Book 2: Chapter 2 (1/2)

“Sorry, we’re just not interested in someone with no experience.”

“How can I get experience if no one will hire me?”

“I’m sorry…”

The door slammed in my face. The store wasn’t even closing. Apparently, he just felt like slamming the door in my face to punctuate the fact he wasn’t going to hire me. My very short resume crumpled slightly as my hand shook. It was true, I had never had a job before. In truth, I never really felt I needed a job before graduating. Unfortunately, NTR Crush was a game where I’d need to start earning a little money if I wanted to progress. Thus, I felt strongly that I needed a job.

I had tried a few PC repair shops. I could build a computer from scratch. However, if I wasn’t certified with some kind of windows compliance B.S., they didn’t appear to be the least bit interested in me. Then, I tried a couple of fast food places, but all the local ones were managed by fat middle-aged men who were only interested in hiring high school girls they could ogle and take advantage of. The latest place I had tried to apply to was a job handing out flyers, but the more I pressed them about actually being paid, the shiftier that got until just now when a door slammed in my face.

I supposed they wanted to pay people under the counter or something. Perhaps they wanted to get me to work for free for a while, and only pay me if business picked up. Either way, I wasn’t going to be taken advantage of like that. I sighed and walked away. With my head lowered, I wasn’t paying attention when I suddenly bumped into someone.

“Ah! Watch it!” A girl’s voice cried out.

I reached out and grabbed her, stopping her from falling down on her butt. Suddenly, a pair of brown eyes were looking up at me. I instantly recognize the girl in my arms.

“Kira?”

Kira was the daughter of my teacher, and the student council president too. We used to be friends when I was younger, but when I started dating my first real girlfriend, she grew very jealous of Kira and flew into a rage every time we hung out. Thus, I stopped hanging out with Kira. Of course, I knew now that my former girlfriend Eiko was so jealous because she was a cheating whore. Like Akiko, she was a massive cheat. Unlike Akiko, who was only obsessed with one guy, Eiko slept around. She still attended my high school, and slept around enough that she had a reputation as a slut. These weren’t just rumors though. Netori had confirmed to me herself that Eiko had slept with no less than six guys during our relationship, and I hadn’t even fucked her once.

That history burned, so I decided to ignore it. I looked down at Kira, who had only just now realized that I still had my hand wrapped around her, keeping her from falling.

“Hakaru!” Kira cried out, her face turning bright red, but not fighting from my grip. “What are you doing here after school?”

“Ah? Oh… I’m looking for a job.” I finally let her go, causing Kira to let out a breath as if trying to calm herself. “What about you?”

“N-nothing!” Kira said defensively, but then tapped her lips. “Hakaru wants a job, huh?”

It was clear to me that she was doing something she didn’t want me to know about and was trying to change the conversation. Since Netori entered my life, I had grown a lot more conscious on the hidden meaning behind girl’s actions, and it was clear as day that Kira was hiding something. However, I didn’t have any reason to push her, so I went along with her conversation.

“Yeah… allowance just isn’t enough and I don’t get too many electronic repair jobs anymore.”

“Ah!” Kira snapped her finger. “That’s right, you’re pretty good with audio/video stuff, right?”

“Yeah, well, it’s not really doing me any good right now. I’m not certified…”

“No! It’s perfect, actually.” Kira reached out and grabbed my hand.

“Huh?”

“I got a job I can get you!” Kira said excitedly, immediately turning and pulling me.

Now that I remembered properly, Kira had always been that kind of girl. She was usually shy until she got an idea in her head, and then she became like a bull. She used to drag me all around, causing mischief. I figured it was this bull-headed personality that got her the student council president office. Well, it didn’t hurt that her dad was the vice-principal and her mom was a teacher. That fact left many people angry and frustrated with her, feeling that she didn’t deserve her success.

Of course, at the time this happened, I was dating my girlfriend and didn’t have any interest in her life, so it wasn’t something I thought about much until now. I stared at her twin tails bouncing along as she pulled me down the street boldly while holding my hand. I even received a few looks from a few jealous guys who didn’t like seeing anyone with a girl. I had been dating girls through most of high school, so I had gotten used to this look.

Kira was still wearing her student outfit, while I had slipped into something a bit more comfortable. The contrast made the scene of both of us together even more scandalous. I blinked when I noticed what building she was leading me into. It used to be an inn of some kind. Now, it looked somewhat run down. It had flashy signs on it and a sign to rent by the hour. Was she taking me to a love hotel!

Kira didn’t hesitate to bring me into the residence. I could smell paint as if the place was still being renovated. The lighting was low and the place looked a bit sketchy. He definitely wasn’t in high school.  I suddenly started wondering if Kira had a boyfriend. Why was that an issue? Why did I feel like it’d be better if she did? I really needed to calm myself!

We ended up going to the front counter of the lobby. There was a tall guy standing there who also looked somewhat shady. He had blue dyed hair and a piercing in his nose. He looked at the pair of us holding hands with a frown.

“Hey, oniichan!” Kira called out, waving excitedly.

Suddenly, I took another look at the guy behind the counter. That’s right, Kira’s brother was always a bit of a punk guy. However, he never could dye his hair or anything because of high school rules. He would have graduated last year though, so now he could do whatever he wanted. It looked like he had done all the things he had wanted to do. He had a tattoo on his arm, a piercing in his nose, and dyed hair. I wondered what his mother thought.

Although, on second though, Kira’s family was mixed. She wasn’t a full Japanese girl, and they were very lax on eastern customs. My mother had never liked Kira. Would she also get a tattoo and piercings after school graduation? That would certainly be a surprising direction for the student council president to go after school ended.

“Sis… what are you doing here? And in school uniform? You know, dad’s going to be pissed.”

Kira rolled her eyes. “We both know dad and mom are so uptight. This is their own son’s business. They should be happy for you!”

Kira’s brother narrowed his eyes. “Now, I feel like you’re buttering me up. You want something.”

“Can’t a sister just want to see her oniichan-“

“I’m going to stop you right there. You only call me oniichan when you want a favor. So, what is it? Does it have to do with your boyfriend here?”

Kira broke into a blush, only now releasing my hand. “He-he-he’s not my boyfriend!”

“Okay then, a guy you want to be your boyfriend…”

“Deacon! Stop it!” Kira said tearfully. “He’s just an old friend who needs a job! It’s just a job! I remember you said you needed a guy good with tech! Besides, you know him! Remember, Hakaru, we used to play together?”

“Hmm….” Deacon eyed me up and down before shrugging. “That’s right. I remember you. You were dating that Eiko girl for a while. Damn she gave good he.. aaaaahh… shit… I mean…”

I put up my hand. “It’s okay, I know all about that stuff.”

Kira cocked her head, looking between the two of us as if she didn’t know all about that stuff. Bullheaded, but surprisingly innocent. I had never told her about the brutal end to my last relationship. As far as she knew, I was dating Eiko, and now I’m dating Akiko and that was that. Neither of us decided to fill her in.

“A job?”

“Yeah… I just need something to do after school to bring in some money. I want to buy a few things, and helping people with computer stuff isn’t earning me enough anymore.”

“So, you’re a tech guy then?” Deacon asked.

I nodded. “I can build a PC if I need to.”

“And you’re familiar… with that stuff?”