After school.
Keyaki Shopping Center, in front of a large supermarket.
The bored clerk at the counter was leaning over, chin in hand, watching the scene outside.
"Hey."
"Want to check out the latest volume of Sword Art Online?"
"I heard this volume is really exciting! The illustrations are amazing, you know."
Hikigaya lowered the brim of his hat, speaking in a low voice like some shady street vendor. To an outsider, he might've looked like he was selling something much more dubious.
But that was Juke's fault.
If they didn't sell these books quickly, they'd be stuck with them. Luckily, it was going well.
"Hmm?"
"Really? I'll take one."
A boy looked around suspiciously, lowering his voice as he replied. If you're getting a book with free tissues and fanservice illustrations, it's easy to guess what's on their minds.
By six o'clock, nearly 200 copies had sold. Including the 112 sold yesterday, that made 312 copies in total.
The costs were finally covered, and they'd made 12,000 personal points. But considering the expenses for clothes, work badges, hats, and even Juke's outfit, it was still unclear if this would be a profit or loss.
Not that it mattered. From now on, every sale was pure profit.
As long as this method worked, it was good enough.
Soon, Hikigaya spotted Himenoyuki walking over, wearing blue overalls and carrying a shopping bag.
"Thank you for your hard work. How many are left?" Juke asked, setting the shopping bag between them, her tone excited.
"About 38 copies."
"They sold pretty fast."
Juke slapped a thick stack of light novels on the table, surprised.
"What's this?"
Hikigaya glanced at the shopping bag between them.
The burgundy uniform and white pleated skirt lay there quietly, along with the black stockings she often wore. Hikigaya's face immediately turned red.
This girl is something else.
"My uniform." Juke shrugged. "Didn't feel like going back to the dormitory."
"Who changes clothes outside? That's ridiculous."
"It's too much trouble to go back. I changed in the bathroom."
Juke glanced at Hikigaya, noticing his red face, and leaned in teasingly.
"What? You care so much?"
"Nope." Hikigaya quickly looked away.
"It's just a uniform. Nothing special."
"Oh, I see…"
Juke tilted her head thoughtfully before whispering into his ear with a mischievous smile.
"I'm also not wearing anything underneath."
"What?"
"If you say it like that, of course I'll care! I'm a guy!"
"Haha, you're blushing! You're really blushing!"
Juke clapped her hands in delight.
"Tch." Hikigaya turned his head away in annoyance. Calm down, she's just teasing you.
What a little devil.
She's just toying with my innocence.
"Alright, don't be mad."
Juke patted the back of his hand and changed the topic. "So, how do we sell these?"
"Just sit here and wait for someone to come by."
Juke's excited expression quickly turned to confusion.
"Is that it?"
"What else do you expect?"
"It's different from what I imagined…"
"Most jobs in the world are boring. You just get used to it." Hikigaya sighed. "If you're bored, you can just go back."
Honestly, it would be better if she left. Her presence was drawing suspicious glances.
"No, I can't just give up halfway. At least, I'll help sell the rest."
"Really? Thanks for your hard work."
Hikigaya nodded. As mischievous as Juke was, her work ethic was surprisingly solid. Despite her troublesome personality, she'd probably make a decent employee one day.
"Oh, by the way…" Juke checked her phone and asked casually, "I heard you and Ichinose are practicing for a two-on-three match? I didn't expect you'd join the recommendation competition."
"Like I'd do that on my own." Hikigaya stared blankly ahead. "Ichinose signed me up without asking. Apparently, it's already submitted. No chance to change it."
He was practically destined to become a convenience store employee.
"Huh… I see."
Juke's voice trailed off, her fingers pausing over her phone for a moment.
"This is the latest volume of Sword Art Online, right? Why's it on display out here?"
A boy approached them, asking the same question everyone else did.
People never actually cared about the answer. They just couldn't stand the silence.
"Um…" Juke's smile stiffened as she struggled to respond.
"I'm sorry, there's no room for it inside," Hikigaya answered casually. Just say something, and people will take it at face value.
"Oh, I see. How much is it?"
"One thousand points!" Juke blurted out excitedly.
"Huh? A thousand points?" The boy stared at her, bewildered.
"Yes!" Juke nodded vigorously. "We've already sold over 300 copies, so hurry up and buy it."
Hikigaya was speechless. Did she seriously think making money was that easy?
The boy looked them over and suddenly seemed suspicious. He glanced at Juke and said, "By the way, you seem really young."
Was he trying to pick a fight?
Himenoyuki giggled, sneaking a glance at Hikigaya. "People say that a lot."
"Well, my boss did question her age during the hiring process," Hikigaya replied dryly.
It wasn't a lie. After all, his "boss" was Ichinose.
"Ah, that makes sense." The boy nodded. "I almost thought she was the same age as me. No wonder you have to guide her."
"Yeah, she's new to the job, so I have to show her the ropes."
What's with this guy? Is he here to start trouble?
"Well, do you want to buy something?" Hikigaya handed over a copy of the novel. He almost wanted to give it away for free.
"Sure," the boy said, taking out his phone.
Wait, really?
He's actually buying it?
"Thank you! See you next time!" Juke bowed politely.
"There probably won't be a next time," the boy laughed. "By the way, I'm Fujimaki, Class A of the third year."
"I'm Hikigaya Hachiman."
"Juke, nice to meet you."
"So you caught us, huh?" Hikigaya said nervously.
"Relax." Fujimaki smiled. "I'm not going to tell anyone. But it's only a matter of time before you get caught."
With that, he walked away.
"What a strange guy," Juke said, watching him leave.
"Pfft… hahaha!"
"What's so funny?"
"You were blushing over my stockings earlier, but you can lie so easily now. Isn't that hilarious?"
"Tch." Hikigaya turned away.
This girl… he couldn't pass this threshold, could he? This incident was going to haunt him for life.
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