The Meeting

Oh, finally the shift is almost over. Well she just basically delivering drinks but somehow being around drunk people makes her nervous. She saw Mr. Kishiwa looking at her and then call her.

"I think it's best you work behind the counter, helping Ai." said Mr. Kishiwa

Rei cringe a little bit. "Did I do anything wrong?"

"Well not exactly. This is a night establishment and you are underage. Frankly speaking, i was against Okiwa when he decided to hired you. But he is the boss."

Ugh, Rei feels like Mr. Kishiwa doesn't want her to be here. But he doesn't fired her, so it's better to follow what his order is.

"Let me talk to Okiwa. This is for your own good." then Mr. Kishiwa left. That guy seems the type who never smile.

Rei has a feeling that she won't be around long in this club, bar or whatever it is. She have to find another job. But how to find a job that fit the schedule for school and babysitting his 3 brother?

"Don't worry about him. He always like that. Doesn't mean he's mad at you." a voice suddenly speak to her. It was Ai san. Rei nods to her.

"Oh, please don't be so formal. You really are a kid aren't you?" Ai said.

She isn't as chatty as Megumi san, but she isn't as scary as Mr. Kishiwa.

"Here, clean up these glasses." said Ai.

The Night's Sun also serve food so, there's a lot of dirty plates. Rei decides to clean it.

"You work until midnight right?" Ai asks.

Rei nods again.

"Why don't you get a day part-time job like normal high school student? Ai asks again.

"Oh.. i have to take care of my brothers in the afternoon" Rei answer as short as possible.

"I see.. must be hard." Ai reply.

Suddenly Okiwa san comes inside to the bar.

"Oh, Rei. I'm so sorry. I talked to Oda and he said it's best if you don't serve the customer. So I don't think.."

"Heey, Okiwa. Didn't you promise me someone who can help out in the back?" said Ai loudly.

"Ah.. eh.. did I?"

"Yeah, do u think it's easy to be the only bartender here. More over the chef back there only got one part time helper. So there's a lot cleaning up to do. And I don't want cleaning some plates and leftovers after serving this smelly old guys!" scream Ai.

It is true, aside from drinks, there are a lot orders for foods too. Hence the dirty plates and leftovers.

"Geez, don't yell like that, Ai. The customers will leave." Okiwa whispers.

"Ah, they half drunk anyway." said Ai, back to her job.

Okiwa talks to Rei again.

"Well, your shift its almost over Rei. You can change and meet me at front okay."

It seems she almost get fired before. Maybe Okiwa san will really fired her, she thinks.

After she change, she meets Okiwa san at the front door. More customers begins to show up. Some of them seems regulars, they talk and say hi to Mr. Kishiwa.

"Here is your payment today, Rei." said Okiwa san. Rei receives the money, but Okiwa san doesn't say anything anymore.

"Mm.. so, I can continue work here?" Rei asks.

"Well, Oda didn't ask me to let you go. But, lets give it a trial first okay. And it's not you're going to work here every night. But you have to work at weekend, okay. That is our busiest day." said Okiwa san. Now Rei notices. Okiwa san talks like a train, he talks about a lot of stuff at once.

Rei smile, "Thank you so much, Okiwa san."

"Ah, Oda call me. Can you go home by yourself Rei? Well, I text you your shift's schedule tomorrow okay." Okiwa san go back to the store again.

Rei counts the money and put it in her bag. She is so happy with the amount of money that she receives and she can imagine how much money she will have if she continue to work at The Night's Sun. As glad as she is, she suddenly realizes that her surrounding is different from the moment she embarks from her house this evening.

Off course it is. It's midnight.

Rei clenches her teeth. She looks around every turn and activates all of her senses. There's not even a cat or dog around. Rei begins to walks quickly. She was so worried about leaving Take and the twins alone, she didn't think that the walk home will be so nerve breaking. Can she really do this more than 5 times a week?

After power walks around 15 minutes, Rei begin to feel out of breath as if she was running. She considers to run, but people might think she is a thief running at night.

Rei try to take a deep breath, maybe she over thinking this whole thing. She just needs to get home that is it.

She begins to walk in a normal pace again, when suddenly she hears a voice. It's like a can being kick at. Maybe it's a cat. But there isn't a single cat or dog back there. She try to walk again, then there's that sound again. Now it's a step, behind her. She wants to look but somehow her instinct tells her to just move forward, rapidly. So she begins to power walk again, and she can hears the steps also follow so. She begin to panics. She look around to find a 24 hours convenience store, and she just realizes the nearest is the one near to her house. Which is around 5 minutes walk again. But she thinks she can do it, so she run as fast as she can, trying not to hear the steps behind her. She can see the light, it's still far but the light is on. It's the convenience store! She run again, not even turns her head on the crossing and she almost there.

When she arrives at the side of the store, she finally looks back and she sees no one. She could swear she hears some steps there. She looks inside the convenience store the clerk is still behind the counter. The presence of another human being relax her. She go inside the store and buy some water and pudding. All the running makes her thirsty. Her house is just another five minutes walk away. But she feels so close.

Rei walks out the convenience store and stops to drink, she throws the empty bottle to the trash bin and get ready to walk home. She turns to the other side of the store and begin to walks away.

"Miss, i think you drop this."

Rei stuns. She looks to the source of the voice. It was a middle age guy barely standing, probably because he is drunk.

"You walk so fast miss, why are you running?"

Rei can feels her body freeze. She looks to the convenience store, it is impossible for the clerk to see where she is right now. Unless he comes outside, should she screams?

"Heey, i'm talking to you. Why are you so rude.." the guy comes a few steps nearer.

Rei instinctively steps back.

"Whaat are you scare of me? I was trying to help you.. you dropped this.."

The guy suddenly charges at Rei, and pull Rei's hand. In his other hand the guy swinging around some scarfs Rei never see before.

"It.. it's not mine please let me.. let me go. Let me go!" Rei try to screams but the strength of the guy holding her wrist makes her almost paralyzes.

She remembers shaking her hands so hard to set free, she evens close her eyes. The plastic bag with the pudding for Take and the twins is flying around. She can feels the tears in her eyes begin to drop.

And then suddenly, the guys grip is gone. She can't believe what she feels, so she open her eyes.

"The heck are you doing old man? Aren't you drunk enough to walk around at night."

The old guy now sitting down, trying to grab his senses.

Oh my god, someone save her. Thank God. It's the clerk, he saw what happened. And she come to save her, Rei thought.

But then Rei take another good look of his saviour and realizes he isn't the clerk.

And more importantly, i think now that all her adrenalin begin to calms down, she realizes she knows him.

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