Work Text:
———DAY ONE———
"Ah, welcome!"
The part-timer by the counter greets the male student that had came in. Strangely, the uniform that the student was wearing looked familiar. Shin Tsukimi glances at the male student's badge, and he was indeed a student of the same school.
The male student had green hair and a rat-tail, and an ugly dotted scarf too, if I may add.
Oddly enough, the male student was heading towards the alcohol section of the convenience store.
He grabbed the alcohol of his choice and put it on the counter, waiting for it to be scanned.
"..I can see that you're a student." Shin explained as to why he couldn't sell the alcohol to the student.
"you're sharp!" The voice of this boy annoyed the hell out of Shin Tsukimi, but he needed to keep it in.
"Please be off if you're not buying anything other than alcohol."
The other boy didn't reply anything, instead he went to the snacks section and grabbed two snacks. One was a chocolate flavored pocky snack, and the other was a strawberry flavored pocky snack. He went back to the counter and put both snacks, waiting for it to be scanned.
Shin was in relief that the student didn't beg for him to let him off with the alcohol, those type of customers are the worst. He began scanning the snacks.
"That will be 333 yen."
The student gave more yen than the cost of the snacks.
"Keep the change, Part-timer Shin Tsukimi." The student only knew of his name because of the nametag on the work uniform.
Waving at the part-timer, the student only took the strawberry flavored snack.
"Wait– you forgot the other one!"
The student was about to leave the conveniece store, until he stopped because he heard the part-timer yell.
"Oh? Keep that one too, that's for you."
Shin Tsukimi was confused.
He stares at the pocky, putting the overpaid yen into his pocket.
———DAY TWO———
School ended for the day, and Shin thought of going to the convenience store he worked at. Although today wasn't his shift, he just wanted to go and buy Instant Noodles which would be his dinner.
Nearby the store, he spotted a familiar boy. Of course he did, who else would have an unusual green hair with a bad sense of fashion in scarfs? It was that strange pocky customer.
It seems that the other student had noticed Shin too, as he began waving. Shin wasn't sure to respond and gave a small wave back, walking towards the store.
"Hey, part-timer! Is it your shift?" The student asks, oddly following Shin from behind and entering the store with him.
"No.. I don't have a shift today." It felt awkward for the two of them to talk, since they just met yesterday as worker-to-customer, not to mention the generous pocky. It felt like Shin had to bring up the overpaid yen and the pocky that the green-haired boy had given to him.
"Uh— about the pocky yesterday." Shin turns his head towards the guy following him in the back.
"Thank you. It was really good." Shin mumbled the last part.
The other male didn't say anything, instead he just smiled. Though, the smile felt a bit sadistic, maybe Shin was imagining it.
Shin began searching the shelves for his perferable brand of instant noodles, he's quite the picky person. While Shin was searching, the other student who had been following him went to a different section instead.
Shin found the brand and went to the counter, oddly, the other student also found the stuff he wanted to buy and went to the counter at the same time Shin did.
They put their stuff on the counter, what the other guy wanted to buy was.. a sticker sheet? Shin found that weird.
"Ah, i'll pay for the instant noodles." The student says to the cashier, Shin was confused but he didn't want to refuse a free offer.
The student pays for both of the things, and Shin followed him out of the store.
"Thanks for paying for me." Shin thanks the student again.
Smiling again, the student replies with a "No problem!"
"Do you want me to remodel your phone?"
Shin was confused at the sudden question, and simply nodded.
"Okay! Give me your phone!" Although he felt uneasy with giving a stranger his phone, he still gave it anyways.
The student began taking off the stickers from the stickers sheet and began sticking it onto the back of Shin's phone. It's gonna be a bother taking those off.
After he finished sticking all of the stickers, he played around with the phone for a while. Shin was uncomfortable with the fact that the stranger unlocked his phone but didn't say anything about it. After the student finished typing something on Shin's phone, he gave it back.
The student took off running while waving back.
A number was saved on Shin's phone, and the contact was named "Sou Hiyori 🍫". The chocolate bar was probably to symbolize pocky. Behind Shin's phone, there was loads of stickers. Shin decided to not take it off.
———DAY THREE———
It was Shin's shift today. He wondered if that student will come to the store again, and maybe buy him another free stuff.
Customers went in and out, but none of them were that boy. It was getting boring for Shin, since it was almost time for him to go home.
Shin waited and waited for the stranger that he had just met three days ago.
Another customer came in.
"Welcome–"
The same green haired male, and his ugly scarf.
"Hey Shin!" Wow, he was getting really comfortable with Shin.
The student goes into the drinks section and buys one strawberry milk. Shin felt sad that he wasn't getting any free stuff today.
"That'd be 111 yen." Shin says, after scanning the milk.
Handing the exact cost of the milk, the student didn't exit the store at all, even after paying.
"Shin, what time do you get off work?" He asks.
"Err.. i'm about to leave in about 5 minutes, actually." Shin didn't realize that it was almost the end of his shift.
"Great! I'll wait for you!" The student then exits the store, but proceeds to just stand around the store's entry as if he was waiting for Shin to come out.
5 minutes passed, and the student starts waving at Shin.
Shin hurriedly went out of the store.
"Let's go home together!"
Shin was confused why this stranger who goes to the same school as him wanted to go home together, considering the fact that they just met three days ago, and also, they don't even know which way their house is.
Since the student was warming up to Shin, he felt like he needed to warm up to the student too.
"You go to the same school as me right, what's your name..?"
"Didn't you see my contact?" The student asks.
Shin somehow forgets that the student had saved his number on Shin's phone.
"Anywho, it's Sou Hiyori!"
Sou Hiyori.. that's a nice name, Shin thought.
Shin didn't reply anything and just kept following Sou, who invited him to go home together.
Shin was really– really sad that he didn't get any free stuff today, and it was visible to Sou.
Sou peeks at Shin, who was staring at the strawberry milk Sou was sipping on.
"Do you want this, Shin?" Sou stops sipping it and offers to Shin.
Shin didn't say anything, and sipped, downing the strawberry milk.
Little did he know, that was an indirect kiss.
The day ends with both of them going separate ways to their houses, Shin says that he has warmed up pretty nicely to the student.
———DAY FOUR———
Shin was still in school, school hasn't ended yet for the day but Shin was already thinking about Sou Hiyori. He wondered if the two could meet inside of school rather than near the convenience store, after all, they do go to the same school.
He felt pretty bad at how needy he had become towards Sou, even yesterday Sou had to give him his strawberry milk.
So he thought it'd be nice to give a little bit something in return.
It was a cold season, so why not give Sou a hot cup of coffee afterschool?— Sure, it's not like it was homemade or anything, but it's the thought that counts.
Shin went to the school's vending machine and waited for the hot coffee to stop dispensing.
School already ended, so Shin made sure to go to the convenience store hurriedly, without spilling the coffee, of course.
In front of the store, there was a Sou Hiyori, standing outside.
"Sou!" Shin yells his name, in order to get his attention.
Shin approaches Sou, carefully as in order to not spill the drink.
"Uh— this is for you." Shin hands the cup of still hot coffee to Sou, and Sou gladly accepted it.
"Thanks, Shin." Sou's smile was so warm that he didn't even need to wear that ugly scarf to feel warm in this cold weather.
Shin felt his temperature rising up, though it was cold, Shin felt hot at Sou's smile.
He wasn't unsure if he's having a fever or if he's actually blushing.
Sou began drinking from the cup. From the look of his face, it must've tasted good.
"You're not working today?" Sometimes Shin questions why Sou thinks he works at the store everyday.
"No."
"Great! Then let me take you somewhere!" Sou says before pulling Shin's arm and running somewhere.
Sou eventually stopped running, and they stopped infront of a... scarf shop?
There was alot of red dotted scarfs, similiar to Sou's.
"It's cold nowadays, so.." Sou says, then taking one of the similiar scarfs.
"Let me buy you a matching scarf." Smiling, Sou takes his money out of his pocket.
Shin feels guilty that Sou is buying him another free thing.
"Sou, you don't have to." Shin says, looking at Sou with puppy dog eyes.
Sou looked like he was thinking of an Idea, which he was.
"Aha!" He exclaimed.
"Then, you'll wear mine, and i'll buy this scarf for myself!"
Sou took off his scarf and wrapped the scarf around Shin's cold neck.
It smelt like strawberries and Sou Hiyori, Shin thought. It smelled pretty nice.
Then again, he felt his temperature rising.
At this point, he was sure that he's having a heatstroke.
The day ends with the two of them, walking home together, with matching scarfs. Maybe for once— Shin Tsukimi has someone he can call his 'first friend'.
———DAY FIVE———
It was the day.
The day where all students get their exam results. This was a really important thing to Shin Tsukimi.
Yet he failed.
He didn't even get the average score— he got the lowest in the class.
"Shin Tsukimi, please meet me after class." The teacher says with a disappointed tone.
Shin was scared.
After the ridicule session with the teacher, Shin felt more sensitive today. He felt like bursting out in tears, but that'd be childish of him.
After all, it's only a bad score in exams, right?
But that frustrates him more that it should. He felt lost by the tiny digits on his exam results.
He wanted someone to hug– someone who could comfort him.
Then Sou Hiyori came to mind.
The customer that was generous enough to give Shin anything for free. The customer who gave his scarf to Shin Tsukimi. His first friend.
After school, Shin Tsukimi didn't care about anything at all. He just ran to the store, wanting to be comforted by Sou Hiyori.
But Sou Hiyori wasn't there.
Sou wasn't standing near the store.
There wasnt a green haired rat-tailed student with an ugly red dotted scarf to be seen nearby the store.
Shin was sensitive and weak today, and not seeing that warm smile of Sou's stabbed him in the heart.
Shin slumped in-front of the store, squatting with his face inside Sou's scarf.
It smelled like Sou Hiyori.
Before Shin even knew it, tears dropped from his face and started wetting Sou's scarf.
"Shin..?" A familiar voice calls out to him. That same annoying voice he first heard five days ago, in the convenience store, by the counter, the student who wanted to buy alcohol.
Shin Tsumiki rose up immediately, and sprung to Sou Hiyori, hugging the other boy tightly.
The other boy didn't say anything.
Instead, he hugs back Shin. Patting his head as an act of comfort.
"..You don't have to say anything, Shin. I'll comfort you no matter what your troubles are."
Shin Tsukimi began crying and wailing infront on the store.
Eventually, both of the scarf's got wet.
———DAY SIX———
Yesterday, Sou Hiyori comforted Shin. And that made Shin wonder what he feels with Sou. He feels safe and comforted with Sou Hiyori, Sou Hiyori takes care of him and gives things to him. But is that all he feels about Sou Hiyori?
Everytime Sou smiles warmly, Shin's temperate rises up even in the cold weather, not to mention the odd feelings in his stomach.
Hearing Sou Hiyori's voice comforts Shin, even though it annoyed him at first in the convenience store.
Smelling Sou's scarf and being reminded of him makes Shin calm.
So what exactly does he feel towards Sou Hiyori?
Even though he was confused, he knew exactly what it was.
It was affection and love, towards Sou Hiyori.
Shin Tsukimi wasn't afraid to admit that, because he really likes Sou Hiyori as a person. Sou Hiyori is a kind, caring, and generous friend towards Shin, but Shin doesn't see him as a friend anymore.
He wanted to face his feelings, and not be in denial. After all, Sou Hiyori isn't that bad of a person, and Shin Tsukimi realized what he feels towards him.
The tiny gestures of affections.
The generous givings.
The scarf that smells exactly like him.
He loved every part of Sou Hiyori.
He always looked forward to meeting Sou infront of the store.
It was a Saturday, and today, Shin Tsukimi is just lying on his bed, pondering about his feelings for Sou Hiyori.
Tomorrow is a Sunday, which is Shin's shift. Shin will admit his feelings towards Sou.
———DAY SEVEN———
The same pocky customer enters the convenience store.
"Hey Shin!" The voice that Shin loves to hear.
"Sou.. I get off my shift in 8 minutes, can you wait for me until then?" Shin was very blunt.
"You get off early during weekends, huh?" Sou says before stepping out and standing outside.
There wasn't any customer that came in next to Sou.
So all Shin did, was look at Sou's back from outside.
8 minutes has passed.
Shin steps out of the store, staring at Sou.
"I—... I have something to say." Althought stuttering for a bit, Shin still manages to say it.
Sou understood the serious atmosphere and went to sit on the bench.
Shin also sat down on the bench, but unsure of what to say.
"I..." Shin began, but immediately changed his statement.
"Sou, listen I.."
"You make me feel safe, calm and comforted when i'm around you." There were alot of breaths taken inbetween, it was as if he was hesitating.
"When I look at you, it feels as if my temperature rises— I don't know how to describe the warm feeling." He didn't know how to lay down the complexity of his feelings.
Shin's heart beat went faster and faster as he states the feelings he feels towards Sou Hiyori.
"I guess what i'm saying is— I think I really like you."
Letting it all out, there followed silenced after the confession.
Until a soft whisper.
"I like you too, Shin Tsukimi."
And before he knew it, their faces were close to each other. He had never seen Hiyori's eyes so close before. Then, they kissed. They don't know who leaned in first, all they know that their lips touched mutually. At Sou's lip touch, he smelled like strawberry, and his lips tasted like strawberry pocky.
The stickers behind Shin's phone were still there, sticking onto it. The taste of the chocolate pocky that Sou had bought for him was still fresh in Shin's mouth. The indirect kiss was still fresh on Shin's lips.
The smell of Sou Hiyori was still on his scarf.
It also smelled like strawberries.