"Haru, can you please clean up the second table?"
Su-a was tying her beautiful curly hair into a ponytail.

"Alright."

...Did she not notice? Or is she pretending?

Pfft, serves me right.

A red-haired girl ran up behind her and gave her a tight hug.
"Oh!"
"Su-a, you’re so beautiful today!"
"Thanks, but could you please let go?!"

Even here...

She could connect with everyone. Everyone loved her.
And she always smiled. Always.
Was she always happy? Maybe not, but she never let herself fall apart.
Incomprehensible.

No, this feeling couldn’t be described with such a simple word as "envy."
It was akin to what a frail, dying man might feel when watching a vibrant, rosy-cheeked young girl skip by.

The minutes stretched endlessly, each second feeling heavier than the last. She glanced at the clock.

And why does it always slow down on days like this?

It was time to leave; most had already finished their shifts and gone.

In the distance, near the exit, the manager was preparing to leave.

No! Not yet!

She walked up behind him and tapped him on the shoulder.

"Manager."
He turned, his expression puzzled.
"Yes?"
" I’m staying late today.”
"But today…" — he didn’t get to finish.
" I already told him I’d take his shift.”
"Uh…"
He clearly didn’t know how to respond.

"Haru, my hand…"
"Will you stay with me? I have a few words for you. Maybe even more than a few… I’m not sure yet."
She kept smiling strangely.

Surely, he wouldn’t dare refuse me, would he?