Chapter 1: The First Real Love Found

───● The Genki Co-ed Panics ●○●

Half a year has passed since I came to this world.

At first, thanks to Aika-san, I was able to live without any inconvenience, so I thought things weren’t much different from my original world.

But recently, I’ve been reminded otherwise.

『I don’t want to be just a little sister.』

『At the very least, I… ever since that day I first met Masato-kun, I haven’t been able to see anyone else but you.』

“Haaah…”

Apparently, things aren’t going to stay the same.

After playing basketball with Yuka, I held my head in my hands while showering at home.

Starting with Yuka, and then Seira-san too. After everything they’ve done, I can’t exactly pretend not to notice their affection.

But Yuka is still a middle schooler, and as for Seira-san… well, technically, she’s a customer.

“Mmn, that’s just an excuse, isn’t it?”

I know. I know it’s just an excuse. Yuka has told me I don’t need to give her an answer yet, and Seira-san… she says she’s fine being kept on hold, but I can’t just say “Okay, then” to that…

If you asked me right now if I want to date Yuka or Seira-san, it would be difficult to answer. I like them both, of course, and I think they’re charming. But if you ask whether I see them as romantic partners…

“I know ‘I don’t know’ isn’t a good enough answer.”

I finished my shower and dried my hair. I have a shift at the bar after this, so I set my hairstyle carefully.

In the first place, seeing as I work at a Boy’s Bar, is it even okay to be in a relationship? I don’t really understand the common sense of this world regarding that. Some of the senior staff are dating people, so it doesn’t seem to be prohibited… but in those cases, how do they explain it to their girlfriends?

“I guess I’ll ask.”

Fortunately, the seniors at the Boy’s Bar are all kind people. If I ask, they’ll likely answer.

As usual, I arrived at the bar about 10 minutes before my shift began. Usually, I’d run into a few people in the break room, so I was planning to ask them there, but…

“Ah, Masato! You’ve already got a nomination, so get changed and hurry out!”

“Ehh?! U-Understood!”

Being told that by a flustered senior as soon as I arrived meant I couldn’t take my time. I quickly changed, checked my appearance, and headed to the guest seating.

Is it Seira-san? It’s still quite early, though…

“Welcome, my Lady… wait.”

When I arrived at the designated table and called out, a small shadow different from the usual caught my eye. While I was surprised it wasn’t Seira-san, I recognized those distinctive twin tails.

“Ahaha… I have arrived.”

Sitting on the sofa, looking somewhat apologetic, was Tonosaki Mizuho, whom I had just seen at the university this morning.

“You surprised me. What’s up?”

“N-Nay! I merely wondered if Masato-kun was performing his duties properly! ‘Tis an inspection, I say! An inspection!”

“What is that supposed to mean?”

For now, I prepared a towel and sat down.

“Mizuho, you can’t drink alcohol, so isn’t it boring coming to a place like this?”

“Nay, nay, nay! Not at all! ‘Tis well known in the streets that I can get drunk without drinking!”

“None of us can drink yet, so how can there be rumors…?”

I presented the menu and asked for her order. Non-alcoholic, of course.

“So, which one should I have Masato drink?”

“Ah, I’ll have something from the non-alcoholic menu too… is that okay?”

“Of course! Since I am here, I shall treat you!”

Basically, the customers pay for the boys’ drinks too. In fact, the more drinks they buy for us, the more we earn.

It feels kind of… hesitant to have a classmate spend money on me…

“Then, I’ll take you up on your offer for one glass…”

“Let it be this one, Masato!”

“Ehh?!”

What Mizuho pointed to was the most expensive drink among the non-alcoholic cocktails. This was a menu item Aika-san created while grinning, saying, “Let’s make a pricey non-alch one for Masato,” so the taste is perfectly tailored to my preferences. It is, but still!

“I-Isn’t this a bit expensive…? Just a normal one from around here would be…”

“No! I say nay! On this, I shall not yield! What is wrong with buying the expensive one, I ask?!”

“I-It’s not wrong, but… are you okay?”

Because I’m a university student too, I know. This price should be quite painful for a student… I’ve heard Mizuho works a part-time job, but surely she doesn’t earn that much.

“Fufun. Though I may look like this, Mizuho-chan earns quite a bit! This is a piece of cake!”

“I-If that’s the case, then okay…”

Of course, it is something to be grateful for, so I reluctantly put the order through.

“B-By the way, Masato-kun.”

“Hm?”

Shortly after the drinks arrived and we did a light toast, Mizuho opened her mouth with a somewhat nervous expression.

“I-I met Masato’s regular customer? Just a moment ago in front of the shop…”

“Ah, Seira-san?”

As usual, Seira-san is basically my only regular. To be precise, Seira-san comes every Friday night and keeps me occupied the whole time, so this relatively early time slot on Fridays is the only time I have to serve other customers.

Since I’m usually doing other work during the early hours, a situation where I only serve customers when Seira-san comes has continued for several months now.

When I immediately mentioned Seira-san’s name, Mizuho gasped slightly.

“U-Umm… what kind of relationship do you have with that person?”

“Ahh…”

If it were a month or two ago, I might have immediately said, “She’s just a regular customer.” But I feel like my relationship with Seira-san has become something I can’t dismiss with just those words anymore. I couldn’t answer Mizuho’s question immediately.

“A close… regular customer, I guess…”

But in the end, I couldn’t find a suitable phrase, so all I could do was attach “close” like a decorative prefix.

“H-Heeh… By close, how close do you mean?”

“‘How close’ is difficult to answer…”

“T-Then…”

Rarely for her, Mizuho closed the distance with a serious expression. Being stared at by Mizuho, looking up at me from below, I instinctively flinched.

“C-Compared to me, who are you closer with?”

Compare Mizuho and Seira-san…?

Mizuho and I are really good friends at university. I don’t know how much I appreciate her brightness and thoughtfulness.

With Seira-san, a lot has happened, but I believe her affection and her desire to support me are genuine.

The vectors are too different to compare in the first place…

Thinking that far, I looked at Mizuho’s expression. Her eyes seemed to be trembling slightly.

“I think I’m closer to you, Mizuho. Seira-san is, you know, older…”

That was the best answer I could give.

“I-Is that so.”

Looking relieved, Mizuho reached for the drink she ordered. Why did I get nervous too…?

“T-Then, you haven’t done things like, travel with Seira-san, or, um, stay over, right?”

“Uh, e-erm…”

Mizuho’s questioning wasn’t over yet.

I haven’t traveled, but staying over…

I recalled the day I let Seira-san stay over during the rain. Nothing happened, and Seira-san was already gone when I woke up, but saying “Yes, there was a sleepover” feels like it would be really bad here… But I don’t want to lie…

“W-Why are you hesitating?!”

“No! I mean, there was a time, but it was unavoidable, or rather, truly, nothing happened!”

“W-What do you mean ‘nothing happened’?! You mean you two stayed over together?!”

“If you just explain the situation, it sounds like that, but that’s not it, or rather…”

W-Why does it feel like I’m making excuses?!

“…Because she pays you?”

“Eh?”

Seeing tears welling up in Mizuho’s eyes, I panicked. W-Why is she crying?

“Because she pays you lots of money, does Masato do those kinds of things too?”

“No, that’s wro—or rather, I feel like a massive misunderstanding is occurring…”

Mizuho, whose cheeks were flushed—perhaps from emotional agitation, since there definitely wasn’t any alcohol—downed the non-alcoholic cocktail in her glass in one go.

I could only watch her drink it down.

Then, slamming the empty glass onto the table with a thud.

“Give me the most expensive one in this shop!!!”

“Hey, wait, calm down, Mizuho?!”

All I could do was try to soothe the throwing-a-tantrum Mizuho.

■

“T-Then, I shall come again next week!!”

“I’m happy, but! Please really don’t push yourself.”

After finishing the bill. I said that to Masato, who came to see me off outside the shop.

It’s true the money is a liiittle expensive, but the time spent being served by Masato is fun, so I think it’s totally worth it.

It feels like… there’s a special feeling, or something…

As I walked a little way from the shop… someone I recognized walked toward me from the front.

“Oh my, looks like the timing was perfect.”

“Seira-san… W-Well, yes…”

Seira-san, who is probably heading to Masato’s place now. Looking at her from the front like this, I understand. That this person is incredibly attractive as a woman. A good figure evident even through her suit. Long, glossy hair that you can tell is carefully maintained even from a distance.

That’s why the fact that a person like this clearly says she “loves” Masato weighed heavily on my shoulders.

“I-I had Masato explain properly! That he hasn’t done anything weird!”

“Oh my, Masato answered? I only intended to tease him a little…”

Since Masato explained it firmly after that, I decided to believe him for now. Besides, believing is all I can do.

“Well then, I’ll be going. Let’s meet again.”

“U-Um!”

Just as Seira-san was about to pass by, I remembered the one thing I intended to ask.

I tried to throw that question at Seira-san, who had stopped for me… but I hesitated slightly. Is this something appropriate to ask…? Eei, just ask!

“Seira-san, about how much money do you spend on Masato a month…?”

“? Let me see… I don’t know the exact amount but… I don’t think there’s a day I don’t spend 50,000 yen?”

“Fif…?!”

“Even so, it’s not enough, but Masato stops me, you see. Ah, but I intend to spend more this month.”

Words didn’t come out immediately.

I’ve heard the reason Masato works at the Boy’s Bar. And that it’s not because he wants money.

But. It’s natural to give a corresponding value to someone who pays money.

I know perfectly well that paying money isn’t everything, but this person in front of me supports Masato like that, so surely Masato must also…

“If there are no more questions, I’m going…?”

“Ah, a-ah, I’m sorry! Yes, I’m fine.”

“I’ll tell you this: I’m just a hopeless adult who happens to be a working member of society with a little money, okay? I don’t think there’s any need for you to pay that much. And surely, Masato doesn’t wish for that either.”

“That… is true, isn’t it…”

Leaving only those words behind, Seira-san began walking toward the bar again.

Seira-san is a good person. From her perspective, I’m just another woman aiming for Masato, yet she showed concern for me.

It’s not just money. I feel like I’m losing as a woman, too.

At university, I yielded to Koumi.

Even here, I can’t win against Seira-san.

…No matter where I go, can I never be number one?

I feel miserably, hopelessly pathetic.

I looked up at the cold sky, the beginning of winter.

“…Maybe I’ll increase my shifts.”

Anyway, right now. I wanted to keep my connection to Masato, in any form I could.