The annoying sound of her alarm clock woke her up. Even on the weekend she had to get up early; well, earlier than she would have preferred. Then again, if it hadn't been for her little trip the day before, she wouldn't have been up so late.
The reason she was getting up early was because she had to go to work. She worked part time at a small coffee shop while she attended classes. During the weekdays she worked were normally night hours, since she attended class, and morning hours on the weekends. She normally worked 20-25 hours a week. It wasn't so bad, but Chihiro preferred the bathhouse.
Groaning, Chihiro rolled over and turned off her alarm clock. She wanted to roll over and go back to sleep. She was too tired to worry about getting to work on time.
'It's your fault you were out so late.' Her conscience scolded her.
"I know! I know!" she yelled back at it. "Fine, I'm getting up."
Throwing back the covers, Chihiro got out of bed. She shivered and grabbed her robe. Why was it always so cold in the morning? She went into the bathroom and caught sight of herself in the mirror. EEK! Shouldn't have looked. She was having a massive bad hair day, no doubt from her constant moving about in an uneasy slumber. Her hair was much longer than when she was younger, and at the moment it was all tangled and sticking up all over the place.
"This is going to make me late for work." She complained, glancing at the clock. "Why do I always cut it so close?"
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"Miss Ogino, late again I see." Said her boss.
Chihiro stumbled into the coffee shop 8 minutes later than she should have been there. Her boss was nice, but he had very little patience when it came to having his employees arrive late.
"I'm very sorry, sir." She said, bowing her head. "I had a little trouble this morning."
The boss sighed. "Just don't let it happen again. You're an excellent worker; I'd hate to lose you."
"Yes, sir. I'm very sorry." Chihiro apologized again.
The rest of her shift went pretty much the way it always did. Nothing exciting ever happened. It was a small quiet place. It was very dull. There wasn't all that much to do. The boss insisted that everyone should always be doing something, but sometimes it was hard to findanything to do. The best thing about the job, besides the pay, was a free coffee and pastry everyday.
Sometimes the shifts went by quickly, other times they took forever. Today just happened to be one of those days that seemed to never end, even though it was only a 5 hour shift.
The bell rang, indicating someone entered the shop.
"Miss Ogino, care to take this one?" asked the boss.
"Yes, sir." Chihiro replied.
She approached the man that had just entered. "Hello sir, Welcome to our shop."
The man smiled at her. His eyes looked her up and down. Chihiro felt like she was being examined. She didn't like it.
"This way, sir, I'll show you to your table." She said. Always serve your customers with a smile. "What can I get for you?"
The man was still checking her out. "I'll just have a hazel nut coffee, please. With extra cream."
"Yes sir, I'll get it for you right away." She was actually glad to get away from the man. She felt uncomfortable under his gaze.
While she was in the back, one of her co-worker couldn't help but make a comment about her customer. "Wow, Chihiro, that guy was checking you out."
YOU ARE READING
Spirited Away 2: Return to the Spirit World
FanfictionIt's been 12 years since she left the world where her heart truly belongs. As she goes back after many attempts, what will it take for Chihiro to finally stay?
