The Hag

Nitsuki let out a heavy sigh as she sat at the counter, her chin resting on the table. The store had been quiet for the last hour or so, with only a few customers trickling in here and there to buy things. Tachibana was in the back now, taking care of the inventory while Koji was doing paperwork in his office.

"Ugh, this is so boring." She let her eyes drift around the shop before landing on the clock. 1:00 PM. Her shift wasn't supposed to end until 4. She had three more hours of nothingness to look forward to.

It had only been an hour since Tachibana had left her alone to work, but the way things were dragging on, it felt like an eternity.

She groaned and slumped further down on the counter, burying her face into her arms. There was no one around to watch her, so she figured she might as well get comfortable.

As she laid there, her thoughts began to wander. A part of her was bored enough to contemplate using her newfound future viewing power just to entertain herself. Daimon had told her time in the real world passed half as quickly while using it, but even if that was the case, spending double the time actually doing something as opposed to nothing was getting more appealing by the second—

The sound of the door opening snapped her out of her daze. She quickly sat up and brushed her hair behind her ears, fixing her expression into something pleasant and welcoming.

"Welcome, dear… customer…" She trailed off as she saw who had walked into the store. Her smile dropped into a thin line, and she had to do everything in her power to prevent it from falling even further.

"Hello, Amano." A tall woman in her late 50s, sporting short black hair and a piercing gaze, stepped inside, letting the door close behind her. Her eyes scanned the room, taking note of Nitsuki's appearance before focusing on her.

"Mrs. Inoue~" Nitsuki greeted, her voice dripping with false cheeriness.

Perhaps she had been too harsh on boredom.

"Hmm." Inoue raised an eyebrow. "Quite the attire. Anyway, I'm surprised to still see you here, Amano. I thought you'd have left to Tokyo by now."

"Oh Mrs. Inoue, you joker. You know I don't have the money for that, and I never will~" Nitsuki forced herself to keep smiling, even as she felt her heart rate increase. She hated dealing with this hag.

"Ah, yes. Your sister mentioned you were having some financial difficulties back then. It's rather admirable for such a dependable older brother to sacrifice his own comfort and happiness in order to take care of his family."

Nitsuki could feel her body tensing up as she fought to maintain control over her emotions. It was always like this with Inoue. Every thinly veiled jab and backhanded compliment was meant to hurt her—invalidate her.

But Nitsuki knew better than to let herself react. If she ever tried to correct her, things would get even uglier. So instead, she simply smiled wider and nodded.

"Thank you~ I tried my best! Is there anything you need?"

The woman gave her a disdainful look, her eyes sweeping over Nitsuki again before turning away.

"Yes, actually. I was hoping to speak to Koji."

"Of course." Nitsuki's smile faded. She knew what that meant. Was she seriously trying to mess with her again? "I'll go get him for you. Please wait here for a moment."

She stepped into the back and knocked on Koji's office door. "Old man," she called. "There's a customer here who wants to speak to you."

After a brief delay, he finally answered, his voice muffled by the wood separating them. "Alright, alright. I'm coming. Hold on a sec."

Nitsuki returned to the front of the shop where the woman waited impatiently for Koji.

"The owner will be here momentarily. Is there anything else I can assist you with?" Nitsuki's smile was strained, but she was determined to keep her composure.

"Wrap up those boxes of tea in the display case for me," the woman replied coolly, barely even sparing her a glance as she gestured toward them.

Oh, goodie, those were the obnoxiously expensive ones that tasted like ass. At least her taste in things was consistent with what she was.

Nitsuki actually cracked a genuine smirk to herself as she started packing them into gift boxes.

She was half-way done when Koji's footsteps entered into the room. "Alright, I'm here. So, who's—? Ah, Asako, welcome! What can I help you with today?"

Inoue cordially bowed at him with a smile. "Koji, I'd like to discuss something important with you."

"Ah, in that case, come and follow me to my office. We can—"

"Oh no, I couldn't intrude. I'm fine talking here. There's no one else around really. Just the young man." She gestured again to Nitsuki. "Besides, it won't take long, and it does have to do with him."

"Oh, alright then." He nodded, his expression turning serious. "What seems to be the problem?"

"As you may know, the Hoshimura Community Association has been discussing a number of issues regarding…"

Nitsuki just dialed the hag out as she finished tying up another box. She already knew where this was headed.

Inoue would attempt to persuade Koji that Nitsuki was needed for a community project like an event or some other activity, then she'd convince him that Nitsuki should be taken off the schedule so she could be assigned to focus on it. After all, Nitsuki was one of the few 'able-bodied' people who was currently free, or at least that was how she would frame it to the old man.

This had happened a number of times before, and every time, Inoue found some way to make her life a living hell.

It was a lose-lose situation. If she said she wasn't going to, half the town would use that to justify their hate. And if she said she was, Inoue would make sure she was constantly working, and she'd be exhausted in the end with no pay, and only some free, shoddy meals to show for it.

"Wait, you want her to do what now?" The sound of Koji's voice snapped her from her daze. He had a frown on his face and his arms were crossed.

"I'm asking if Amano would be willing to volunteer at the cafe event tonight," Inoue reiterated, her tone sweet and polite. "The young man's assistance would greatly benefit the community. One of our staff had to cancel and now we're in need of help. We'd also appreciate it if he could help with the annual stargazing festival in two months' time."

Nitsuki had to admit that Inoue was good at this. She had this perfect act of innocence and concern that Koji unfortunately wouldn't see through—

"Mrs. Inoue, I'm afraid both is impossible. I already overheard from Rikuo that they were planning on being at the cafe event as participants. As for the stargazing festival? Nitsuki's not going to be available to help at that time. I'm not saying that it's not a worthwhile cause or that the community isn't important to me, but I'm sure there's plenty of other people who can volunteer for such a worthy cause this time."

Inoue's smile faltered slightly, and Nitsuki's eyes widened a fraction.

"O-oh?" Inoue said, clearly not expecting the reply. "Well, the young man is already going to be there, so why not help? As for the stargazing festival, you know we don't have very many young-bodied individuals. Amano could do a great deal of—"

Koji interrupted kindly, but firmly. "I'm sorry, and I don't mean to speak on behalf of Nitsuki, but I think it'd be best if she rests and enjoys herself for both cases. She's been helping out with almost every single event and project for the past several years."

Inoue looked visibly displeased by his answer. She glanced at Nitsuki, who quickly averted her eyes. "Amano, I thought that you would always be ready to assist in any way possible. Has something changed?"

"…" She bit the inside of her cheek, not daring to meet her gaze. "I'm going to the cafe event as a guest, but I'll help with the festival when the time comes."

"Good!" She looked back at Koji. "Now that we have his approval—"

"Nitsuki, you're not going to help with the festival."

"…" They both looked over at Koji in surprise.

"Mr. Tachibana," Inoue said, her tone becoming stern. "What exactly are you trying to imply?"

"I already said she deserves a break. And—please do not take this the wrong way—I feel you may have become too reliant on her. One doesn't have to simply be young to volunteer; there are plenty of others who could help in her stead."

Nitsuki's breath hitched in her throat as she stared at the older man, trying to figure out what was going on.

"W-well, yes, I suppose," Inoue murmured, her face growing a little redder than before.

Koji's smile returned, warm and gentle, and he patted the woman's arm affectionately. "Thank you. Now, is there anything else that we can help you with?"

She shook her head and pulled away. "…No. Thank you, Mr. Tachibana." With that, she turned, snatched the tea boxes, and walked away without saying another word.

Once the door closed, Nitsuki finally released her breath. That was one of the most awkward conversations she had ever had to sit through, and that was saying something considering some of the things Inoue had done to her before.

Koji chuckled. "Well, that wasn't so hard." He glanced at her. "You okay, young man?"

"Yeah, thanks." She offered him a small, hesitant smile. "But, uh, what brought that up? Why'd you say all that?"

He gave a shrug. "Rikuo's been worried about you, and so have I. You may have the strength, passion, and drive of a young man, but you're not actually one—even if you were, you've already done far more than enough."

Nitsuki stared at him blankly. Wait, did she just hear him right?

He cleared his throat. "But I digress, a maiden like yourself should be enjoying her youth, not being forced to work for free all the time. You get what I'm saying?"

…Maiden?

That was the first time he'd ever referred to her as one. She… didn't know whether to laugh or cry.

"Er, young man? Are you sure you're okay—Wait, why did your shoulders just deflate even more?"

Aaaand the moment was gone.

"It's nothing. Just… thanks. For real. Also, Mrs. Inoue forgot to pay for her tea."

"Wait, really? That hag!"

Nitsuki nearly fell backwards at the sudden curse.

"O-old man?!"

"Ah, sorry, just slipped out." He sheepishly rubbed his head as she stared at him. "What? We all think it, don't we?"

"…" She blinked slowly, trying to process what she just heard. "…Yeah. I guess we do."