW I AM HYPEEEEEEEEEDDDDDDDDDD!!!!! ALRIGHT, GUYS, TO CELEBRATE THE OCCASION, PLEASE TAKE ANY FOOD FROM THE STORE!! I’LL PUT IT ON MY TABS!! DON’T WORRY ABOUT IT!! HAHAHAHAHA!!”
“Hold it, Sierra-chan!”
*!!*
Before anyone could react, Nobisuke stood up and stopped her.
“It’s not okay for you to do that on your first day! Instead, we’ll all buy some food from the store, and we’ll pay you double the price instead! This way, you can have a bit more money for your daily needs!”
Everyone nods without exception or intrusion. Si-chan almost shed a tear hearing his words, but she held it back.
“Thank you, everyone! I have such really good friends!”
Si-chan showed us her most genuine smile since the first time we all met her.
