Uncle Hikigaya is Forever Young [45]

Due to the recent global economic crisis, the domestic stock market of Japan had been in constant turmoil.

With the market crash, consumers began tightening their purse strings, and the economic slump seemed unstoppable.

Industries began shutting down, and certain banks were also collapsing from insolvency.

Under an avalanche, nobody could escape unscathed.

—i[The Tsuchimikado Cabinet announces its three major policies: Incentivizing industry, stabilizing finance, revitalizing education, and reforming healthcare!]

The convenience store’s LCD screen, usually flashing promotions, was now showing today's news headlines. However, neither Hikigaya Ryōhei, who usually followed political developments closely, nor Aoyama Nanami, whose heart was dedicated only to voice-acting textbooks, paid much attention.

The convenience store was going to lay people off.

Just now, the store manager had awkwardly informed the two that their branch had to dismiss some employees.

The standard was simple: anyone who had been working here for less than six months.

Which just so happened to include the two of them.

One was a middle-aged man re-employed after losing his job; the other, a high school girl doing part-time work.

But considering everyone was having a tough time, the manager did his best, saying only one of them needed to leave.

"Hikigaya-san, please stay. I overheard you mentioning that you still have children to support at home, so…" Aoyama Nanami raised her head, her voice firm.

She was a considerate child who always thought of others first.

In fact, she still had several other part-time jobs.

Although two clothing stores where she worked had already gone bankrupt, she didn't really mind losing one more.

"Aoyama, wait a minute! I need to take a call."

Ryōhei was about to reply when the phone in his pocket vibrated. Seeing it was an unknown number, he gestured at the girl and stepped outside the convenience store to answer it.

"Hikigaya-san, it’s me, Hiratsuka Shizuka."

A voice—not entirely unfamiliar, female, pleasant yet slightly husky—came from the phone.

Ryōhei immediately recognized her: it was Hiratsuka Shizuka-sensei, the overly responsible teacher who had come for the home visit earlier. She seemed dependable enough.

For Hiratsuka Shizuka, this was the last call she had to make today. She was utterly exhausted, and her tone had become significantly less formal.

"Hiratsuka-sensei, hello! Hachiman will definitely be at school on Monday, please don’t worry."

"Oh, I'll be expecting Hikigaya-kun then. Wait, wait, no—it's not about him. It’s about you."

Hiratsuka Shizuka was drained in body and mind, her brain running slower than usual. Realizing this, she quickly got straight to the point.

Even the beloved beautiful teacher had sadness that others couldn't see!

"Could it be…?"

"That's right! Honestly, Hikigaya-san, you really are hiding your talents. Congratulations! Sōbu High warmly welcomes talented individuals like yourself. We'll be colleagues starting next Monday. Of course, when you report to our school, you'll still need to handle some entry paperwork. That's it then. On Monday... Next Monday, the school will arrange your induction. The specific details have already been sent to your phone."

Shizuka-sensei sounded utterly drained. Working alone after everyone else had left, without even a man to pick her up, she desperately wanted to go home right now.

Don’t think that just because she could punch through doors with one fist, she didn’t have a soft spot inside!

"Thank you, thank you so much!"

Ryōhei was very happy, wanting to ask a few more questions, but noticing the unusual tiredness in Hiratsuka-sensei’s voice, he refrained.

Anyway, there shouldn’t be any problems.

"Then that's settled. See you Monday," Hiratsuka Shizuka replied weakly.

...

"Aoyama, you stay. I'll go resign with the store manager."

When you're completely prepared for a certain outcome, whatever the result turns out to be seems entirely reasonable.

When Ryōhei returned to the store, there was only a faint smile on his lips. He didn't look overly excited or anything.

After all, he was practically a veteran at job-hunting.

In his past life, before finally deciding to become a teacher, he’d wasted quite a few years.

He’d witnessed the splendor of prosperous times and also tasted the bitterness of life.

Even if he couldn't find anything, life would still continue, no need to grieve too much.

In fact, the moment he heard the manager’s words, he had already thought of the worst-case scenario—if he really couldn’t provide for them anymore, he’d just send the Hikigaya siblings back to their mother.

Or their grandmother would also work.

He was a sympathetic and responsible man, but he wasn't impractical.

If he truly couldn't afford to support the siblings, there wasn't much else he could do.

Then, even if it meant working at an exhausting labor job alone, he could still survive.

"But Hikigaya-san, you have a family to support..." The girl raised her eyebrows slightly, asking in surprise.

"No worries, really. I've been job-hunting lately. You didn’t think an adult like me would keep doing odd jobs forever, right?"

Ryōhei was in a good mood, lighter in spirit than at any moment during the past two months.

Aoyama Nanami tilted her head slightly, thought a moment, nodded, then quickly shook her head again.

"I do have some educational credentials, you know. Anyway, don't worry. By the way, Aoyama-san, pursuing voice acting is wonderful, but you must also aim for a good university."

Ryōhei paused slightly. He felt Aoyama Nanami was a good kid, and if he didn't explain clearly, she'd probably keep worrying needlessly.

Thus, he leaned down slightly, turned aside, moved closer to the girl, and quietly whispered: "Actually, the call I just received was about my new job starting next week. The pay is enough to support my family comfortably. I probably won't need to struggle so hard anymore."

"Ah? I-is that so? Then congratulations, Hikigaya-san!"

Caught off-guard by his sudden closeness, the girl's cheeks turned slightly pink.

Maybe it was because she'd opened up about her dreams to this kind, gentle uncle, but among the many adults she'd met since coming to Tokyo, she felt a bit more concerned about Hikigaya Ryōhei.

However, her embarrassment lasted only a brief moment. Ryōhei gently patted her slender shoulder reassuringly, then strode towards the manager's office.

A temporary, unstable part-time job like this could be quit without fuss.

In less than five minutes, after sincerely thanking the manager, Ryōhei emerged, holding slightly more than 40,000 yen—his pay for this week.

The manager had kindly added a small bonus and encouraged him warmly.

Smiling, he waved goodbye to Aoyama Nanami behind the counter, then pushed the door open, leaving behind a carefree silhouette.

—[Yesterday, Duke Saionji vetoed the House of Representatives' resolution concerning the restoration of…]

The news broadcast snapped Aoyama Nanami out of her daze.

Looking around, she suddenly realized that Hikigaya-san, who had kept her company these past two months, was already gone.

"Ahh! I wanted to ask Hikigaya-san what kind of job he found!"

Nanami, still just a child at heart, felt a little lonely at the thought that she probably wouldn't meet this uncle again—the first person she could truly call an acquaintance after coming to Tokyo.

---

This is a fan translation of 比企谷大叔永远年轻 by Stargazer All rights to the original work belong to the creator. Please support them by exploring their original work or sharing it with others if you can. Thank you for reading and supporting my efforts to bring this story to a wider audience!