Starting a Night Shift Part-time Job at a Convenience Store.

Hirai offered her own hand in front of mine and simply said that.

“What…”

I was dumbfounded when she prompted me to lay my hand on her very own one.

“Shall you try looking at it”… Even if she said… Did she think by doing this, I could see it? Did she think I could be made to see it? There was no way it could be that simple. Before I could express my doubts about Hirai, she had already read my mind.

She was aware of this, wasn’t she? That I thought such a thing was absolutely inconceivable.

However, along with being doubtful, a thought struck me abruptly. Wasn’t it a bit odd for her to extend her hand so imposingly to me when I was being skeptical?

Had it been someone spouting falsehoods, they would have vaguely deceived me or would have made fun of me if I had provided them with evidence. Yet, Hirai didn’t do that and demonstrated a margin of confidence that she had proof before me.

Her firm, unwavering words and self-assured eyes. Between me and the hand that Hirai was reaching out to me, a boundary line seemed… to exist that no one could ever touch.

My throat was unconsciously making a gurgling sound.

Should I take Hirai’s hand? Supposing I were to take Hirai’s hand… I wondered what would become of me.

Would I be capable of observing the inconceivable things that Hirai had claimed, the things that I had always denied and refused to believe in?

I was half in doubt and half intrigued. Under normal circumstances, I would have just shrugged it off and asked her not to tease me. But not anymore. Having grown accustomed to the pace of the night shift, I was thoroughly bored by my part-time job where the only thing I could do was have a conversation with the other workers.

Therefore, I was seeking a faint stimulation in the depths of my heart.

Believing in the words of a girl with big tits and a baby face whom I had only barely met was somewhat vexing, but on this occasion, I figured it would be fine if I overturned my own common sense.

If I could see it, no harm would result from trying it. With that in mind, I tried to place my own hand on Hirai’s white hand.

Butー

My hand, which was about to overlap with Hirai’s hand, somehow drifted through the air without contacting hers. For Hirai swiftly withdrew her hand.

Huh? While I was in a daze, she giggled at me.

“Just kidding.”

At that moment, I was like, “Ah”. Oh… she was teasing me huh.

“Hirai, isn’t that awful?”

Even so, she was playing her act wonderfully. I almost bought the whole act.

“I mean, you’re being all curious, Hakamada.”

Damn. But that was no excuse to set me up! From which part to which part was a joke? Even though Hirai didn’t reveal it to me, I concluded that it had likely been a joke from the very beginning.

“It’s fine. In time, you will be able to see it as much as you want to, Hakamada.”

To my frustration, Hirai didn’t elaborate but instead threw another ominous joke my way.

“Again with that.”

“Whether you believe me or not depends on you, Hakamada. Well, late at night, either you have time or suddenly an unexpected thing occurs, if you pace yourself, you can usually carry on.”

Ultimately, those were the words that wrapped it up for me. She was an elusive character…

“On Thursday, you’ll finally meet the ‘Guardian God of Nikoniko Mart’ and say hello to him for me.”

The “Guardian God” was apparently Takenaka. For whatever reason, he was given such a nickname, but Hirai was right: Thursday was the first day I would meet Takenaka.

Takenaka, that rumored person. Despite all the stories I have heard about Takenaka, I felt that he was the shadiest of all the night shift workers.

Now, I wondered what would happen from now on…

No, if I found it complicated, I would just ignore it, and I have always avoided those who have talked to me with a boastful air. Well, whatever will come, will come.

After doing my business in the store’s restroom, washing my hands lightly and my face along with it, I stared into the slightly foggy mirror of the washbasin.

“What…”

The second I looked up, I was so astonished that my mouth fell open on its own.

It was around 4 o’clock in the morning. The first time I noticed it was when I glanced at the mirror in the store’s restroom.

“What the hell is this?”

From my neck to my collarbone area, reddish-purple colored claw-like marks, which were even worse than wheal on skin, surfaced.

Although I hadn’t felt anything until now, it looked painful to me. Why did this happen? A clue… It wasn’t that I was clueless about it but… No, no… but. That sort of thing was just not normal.

The claw marks were in the same position that Hirai said they were. Apparently, she wasn’t kidding when she said that. But from where and to what extent was she telling the truth…

In the corner of my mind, the feeling of strangeness was gradually shifting to dread, and I finished my sixth day’s part-time job.