Are you feeling better now?
Yes. I apologize for all the hassle and trouble I have caused you.
It was my first day of work in Takenakas absence. My fever had subsided, so I went to work as per my rescheduled shift.
After that, Takenaka told that you and Aoyama had made various arrangents for and ca to work in my place Excuse , I will take better care of myself from now on.
Haha, dont fret about it. You must have accumulated a lot of fatigue.
I am glad you got back to work so soon, he added. I lowered my head as the manager patted on the shoulder and offered encouragent.
Hmm, you do seem a little out of shape, though let know if you dont think you can handle things I can manage on my own.
No, thats a bit against my conscience.
I dont want you to collapse again, so dont strain yourself.
Yes.
Takenaka was worried about you, wasnt he?
Yes, he even did the cooking for I am sincerely apologetic to him.
Haha, its fine. He loves tending to people like that, and apparently, he was working as a social welfare worker before joining this place.
I see.
What the manager ntioned reminded of the ti Takenaka nursed back to health. I see No wonder he was familiar with it.
Then why is he working part-ti here now?
No clue, I havent heard anything about that either. Many things happened to him but now he found sothing new he wants to do, and hes accumulating money here while studying.
Heh
But he has been here for a long ti now, and I think its ti for him to leaveSothing seems to be holding him back, though. Crossing his arms, the manager laughed with a troubled countenance. Takenaka. Hes been nicknad Guardian God, but even hes a little cautious about that na.
Cautious?
Yeah I think a part of him thinks deep down that he has to protect this place and that he shouldnt leave so easily.
Did Takenaka say that?
No, but I feel that from what Ive seen
Otherwise, even if he was constitutionally fit, he wouldnt have stuck around in a place like this for so long.
Yeah, that was certain
Have you heard anything from him?
No. When we parted, I asked him a little about but he was kind of vague about it.
I see.
Takenaka said he was helping and others for his own sake but I didnt think so.
I thought there must have been another reason. With no doubt, he gave a response in which he omitted several essential words.
For his own sake. I didnt perceive Takenaka as such a self-centered individual.
Manager if you know sothing Can you please enlighten about Takenaka?
Why is he helping and others like that? What happened to him?
Hmm~ The manager growled with his mouth sealed shut. Well, no, you see
Dont look around restlessly! That was even more of a nuisance, bar code!
I was told by Takenaka not to share this information.
No, please just let that slide.
But, you know
He was murmuring sothing about personal information while resting his palm on his greasy forehead, but it didnt take long for the manager to relent because of my adamant unwillingness to give in.
Oh Takenaka will be upset if he learns about this. Okay? Even if he asks, you must maintain complete confidentiality.
Despite feeling so resistance, I listened to the manager as he began to talk.
About two years ago, I guess Right, when Hirai hadnt joined here yet and Takenaka was a newcor here.
The manager reminisced, saying he rembered those tis well. Shortly after quitting his job, Takenaka visited this convenience store. While his facial expression was noticeably fainter when he initially got here and his atmosphere was far darker than it was today, his verbal communication style, inability to smile, and reluctance to socialize more than was necessary all stayed the sa as they were two years ago.
The manager reasoned that he must have had a negative experience at his forr job. Though he said that Takenaka didnt discuss it, upon further reflection, he surmised that Takenakas power may have had a part in it.
Suzuki If I rember correctly After Takenaka joined here, another person ca in after him.
Suzuki was a 24-year-old unmarried woman at the ti. Bright and sociable, the polar opposite of Takenaka, who had joined earlier, she imdiately struck up a rapport with the staff at the convenience store and, perhaps because they were the sa age, she often got cozy with Takenaka as well. Takenaka, who was initially distant, gradually began to smile and speak on his own as he was carried along by Suzukis pace.
Both of them got along well and I think Takenaka probably liked Suzuki because even though he had a poker face, he always seed kind of happy in front of her.
But after a particular day, things started to get strained between the two, who had grown to be such close friends that even the boss and other employees had to admit it.
All of a sudden, Suzuki started avoiding Takenaka.
When the manager pressed for an explanation, Suzuki cited Takenakas recent strange behavior.
She said that he had started saying uncanny things out of the blue, which bothered her and left her unsure of what to do At first, I didnt notice it either, but it turned out that Takenaka could see that she was in danger. I wish I had believed him right then and there
The manager, at the request of the terrified Suzuki, reassigned them to different days and rescheduled their shifts without realizing that Takenaka, who had recently joined them had the ability to see things that others could not.
Even after the shift change, Takenaka persistently asked Suzuki to leave this place in the near future. Since he was asking so earnestly, the manager suspected sothing and probed further to get the truth. It was only then that he learned that Takenaka was a man who could see specters. Believing what Takenaka said, the manager told Suzuki what Takenaka wanted to convey to her.
However
It was too late.
On her way to the convenience store the next night as the manager was going to inform her, she made a steering error and collided with the guardrail with her entire motorcycle. She didnt fall from the bike, but her vehicle skidded off the road and collided with the pavent
Did she die
The manager silently shook his head to the side.
Fortunately, she survived but she might not have if she had been discovered sooner The injuries she sustained in the accident were fairly horrific
Bandages were wrapped around her face, her neck and legs were immobilized, and when the two n paid her a visit, no trace of the bright, brilliant woman was anywhere to be found. Half of her face peeking through the bandages was emaciated, her lips were peeled back, and above all, her eyes were devoid of life.
No matter what was said to her, she never talked about the accident. Only once before leaving did she say to Takenaka
[Are you satisfied with this?]
Her mouth was moving frantically as if she was trying to vent her abhorrence.
[Since eting you strange things have been happening one after the other After the way you spoke to I cant believe you had nothing to do with this. You know, I am sure everyone is holding you accountable for what happened to ]
Thats awful
Even if I stated that, I couldnt speak for anybody else because, up until recently, I didnt believe in specters or individuals who could see them and even I had said harsher things to Hyuga.
I might not have understood how she felt when she uttered those words
Since then, I have assured him repeatedly that he is not to bla for what occurred. Takenaka nonetheless persists in his belief that the incident was his fault.
Didnt Takenaka just intend to save that Suzuki person?
Thats right Takenaka would not have been that affected if it werent for her final remarks.
A tragedy that was supposed to have been known but nevertheless couldnt have been averted. If only he had been able to convey the ssage to her better
Perhaps it was out of this desire that Takenaka continued to call out to people who were incompatible with this convenience store, including , in order to ensure that people like Suzuki would never show up again. Regardless of how frightened or suspicious others might be, he would always call out to people Even if they didnt believe him, he would still do so
In the course of all this, it beca like it was part of Takenakas job to stay here and protect the newcors He cant leave now either and I think hes afraid of what would take place if he were to leave.
So when he said he was doing it for his own sake
Even if he claid otherwise, he was not doing this for his own sake but rely offering himself as a sacrifice. I didnt have any idea about this, nor did it occur to that such a thing had unfolded. Takenakas feelings too
Despite feeling terrible, having many people accuse him of being a liar, and having other things he wanted to do he didnt run away and leave this place. It was inconceivable that would make him feel comfortable, yet he continued to remain here Just how patient could that be
And I, who was saved every ti by Takenaka, who had a cool face and shouldered the whole load by himself, was so la, wasnt I?
Just one ti I ran into an obstacle and I lost sight of my surroundings, vented my anger on others for no reason, and even drove a person to suicide. Takenaka was alone, enduring, and saving many people from danger in the shadows.
Without anyone ever thanking him.
If its gratitude, thats being expressed.
When I looked up, the manager smiled with a shiny face.
Hakamada, didnt you express your thanks to him?
OhTranslator: MadHatter
Thats whats saving him. It may have been rough for him until now but Im sure hes happy now because you believe in him. All this ti, he lost himself in doubt about whether what he was doing was aningful. But now that you believe in him, I think for the first ti Takenaka is able to think that what he has done all this ti was not in vain.
Does Takenaka thinks so
He does.NotSharedOnAggregatorSite
Even after all the trouble I have caused him?
Its not a trouble. Takenaka wants to protect you because of the aning youve given to his actions.
Despite uncertainty about the truth of Takenakas feelings as described by the manager, I would like to thank him again when I et him again in three days. Once more, I would like to express my heartfelt thanks.
And this ti, I would like to say that I would listen to whatever his worries were, just as he listened to the other day.
Saying that, though, he might find out that I have asked the manager about him.
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