The Repair Shop

“These bags sure are heavy…” Akari grumbled to himself as he struggled to hold all of the groceries. With six completely filled bags in each hand, Akari swayed left and right with each step, the heavy strain showing on his face. The bags were packed with groceries from their shopping trip, and Akari’s muscles were feeling the pressure.

Meanwhile, Ayano happily skipped ahead of him, humming a playful tune with her school bag slung over her shoulder. Her cheerful demeanor seemed oblivious to Akari's struggle.

Akari couldn’t help but feel a tinge of jealousy as he glared at her from behind. He couldn't believe that despite being kind enough to help her carry all the bags, she wasn’t carrying anything at all. He wondered if she was doing it on purpose, testing him, or taking advantage of his willingness to assist her.

“H-hey! Could you at least carry a bag or two?” Akari annoyingly asked as he let out an exasperated breath. Ayano spun around to face him with a beaming grin.

“I thought you said you would help me carry the bags,” she reminded him before bringing a hand up to her face to act innocently. “You’re not going to have me carry all of them, are you?”

“I’m thinking about it,” Akari muttered between his gritted teeth.

As they reached an intersection, Ayano confidently turned right, leading the way toward their home. However, Akari called out to her, causing her to stop and turn around. He pointed down the left side of the intersection.

“Ayano,” Akari called out, pausing at the intersection. The class president turned around as Akari gestured down the left side of the intersection. “We’re heading this way.”

“Isn’t the house that way though?” Ayano pointed down her side.

“It is but we’re not heading home yet,” Akari stated, holding up the bags in his right hand. “We have to drop some off first.”

Ayano tilted her head curiously at Akari but followed after him as he turned down to walk down that street.

The two soon arrived in front of a concrete dray building with a copper-brown shingle roof. The exterior had a slightly rugged charm, with a horizontally-large tinted window that had security bars over it, adding to the establishment's secure appearance.

A metal banner hung proudly in front of the building, bearing the words “A-to-Z Repair Shop” in bold letters, indicating that the place offered repair services for a variety of items. Adjacent to the entrance, an A-frame chalkboard displayed some of the services they provided, ranging from electronics to household appliances.

Ayano stared at the store before following Akari to open and hold the metal door for him.

The two stepped onto a beige tile floor at the entrance with a small maroon curtain hanging above them. The floor immediately transitioned to a wooden vinyl floor. Smooth dark wooden counters were laid before them, separating the customer area from the back of the store.

In the back, there were a few metal shelves that lined the back of the wall holding various tools and equipment in a mess.

A cubed plastic shelf occupied another wall. Inside each cube space sat several devices in the process of repair, each marked with a sticky note on top. The handwritten notes provided essential details about the repairs being carried out, showcasing the careful attention given to each customer’s item.

In the heart of the workshop, a youthful man stood beside a central table. His jet-black hair was tied in a short, stubby ponytail at the nape of his neck. Dark gray headphones clung to his ears, resounding with lively beats as he concentrated on his work. Wrapped around his waist, a brown leather jacket draped over his well-worn jeans.

Taking a brief break, he used his white shirt to wipe the sweat from his forehead. As he lifted his head, a smile beamed on his face as he spotted Akari. The young gangster dropped a single bag upon the counter, letting out a sigh as he felt the weight lessen from the total burden he carried.

“Akari! Good afternoon!” The man greeted, leaning forward and placing his hands on the countertop. “I haven’t seen you in a while!”

“Hello, Ryoichi—”

The sound of a camera clicking followed by a flash caught Akari off guard. He quickly turned his head away, blinded by the white light.

Held in Ryoichi’s hand was a brown Polaroid camera. The device whirred as it printed out a square photo. The repairman pulled it out and waved it in the air a few times before staring at the developed photo.

“Mm! That’s a good one!” He nodded his head, satisfied by the innocent expression he had captured.

“You’re still using that old thing?” Akari groaned as he eyed the camera.

“Hey, don’t insult Iris!” The repairman defended as he covered the sides of the camera as if it had ears. “She may be old but she’s priceless!”

Akari rolled his eyes as Ryoichi strolled over to a cupboard. Reaching up with a key in his free hand, he unlocked the door before pulling out a tan photo album. He placed the picture on top of it before walking back over the countertop.

“Is he also part of the gang?” Ayano questioned Akari as the repairman gently placed the album on the countertop.

“Gang? Miss, I’m not sure what you’re talking about,” Ryoichi let out an innocent chuckle. “I’m just a repairman.”

“It’s alright, Ryoichi. She knows,” Akari reassured him as he sat down on a nearby black stool.

“Is that so?” The repairman turned his attention toward the class president, eyeing her suspiciously before giving her a warm smile. “And just to whom do I have the pleasure of seeing a new face?”

“It’s nice to meet you, I’m Ayano Suzumiya,” she gave a polite bow. “I’m Akari’s girl—”

“Classmate,” Akari interrupted before whispering to her, “It’s best if he doesn’t know.”

“Oh? Well, it’s nice to meet you too!” Ryoichi nodded back in acknowledgment. “Ryoichi Mochizuki. I’m the humble owner of this repair shop. If you ever have any needs from bicycle repairs to phone damages, please let me know!”

“Ryoichi’s been running this shop for five years,” Akari added while Ryoichi flipped open the heavy cover of the album. He found an empty space and slid the photo he had taken into a sleeve.

Eager to view his collection, Ayano hopped over to the counter with her eyes darting down to the photo album.

The photo album revealed eight snapshots of Akari, each capturing a different facet of his enigmatic personality. One picture showcased him pensively enjoying a popsicle at the beach. Another exuded confidence as he donned a sharp black suit for a meeting. Ayano’s personal favorite was seeing Akari who had fallen asleep on the blue couch in his room.

“Do you have any pictures of him besides these?” Ayano asked, hoping to see images of Aki.

“If you want to see more, I have cuter pictures of him right here!” Ryoichi flipped open the photo album. Before Ayano’s eyes could land on any of the pictures, Akari slammed the book shut.

“Ryoichi, what is the meaning of this?” He glared daggers at the repairman. “I thought you got rid of them.”

“Since when did I say that?” Ryoichi smirked at the young gangster who scowled back in response.

“Armorer! Are you there?!” A loud voice called out from outside, interrupting their conversation.

“Oh!” Ryoichi glanced at the closed door, pursing his lips. He gazed at the two students. “I forgot about them.”

“Who?”

“I have a scheduled meeting for a pickup with a few Vipers,” Ryoichi explained as he walked over to the cubed shelves, his eyes moving down row by row to find their devices. Both Akari and Ayano’s eyes widened upon hearing the last word.

“Vipers are coming here?!”

“Yeah, what’s wrong with that?”

“They may recognize us,” Ayano shuddered.

“You two? How? I can understand why they could recognize Akari but how could they recognize you, Ayano?” Ryoichi asked.

“There’s no time to explain right now,” Akari argued as he vacillated between Ryochi and the front door, scared that the Viper members would enter at any moment.

“You two can hide under here,” Ryoichi lifted the gate and gestured to the counter before him. There was a hollow space beneath the table.

Grasping Ayano’s hand, Akari quickly pulled her to hide in the small space. The two barely managed to squeeze underneath just as the door swung open. Three members of the Viper gang walked in, each bearing a black snake tattoo on their left arm.

“Good afternoon, gentlemen!” Ryoichi greeted them. “I have your phones right here and all fixed up!”

Ayano couldn’t hold back a sneeze, attempting to muffle the sound discreetly. Unfortunately, her efforts were in vain, and the sneeze caught the attention of the others in the room. But before they could question it, Ryoichi pretended to imitate the sneeze, attempting a high-pitched falsetto as he covered his mouth with the rag.

The man eyed the repairman suspiciously but let it go as he picked up his phone. “Good afternoon.”

Ayano let out a muffled giggle hearing the repairman’s failing attempt while Akari brought up a finger to his lips, glaring at her to be silent.

As Ryoichi engaged in a friendly chat with the Viper members about the bill, Ayano found herself sitting on the floor, hugging her knees and gazing down in a somewhat absent-minded manner.

A tiny spider scurried into view, capturing her attention. She watched it with mild curiosity, finding the little creature intriguing before the eight-legged creature suddenly changed its trajectory and began rushing toward the class president.

Ayano’s eyes widened in surprise and she instinctively leaned back to avoid the spider’s path. In her hurried movement, she accidentally lost her balance and tumbled backward, inadvertently falling against Akari.

Feeling Ayano collide with him, Akari couldn’t help but jolt up instinctively, raising his guard. Unfortunately, this sudden reaction caused the back of his head to bump into the countertop behind him. He winced slightly from the impact, trying to hide any discomfort.

“What was that?” The man said as they froze up. Ayano had fallen on top of Akari with her wrist grasped, preventing her from removing his hair clip. Their faces were inches apart as Akari tried his hardest to not move a muscle.

“It’s nothing. I just banged my knee against the table,” Ryoichi laughed. The Viper member eyed him suspiciously but then shrugged. Slapping a few bills on the counter, he gestured for his men to leave.

“Thank you for your patronage!” Ryoichi bid the Viper gang members farewell with a polite wave as they exited, leaving the repair shop. As soon as they were gone, Akari and Ayano stumbled out of their cramped hiding spot, collapsing on the floor with a mix of relief and exhaustion.

“That was a close one,” Akari let out a relieved sigh. As he brushed his hair back, he noticed that his hair clip was missing. His eyes darted toward Ayano, who innocently held the white hair clip in her hand.

Before he could say anything, the sound of the camera’s shutter clicked once more, with Ryoichi aiming the lens at both the class president and the young gangster.

“Why did you take another picture?!” Akari shouted as he shot to his feet, feeling a bit flustered.

“It’s cute,” Ryoichi simply explained as he admired the photo.

Slightly annoyed, Akari lunged forward, attempting to snatch the photo from Ryoichi’s hand, but the repairman skillfully withdrew it from his grasp. Smirking playfully, Ryoichi extended his hand with the new photograph, offering it to Ayano.

“Here you are!” He offered the picture. Confused, Ayano stared at it before hesitantly accepting it. The developed photo had captured her and Akari staring puzzled at the camera with Akari lacking his hair clip.

Determined to reclaim his photo, Akari made a move to snatch it back from Ayano, but she stashed it away in her school bag.

“This is mine now,” she teased with a playful smirk. Ryoichi chuckled at their playful banter and gestured toward the exit of the workshop.

“You two should get going,” he suggested, glancing at his watch. “I’m sure the others are getting quite hungry.”