Work Text:
And…there.
With a huff, Akito lowered the cardboard box onto the floor of the back room, obscured from customer view.
Oh? Nice, new stuff for Summer. He swept his gaze over the collection of halter dresses, graphic t-shirts, and swimsuits, noting how the colour aqua seemed particularly prominent. That must be the colour of the season. A smile worked its way onto his face: it always felt satisfying to get a sneak peek into the fashion styles of the new season.
Can’t get ahead of myself, though…new clothes means new displays. Breathing a sigh, he hauled himself upwards, leaning against the doorframe of the back room as he spoke. “New clothes shipment, Manager. Should I get started on the displays?”
“Oh, yes please, Shinonome-kun!” The response came from within the store’s center. The manager was busy wiping the tables and mannequins to shine, a sheen of sweat glimmering on his forehead.
Ah. Akito jogged towards him, extending his hand when nearby. “Would you like me to take care of that first?” It was fairly tepid inside the store: the last thing they would want is for one of them to get a heat stroke.
The Manager drew back, gratitude clear in his eyes. “That would be a great help…I’ll go get the signs changed outside.” With a small wave, he left the store, leaving Akito with his new, tiring task. Well, I did sign up for it…
As he scrubbed the chocolate wood tables, Akito's mind frolicked about. After this, he would probably roam Vivid Street, following the voices that painted the city. Then, meet up with everyone for practice.
Oh. Wait. It dawned on him that An had mentioned that she would be busy, for “top-secret reasons!”, running off before letting him question her. Toya, Kohane, and him had shared similar expressions of confusion, yet decided it was not an issue worth pressing.
…the two of them, at least, were willing to come to such a conclusion. The flame of Akito’s suspicion was not as quickly snuffed out. She's whipping up some sorta plan …one of An’s best traits (as reluctantly as Akito admitted) was how transparently she displayed her emotions, yet it didn’t always work to her benefit.
Well, it isn’t my problem though. Why did it bother him anyway? Much like a fly which refuses to get crushed, Akito continued to swat the thought away, as he furiously wiped the mannequins clean. The sparkle of the metal filled him with satisfaction, and, determined to continue his streak of productivity, he immediately began coordinating the display’s outfits.
Pink halter dress…with a distressed denim jacket…and these yellow sandals. Good. Oh, these striped shorts match with this shirt. He broke out of his daydream. Where did we keep that new shipment of hats?
“Manager?” Stepping outside, he assessed the exterior of the boutique in awe. Wow. “It’s completely transformed…” The use of seashells for decorations, and bright colours had him transfixed in place, which drew a laugh from the Manager.
“Nice, right? Seems like it was worth the effort!” The Manager chuckled, his eyes falling on the mannequins posed before the window. “Oh my, those look fantastic!”
Akito suffocated the tickle of pride he felt at the praise. “Thank you. I was wondering as to where we keep the summer hats? I hear they came in yesterday.”
“You’re right! If you go to the supplies room, you should see them hanging on the left wall. While you’re doing that, I’ll be opening the store, ok? It seems we already have a customer waiting!” Akito nodded assent.
Quickly, he maneuvered between the countless tables that dotted the floor, before finally reaching the supplies room. Just as the manager had said, there were a bevy of straw hats dangling from their strings. Picking out a blue one, he walked back out, once again tiptoeing through the maze of displays.
Anddddd…there. With the hat on the final display, Akito could finally move back and regard his work. Everything was shining, the new collection of clothes was on showcase, and the music which flitted through the store (his own suggestion) perfectly suited the summer vibe.
Pretty good. Pretty good. He relished the feeling of having a true smile on his face, well aware that it would soon fade, replaced by a phony. Well, it’s close enough. At least I like my job.
Poor Akito, celebrating too soon…
The bell, attached to the door, rang. The manager? No, couldn’t be. He was already behind the counter. A customer? That’s…early.
Regardless, Akito raised his voice, a tenor higher than his natural pitch. “Welcome!”
Wait.
His eyes fell onto the target of his greeting.
WAIT.
“WHY ARE YOU HERE?”
Akito’s pitch had plummeted to his usual dry tone at the sight of the one, the only, the most irritating person he knew at that moment.
“Thanks for the warm welcome, Akitoooo” Happiness was clear in An’s voice, as she drifted into the store. Her long blue-grey hair fluttered behind her, and, against Akito’s wish to hold animosity towards her, he couldn't help but note how it matched with her grey pants, and sandy brown sleeveless shirt.
He grit his teeth. “So THIS is what you meant by a ‘top secret plan’, huh?” He waved a hand towards her, directing her back the way she came. “Go away.”
“Hey! That’s no way to treat your first customer, don’t you think??” In reply, An stuck out her tongue. “Besides, I waited for like, half an hour for you to open! That’s worth something .”
Cutting off Akito’s opportunity to say something else inappropriate came the manager, his voice like a wave, calming and slow. “We’re always grateful for patient customers!...Shinonome-kun,” his tone was cautionary, as though skeptical of his employee’s attitude, “do you happen to know this fine young lady?”
Oh, crap- “Uh, yes!” Donning his classic smile, Akito attempted to salvage the situation. Damn you, An! “Apologies, I had no intentions of insulting a valued customer. It’s just, the two of us go back a long time…”
“Ohhhhh.” A look of understanding dawned on the manager’s face. It was almost as though Akito could see the lightbulb light up in his head.
“As in…are you two a couple? Or simply friends?”
H a h ?
Akito ignored the warmth that burned in his face. “The latter. We’re the latter.” He hoped the smile on his face betrayed none of the fury he felt. Even AN looked embarrassed. Serves you right! He coughed violently. “Anyways, what can we get for you?”
The manager, satiated by his explanation (and now sporting an amused expression) busied himself behind the store, leaving Akito and An to glare at one another. The air had suddenly gotten warmer inside.
An broke the silence, twiddling a strand of her hair. “So! I’m gonna be heading to the movies today, and want something nice and fashionable to wear!” She pointed at her current clothing with a look of distaste. “But all I have in my closet are fits like this, which are niceeee…but not really special. You get me?”
“Mhm, I get it." Does she want to impress someone? The fly was buzzing around him again. "Ok, first: you want something in season?”
A pause. “Uh….Yeah!” Then a half-hearted agreement.
Akito blinked. Sighed. “Do you not know what in-season means?” He didn’t even try to hide his disgust.
Taking her bashful silence as response, he began his explanation. “Ok well, it basically means what’s trendy for that season. Since Summer just began, some staple trendy items would be…” his eyes flitted to the mannequins. “Things like that. Sleeveless dresses, denim, the likes.”
He turned back, and was greeted by An’s enamoured expression. Stars seemed to glint in her orange eyes, which she turned onto Akito. “That outfit!” She pointed towards one of the many ensembles he had coordinated. “I like that one!”
“Oh.” Another spark of pride, of which was swiftly buried. “Ok. I get an idea of what you'd like.” He turned around, heading to one of the many display tables. “That outfit wouldn’t work on you at all, though. The colours would be a mess with your hair and skin tone.”
She trailed after him, gasping in mock shock. “And what do you know? Punk!”
“I definitely know more than you, that’s for sure.” He delicately shifted through the clothing, snatching a yellow dress from a pile. “And don’t shoot the messenger.”
“I will, thank you very much. How do you keep your job with this attitude?” Her breath caught, her tone turning wicked. “Oh, right…you turn on Mr. Nice Guy, don’t you!”
“None. Of. Your. Beeswax.” Practically shoving it into her smug expression, Akito held out a clothes rack, showcasing the clothing which dangled off precariously to the stupefied An.
Their banter momentarily ceased, with Akito’s attention fixated on the surrounding clothing, and An’s busy absorbing the jungle of fabric around.
“Here.”
His surly voice cut into her evident rapture. Within his arms were a staggering amount of clothing, ranging from denim jeans, the yellow summer dress, and a variety of accessories. He even managed to hold onto a pair of sandals.
An’s orange eyes were miniature suns as she marvelled at the pile “Wow! Wow, ok. So…where do I change again?”
Hands still occupied with the Mount Fuji of clothes, Akito merely bobbed his head towards the woman’s changing room. “There. Oh, and take a basket for the clothes. If you drop any, it’ll-”
“Cost me a hundred thousand yen in reimbursements yeah yeah. You think you can ensnare ME with that trick?” An playfully swatted his arm, before dropping the clothes delicately in a basket nearby. “Ok, I’m off to try them!”
Smiling every so slightly, Akito nodded, turning away. His movement, however, was halted, at the sound of An’s voice.
“Hey!”
Her face seemed conflicted, as she fumbled with the words in her throat. “You aren’t gonna see how they look? I mean, you DID pick them out, right.” The last sentence was hastily tacked on.
Feeling uneasy, Akito swept a glance to the front of the store. The manager was dealing with a batch of customers, all clearly interested in the mannequins at the display. As he gauged the store’s status, the manager caught his gaze.
It took Akito a moment to decipher the words the manager mouthed:
Have-fun-Shi-no-no-me-kun!
Akito's sigh was a mixture of embarrassment and amusement. He turned back to An, who was now gasping at the price of the dress. “Fine. I’ll watch, as soon as you actually get in there.”
He ignored the glow that lit her face. Her voice bubbled up to the ceiling. “Sweet!”
The minutes passed quickly, with Akito fiddling with the displays as he waited. Thankfully, few customers seemed to be in need of direct assistance, focusing rather on the sale items.
At this rate, she’ll be dressed by nightfall.
The sound of a curtain being pushed aside and a voice cut into Akito’s thoughts.
“Wow, this dress is LIGHT! Light as a feather!”
Beneath the lights of the store, An appeared almost as though she was a popstar onstage. She twirled the yellow dress around, the pleats fluttering like golden petals. The movement revealed the skinny denim pants she wore underneath, and the heeled sandals on her feet. Righting herself, she reattached the sunhat on her head, with hands decorated in bangles and bracelets.
Akito couldn’t deny it: she looked excellent. Gorgeous, one might say. Because of what I picked out. It filled him with pride, and a sliver of self-consciousness. An usually dresses pretty sporty...this is, well, girly. For her standards at least.
Keeping these thoughts to himself, Akito folded his arms across his employee shirt. “Nice. Not half bad, dare I say. So, you say you’re going to the movies?” Reaching for the now-empty-basket, Akito pulled his mouth into a sneer, and tried to keep his tone light. “With Kohane?”
No answer. Not even a snarky comment.
The pause between his question and her lack of an answer confused him. His brain raced through the possibilities for her silence. Wait, do I even care?
Akito quickly decided he didn’t care as to why he cared. He just wanted to know. “What's with the weird silence?"
Then, a cog clicked in his head. Words felt like molasses in his mouth as he began his question.
"Is it a guy or somethin-” He cut off, nearly bumping into a child racing through the store.
He smeared his trademark smile back onto his face as he righted the young individual back towards his parents. Damn, it’s getting busy.
“Sorry An, lemme ring you up. You can wear that to go, if you like.”
Akito turned, and was met with a surprising expression from An. Eyebrows knitted in consternation, her mind was clearly elsewhere, as she nearly tripped over a mannequin.
That, at least, brought her back to reality. “Whuh- OH! Oh, sorry! Yep, I’ll gladly wear this out!” Just like that, her tone was normal, her eyebrows rested calmly on her head, and she sounded level again. Yet her eyes were downcast, as they walked towards the register.
Look at you, always making fun of me, when you’re the one clearly lying with that smile…
Akito must have been showing this thought clearly on his face while he checked out An’s items, as she had begun fidgeting. Regardless, he focused on bagging her items, and once done, practically shoved it in her face.
“That’ll be 8900 yen. Yes, I gave you a discount: first time customer gets 30% off.”
At least she seemed fairly calm as she managed to quickly gather the appropriate sum of money…alongside an unfamiliar bill wedged in between, that caught Akito's eye.
Wait…
“‘Cinema Ticket’...” Upon murmuring these words, Akito stared at An. “This- I’m preeeeetty sure this is yours?”
An spluttered for a moment, before doing the unexpected: laughing. “Think of it as a thanks for the discount!” Her tone drifted off, turning quiet. Akito was suddenly glad that most of the customers were at the self-checkout, as An spoke.
“The movie starts later today, after your shift.”
Within Akito's head, a rose pink firework went off. It took him a moment to gather his thoughts, after the boom, before his brain became able to process one thought:
Huh? Me?
So THAT was why she had been so awkward. And now, that awkwardness was rubbing off on Akito. He fumbled to find what to say.
“...”
He put the yen notes in the register, and started to flap the ticket in the air, as though it were a leaf. His voice sounded much too odd as he put the ticket in his back pocket.
“Well, since I know you don’t have anyone else to invite, I guess I’ll keep you company.”
His attempt at a condescending tone worked, as An’s face melded into an expression he thought suited her better than any outfit could: a smile. “No fair! These tickets weren’t cheap you k-” She stopped. Swept the bag of clothes out of Akito’s hand. “You know, forget it. If you stand me up, I’ll harass you here again!”
As An stomped away to leave the store, Akito could only send her a chuckle in reply. “I wouldn’t dream of it!”
The bell sang as An disappeared through the door. All Akito could do was look after the customers, and gaze at the mannequins, as he tried to bury the excitement warming his heart.
I better get myself a new outfit too, huh?
- End