Post by Kazamori Mariko on Oct 18, 2019 1:58:23 GMT
2AM. The immediate neighborhood didn't exactly have the most bustling nightlife, and thus the number of customers tended to dwindle as the hours went by. Sure, the quiet was welcome, but also made it hard for her not to fall asleep. That or spend too much time with herself and, more often than not, less-than pleasant thoughts.
Humming the lyrics of an old school pop song she had in the background, Mariko made her way to the aisle closest to the counter, diligently reorganizing and restocking the shelves. She worked as slowly as possible, well aware that once done, she would be back to starting at her phone's screen — collecting kitties and cute outfits could help only so much with boredom. Suffice to say that she had mastered the art of working at a snail pace when needed.
With a sigh, she crouched down in front of the soft drinks fridge, reaching for a few isolated bottles and putting them to the front. Her manager regularly filled it with many novelty drinks, from soda cans sporting the likeness of a popular anime character to strange flavored teas. A treasure trove of peculiarities, many of them ending up in her personal collection. Tonight, though, she was a tad too preoccupied to consider new additions to her hoard of multicolored bottles. A few days prior, her roommate of two years announced she would move to Akita. She had grown accustomed to her presence, and even if they rarely spent time together in the past few months, knowing she wouldn't see her anymore left with an unpleasant mix of melancholy and loneliness.
At least she wouldn't have to worry about finding a replacement, or so she told herself as a meager consolation, the small townhouse she was living in being owned by her parents.
Lost in thought as she was, it wouldn't take much to startle her real good, and the sudden jingling of the entry bell did just that. It took her everything she had to not yelp, only slightly losing her balance before quickly getting back up on her feet. A quick peek past the aisle, and—
Ugh. Not him.
Swift on her feet, Mariko went back behind the register, dark blue eyes following him briefly before glancing down at her phone. He was late, not that she cared. Just thinking about that damn smirk almost made her polished, commercial smile vanish. After all, she had to be professional. Even if the client was terribly annoying.
At least, she didn't have to greet him just yet.
Noboru