Warming Up

Nitsuki shivered as she shuffled across the kitchen floor in a blanket. She didn't have the electric kettle anymore, so she had to do it the old-fashioned way and wait for a pot of water to boil on the stovetop.

She was freezing. Tachibana, being the kind soul that he was, had given her a ride home, but it was a bit too late by then. She was soaked, her teeth had been chattering, her nose had been running, and she had barely been able to hold a conversation.

Now he was waiting for her in the living area, and she had no idea what to do. She had been too busy worrying about her lack of food to even consider that he might come visit her. The last time she had guests over was, well, never. Maya was the one who used to handle these sorts of things. Nitsuki had always been content to just watch from the corner of the room.

She had managed to change her clothes since then. She was currently wearing a simple pair of grey sweatpants, an oversized beige sweater that was normally a bit too thick to be worn in summer, and a pair of socks that were covered in little cartoonish dogs chasing after balls.

But… ugh, of all the clothes she still had, why had it been these ones? Sure, she wasn't bold enough to wear more feminine clothing around town—not that she would even look good in them—but why hadn't she at least kept one passably cute outfit?

She cursed her past self once again. It was going to become a habit at this rate.

With a sigh, Nitsuki grabbed two cups and placed a tea bag in each one. Then, she poured the hot water into the cups and stirred them gently.

"…" Should she try to use her ability again to see what would happen if she went out there? No, that would be a bad idea. She had only used it once on her own so far, and she was already getting hooked. It would probably be best if she saved it for only significant situations.

"Alright, let's do this." She grabbed the two mugs and carefully carried them into the living room. "Hey Tachibana, here's the tea. Sorry, I didn't have much to offer."

He sat at the dining table, fiddling with the phone charm she had bought for him a few years ago, but looked up at her arrival. "Hey, Nia! Thanks, I appreciate—" His smile froze on his face as he stared at her. Or, rather, at what she was wearing.

"Ah, sorry. I know it's kinda silly, but it's all I have left after I gave some of my clothes away." She futilely pushed up the sweater to hide her bra strap before it fell down again. "I've been planning to buy new ones, but, eh, y-you know how it—"

"N-no! Don't apologize. It looks great! You look cute! Not that you don't normally, but—uh, I mean…!" He paused for a moment and took a deep breath before flashing her a shining smile. "Anyway, I'm glad to see you're doing better."

Nitsuki's cheeks flushed red. Cute, huh? Even though she knew that he was only saying so to be nice, it still felt nice.

After setting down his drink on the table, she took a seat across from him. "Thanks again for the ride. You really saved me there." She offered him as warm a grin as she could muster. It wasn't very easy with how cold she was feeling at the moment, but she tried.

"No problem. I'm just sorry I ruined your umbrella," he said sheepishly. "And, ah, about the power outage too. Having to restock your groceries must suck."

"Oh? Uh, it's fine. Don't worry about it." She had lied to him and said that she had thrown out all of her perishables after she lost power. Which, while technically true in a way, was still a rather bold lie. She didn't want him to know that she had donated her food, her moped, some furniture, and just about everything else because she had been planning on dying.

"Anyway… was there a reason you were driving down this way?" Nitsuki tried to make small talk. It wasn't exactly her strong suit. She hoped that she wasn't being too obvious.

"Well, I picked up something on the other side of town and was on my way to the shop. Things aren't as busy as usual thanks to the rain, but Gramps decided to reorganize the inventory in the back and he needs someone to man the front. Honestly though? I think he's just trying to get out of doing work." Tachibana chuckled softly.

She half-cackled along with him. "I see. Well, good luck with that, and tell him I said—"

Nitsuki stopped herself when she noticed a rather guilty look on his face, one that was accompanied by another nervous chuckle.

"Actually, I was sorta planning on stopping by here anyway to ask if you, uh… wanted to help?" He scratched his cheek as he looked at her with a hopeful smile.

Her lips curled in on themselves. "You gotta be kidding me." He wasn't, of course. She could read it on his face, and she could hear it in his voice.

"I-I mean, I don't wanna force you to come or anything," he said quickly, waving his arms in front of himself. "You're obviously not feeling well now. And, well, I don't wanna bother you or anything, especially after how busy things were last week."

"It's fine," she replied quickly. "It's not a big deal. Besides, I'm not gonna leave you hanging just 'cause I possibly caught a cold. We have the cafe event later tonight, right?"

Tachibana almost leaped out of his seat with excitement. "You made up your mind?! Yes! That's awesome! I promise you won't regret it; we'll have a lot of fun. And, hey, maybe…"

His words trailed off as she blinked in realization at what she had just said. The cafe event. The one he had messaged her about. The one she had been considering attending.

She hadn't even gotten around to really thinking about that yet, but here she was impulsively committing to it.

Stupid past Nitsuki.

"…Well, uh, anyway," Tachibana said, clearing his throat. "The shop then. Are you sure?"

Nitsuki sighed and rubbed her temples, trying to ease the headache that had just flared up.

Honestly? She needed the cash after everything she had just bought. There was money in her savings that was to have been donated to various places after her death, but she didn't want to dip into that now, at least not yet.

"Yeah, I'm sure. But you're giving me a ride there and back." Her eyes narrowed as she pointed an accusing finger at him and smirked. "And you're paying for the umbrella you ruined."

He let out a nervous laugh and nodded. "Of course, of course! That's fair. I promise I'll pay you back." He glanced down at his watch, frowning slightly before looking back up at her with apologetic eyes. "We've only got about an hour before we have to be at the shop then, so make sure you're ready to go."

"An hour, huh? Well that's not too bad. I should have just enough time to—"

"Ah! Sorry! I misread the time. We need to be there in ten minutes!"

Nitsuki blinked.

"…Is it too late to reconsider?"

***

After a short and bumpy car trip, they arrived at their destination: Tachibana Goods. It was a small building that had stood for decades, and it was clear to see in its architecture. The exterior was a mix of old and new: wooden panels painted white, rusting metal windowsills, and a weathered sign that hung above the entrance.

As the two entered the building, a blast of warm air hit Nitsuki, and she felt her body relax in relief. Despite it being early June, the car's heating system had barely been able to combat the cold. Here though? This was nice.

She took a deep breath, taking in the smell of wood and the faint scent of cleaning products. The interior was spacious and inviting, with shelves lining the walls, filled with various items ranging from snacks and trinkets to other miscellaneous goods.

There weren't any customers in the shop now, but that was hardly a surprise. The weather outside was still awful, and no one in their right mind would be out and about unless they absolutely had to.

"Ah, welcome back, Rikuo," Koji greeted them from his spot behind the counter. He wore a simple, light grey haori over his clothing. His grizzled face was covered in wrinkles, and his sharp eyes watched the two of them closely as they walked in. "And Amano! Guessing you've come to take a shift?"

She waved at him. "Hey, old man. Yeah, that's the plan. I hope you don't mind."

He laughed and waved a dismissive hand at her. "Mind? Of course not, young man! You're the best damn worker I've got!" His gaze shifted to his grandson, who had already slipped into his work uniform. "Unlike some people."

Tachibana chuckled and waved his hand. "Yeah, yeah. You keep saying that, but I'm the reason why there isn't five layers of dust everywhere." He gave Nitsuki a wink, as if expecting her to back him up.

She shook her head, choosing to stay neutral. As much as she loved to poke fun at Koji, she had to admit that he had been incredibly accommodating when it came to her schedule and her, ah, 'condition', despite always referring to her as a 'young man'. She had long since given up trying to get him to stop, but that didn't bother her too much. She had learned to tolerate it.

Well, sort of. Just ignore the fact that she had tried to kill herself over stuff like that.

The old man scoffed and rolled his eyes. "You've always been a brat, Rikuo."

"And you've always been a grump, Gramps," Tachibana shot back, sticking his tongue out at him before laughing. "Now, isn't there somewhere you wanted to be?"

"Right, right. I'm going. Don't burn the place down while I'm in the back."

Koji slowly rose to his feet, grunting as his joints popped, and then hobbled his way past the counter. Nitsuki gave him a small nod as he passed her, and he patted her shoulder lightly.

"Stay safe, old man," she called out to him. "If something falls over and crushes you, we'll be in trouble. I don't think Tachibana could run the store alone."

That earned a laugh from the old man and a pouty glare from her friend.

"You know, sometimes I'm convinced that Gramps loves you more than me," Tachibana mumbled, walking toward her with an apron in his hands, offering it to her. She took it gratefully and put it on.

"Yeah, but I actually work. So it's not like it's difficult to compete with you," she teased. "Anyway, how much do you want me to do? Do you just need me to help cover the front, or is there anything else I can help with?"

"Well, I was hoping you could help me check our inventory while I clean around," he answered, grabbing the clipboard from the counter that had a list of tasks on it. "We need to restock, too. But we can get to that after we finish up with everything else."

Nitsuki nodded, resigning herself to her fate.

It hadn't even been a day since she had 'died', and she was already back on the grind.