In Need of Help

"Excuse me, your order's here."

The person, who slumped at the table, showed no response when I called out. I placed the tray with the food on the table and tapped her on the shoulder. It appeared that she wasn't sleeping when she lifted her head. We looked each other in the eye. I stuttered.

"H-here's your order."

"...Eh? Ah, right..."

Those orange eyes combined with that hair color, and the way she dressed, she was a spitting image of a gyaru. It was my first time meeting one. I thought they were supposed to be intimidating with a strong demeanor, but I didn't see any of that when I looked her in the eyes. Instead, what I saw was the opposite. The tone of her voice said it all. She had a face of beauty, yet sadness lurked behind it.

"Umm... Are you okay?"

"Huh?"

"Ah, I'm sorry. It just seemed like you were feeling down."

There was something clearly going on, and it was up to me to find out and help her to the best of my abilities. It was the reason I let the two of them go home. I took it upon myself to do so. To my surprise, she opened up.

"...Will you listen?"

"Yes..." I sat down and she began telling me the situation.

"...You see, one of my friends just received some bad news."

"Bad news?"

"Let's just say... something came up, and she's gonna be going away for quite a long time. I don't even know when I'm gonna see her again."

That explains her expression.

"I wanna do something for her before she leaves, but I just don't know what to do..."

She was at a complete loss. Hearing it, she really cares about her friend. I wonder, if a friend were in the same situation as her friend, what would I do?

"Um...I don't know if this is the right thing to do, but..."

I started thinking about how I could be helpful, and yet my mind couldn't come up with a single idea except...

"I think the best thing you can do for her right now is to be with her for the remaining time that she's here."

"Eh?"

It wasn't anything special as it could've been the same thing anyone would've said. 

"Ah, sorry if I offended you."

"No, it's not that but... What do you mean by, 

"Be with her for the remaining time?"

"Well, I mean, like, spending time together."

"Spend time together? How?"

"Maybe like... Going out together, or having long conversations."

"Going out? Conversations?"

"Sorry... I don't know if that helps you at all."
Since my answer wasn't out of the ordinary, I doubt it was any help to her current situation but surprisingly, it seemed to have helped her.

"...No, thank you. I now have an idea of what I have to do."

The expression on her face lightened up with life. She had gained her confidence from those words. I couldn't help but smile, glad that my proclamation helped her in some way. As if on cue, Saionji-san came to our table.

"Sorry to interrupt, but it's closing time now."

"Ah, sorry about that."
We both didn't realize that it was time for the curfew. It was evident by the slow setting of the sun in the distance. "Oh, about the food..."
The customer looked at the food. It wasn't consumed and had been there throughout our conversation without a single damage. It was a waste to serve the food only to have it not eaten. I was concerned about what to do with the food, not wanting it to go to the bin. Luckily, Saionji-san came up with a solution.

"It's fine. You don't have to pay."

"N-no, please, let me..."

"You look like you're going through a lot right now. Don't worry about paying."

"A-are you sure?"

"I'll pack it up for you to take home."

"Th-Thank you so much!"
The manager grabbed the tray and took it to the kitchen. We stood up and headed towards the reception. As we were waiting for Saionji-san to finish packing, the customer spoke up.

"Hey... can I ask you something?"

"Yes. What is it?"

"How did you come up with that answer?"

"Eh?"

"Spending our remaining time together?"

"Ah, that. Well..."
I wanted to say that I just came up with it on the fly. But as I think deeper, maybe it was inspired by my own experience. "To be honest, I also have someone close to me."
I pictured her face in my mind. Cool, calm, collected, the perfect girl. We were always close yet our relationship wasn't the greatest."Although she's a little distant, I do my best to spend time with her and support her."

"...Why do you do it?"

"Why? Well, because I'm afraid that when we're no longer together, she and I won't have any fun memories of each other."

"Hehhhh..."

"Oh, I'm sorry, that was probably not what you expected."

"...No, it's very heartwarming. I wish I had come up with that answer myself."

Heartwarming, huh? It wasn't anything out of the ordinary.

"...Hey, what's your name?"

"Eh? My name?"

"I want to know the name of the person who helped me."

"N-no, it's fine. You don't need to thank me."

"I insist."

No one has ever asked for my name before. Even customers who I've helped in the past didn't bother to ask but this lady wants to know who I am. I was reluctant, but if she insisted, then I guess I don't have a choice.

"I-it's Nagai. Akihito Nagai."

"Nagai-kun, huh? Thank you so much, Nagai-kun."

"Y-you're welcome, Ma'am."

"Here's your order."
As the conversation finished, The manager returned with the food all packed up in a single paper bag and handed it to the customer.

"Ah, thank you so much. I promise I'll pay you back."

"No need. If you enjoy the food, be sure to come back."

"I'll definitely come back."

With that guarantee, she headed for the exit. Before pulling on the door, she turned around to look at me."Oh, right. I haven't told you my name yet, have I?"
With her thumb pointing at her face, she introduced herself.

"I'm Kirara. Kirara Tenshi. Thank you again, Nagai-kun."

"Kirara Tenshi-san..."

"I'll be going!"

And with that, she stormed out of the café. The ring didn't ring a bell, yet there was something about her that I felt like I'd seen somewhere before. 

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah... I'm fine."

It was probably my imagination anyway. I've never seen her here before in the first place.

"By the way, I'm taking the cost from your paycheck."

"Hah... Fine..."

I was prepared to pay out of my pocket anyway, so taking it out of my salary won't change anything. While we were looking at the door, Saionji-san tapped me on the shoulder and said something unbelievable."...Didn't know you had a girlfriend." "Wh-what?! I don't have a girlfriend!"
I was shocked. Why would she even assume I had a girlfriend? As if there was any chance someone like me could get one. No one has ever confessed their love to me or even sent me a love letter as a prank.

"He~h? Then who were you talking about?"

"Y-you heard us?"

"Yep."

"...It's my sister."

"Oh, I see... What a shame."

"What's that supposed to mean?!"

"Nothing. Now, help me clean."

"Why me?!"

"You're the only person left."

"Eh?"
I looked around the cafe. Sure enough, there was not a single employee in sight. No one was in the kitchen or the bathroom. It looks like I have no choice but to help. I couldn't help but groan.

"Oh, come on..."

"Alright, stop whining and start cleaning."
Saionji-san handed me the mop and ordered me to clean the floors. With a hint of frustration, I began mopping. Although I felt somewhat frustrated about working overtime, I reflected on the events of the day. If helping someone in need caused me to work extra, it was a small price to pay."Don't worry, I'm paying you extra for working overtime."

Thankfully, Saoiji-san offered to do so. I was gonna gain some additional money but I doubt it was gonna be a big difference since she was cutting my salary for the food. Nevertheless, I was happy and let out a smile.

"...Thanks."

"Hehe. Anytime."

After a long day of working, maybe I'll get some more food to go. Maybe I'll grab extra for Akane. She does like sweets, after all. It can be an excellent opportunity to be closer to her and I can do something good for her once.