Chapter 15

“Can I help you two?” A man in his fifties asked. 

He wore a white-collared shirt, as if he had just returned from his office. He first observed Kenji, then turned to Tsukiko. When he saw Tsukiko, though, his eyes widened in surprise.

“Ha- Hakayashi?”

“Si- Sir…”

The two stared at each other, the situation turning awkward.

“What are you doing here?”

“Umm… I’m accompanying him… I work at his place now.”

Kenji tensed up. He knew he should have told her.

I- It’s my fault.

“Umm…” Kenji tried to say something, but his voice couldn’t escape his mouth. His lips were glued shut, unable to say a single word.

“Look, I don’t know why you’re here, but I’ll need you to move because I plan on meeting someone.”

“I- I’m sure that’s us." She brought her hands behind her back, clenching her fist. “He- He’s Muranoto Kenji. Didn’t he contact you before?”

Tsukiko’s boss turned to Kenji. What should he say? The issue between the two was none of his business. He didn’t know who was at fault or who had caused what. He couldn’t tell if there was an issue in the first place.

“You’re the one here for that stuff?”

“Ye- Yes…”

“... Come in.”

He put the keys into the lock and opened the gate for them. He let Kenji enter, Tsukiko following behind him.

“We’re not going to talk about that, alright?” he heard Tsukiko’s boss behind him.

“Yes.”

Upon entering the front garden, all the items he would be selling came into view.

“Here’s everything I have to sell,” Tsukiko’s boss said, but Kenji had lost all his edge.

He normally didn’t have any trouble with bargaining. He had no problem saying how low he wanted something for. He had countless back-and-forths before, yet he couldn’t even say the price he had wanted to offer.

“Ho- How much-”

“I’ve already put the price on the listing, remember?”

“For each piece-”

“Have you not read the description?”

All the preparations he made went out of the window. Tsukiko’s boss’s gaze sharpened.

“Say, are you seriously here for this?” he asked, his voice dripping with suspicion.

“Ye-”

“Yes, we are.” Tsukiko stepped in front of him. “He didn’t know you. You said it before, didn’t you? What happened in that office remained between us. He’s not involved.”

Even now, Tsukiko’s hand was shaking, but she stood tall to protect him, to protect the person who brought her here.

“I don’t have much time. Get it over with.”

Kenji had explained his prediction of each item’s worth, how much he was willing to pay for them, and which package to pick up, had her boss refused to budge. Information that he should be discussing. He brought Tsukiko to allow her to learn, not to let her protect him.

“If you want it, pay. If you don’t, leave. I don’t have time to spend on the two of you.”

“Nine hundred thousand, everything.”

“... You’re crazy…”

“We’ll take everything off you, and you won’t have to trouble yourself with taking care of the unsold things. Doesn’t that sound great?”

Tsukiko’s former boss winced.

“Kenji, you can go check the things, right?”

Kenji nodded meekly, moving to the items on display. Antiques lay scattered over the tarp. Even at a glance, he could tell they were in good condition. Even if they bought it at the original price Tsukiko’s boss asked for, they could turn a decent profit. But the nine hundred thousand that Kenji prepared would allow them to make tons more.

I- I should be the one saying it.

He dumped his responsibilities on someone else again. Many years had passed, but he still hadn’t changed.

I’m… pathetic.

“Fine.” Tsukiko’s boss groaned. “Just take it and leave.”

The three of them worked together to load everything onto Kenji’s truck. Outside of a few instructions, they traded no words. Kenji transferred the money, and with Tsukiko by his side, the two left. Neither side said thank you, nor did they say goodbye.

“... Sorry, I ended up making you do all the work.”

“Huh? It’s nothing. I’m happy to help, really.” Tsukiko looked outside the window. 

Before long, they got back on the bridge, heading for home. The traffic on this side of the bridge wasn’t as bad as the traffic heading to the mainland. For a moment, silence occupied the truck’s cabin.

“He’s… a good boss, actually,” she said, catching Kenji off guard.

“... Really?”

Tsukiko nodded. “He cared for his employees, gave a lot of bonuses, and didn't work us to the bone, but…” Tsukiko sighed. “But he’s naïve. Got tricked easily. Believes what he wants to believe.”

“Tsukiko...”

Tsukiko gritted her teeth. “I couldn’t defend myself against those accusations. I thought I was special, but I lost my job as easily as I gained it. News spread fast, apparently. Couldn’t find another job afterwards."

Tsukiko never lied before. Unlike him, she was brave ever since she was a child. Brave to admit her mistakes, brave to say what she needed to say. He trusted her. Even from the time when they were children, she always helped him, protected him. He wanted to do something for her, but she always ended up rescuing him. Again and again, without fail, her words would reach him.

But when it was his turn to help her, he couldn’t say anything.