We must have talked for about ten minutes. Suddenly, Umihara said, “You’re actually a pretty interesting person, aren’t you?”
Her smile at that moment could almost be described as “bewitching.” It was an expression I hadn’t seen while we were acting as a group.
Umihara said something else after that, but I don’t remember the content. Why? Because… I was too busy being hyped by the fact that Umihara was a “Little Devil Heroine”!
She plays the part of a normal girl usually, but in a fleeting moment, she shows a sexy expression. The “Little Devil” archetype who bewilders the protagonist with that gap and charm. I had a sneaking suspicion that Sakakibara’s (tentative) harem was lacking some healthy sex appeal.
If she joins the harem, the rom-com will accelerate and become even more interesting. I feel bad for Sasaki, but what I want to see is the rom-com. I’ll just have to help him find a different girl (trashy logic).
The trope of a friend character falling for one of the heroines… well, it’s not unheard of in rom-coms, but the rom-coms I like are, first and foremost, heavy on the comedy. I neither like nor dislike the “entangled drama” type of rom-com; I’m just neutral.
Because I was thinking about things like that, I felt bad for just giving Umihara vague “uh-huh” responses. We talked until right before the meeting time, and come to think of it, her face was quite red. I hope she didn’t catch a cold.
Anyway, everyone eventually gathered, and we all made it home safely. It was a day of many harvests. I can look forward to more events that will entertain me in the future.
READ THE ORIGINAL TRANSLATION AT LOCALIZERMEERKAT.GITHUB.IO
Month B, Day □
Two days after the amusement park trip. A notification popped up in the group chat the “Sakakibara Harem” (my personal label) made for the park.
[PLEASE! SAVE MY FAMILY FROM CRISIS!!!!]
I wondered what on earth happened, but this was essentially the situation:
- Sasaki’s family runs a small, private shop loved by the locals.
- His father, who usually works there, broke a bone in an accident, and the part-timer is out with a cold.
- It just so happens to be a time when the shopping district is having a lottery event, so there’s more foot traffic and they’re short-staffed. He wants help only during the event period.
Simply put, you’d think they should just close the shop if business is difficult, right? However, Sasaki answered my question like this:
[You see, we get a lot of elderly neighbors. It’s a bit far for them to go to the supermarket, so a lot of people rely on our shop… I don’t want to close it if I can help it.]
Simply put, Sasaki is a good guy. I’ve only known him for a month, but it’s an undeniable fact that Kosuke Sasaki is a virtuous human being. Just the other day, he spent all day running around town to help an elementary schooler find a lost keychain. He’s such a good guy, yet he doesn’t overtly attract girls. A man who embodies all the traits of a “Friend Character”—that is Kosuke Sasaki. Sad.
Well, since there’s some pay involved, and more importantly, because we can’t leave a friend in trouble, Sakakibara, Takashiro, Shironami, Umihara, and I (to observe the harem) all volunteered to help for the next two days. Not just Sasaki, but the members of the Sakakibara Harem (my personal label) are all good people. You say my motive is the only impure one? How rude—it’s “Pure (Harem) Love (by my standards).”
As for the work, besides operating the register and stocking shelves, they also make and sell prepared foods like yakisoba and grilled squid. That’s a crazy amount of work.
Well, I don’t know how it’ll turn out… but there’s no doubt it’ll be interesting. It’s no exaggeration to say that a part-time job for high schoolers is a classic youth event (it is an exaggeration). I’ll do the work, of course, but I’m going to catch every single “rom-com wave” that comes my way.
Month B, Day ×
And so, we came to work at Sasaki’s family home, “Sasaki Stores.” As high school freshmen, none of us had part-time experience, and some members were nervous… but Sasaki and his mother welcomed us warmly.
Sasaki’s mother is… well, very much “Sasaki’s mother.” If I had to describe her, she’s a “gutsy mom.” She’s incredibly bright and never stops smiling, but she’s quite strict with her son… that kind of vibe.
After some small talk, the jobs were assigned as follows:
- Sakakibara → Cashier
- Takashiro → Cooking prepared foods
- Shironami → Customer service, attracting customers
- Umihara → Customer service, attracting customers
- Me → Stocking shelves
Of course, there would be rotations, but this was the basic setup. By the way, the reason I was assigned to shelf-stocking is because I’m “too expressionless for customer service.” I understood.
And so, business began. For the first thirty minutes or so, customers only trickled in… but after that, it was just… wow.
Why? Because beautiful girls were attracting customers, and once people entered the store, a handsome guy would ring up the food the beautiful girls made. There was no way people wouldn’t come.
Beyond just looks, the members of this Sakakibara Harem (my personal label) were a high-spec group to begin with.
Perhaps because she’s mixed, Shironami is fluent in English, capturing the hearts of foreign tourists while befriending customers with her natural brightness and communication skills. Umihara was simply great at conversation and recommending products. Takashiro made samples in no time, capturing both the stomachs and hearts of customers with the taste and her modest smile. Sakakibara followed up on everyone while handling the register perfectly, capturing the hearts of the older ladies with his “ikemen smile.” Their hearts were being so thoroughly captured I was almost worried. Meanwhile, I was erasing my presence and constantly restocking products that were selling like hotcakes. I’m exhausted. By the way, Sasaki started by teaching everyone, but seeing how quickly they got the hang of it, he ran out of things to do and was just idling around. Poor guy.
At this rate, tomorrow’s business should go smoothly too. Maybe because I did things I’m not used to, I’m incredibly tired today, so I’ll end today’s diary here.
Month B, Day !
The second day of the job. The final day. Today, as yesterday, we divided roles and handled things smoothly… but today, of all things, a “classic rom-com event” occurred.
Just like yesterday, Shironami and Umihara were out attracting customers when—you guessed it—some classic thugs started harassing them. “Hey cuties, you’re looking good. Wanna grab a tea with us?” kind of thing.
At first, Shironami and Umihara were firm, saying “We’re working!”, but the thugs gradually got more violent… Takashiro, noticing something was wrong, rushed over, but just as a thug was about to lay a hand on them—! Our Harem Protagonist, Sakakibara (my personal label), stepped in…!
The way he repelled them was cool, too. While Sakakibara was trying to talk them down, one thug lost his patience and grabbed him by the collar… Sakakibara quickly moved into his space and did a shoulder throw! He pinned him down just like that. Then the other thugs tried to attack… but Sasaki, arriving a bit late, used his natural athleticism to suppress them. Their skill would have surprised a police officer, and the other customers were cheering. Me? The moment it looked like violence was brewing, I had already reported it to Sasaki’s mom and the police. I have zero combat power.
Shironami and Umihara must have been scared; they acted tough, but once it was over, they plopped down on the floor. Then Sakakibara comforted them. Our rom-com protagonist is perfect even at the after-care.
Word of mouth about the incident spread, and people came in droves like a rolling snowball to see the “heroes.” Some classmates who heard rumors also rushed over, and according to Sasaki’s mom, they had more than triple the usual number of customers. It’s also a “fond” memory that I, the shelf-stocker, was made to hold a “End of the Line” placard like a staff member at an event. It made no sense, though.
And so, we worked until closing… or rather, until the store was almost out of stock. Because of the frantic influx of customers, we ran out of things to sell by evening and closed up shop. The power of handsome guys and beautiful girls is truly terrifying.
Perhaps because sales exploded, they gave us a little extra in our pay. I’ll keep the exact amount private, but it’s enough to indulge in some fancy food and drink. So, after the job, the Sakakibara Harem + Me had a “wrap party” in the form of a food tour. Sasaki… well, he had to clean up, so he couldn’t join. I can’t hide my sympathy for his fate of being distanced from the scent of youth. Poor guy.
We walked through the shopping district, eating staples like croquettes from the butcher shop and crepes. Of course, it goes without saying that every time they tried to eat something, Takashiro and Shironami had an “Ahhn Battle” over Sakakibara. What even is an “Ahhn Battle”?
Because of the thug incident, we were called out to quite often in the district. “Hey there, handsome!” or “Hero!” they cheered, and Sakakibara looked rather embarrassed.
I watched them intently while erasing my presence. You ask if I was being excluded? No, that’s not… that’s not true. Really!
Regardless, being involved with this group really leads to dramatic encounters. “Never a dull moment” describes it perfectly. There are no plans after the holiday, but it might be a blessing to have something to look forward to even after school starts.
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