Denpa Onna to Seishun Otoko:Volume3 Afterwords

Afterword

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To replace an interesting postscript… I will be publishing a continuous novel.

This is number 1:

Not enough money. I noticed the fact as I began suckling on the ice tea after the meal. The colour of the lemon peel stuck onto the glass reminded of the not-so-transparent problem with my wallet. Before entering the store, I seemed to have forgotten the act of checking my funding.

Letting the straw out, I frantically look for my wallet. Inside is a single bill of one thousand yen. The lunch was exactly one thousand yen — without the tax, of course. In other words, I am short fifty yen.

Just fifty. A mere fifty. A single coin, yet impossible to produce out of thin air.

I am flabbergasted: I've no plan this entire life to be involved with the vernaculars of a dine-and-dash.

The tomato pasta had been devoured; the sides bread as well as salad sit in my stomach. Since the only thing that ate the food is my stomach, I simply have to leave that part of me in the store… That's simply out of question. But if the cute register girl tells me to do just that, I might just pass out from fear.

I read about this store in a magazine I picked up, and ended up in here without much thought — my downfall was already in motion then. I blame that magazine. But since I've already threw it in the trash can of a convenient store on the way, I couldn't use it as a rag either.

My nose dried, a sign of panic. To avoid drawing attention, I put the straw back into my mouth and began observing the interior. Lunch time had passed, and the customers gone, yet everyone seemed to be enjoying his or her tea or coffee. My glass, on the other hand, bubbled with my breath.

I had hoped that maybe a fifty yen coin was underneath the table, but all I saw were my dirty shoes. They won't even be pawned for fifty yen, would they?

Well then, I've thought of several solutions:

1. Escape from the window in the bathroom. It's the worst possible thing. And I don't even know if the bathroom has a window.

2. Utilize my cellular device to call a friend over. Sadly, I don't have one.

3. Ask another customer for some money… Is this the only choice?

Or to split the bill: locate another person whose' bill is also below a thousand yen, and have him split the amount with me. It's mightily difficult, but it's the only idea I could think of. I want to leave apologising to the restaurant as the final resort. Damn my need for appearance.

The candidate after much deliberation was the female sitting behind me to the right. She's appeared in my sight from a while ago, but she sat down only after I've taken a seat; she also only ordered a coffee.

I stand with two arms pushing against the table; after pinching the feet that seemed to want to escape, I steadily and sneakily approached the female… Hey, just go up and ask if you don't have an ulterior motive!

Let's get this out of the way first: ain't no way I am bowing down. I've never struck up a conversation with a stranger. My body trembled in fear. At least it's a bit better than admitting that I'm dining and dashing. Probably. No, definitely.

Courage is not needed if you're in the right. It's to support you at such lame times, does that bravery appear. That's my thought on the matter.

Now is one of such times. I move out with intrepidation. “'Scuse me, may I hit on you?'

“Hah?” The female emitted an off-tuned shriek of shock while looking up. I know I'm the one who did it, but this was the absolutely worst way to start a conversation. I belittled myself. The woman put her coffee down, her squinted brows suspecting my intent.

“Um, what I mean is...”

“...”

“So, this way I could...”

“Sorry, I'm busy. Excuse me.”

She apologized twice and squeezed the reason for her escape in between. Someone who was just reading a book while sipping coffee probably doesn't have anything to do with 'busy.' Nevertheless I couldn't muster the thought of persuading her to stay, due to the possibility of her screaming the moment I held her shoulder. Besides, why would I risk more suspicion than just dining and dashing?

The female puts the bag on her arm and races to the register with the check in hand. Though she turns back with a glance, I cannot return the look from shame. The other customers' stares hurt as well. I want to disappear.

I shift my eyes to my feet; something there catches my attention. It's the same magazine that I read earlier.

The female from earlier seems to have forgotten about it, or maybe she left it intentionally. I pick up the colourful papers and crush it without hesitation. The woman in yukata on the cover turned thin like the paper itself.

“Ah~~” I exhaled the last shard of courage. I feel myself deflating from being treated like a goblin. The bravery itself withered, like rotten skin, stuck to the bottom of my heart. No more, I raised my hands up in defeat.

If I come clean, maybe the store will let me go — it is just fifty yen. It's a little sad if I get saved that way, though. Sometimes, kindness is just as lethal as a weapon.

Once again I carefully inspect the content of my wallet. That reminds me: all of my changes were donated to a box in the book store dedicated for service dogs for blind people. I am unsure if that was stupid or not.

I leave the seat, head hanging and eyes staring at the bill. In a speed roughly six times slower than the female from earlier I walk toward the counter. She had already left at this point; the excellent attendant notices my approach and pre-emptively spoke, 'thank you so much~' A hole grew in my stomach.

After reaching the register, I hopelessly stick the bill out and open with a formless start that seem to melt in the seasonal heat.

“Uhh, so uh… I, uh, the money...”

“Oh, that must be this month's issue. Would you like to use the coupon?”

“Huh…?” Issue? I realise that I had been holding that abandoned magazine. “Coupon?” Bewildered, I hand the book to her.

“Thank you very much!” The attendant takes the magazine as though robbing me, swiftly opens the issue and flips through the pages; she then deftly tears the unused coupon from the magazine and re-adjusts the balance on the register.

“Wha-?”

The digits reduced by one. The number froze me on the spot. My vision shrinks; if it were now, my eye balls might just line up with the green electronic symbols.

“The coupon can take off two hundred yen; your total will now be eight hundred and forty yen.”

I feel that the entirety of my life's miracles had been used up by such a stupid thing. Hair stood on my skin.

Light should have filled my eyes, yet the focus will not align. Like a dream, bleary.

I take out the wrinkly thousand-yen bill from my wallet and guidedly hand it to the attendant. She once again energetically retrieves the cash. After tapping on the register, she gives my change.

“One hundred and sixty yen is your change! Thank you very much!”

“...Thanks.” I nod in agreement and take the change and receipt.

And like so, without being censured or kicked out, I leave the store in peace.

After coming outside, I wobble unsafely toward the crowd; I return to the train station.

The remaining one hundred sixty yen ended up in the boxes of the fundraisers asking for donation outside.

Karma truly is a wonderful thing~ I arbitrarily put the sentiment onto the changes leaving my hands.

The warm summer wind blows through my shirt; the cold sweat disappears from my back.

I stand amidst the crowd, spacing out at the entrance as calm as the eye of a storm and looking into the sky.

That was stupid, I thought.

End

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