Segue: KamiJirou

one

"Can I help you find anything today?" The male store associate asked as soon as Jirou entered the music shop. She made a bee line for the new music section, responding with a simple, "No thanks, I know what I want."

This guy must be new, everyone else who worked here knew her by name. She proceeded to flip through the new music they had gotten in, her eyes resting on every cover but searching for one in particular. Her thin fingers scrolled through the display pile expertly.

Music was her life. Even at the moment, she had one headphone in, listening to some of the music she bought last time. Nowadays it's old school to buy physical copies of music, but a mixture of nostalgia and duty made her refuse to do it any other way.

She decided on two new CD's. One was her target purchase of the day, the other was just for fun. Her budget consisted of bills and groceries, anything left over was spent in this very store. It didn't amount to much, but she was content with life as it was, and didn't expect for it to change anytime soon.

Jirou walked over to the checkout counter and the clerk who greeted her came out from the back. He was tall, well, taller than her and had spiky blonde hair. Most of the workers here were good people, but none of them had ever looked quite as attractive as this one before. Before she was conscious of it, she was blushing.

"Just these two," she said, placing her CD's on the counter and cursing at her stupid face.

"Alright then..." His voice didn't make her heart calm down any. What had gotten into her? She wasn't one of those girls that got all giddy every time she met an attractive guy, yet this time it was different. Man, she thought, you're gonna have to get used to the new guy so calm the heck down...

"Hey, you like this band too? Don't see many of these selling, I mean, compared to the national bands," he held up the CD she had purposefully come for. There was a sparkle in his golden eyes that made her smile. Seeing someone else get excited about her favorite band's music always made her happy.

"Yeah, I like them. Glad to hear they have another supporter," she replied, managing to keep her tone casual.

"This just came in yesterday, so you're the first to have purchased their new album. Aaaand that comes out to $27.64," he said with a big grin on his face. Her eyes got stuck on his jawline, but only for a moment before she got a handle on herself. Acting weird would definitely give the guy a bad impression of her.

"Um, yeah. Most of the workers here know me because I always come in for their new stuff. I guess you could say I'm a regular," she admitted, shrugging off her habit of religiously buying albums the day the store got them in. Her debit card was already in her hand, and she quickly swiped it in the card machine.

"Oh wow, so it's that obvious that I'm the new guy?" He gave a light chuckle, "Guess I'll be seeing you around then, have a nice day."

"Yeah, you too," she replied as she took her bag and left. Other than her excitement to hear the new music, she was also filled with anticipation for her next visit to the music shop. Not just because the new guy was kinda hot, more so because he actually knew who her favorite band was. All the other employees eventually became fans after she converted them, but this one had a taste for them on his own! In her mind, that was definitely a good omen.

The next week she made sure to visit the music shop on the same day at the same time. He was there again, and gave her a smile as she walked in.

"Hey regular, so you do come in every week."

"I'm honestly surprised you remembered me, ha."

"How could I not?" And he winked at her. Suddenly she changed direction, making sure her heated face wasn't visible. What was that?

She found herself in the studio equipment section, and feigned interest in some of the cords. They were all familiar to her, partly because she knew everything that had to do with music, but also because she worked at the local venue. Knowing this stuff was second nature to her. Now that it was in front of her, she thought that she did need a new audio cable for her home system...

Picking up one a few feet longer than her old one, she took her usual tour around the new music section. New guy hadn't said anything more to her, so she looked over her shoulder to catch a peek at what he might be doing. However, he wasn't there. Must have gone into the back room, she thought. He had definitely shown interest in her, and what had she done? Run away like scared kitten. Now the ball was in her court and the one way she'd actually get anywhere with him was if she made a move.

She sighed. No time like the present, she thought, having long ago decided not to buy anymore CD's. The rest of her budget had to go towards the new cord. Walking over to the checkout counter, she took in a breath to steady her nerves.

On cue, he walked out and scanned the cord, "Your total is $16.20." She already had her card out again. As the payment screen loaded, she tried to shove her heart back down her throat.

"Hey! Um..." She couldn't take her eyes off the silly machine. Just look at him, for heavens sakes, she scolded herself.

"Your payment went though, so worries. Have a nice day," he said as he handed her the bag. Balling her hand into a fist, she left him standing there with her bad in his hand, looking at her expectantly.

"Do you want to grab a coffee sometime?" She blurted out, forcing her eyes into his. Relief flooded through her when his face relaxed into the charming smile she had seen on their first interaction.

"I'd love to."