CH 2

A splendid brick gate stood at the entrance. The grass facing the sky dyed the schoolyard green, and the perfectly maintained, flawless asphalt created a pathway. Three magnificent school buildings reminiscent of medieval Europe stood tall in this setting.

The view of the school buildings illuminated by the morning sun is truly fantastic and enough to make one forget that this is a national university in the South country with an entrance exam deviation of 63.

In a certain classroom in the education department, there was someone who was showing their excitement.

“Hey, listen to me Toma! I met someone by chance on my way to school today!”

“How can you be so energetic in the morning… Haru. So, who did you meet exactly?”

As the soft, powdery white morning sunlight filtered through, Haru, also known as Kaidou Haru, slammed his hand on the desk where Toma wase sitting without any warning, radiating an “Please pay attention to me” aura.

“Even I can’t get this hyped up since the morning like anyone! But if you meet that senior, anyone would be like this!”

Haru, who had his short bright brown hair slicked back with hard wax, was passionately explaining to Toma while her bright black eyes sparkled.

“Okay, okay, I got it. So who did you meet?”

“An angel.”

“Huh?”

“I’m saying an angel in the 3D world, not in the 2D world!”

“Hey, Haru… did you hit your head or something?”

Haru conveyed only the main point without a subject. It was natural for Toma, who didn’t know what was going on, to furrow his eyebrows slightly and tilt his head when someone came up to him in such high spirits and said, “I met an angel right after coming to school.”

“No, I’m not talking about 2D, I’m talking about the 3D world’s angel!!”

“What are you talking about at the age of 20… I don’t understand it anymore.”

“No, no, this is what all the male students are talking about. The beauty of an angel… or rather, a goddess? Anyway, once you see her, Toma, you’ll understand!”

“Uh-huh.”

“‘Uh-huh’ won’t cut it! Just show some interest, even just a little… Why aren’t you interested in this?”

Haru sighed loudly, pressing her head with one hand. She seemed to be disappointed for some reason.

“Well, it’s not that I’m not interested… But in the end, who is this ‘angel’ you’re talking about?”

“It’s Sasaki Mio! She’s called the ‘Nursing’s Angelt’ at Reijo Nursing University! She’s our senior. Toma, you’ve heard of her, right?”

(… Sasaki… Mio…? I feel like I’ve heard the name before, but at the same time, I don’t think I have… I know someone named Sasaki, but I’m not sure if it’s the same person.)

Listening to Haru’s story, Toma tried to remember someone who stood out, but no one came to his mind.

Sasaki, who is called the “Nursing’s Angel”, is a super famous person even at this university. People like Toma who say they “don’t know” her are really in the minority.

“Well, I can understand why you aren’t so interested, Toma. You work at Bar[Shine], and women must hit on you, right? You’re tall, muscular, and don’t seem to have any trouble with women.”

“No, that’s not true… Most of the people who hit on me are drunk men…”

Dealing with drunk people, regardless of gender, is tough. Especially with someone you just met. Toma recalled bitter memories from his past part-time jobs, and Toma’s handsome face twisted in disgust.

“‘Mostly’ means that women hit on you too, right? Oh, how enviable. Maybe I should work at a bar too. The pay is good.”

“Just so you know, working at a bar is tough too. You have to memorize hundreds of drink names, and your sleep schedule can get reversed from day to night. And taking care of customers who passed out drunk… And cleaning up vomit in the bathroom is no picnic either.”

A bar is a place where people drink alcohol.

If a customer doesn’t regulate their drinking, drinks too much, or chugs their drink, one might end up dealing with vomit.

If one doesn’t take care of it, complaints are sure to come. The maximum number of times Toma had to clean up vomit in one day was four. Just hearing that number shows how tough the job is.

“I was just joking. I was just joking. If I, who is short-tempered and not very efficient, worked at a bar, I’d get fired right away. By the way, Toma, are you working today?”

“Oh yeah, from 6 pm to midnight.”

“Huh? Even though it’s a bar, don’t they usually stay open until late at night? I have the impression that they stay open until early morning.”

“On Mondays, we close at midnight. The owner has something to do.”

“I see. Working six hours after finishing university… You’re tough.”

“I’ve been working for about a year now, so I’m used to it.”

“Don’t push yourself too hard. Bar staff drink the alcohol that customers give them, so you need to take a break from drinking too, right?”

“Don’t worry, I’ve got that covered.”

The liver is called the “silent organ” because symptoms don’t appear until the disease progresses. It’s an important organ, as evidenced by phrases like ‘this is the key to everything.’

“But, if a beautiful woman invites you for a drink, you’ll definitely go! Like the Nursing’s Angel or Someone, right?”

“That’s all you can think about, Haru… Oh, but there’s a beautiful regular customer at the shop where I work. She even gets hit on by male customers.”

“Really!? Then I have to go! There’s no other choice!”

“I think she’ll come to the shop today because it’s Monday.”

“Got it! I’ll definitely go today!”

Upon hearing this information, Haru raised both hands high in excitement. He seemed overjoyed, but after muttering “oh,” his expression sank.

“What’s wrong?”

“I had plans to hang out with friends today… Damn, I wanted to go, but I can’t just ditch them. But…”

“Hey, hey. You should prioritize the plans you have already made.”

“You’re right… Haha.”

Toma, who had a look of disbelief, controlled Haru, who had briefly shown serious eyes. Toma still didn’t know that the “beautiful regular customer” he mentioned was the person who excited Haru so much.