Kakuda City, an ordinary convenience store.

In the eyes of Tokyo people, even the prosperous Osaka is considered a countryside. It is an unknown small city like Kakuda City. To be precise, it covers the entire island country of Kakuda City and is no longer just a countryside, but a marginal area of ​​human civilization. It is probably a little better than Gunma Prefecture, which is in Africa, which does not even have the Internet.

"Isn't it cold to wear so little today?" The wife of the convenience store manager saw that Takahashi was wearing only a shirt and not even a school uniform jacket. She was still wearing a long winter jacket on her body.

Miyagi Prefecture is northerly latitude, and the temperature remains below ten degrees Celsius in the evening of early April. Although girls in island countries can only wear skirts in winter, they don’t even wear jackets on their upper body, which is too fierce.

"No, no, no, no, no," Takahashi said pitifully in a voice blocking his nasal voice, "I kept putting my coat in a basin last night and forgot to wash it, but I will be able to wear it tomorrow."

How could it be that cold in this kind of weather? But she had to wear such thin clothes with her school uniform and jacket locked in the cabinet.

It’s much better to get to the convenience store. As long as the store has its doors open, the air conditioner will be running. Under the warm breeze, the cold air on Takahashi’s body is dispersed.

Since the first year of high school, Takahashi had been working in this convenience store. The salary he gave was good in a small town. In addition to his own lunch expenses, he could also leave wealth to subsidize his family income. Moreover, the store manager's wife is really a very kind mother-in-law, who is kind to everyone. It is said that the daughter who works in Tokyo had long wanted to take her mother-in-law to Tokyo, but her mother-in-law was reluctant to go because she was reluctant to leave her hometown.

Takahashi is pitiful, and he must leave this spider-web-like countryside.

Change into work clothes, cook Kanto at the front desk first, and see if there are any products on the shelves that need to be supplemented... After three years, Takahashi has long been familiar with the work process.

"Pity, come here."

"Hiyi."

The store manager stood in front of the small warehouse and struggled to move a small box out: "Hey, I can't move it anymore, send this box to the right hotel,"

"Delivered to the hotel? Is it mineral water?"

Convenience stores also have a wholesale function, and often need to deliver mineral water and beverages to small restaurants around them. When it is often the case, others drive over, and when it is too few, Takahashi rides a bicycle or walks.

"It's the supplies delivered to the hotel, guess what it can be."

“Hotel…supplies…”

After taking the box handed over by the store manager's mother-in-law, she saw the unique smile of the elderly when she was telling pornographic jokes on her mother-in-law's face. Takahashi immediately reacted. She held the box and ran towards the hotel with a red face.

The box weighed a little heavy, but she could move it in one breath with gritted teeth. She felt uncomfortable when she looked at the [okamoto] trademark printed on it. She only heard her classmates talk about it, and naturally she had seen it... Of course, she had also seen it - she had found it several times in the stairs and toilet compartments while cleaning at school. Every time she walked away without hesitation, she became increasingly eager to escape.

"Hello, I've delivered it to you." Takahashi shouted pitifully, "Is there anyone in the store?"

A bald man walked down the stairs, looking a little slutty: "Oh! Put it on the counter."

His eyes staring at him made Takahashi feel uncomfortable all over.

Of course, the most scary thing is the Ukiyo-e tattoo exposed on the man's shoulders.

Green-faced and fangs, holding a long knife in his hand.

"Okay!" Seeing the tattoo on the other party's arm, Takahashi was so scared that he stood up straight and then escaped from the hotel like shelter.

After running to the telephone pole outside the hotel, she breathed a sigh of relief: "I'm so scared that there are such a terrible tattooed man on the street."

The country that discriminates most against tattoos should be the island country. Although on the one hand, there is a tattoo culture, on the other hand, people with tattoos will never be accepted in the mainstream society of the island country. Once tattoos are no matter how big or small, they will definitely not be able to find a formal job, let alone go to the government to work. Even the football circle with the strongest tattoo atmosphere in the world has been affected. Football players in the island country rarely have tattoos. Even when taking a hot spring or sunbathing on the beach, they need to buy special posts to cover their tattoos. When interviewing passers-by, they will also mosaic the tattoos of passers-by.

When I returned to the store, I stood at the front desk to count the goods for the customers. After 8 o'clock in the evening, there were basically no customers in the store, and there were less than ten groups until the middle of get off work time.

"Then I'll leave, the manager."

"Wait a moment."

The store manager's wife ran out of the inner room and held a rectangular box in her arms.

"Reward your recent job?" Without saying a word, the store manager's wife stuffed the box into Takahashi's hand.

"Ah, thank you." Takahashi showed a sweet smile and did not give in a few more times.

The store manager usually likes to give himself some small things, such as cabbage, and breakfast the next day. During the years when his mother left, the store manager is like his new mother, and Takahashi deeply remembers the kindness of every small gift in his heart.

"Be careful on the way home."

"Uh-huh!"

Standing under the street lights when he was going home, Takahashi slowly opened the box handed by the store manager under the light.

Remove the cardboard outside and reveal the... shoes?

There is a store logo on the black plastic packaging wrapped around the shoes, which is one of the few shoe stores in the small town.

“…”

Looking down at her feet wearing school indoor shoes, Takahashi sniffed pitifully, and her shadow shook gently while standing under the street lights.

Walking home with her new shoes in her arms, Takahashi gently opened the door. It was already past nine o'clock, and it was already very late in Kakuda City, but my father has not yet returned home.

I have to drive until very late tonight. My father's job is to drive long distances, working 24 hours and two shifts. If I don't have long distance work, I will take some short-distance work and transport sea goods from the beach to the town. Because I can't afford small trucks, I choose to rent trucks. In order to make more money during the rental period, my father always wants to turn himself into a part of the car, and he can work continuously by just filling gasoline.

All this is for her future university. Takahashi is confident of being admitted to a school in Tokyo, but the tuition fee for each school year is an exaggerated number of millions. Takahashi's pitiful little shoulders are under heavy burdens. She dare not let her father down. No matter what happens in the school, she will grit her teeth and support her.

Put the shoe box in place, Takahashi found the white feather from his schoolbag

The feather shines brightly under the dim light.

Although many unfortunate things have happened today, just like the store manager, there are still many good people in the world, right?

"You are my amulet." Takahashi held the paper feather and pressed it on his heart.
Chapter completed!