Today, I...
"Um, excuse me! Hello!"
I approached the register without holding any items and gave a deep, formal bow. It was a stiff way to start a confession, but there was no helping it if I wanted to cross the line between customer and store clerk. After all, this kind of behavior could easily be considered customer harassment.
"...Thanks for coming in, as always."
She looked at me with a puzzled expression.
It was our first proper meeting, but not really our first time seeing each other. That made me a little happy. She recognized me as a customer who visited the store at least once a week. I had been worried that she might not even remember my face.
"Are you looking for something in particular today?"
It was the standard employee response.
"Actually... I have something I want to talk to you about today."
I pushed forward and spoke clearly.
"My name is Tate Riku. 'Tate' as in shield, and 'Riku' as in continent. It sounds a bit strange, but that's my name. I'm 19 years old and just started university this year."
"Riku."
She repeated my name.
"Yes!"
I was overjoyed.
Her calm, slightly husky voice — the same one that made me tremble even during our short exchanges while shopping — had just called my name. It was the best feeling. At this point, I almost wanted to call today a success and savor the happiness.
Of course, that wasn't enough.
"I'm Hidora Jun."
She introduced herself as well.
She was actually talking to me.
I was thrilled!
"Hidora... Are you the store manager, by any chance?"
The store was called Recycle Shop Hidora.
It was a shabby-looking secondhand goods store located in the shopping street in front of the station in the town where I had just started living alone. I had come in looking for a small table for my room and fell in love with her at first sight.
"Have you ever seen any other employees here?"
Jun leaned her cheek on her hand at the register and asked.
"No, but... you're young."
I had noticed she was always the one minding the store, so I assumed she was related to the owner. But I never imagined she was actually the owner herself. Whether it was a good place to work or not was one thing, but honestly, it didn't seem to have much future.
That's just who I am!
"I'm not that young. I'm already 30."
"No, you're not! I-I like you! Jun-san! It was love at first sight! I've never felt this way before! Um... please go out with me! I'm still just a unreliable student, but I'll work hard and become someone worthy of you!"
I bowed deeply.
"..."
Jun didn't answer.
I nervously raised my head to look at her face.
"I'm not for sale, you know? Though I am secondhand."
When our eyes met, she said it teasingly.
She didn't seem angry at all.
"I didn't mean it like that, I just..."
I shook my head vigorously.
"Just...?"
She pressed me, putting pressure on me.
She was clearly sizing me up.
"I don't want you to think I'm creepy, but... I haven't been able to stop thinking about you. I've been coming to the store once a week to shop, but I felt like I was about to lose control and start acting like a stalker. If I was going to end up being hated anyway, I thought it would be better to confess properly and at least have a chance. P-Please..."
I had no choice but to answer honestly.
A plain university student like me didn't have much to offer. People say honesty doesn't help in romance, and they're probably right, but I was already thinking about marriage. If she told me to make this recycle shop bigger, I was ready to dedicate my entire life to it. It might sound like I was getting carried away, but still.
"You want to have sex with me, right?"
Jun stood up from her chair.
"Huh!?"
I felt my heart tighten sharply.
"You don't want to?"
I already knew it, but Jun was taller than me. She always sat on a small chair that didn't match her physique at the storefront. It would be a lie to say I hadn't noticed her long legs, the way her ass spilled over the seat, or her large breasts resting on her folded arms. Those were obviously part of her charm too.
"I-It's not that I don't want to, but... I haven't gotten an answer to my confession yet. Shouldn't we get to know each other better first, as a proper step before doing something like that?"
"Are you a virgin?"
Jun asked directly.
"Yes... embarrassingly so."
There was no point trying to act cool anymore.
"I like first-timers. But my opinion is different from yours, Riku. Only after our bodies are compatible do we have a real reason to get to know each other. I'll give you a chance, okay?"
She stepped out from behind the register. The sound of her pumps clicking against the floor echoed as she walked past me toward the entrance. She flipped the OPEN sign to CLOSED and locked the glass door.
"Shall we do it?"
She turned around with a smile.
Her long, slanted eyes looked seductive. She slightly stuck out her tongue from her large mouth and undid the long hair she had tied in a ponytail. She was beautiful. It was an unexpected development, but for me, it was definitely a chance.
"Please take care of me."
I stood my ground and faced her.
"You're so formal. The kind of sex I like is simple — it's either eat or be eaten. Riku. Don't be disappointed now that you know the woman you fell in love with at first sight is like this. I'll devour you completely, without leaving even a shred of regret."
It seemed Jun was planning to make me get over my crush right here and now.