Work Text:
It was Minori’s first day at her new job at the Vivid Street pet shop. Just last week she’d been fired from her waitressing job after dropping her fourth tray in the two months she’d worked there, and decided (again) that it was time to find something that was more her speed.
Since she was a child, Minori had always been unlucky, finding herself in unusual, awkward situations, but everything seemed to be much better when she was around animals. Samo-chan was her good luck charm, and she could hardly bear to be without him since her family adopted him a couple of years ago. It was him who immediately came to mind when she thought about things she loved, and thought that it might be good to try her hand at working with animals. So, she did.
She stood in the back room, being shown the ropes by one of her superiors. He was a middle aged man with a short, bristly beard, and every now and then a little spittle from his lips flew out in her direction. It wasn’t the ideal start she’d hoped for, but, after all, she’d come to work with animals rather than humans. She listened intently despite her opinion of him, determined that she absolutely would not be fired from another job.
Eventually, the man sent her out to the front of the store to work at the counter. Minori tried her best not to look disappointed, plastered on a smile and took her place behind the cash register.
Business was painfully slow. Vivid Street was a place full of livehouses and some boutiques dotted around - it seemed such an odd place for a pet shop to be housed. A few people came in to browse but never actually bought anything, and after an hour or so Minori’s smile was starting to fall. She thought this was finally the role she was meant to have in the world, but it was feeling less and less like she belonged with every second that ticked by.
Then, the bell at the other side of the store let out a soft jingle, and Minori watched as a girl even shorter than her emerged through the doorway. Her hair was up in two pigtails on either side of her head, and she had a backwards cap perched on top. She noticed that the girl was wearing the same blue pinstriped shirt as she was, which must mean that she worked there too. Minori wondered whether the hat was actually allowed or not.
The stranger made her way behind the counter to the staffroom and clocked in, and Minori heard her exchange a greeting with the man who was still back there, before she came back out through the door. Only now did she really notice that Minori was there, jumping back a little in surprise.
“Oh! S-Sorry I didn’t see you, I thought I was the only one on shift right now... Are you new?” she asked, her shaky voice betraying her fake confidence.
Minori was flustered herself. She’d been watching the girl this whole time - had she noticed? Did she make a bad impression already? She shook her head to calm her overthinking, and blurted out “I’m Hanasato Minori! Pleased to make your acquaintance!” before she really knew what she was doing.
The girl next to her blinked, then started giggling softly. Minori’s face glowed a striking red, and she let out an uncomfortable laugh to try and ease her embarrassment. “Hanasato Minori… I’m Azusawa Kohane, but you can call me Kohane. And my special skill is… photography! And handling snakes,” the girl with the cap replied, a sparkle coming into her eyes when she mentioned her interests.
Minori’s eyes widened involuntarily when Kohane mentioned snakes. The girl looked more like a little hamster to her, not at all like she’d be a fan of reptiles. “R-really? Snakes are super scary… I like dogs and rabbits more...” she said. “I guess we couldn’t be more different in that way.’
Kohane giggled again. “You’re right. But it means we’ll be a good team working here, don’t you think?” She smiled brightly, and Minori hesitated before returning it.
“I wish I wasn’t stuck at the counter… I wanted to take care of the animals...” she said dejectedly as she turned back to face the front of the store, her back slouching a little.
“Hey, when there are no customers I always go and talk to the animals instead. Come, I’ll show you my favourite snake!” Kohane quickly took Minori’s hand, linking their fingers with a grin. Minori’s face contorted into one of horror at the thought of seeing the snakes, but Kohane pulled her out from behind the counter and over to the snake wall before she could argue about it, ignoring her yelps of fear.
Kohane dropped Minori’s hand and got as close to one of the snake tanks as she could without actually pressing her nose against the glass. Her breath left small clouds against the surface, and her eyes sparkled just like they had when she’d first mentioned her passion for snakes. Minori found herself just watching her and hoping that maybe, one day, she’d be that passionate about something.
After a few more seconds of staring closely through the glass, Kohane realised that Minori wasn’t looking at all. She saw her gaze locked on her and blushed a little. “Miiiiinoriiiiii?” she called in a mocking tone as she waved her hand in front of her face, and Minori snapped back into the room.
“Huh? Oh! It’s n-nothing! I just think it’s amazing that you love something so much…” Her face was red again with embarrassment, both at being caught staring and for saying something like that to a girl she barely knew. Kohane smiled softly, and shuffled away from the tank a little.
“Come look, she can’t hurt you, I promise.” She beckoned Minori, who stepped slowly closer, bending over a little to get a clearer view of the reptile on the other side of the glass. “Her name is Pearl, isn’t she beautiful?”
Pearl was a small snake, covered head to tail in perfect white scales. She had two black, beady eyes and she had a pink tint in the light that beat down from the top of the tank. Minori gasped a little as she admired her, and Kohane laughed gently. “You’re right… She is lovely…” Minori murmured, still not quite able to pull her eyes away from Pearl.
Kohane stepped back away from the snake tanks and looked around. “Hey, do you want to see the rabbits? They don’t have dogs here, but there are plenty of bunnies,” she asked Minori, pointing to the corner beside the snakes where Minori could see a few differently coloured balls of fluff lounging. She nodded enthusiastically and walked over to them, a little faster than her normal pace.
Minori dropped to her knees outside of the small rabbit enclosure and peered through the clear plastic walls. A light brown one hopped through the centre, and Minori thought for a second that it reminded her a little of Kohane, even if it wasn’t quite a hamster.
“Do you want to hold one?” Kohane offered, readying to step over the short barrier. “I’ve worked here for a while so I’m allowed to handle them.” Minori nodded after a moment of hesitation and pointed out the light brown one she’d seen earlier.
Kohane stepped over the plastic wall, being careful not to step on any tails or droppings. She crouched next to the brown furball and wrapped her hands around it gently, scooping it up to cradle it in her arms. Her fingers moved slightly side to side, soothing it as she stepped back over the barrier and kneeled next to Minori, who patted her own lap in an attempt to get the rabbit to move over to her.
“Her name is Caramel,” Kohane explained. “She’s one of my favourite rabbits, and her sister is my other favourite.” If Minori hadn’t already seen how Kohane lit up around snakes, she might have assumed rabbits were actually her favourite animal. Despite her originally shy demeanor, Kohane spoke unwaveringly about the pet shop’s rabbits as Minori petted Caramel. Minori didn’t mind the stream of information, she listened politely with a smile, thinking it was sweet that Kohane felt so strongly about her job.
After a few minutes, Caramel began to stir, shuffling gently over to Minori’s legs. The contact drew another gasp from Minori’s lips, and she squealed a little in excitement. The small weight of the rabbit’s body on her legs made her heart swell, and she buried her fingers in its fur.
Kohane stopped speaking to watch. She noticed the way Minori’s eyes sparkled as she watched caramel on her lap. Her cheeks were painted a little more pink, and the brightest smile Kohane had ever seen was displayed on her face.
She realised that Minori didn’t even know that this was what she was really passionate about, remembering what she’d said earlier at the snake tank. “Hey… Minori? What are you passionate about?”
Minori’s head tilted quizzically up at Kohane. “You mean… What do I love more than anything? I’m not really sure… I never really found anything, so I’m envious of how you are around Pearl and the other snakes…” she replied, her voice laced with a little sadness.
Kohane just laughed again. Minori looked at her in confusion, her eyebrows furrowed. “Minori… You have the most… heartfelt and spirited expression on your face when you look at Caramel. Do you not think that’s what you love more than anything?”
Minori blinked. She turned her attention back to Caramel, trying to focus on how she felt. She noticed her heart flip a little in her chest, and a smile tugged impulsively at her lips. She smiled even harder once she felt her own elation.
Minori twisted herself at the waist and tugged her co-worker into the tightest hug she could handle with a rabbit nestled in her skirt. “Kohane… Thank you…” she said into Kohane’s shoulder. “I’ve spent such a long time swapping through hobbies and jobs to try and find my place, and I think I found it here, with you, so thank you.”
Kohane wrapped her own arms around Minori’s back, still taken aback by the sudden gesture. “O-Of course, Minori…” she stammered, blushing furiously at the thought that someone might think that their place is with her. She shut her eyes and hugged Minori tighter. “I like it here with you, too…”