Chapter Two. Anpan-kun's part-time job and Ame-san's almost lonely home

Anpan-kun looked toward the quickly disappearing Keko, pulled out his cell phone, glanced at the time, and strode briskly toward home. There was still time, but only a little time.

Anpan-kun's house, or Kazumi's family's, was the most ordinary house of an average office clerk working to a fig or more. Kazumi's parents' careers had been successful; they had yet to get too high, but they were still slowly moving up the ladder. Also, unlike many other fathers, Kazumi senior appeared at home every day and not too late, even dropping in a few times a week in a reasonably close dojo. The dojo was quite famous, and several people from the same firm where Anpan-kun's father worked could be found there. Evil Tongues said that this was the reason for his relatively successful career. How much truth there was in that was unknown.

The only true thing was that Kazumi Senior had been unstable since Hideki-kun finally and irrevocably became Anpan-kun at the end of junior high school. It was the beginning of that period when Hideki-kun's father could no longer proudly come with his eldest son to the dojo but started looking for all sorts of reasons to explain his absence, allowing him to save face. This was after realizing he could not control his son's completeness with a complete lack of facilitation. And the state of his pride proved to be more important than the moral state of his son.

The result of one of his attempts at such control, Dad's latest invention, remained to this day - a unique lock that left the wicket door closed unless you pulled a weight (especially for Anpan-kun), used a fingerprint (it worked only for Anpan-kun's mother and sister), or pulled a lever made at such a height that Anpan-kun, even grown up since junior high school, couldn't reach it even if he jumped. It was not permanently closed, though; Anpan-kun's mother and younger sister thought such actions were wrong.

The gate in front of his house was closed from the inside again. Anpan-kun grimaced.

"That's a funny joke, Dad. Let me get flogged by a kitsune before I'm..." - Anpan-kun hissed. He hadn't changed his mind then; he wouldn't change his mind now.

Anpan-kun took out his grandfather's old beak, hidden in the bushes for such an occasion, and put it at an angle to the fence. He went over the fence, opened the wicket, and stashed the beak again. It didn't look much different from a twisted tree branch, and if you didn't look for it on purpose, you wouldn't notice it even in winter, and it was fall. Anpan-kun hoped that by winter, his father would stop being so stupid, trying in such a stupid way to instill in him a craving for sports again. At Anpan-kun himself, such pranks of not especially favorite daddy did not cause muffled irritation.

Anpan-kun went home in a hurry. Yeah, well, time is of the essence. Sis is still at school - her club activities today are far from over, and she'll be home a little later. Anpan-kun quickly devoured a couple of onigiri left by his mother and hurried to the one place where he was treated with an open mind - his part-time job at a car repair shop. Mato-san, the repair shop's owner, was a particular case, but the others appreciated his skill and willingness to work. The only thing that could have been better was that he was a bit late, but it needed to be more critical. He'd noticed a suspicious note on his desk in the morning, read it, and immediately told Mato-san that he'd be late today.

***

The 24-hour auto repair shop where he worked part-time was a small building near the freeway exit that ran past their town. It took Anpan-kun about half an hour to get there, and he usually took the last train or bus home. When he arrived at the parking lot near the entrance, his partner for today's shift, Yamada-senpai, jumped out. Because of the 24-hour operation of the car service center, there was always someone there. Yamada-senpai usually arrived a little earlier than Anpan-kun, and Anpan-kun himself and Yamada-senpai were due for their shift closer to midnight.

- Kazumi-kun, you've finally arrived...

Anpan-kun nodded:

- Good evening, Yamada-sempai. Did something happen?

Usually, if there were no customers and few in the evening, Yamada-senpai would sit around and play mobile grind games, occasionally bragging to Anpan-kun about another "pull." Anpan-kun realized it was a heavy inheritance from high school when he was an otaku and had no desire to study, have a part-time job, or have a girlfriend. Yamada-senpai had something going on today.

- Kazumi-kun," Yamada-senpai whimpered, "I have to leave for a couple of hours because it's Chi-chan's birthday tomorrow, and I can't buy a present. Kazumi, I owe you one.

- Yamada-senpai, call Mato-san and ask him.

— I'll call you, I'll call you, but Kazumi-kun, he'll ask you later. "Is Kazumi-san ready for such a responsibility?" Are you ready?

Anpan-kun shook his head irritably. Staying on duty alone was scary. And then he thought that he might soon have to look for some gift for Ame-san, in which case Yamada-senpai's advice might be indispensable.

—All right, Yamada-senpai. If Mato-san allows it…

Surprisingly, Anpan-kun Mato-san allowed it. He only said which orders not to take and set the general front of work.

"You've made quite a lot of progress, Kazumi—san.

Anpan-kun did not do serious things, but he could touch up here and there, untwist—tighten a couple of bolts. Mato-san even sent him to some courses. Truth… I had to knock out the parent's signature, but he could. Well, I did every little thing quite often already without supervision.

Yamada-senpai left, and after a while, there was some noise near the entrance to the car repair shop, and Anpan-kun realized that his shift would only pass somewhat calmly. A customer has arrived. When Anpan-kun approached the approaching car, he realized that everything was a little worse. The car that pulled up was one of the local sports cars and a fairly old model. And as Anpan-kun knew from his little experience, outright assholes often drove such cars. Anpan-kun exhaled, came closer, bowed slightly, and introduced himself:

"Junior Mechanic Kazumi, what can I do for you?"

Anpan-kun was working in overalls, gloves, and work boots; protective glasses were on his forehead, and a respirator hung around his neck so only a person who knew him well could recognize him. And there were no such people nearby and could not be. Therefore, he was fearless in talking to clients and being identified as a high school student.

A guy quite a bit older than Yamada-senpai got out of the muffled car, though in a neat suit and expensive shiny shoes.

— Chet is not fuming; the plant is not that. I don't know what to do. As Anpan-kun has already realized, this is not the most pleasant customer. His "kind-of-real-Kansai accent" could be made out, but with great difficulty, much like the speech of a Gypsy boxer in the rather famous Gaijin film "Snatch."

— What exactly is wrong? Anpan-kun tried to ask as politely as possible.

— And you, kid, will you cry, or what? Is there anyone older? The future client asked with disbelief and suspicion.

— I am alone here at the moment, but I will be glad to help you. What exactly is the problem?

— Do you even get it or not? I know Mato-san, his bearded gaijin, and even this long-bespectacled one. Did you even finish high school? The client approached Anpankun with a rather menacing look and looked at him from a superior height. And Anpan-kun, although he was fat, was not short, but only for his age, so next to an adult of a reasonably high age, he looked frivolous. Which, however, did not particularly affect him. Even if he was a little scared.

—I'm not finished,— Anpan-kun was still able to calmly answer, defiantly looking at the three external cameras, and added, "But Mato-san relies on me, and there are a lot of cameras here, they write everything, so even if I make a mistake, I'll call him, he'll look after— He will advise you. But still," Anpan-kun bowed politely once again, "dear customer, what exactly is the problem?

— I'm telling you, he's not freaking out! The customer jumped onto the seat in anger. Anpan-kun's words about the cameras and Mato-san's custody calmed him slightly. Anyway, he did not try to put pressure on "junior mechanic Kazumi" this time but tried to explain himself. In front of Anpan-kun's eyes, he turned on the ignition.

There was a muffled "Fur-fur-fur".

— If you do this for a long time, it still furies. — Came from the car, - But it isn't good. And then he doesn't fuss again.

— I see. — Anpan-kun figured out what happened and decided to clarify, — Have you bought a car for a long time? Or just now?

— Yes, not for a long time, but before that, I was furious. And it's a shame if they've insulted me. And God forbid you tell anyone! I'll find it and..." the client looked back at the cameras and added, "I'll write complaints to Mato-san. The official one. For non-compliance with the secrecy of ISPO... that is, squandering personal information!

— Good, good. Never to anyone," Anpan—kun tried to calm the problematic client as best he could, "I will not even write the breakdown itself as "ignition does not fuss" but in "various average breakdowns". This is the same amount of money you can write down, so you won't even be able to track the price.

In general, the problem was solved quite simply. The main problem was not the replacement of an almost dead battery but rather the recalculation of relatively small bills that the customer paid. Well, in his threats like "If you blab, you're finished! Your turnip will be zero; no road will be in sight."

Finally, the client disappeared into the night, and Anpan-kun pulled out a manga about giant humanoid robots that he had saved for such a case — quite an obvious choice for a person working in an auto repair shop. However, it didn't take long for a car with another customer to slow down in the parking lot of the car repair shop.

One of the reasons that Mato-san's business functioned so well was its round-the-clock operation. One of the most popular breakdowns that their service encountered at night was the replacement of a wheel, well, or a broken camera.

A customer, or a client, was found in the car driving up to the service station. Somehow, I got to the service, as Anpan-kun realized, having noticed a deflated wheel.

Somehow stopping the car from the service station, a rather beautiful young girl got out, for some reason reminding Anpan-kun of the sticker on Ame-san's phone. However, he was a little older than himself, hardly more than five or six years old, about the age of Yamada—senpai. He patted his cheeks, putting his thoughts in order, and introduced himself:

— Round-the-clock repair of the Mato. Kazumi's junior mechanic.

— I'm Aoi. She said her last name, but Anpan—kun didn't quite catch it. Take care of my car, please, Kazumi-san. And tell me right away, please, how much it will cost me.

The tire was torn to pieces, and Anpan-kun didn't even quite understand how she got here in the first place.

"Twenty thousand yen," he announced the price, "you have a hole in your tire, but I would recommend changing both rear wheels. That's forty thousand, but I can give you a small discount until thirty-eight.

— Forty is forty, there is a discount — so good. His client replied rather indifferently. She looked rather tired, but she wasn't too nervous.

He led her to the waiting room and sat her in a chair.

— Coffee…

"Call me Aoi, Kazumi-san. — The girl understood his difficulties correctly. — And yes, I do, thank you.

—All right, Aoi-san. There are some magazines; if you're bored, you can look.

Anpan-kun lifted the car into the air, unscrewed the wheels, lifted the old ones with a mini crane, brought the new ones, installed them, and returned to the waiting room.

Aoi-san was reading something, blushing a little and giggling softly. Anpan-kun took a closer look. She was reading hentai doujinshi left by Yamada. What a day, what a day!

Anpan-kun made a brick face and decided to ignore it.

"It's all set, Aoi-san. How would you like to pay?

The last question should have been asked BEFORE the wheel change, but Anpan-kun needed to be more relaxed and remembered. To his relief, Aoi-san didn't even think of creating problems for him.

— With a credit card, Kazumi-san. You are welcome.

Two minutes and the bill is paid. Aoi-san got up from her seat. She seems to have finished the magazine

— Thank you, Kazumi-san. At least I had some fun... and thanks for the help. She suddenly looked sad. And, apparently, the "traveling companion effect" worked when you can talk about the most intimate things with someone you will most likely never meet again. — After all, asking for help is okay if you don't understand something. Kazumi-san?

Anpan-kun had not thought about asking for help from anyone for a long time; it was useless for him, but he involuntarily nodded.

— Why doesn't she want to… Anyway, thank you, Junior mechanic Kazumi-san. Good night.

She got out, sat down, and drove away, and Anpan-kun wondered what it was like to "ask someone for help." He didn't even ask for Mato-san. He was probably just lucky.

***

Kyoko, who came home, only quietly squeaked "I'm home" at the entrance, to which no one responded. However, she did not expect it. The younger sister is always busy, and the older one is, too. It's just her who is a slacker.

She took off her shoes, leaving her shoes standing alone at the entrance, reached her room, and fell face down on the bed.

I didn't have the strength for anything. What a disgusting and exhausting day. Nasty classmates, disgusting classmates, stupid, indifferent teachers, and Anpan-kun. She couldn't help but smile. How he tried to protect her on the subway and accidentally himself… She giggled, and her vitality seemed to increase a little; she got up and stood next to a large, full-length mirror.

Even if she's not as bright as her older sister and not as cute as her younger sister, she's still pretty. She looked at herself again. She's pretty. Her thoughts drifted back to how she had physically felt the proof of her attractiveness.…

Maybe she would have been unhappy if it had been someone else, but Anpan-kun is allowed. Although it's a strange thought, she didn't fall in love with him.… It doesn't matter; he's officially her boyfriend, so it's okay.…

She glanced at her watch; she would need more time to get to the sports center. It's a pity. It wouldn't hurt to unwind. She glanced at the darts… That's not it. OK. We need to decide what to wear tomorrow. This dress and jacket will do.

She thought about it. Still, it would be better to go to the sports center, but okay. She entered the room where her younger sister used to train, a mirrored dance hall with a pair of exercise machines. I went up to the treadmill. She increased her speed, trying to forget herself in the running. For her, it was something like meditation; she increased her speed to a level she could hardly run and increased it a little more. Half an hour of running like that with all her might, she was getting better on the dirtiest days of her life. If it was a particularly nasty day, then it's a little better. If not very good, then almost good. Suppose going to the sports center or the automatic baseball field was impossible.

Kyoko went, refreshed herself in the shower, cooked dinner, packed the leftovers in case one of the sisters returned today, and lay in bed with an unfinished book. And somewhere around midnight, I set the alarm and went to bed. She did not want to study today, and there was no particular need before the weekend.

When she fell asleep, she heard a car arrive, a door slam, and a very quiet "I'm home," said her older sister.

"It's strange, and why did she come back so late?"

For some reason, this thought prevented her from falling asleep. And, of course, she was late in the morning.