< Haoran’s POV >
"You're awake?" The new part-timer smiled. "Just about time for peak hour. You said it starts around 7pm, right?"
I wiped the corner of my mouth and nodded. "Sorry about that."
"It's fine! There weren't that many customers and everything's already taken care of so we're all set."
I gave her another nod.
"Your knot has become untangled," she pointed out.
I glanced at her vest and bit off a chuckle. She'll learn that it's not supposed to have any purpose eventually.
But not today.
"Oh sorry," I mumbled and pretended to fix it.
Right then, a horde of office workers started to occupy the store.
We punched their orders, gave their change, heated their meals, and thanked them for their patronage.
"Thank you for stopping by."
It was, I think, around the seventh customer that all sleepiness was completely washed out of my system and I regained the ability to be acutely aware of my surroundings.
Was she always wearing a face mask? The temperature has not dropped since morning. Therefore, there was clearly no reason to suddenly wear a jacket.
"Are you cold?"
She looked at me, as if surprised, and coughed. "I'm not feeling too well but I can manage. I promise not to screw up."
A shift in her tone. She's lying.
"It's not that. But we have medicine in the storage room for these occasions."
Her eyes crinkled as she shook her head. "I think I'll manage."
< Three hours earlier / 3rd Person's POV >
Turning her back on him, she opened the second letter:
Dear Kafka,
Maybe it's because people are born inherently evil and there are some who can't be strong enough to go against such nature that we end up with such unfortunate circumstances in life.
But I'll try to be upright, if that's what it takes to not be like my father.
-Xu
Riko neatly folded back the paper and tucked it in her pocket. Daddy issues. It makes sense why he writes to Kafka, then.
There is no better comfort than being able to relate your pain with another person.
At the sound of a chime, she turned to the door and bowed her head. "Welcome to Shiba-eleven!"
"I see you've found a job."
Her stomach suddenly felt hollow at the sound of a familiar voice. She couldn't raise her head just yet. More than herself, she was afraid they'd wake Haoran. What if he butts in?
This man that wants to be upright can never be sullied by violence in her presence.
So she resorted to the most predictable course of action.
She ran.
YOU ARE READING
Dear Kafka
Romance[CPN] Riko was nearing the end of her life. What she decided to do for the remainder of it was to find someone to love. She never knew it would be so beautiful, maddening...turbulent. She got what she wanted and Lord knows it was the first time.
