"Your enamel's chipped a bit, but luckily there's no cracking in the tooth. No major treatment needed."
Just when the clinic was about to close up shop and everyone was ready to head home for dinner, a last-minute pair of patients showed up begging for help. The dentist, sighing with parental concern, agreed to take a look.
Yin Ze let out a long breath of relief. The dentist had just been rattling off phrases like "local anesthesia," "root canal," and "ceramic crown repair"—each one sounding more expensive than the last.
"Next time, be careful. Some kids don't know any better and shove toys in their mouths. That's how teeth get chipped. Your… sister? She's probably a bit late with losing her baby teeth. Don't let her get this reckless again." The dentist peered at them, curious. "Still, enamel's the hardest part of the human body. What did she even bite into to knock a chunk off?"
"Thick-cut sirloin." Yin Ze grimaced as he glanced at the girl beside him, who was clutching her cheek with teary eyes.
"...?"
By the time they left the clinic, the sun had set and the streetlights had blinked to life, casting long shadows across the pavement.
Yin Ze could feel the resentment radiating from the girl beside him. Even someone as thick-skinned as him felt a twinge of guilt.
"Who would've thought something as soft as steak could turn into cement after grilling? Meat—truly mysterious!" he chuckled.
"You're enjoying this, aren't you?" Ayane Sakura's glare could've stripped paint. "Second time we've met and you pull this kind of prank? You're unbelievable. Just the worst!"
"My bad," Yin Ze lowered his head, contrite. "I'm terrible. Honestly, I'm so sorry."
"Whatever. How much was the bill?" she huffed.
"That was my responsibility. No need to pay me back."
"Oh, really? What, are we suddenly best friends or something?" Ayane snapped.
"Alright then. It was 1,862 yen." Yin Ze held out a hand.
"You're actually charging me?!" Her eyes went wide in disbelief.
"Of course. That's two hours of part-time pay!" he replied indignantly.
Ayane angrily slapped three bills into his palm, then crossed her arms. "Fine. But now I demand emotional damages!"
Yin Ze gave her a sheepish smile and quickly returned the untouched bills with both hands. "I hope this can soothe your wounded soul."
"Hey! That's my money!"
"But it's also the payment you gave me!"
"No way! I'm taking your money!" she declared, stamping her foot.
Left with no choice, Yin Ze dug into his back pocket and pulled out three ancient, wrinkled bills that looked like they'd survived multiple world wars. He reluctantly handed them over.
Ayane recoiled in horror. The bills looked like they still had grease stains on them. Grimacing, she yanked back her original crisp, clean money.
Yin Ze shook his head. Even if the value's the same, women always pick the cleaner, prettier option. Classic.
"It's getting late. You should head home. I'll see if I can call a cab—it's on me." Yin Ze looked toward the street corner.
"No way. This isn't over yet," Ayane growled.
"Huh? But I already apologized, took you to the dentist, paid for the treatment, and even gave you compensation," he said, sounding wronged.
All true. And yet, she still felt she'd come out shortchanged. But for now, she had no comeback—just kept glaring at him.
"Alright, I'll take a hit for it. Let it all out." Yin Ze opened his arms wide like he was begging for a hug, but really just offering himself up. "Chest, shoulder, butt—take your pick. I'm your punching bag."
Still just a first-year high school girl, Ayane huffed angrily, then forced herself to let it go. She turned on her heel to leave.
"Where are you going?" Yin Ze chased after her.
"Home!" she shouted.
"…Oh."
A few seconds passed.
"Wait—why are you just standing there?" she asked, turning back.
"Waiting for a cab," he replied.
So there they were, standing awkwardly under a streetlight, wrapped in mutual silence. Yin Ze looked down at the short girl beside him and felt a pang of guilt.
"Sorry for making your day so miserable."
"It's whatever. I wasn't expecting much from today anyway," Ayane muttered. "But at least… you actually apologized and stayed with me. Not just phoned it in like other people… Thanks for waiting with me after orientation too."
"I'm still waiting with you now." Yin Ze scratched his head.
"Don't get cocky. I'm only thanking you because my dad told me to!"
"A man of great parenting."
"Hmph. Obviously."
"But the real praise goes to the one who listened and followed through. You must be destined to become an even better adult."
Yin Ze laughed, laying it on thick, and got a delayed kick to the shin in return. It was light as a feather—probably softened at the last second by that excellent upbringing.
—
The month or two after New Year's was always slow. Other than family visits and shrine outings, there wasn't much to do. Staying home made her gain weight. Her mom suggested going out more, maybe hanging with friends.
But where would she even find those friends?
She couldn't exactly bring up how she'd been totally forgotten last time. No need to burden her parents with that.
So instead, she pretended to go out, when in reality, she just wandered around alone.
If a movie caught her eye, she'd buy a solo ticket and spend the afternoon there. Back home, she'd invent stories about fun hangouts and nonexistent friends to reassure her parents.
Even she knew it was a bit pathetic.
The lazy stray cat she used to chat with had stopped showing up too. Thinking about it now, it had been years since she'd last bantered and bickered with someone like that… let alone kicked them.
Ayane walked through the shopping district and instinctively glanced at the restaurant where that lazy guy had lounged. It looked totally different now—new branding, flashy decor, waitresses in heavy makeup and frilly uniforms trying way too hard to lure in customers.
It gave her an odd feeling.
Her phone buzzed.
The caller surprised her.
"This is Ippei Kashiwai. Ayane-chan, did you have a good New Year's?" her manager's overly friendly voice rang out.
"Mm. Super fun," she mumbled.
"Haha, good to hear. Actually, I landed a pretty sweet gig for you. You're still on break, right? Want to give it a shot?"
"…Sure."
Ayane agreed, thinking—anything would be better than aimlessly wandering around like this.