Episode Two: I Can’t Stop Thinking About It ―August 2032―

This summer, said to be a scorcher, is truly unbearably hot.

By the time I arrive at my part-time job, I’m already drenched in sweat. I wipe myself down with a body towel, fix my hair and make-up, then change into my uniform. I like this simple uniform: a white shirt, black skirt, and denim apron.

　I started working part-time at this privately-run restaurant, ‘Palm’, just three stations away from home, soon after entering high school. Truth be told, it’s a place I have a bit of a soft spot for.

Back in middle school, I once had a meal at Palm with Mum and her boyfriend at the time.

　As usual, Mum broke up with her soon after, and I don’t remember the man’s face at all. But for some reason, Palm’s calm atmosphere and delicious food stuck in my memory. I decided that if I got a part-time job in high school, it would be here.

During the summer holidays, with nothing else I particularly wanted to do, I tried to take on as many shifts as possible.

Because I wanted to leave home as soon as I graduated high school.

“Welcome. Two guests, I see. Please take this table.”

　The restaurant’s signature beef stew wafted its delicious aroma from the kitchen. My shift today ran from 5pm to 10pm. After 6pm, the customers started pouring in, and after 7pm, the reservation-holders arrived in droves, making things incredibly busy.

Darting around the dining area, 8pm arrived in the blink of an eye.

The customers who’d been there since opening left all at once, reducing the crowd density inside. But there was no time to relax. I had to clear the tables.

“Welcome! How many in your party?”

The shift leader’s clear voice echoed across the floor. I was clearing plates and felt a rush to tidy up, but I looked up to confirm the number of guests, and froze.

It was Kakei-san, who had come in with a beautiful woman.

“Sensei”

I blurted out, then hurriedly covered my mouth.

　The moment the teacher spotted me, her eyes widened and she suddenly became visibly flustered. She seemed extremely, unmistakably unsettled.

She tried to say something to the woman and seemed to want to leave, but she was smiling broadly as she chatted with the shift leader and was being shown to a two-seater table at the back. The teacher’s suggestion seemed to have been overruled.

　Was she higher up in the pecking order than the teacher? Who on earth was that beautiful woman? …Well, I could just ask her directly!

Wanting to take the order from the teacher, I cleared the table at lightning speed and negotiated directly with the shift leader who had taken the drink order.

I took the two drinks and headed for the teacher’s table.

“Thank you for waiting. Here’s your ginger ale and sangria.”

The teacher turned her face away from me, while the woman with her smiled and said “Thank you” as she took the sangria.

I found myself unconsciously drawn to her large, slanted eyes and gentle smile. She was a beautiful woman with a soft, airy aura and a mature charm.

Does the teacher not drink alcohol? I would have liked to see her drunk.

　Just as I placed the ginger ale in front of the teacher, the woman said to her.

“Rio, you must greet her properly, she is your student after all.”

My heart skipped a beat. It was the first time I’d seen anyone call the teacher by her first name.

The teacher replied to the woman like a child, “I know, I know,” and looked at my face.

“Good evening, Uehara-san. So you’ve been working part-time here?”

“Eh, yeah. I’ve been doing it for over a year now, haven’t I got the hang of it?”

“Yes, very much so. …But I never imagined meeting a student in private… No, I really must leave. I can’t possibly eat or drink at a place where one of my students works.”

“Sensei, don’t worry about it. Our place has delicious food, you should stay and eat. Right?”

　As I laughed, trying to persuade the overly serious teacher to stay,

“Oh, come on, Rio? You’ve come all this way and you’re still dithering? Well then, I’ll just order loads so you can’t leave!”

The woman laughed mischievously, like a naughty child, and swiftly tapped the touchscreen, ignoring the teacher’s opinion as she began placing various orders.

It seemed the teacher was completely at this person’s mercy. Watching their interaction afterwards only confirmed it further.

“…I… I’d like some chicken on the bone.”

Seeing the teacher resignedly add to the order, I couldn’t help but laugh at how adorable it was to see the usually self-possessed teacher being led around like this.

“So, you’re Uehara-san, then? I’ll place the order now, so you’ll bring it over, won’t you?”

The woman smiled, glancing at my name tag pinned to her left breast. It was a beautiful voice, the sort that made you happy just to hear your name spoken, the sort you could listen to forever.

“Understood. Teacher, I’ll be back later, you know ♡”

“…Until what time is Uehara-san’s shift?”

“Ten o’clock! Sorry, but I’ll still be here, won’t I?”

Seeing the teacher’s disappointment, the woman and I both laughed.

I left the table at once to take orders from other customers. While waiting for the kitchen staff to plate their ordered dishes, I couldn’t take my eyes off the teacher and the woman.

Sitting opposite each other, they looked like they got on well even from a distance. They weren’t forcing any excitement; they were just chatting naturally, enjoying each other’s company. You could tell they respected and valued each other.

What intrigued me most was how the teacher’s demeanour seemed different when she was with this woman. Softer, perhaps? More emotionally visible. Her smiling face, her grumpy face – both seemed somehow childlike.

What on earth was their relationship? I had so many questions I wanted to ask, but then the restaurant became incredibly busy, and I couldn’t get over to the teacher’s table.

…She never shows me that kind of face.

Even away from the table, I couldn’t stop thinking about the two of them.